iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

In Bangui's Maison Russe, children learn Cyrillic beside a merry-go-round. At the gate stands a statue of Wagner boss Prigozhin, and a Russian military trainer walks the compound. Russia is opening 8 new Russian Houses in Africa. The hardened side of soft power. My story in De Telegraaf:

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

That photo of a mother and child in Kenya is real, from a 2022 World Vision drought response, one of the groups now getting a share of a new US aid package. What it hides: a $2B surge in funding for evangelical groups, faith as a tool of US influence in Africa

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Published an article today: Somali piracy is back. Six ships, 80+ crew hijacked since April, none freed yet. Experts link it to the war around Iran straining naval patrols. No romance here: it doesn't end with sailing into the sunset, it ends with months of captivity.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Correspondent Arthur de Leeuw had seen enough of Africa's conflicts and developments. Then came a familiar itch, back to Kenya, to build a bamboo business. Now his terrace planks sell across Kenya, Europe and beyond. Why? "Because it's fun."

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

New book on journalism and AI pushed me to reflect on 2 years of AI-assisted reporting. Writing with AI means heavier ethics, not lighter. Every story still starts with a person willing to talk to me, and lands in front of one too ruudelmendorp.substack.com/p/journalism...

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Safari for the masses. Twenty vehicles around one lion still gets under my skin. My latest for De Telegraaf: Uber sells safaris in Nairobi, tourism funds a huge slice of Kenya's economy. Tourists turn their backs to lions for selfies, front camera on. Real magic starts where convoys don't reach.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

2001, South Sudan. On a blackboard in an abandoned school in Rumbek: "We have no animals left, they were all eaten because there is no food." Last week UNESCO made that landscape World Heritage. Six million antelope. Who protects 11m hectares in a country at war? Today in De Telegraaf.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

A monkey nobody had ever seen was just found in a Congolese forest with no roads. It lives in 1,700 km² and nowhere else. We can see 13 billion years into space, but we've seen less than 0.001% of our own deep ocean. Finding an exoplanet costs us nothing. This monkey we can lose.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

The blink never changed About balancing a Tik Took hook against a good old Betacam SP recorder open.substack.com/pub/ruudelme... #TikTok #BetacamSP

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The blink never changed

The flame

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

The Tools Change the Story My take on how AI and social media not only change the news, but also the journalists open.substack.com/pub/ruudelme...

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

My amazing and conflicting visit of the mourning of the late Ayatolla Ali Khamenei ruudelmendorp.substack.com/p/the-only-j...

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

In the Netherlands and other Western countries, electric driving is a debate. In Kenya, riders just ride. E-motorbikes are booming, not for the climate but for the wallet: fuel €7 per 160 km, batteries €1.40. And the grid? 93% renewable. My story in today's De Telegraaf 🇳🇱

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Reflections after a weekend trip filming Tik Tok open.substack.com/pub/ruudelme... #shoppingmalls #Kenya #substack

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

My next story, please have fun and share: open.substack.com/pub/ruudelme...

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Stories that wander from daily musings to geopolitics, all driven by a quiet fascination with the beautifully complex world we inhabit. Read them here substack.com/@ruudelmendorp

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

The Knife Sharpener Who Calls the Street to Life open.substack.com/pub/ruudelme...

open.substack.com

The Knife Sharpener Who Calls the Street to Life

Wakisu!

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Russia’s footprint in the Central African Republic looks different depending on where you stand. In Bangui, it shows up in Cyrillic signs and cultural outreach. Around the gold mines, it becomes military and extractive. Here my latest story in De Telegraaf #russia #CAR #CentralAfricanRepublic

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

How China is reshaping Nairobi. From pagoda-style toll gates that greet you as you leave the airport to Chinese signage, menus, and entire streets in Nairobi, China’s presence is no longer just built, it’s lived. In my latest piece, I look at how that shift is unfolding on the ground

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Out with the Content Gang again. New pavements, new stories in Nairobi’s CBD 🎥 What looks like a simple TikTok starts with sunglasses… and ends on a high-end edit suite. open.substack.com/pub/ruudelme...

open.substack.com

Pavements, Producers, and the Illusion of Effortless TikTok

Walking the Algorithm

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Dancing on the edge of the city Read my Substack about my remarkable journey on Tik Tok, creating content while entering new avenues. It has been amazing. Please share and subscribe open.substack.com/pub/ruudelme...

open.substack.com

Dancing on the edge of the city

My unexpected TikTok life

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

From a conflict zone in Somalia straight to the dinner table at home, it doesn’t work. A rare moment where I truly felt the gap between worlds, and realised: you need to decompress somewhere before you can really arrive. Here is my column in De Telegraaf.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

In South Africa, migrants are becoming the face of growing anger, facing intimidation and violence. Watching this as a Dutch journalist, it’s hard not to think of the Dutch migration debate. Different context, yes. But the same risk: when rhetoric hardens, reality can follow.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Colombian mercenaries fighting in Darfur appear to have been trained on UAE soil, according to Human Rights Watch. Activists say a red line has been crossed — and are calling on governments and the NBA to rethink ties with the Emirates.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Ebola is spreading from DR Congo into neighbouring countries, but the real driver may be mistrust, not medicine. Why is this outbreak getting so much attention now? Here is my analysis in De Telegraaf.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

eSwatini is the last country in Africa that still recognizes Taiwan. No Chinese billions, no megaprojects—yet it survives. Like the Asterix village holding out against an empire, this story looks beyond the obvious and asks whether following the world’s rules is the only way forward.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Every trip leaves an impression, but this one stands out. Puntland, amid a massive prolonged drought. An ancient land of camels, frankincense and the fabled Land of Punt, now facing a quiet, largely unseen tragedy, worsened by international funding cuts. My first article is out. More to come.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

I’ve been reporting on Sudan since 2001, including Darfur. What haunts me most after three years of war is not only today’s violence, but how past atrocities fade without memory or accountability, making genocide feel new again. My story in De Telegraaf

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

I don’t usually write about nature — I write about conflict. But when a rare gorilla twin is born in the middle of a conflict zone in eastern DRC, the story becomes impossible to ignore. New life in the shadow of instability. Article just out in De Telegraaf

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Something I never imagined when starting out on Tik Tok, but now forming a Content Gang to create stories across Kenya and Africa

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

The Americans are back in the Sahel. Not because In my new piece, I break down why

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

South Sudan hurts to write about. I lived there in 2001 during the war, watched the peace deal being signed in 2005. Now I'm reporting again on a security crisis inside an independent South Sudan. The child soldiers I met back then are adults with families, yet the war never really left

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

For many Africans applying for visas to Europe, it’s a maze with almost no exits. When the legal path disappears into refusals, some end up on boats across the Mediterranean, with tragic consequences. My column looks at what it says about who gets to move freely in the world #visa #migration #Africa

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

Africa’s wars are going airborne. Iran’s Shahed drones—famous from Ukraine—now show up in Sudan and Ethiopia, while cheap consumer drones are hacked into flying weapons. Experts say there’s no battlefield left without the ominous buzz of drones: no rules, no limits, and a growing sky full of danger.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

After decades on the road, hotels were always my default. Business travellers choosing apartments never made sense to me. Until an accidental stay showed how an apartment moves at your own rhythm and quietly boosts creativity. Travel isn’t just distance; it’s self‑discovery.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

My pitches and candid analyses as the vintage Africa correspondent for newspaper and international multimedia. Please read, comment and share: ruudelmendorp.substack.com #ruudelmendorp #substack #analysis #Africa

ruudelmendorp.substack.com

Ruud's Substack | Substack

My personal Substack. Click to read Ruud's Substack, by Ruud Elmendorp, a Substack publication. Launched 40 minutes ago.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

At the Iranian Embassy in Nairobi, Ambassador Ali Gholampour calls Iran’s regional strikes legitimate self‑defence and criticises governments that stayed silent on the earlier US and Israeli attack. Kenya condemns Iran’s retaliation but not the initial strike #Iran #Iranwar #Kenya

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Here is my heartbreaking story in De Telegraaf about parents and siblings of Kenyans who were lured into the Russian army and then forced to the frontline in Ukraine. Many odf these young men are reported missing or dead, while their pictures in combat uniform appear online #Kenya #Russia #Ukraine

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Reposted by Ruud Elmendorp

Haverroës - victor vd Have @duckduckvic.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

So cool. I had this exact problem as a lefty journalist with all the hate, but I deleted the app. I find that this comment resonates. Would you care to share what you did differently to be able to share those stories?

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Barely a week after the UN warned of “hallmarks of genocide” in Darfur, RSF commander Hemedti shows up on a state visit to Museveni in Kampala — and Uganda isn’t the only country warming to him. Once again, trade and geopolitics trump a humanitarian disaster.

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Reposted by Ruud Elmendorp

Daniëlle Hirsch @daniellehirsch.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

Het moment waarvan je wist dat het zou komen. Nederland - een van de rijkste landen ter wereld. Schaamteloos. Mede mogelijk gemaakt door ‘middenpartijen’ CDA en D66, die notabene allebei een achterban hebben dit solidariteit met mensen over onze grenzen heen wél belangrijk vindt.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

The Sahel feels like a Greek myth right now: easy to break with the old order, much harder to rule the chaos that follows. Now Niger even threatens with war against France. My analysis today in De Telegraaf. #Sahel #Niger

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

A Sudanese Rapid Support Forces training camp in Ethiopia. That has been dominating the news in the last week, and if found true it would be a major escalation of the war in Sudan. Here is my analysis in De Telegraaf #Sudan #SudanWar

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Saudi Arabia is clearly modernising. After women recently were allowed to apply for a passport; it's now the turn for camels. They are now eligible for a passport. Details about whether a passport picture will be mandatory are not disclosed yet #camels #passport #saudiarabia #women

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

I first lived in South Sudan in 2001, through war, bombers and hope. I met Garang, Kiir and Machar, and stood there when peace was signed. To see that hope destroyed by their feud is heartbreaking, but the story must be told #SouthSudan #Telegraaf

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

As Sudan’s war approaches its 4th year on April 15, there’s still no end in sight. Today I report on how the Rapid Support Forces are pushing into Kordofan. UN human rights chief Volker Türk warns for a new massacre like in El-Fasher Full story: www.telegraaf.nl/buitenland/v... #Sudan #SudanWar

telegraaf.nl

VN waarschuwt voor herhaling van bloedbad in Soedan

Terwijl de oorlog in Soedan in april zijn vierde jaar ingaat, trekken de paramilitaire Rapid Support Forces (RSF) na de verovering van Darfur steeds dieper de naastgelegen regio Kordofan in.

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Two years ago I joined TikTok as an experiment—not to dance, but to tell stories. The comments were brutal. I stayed, refined the craft, and built a sharp mobile workflow. Now TikTok is part of my reporting toolkit. Short‑form stories with substance? www.tiktok.com/@ruudelmendorp

tiktok.com

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Ruud Elmendorp @ruudelmendorp.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Come to my Tik Tok. Have been building it for a while and it's getting nice traction in both stories and views. 400+ videos www.tiktok.com/@ruudelmendorp

tiktok.com

TikTok - Make Your Day

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