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Sarah Zimmerman

@sjzimmerman.bsky.social
6.8K followers 4.1K following 1.8K posts

Historian, gender, West Africa, French imperialism, militarization, Author of Militarizing Marriage (Ohio UP 2020). Past-présidente of French Colonial Historical Society, BCDSS alum, recovering Oakland As Fan, PNW hiking/backpacking...w/ signature typoes

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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 21h
What will this do to the 90 centimes baguette?
rfi.fr
French cereal farmers experiment with African sorghum to beat the heat
Europe's maize crops have been hit hard by this summer's heatwaves and ongoing drought, with French producers saying almost half of this year's harvest is unusable. To prepare for hotter, drier condit...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 21h
africasacountry.com
We are oil to you
What becomes possible when the psychic weight of labor, migration, and extraction is, even briefly, set down?
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 21h
hard agree
ips-journal.eu
The Sahel’s new dependency
The Sahelian juntas promised greater sovereignty. Their reliance on Russian forces may be producing the opposite
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 21h
bloomberg.com
Runner’s Murder in South Africa Reignites Push to Stop Femicide
Liz Ramhlola was jogging with another woman early one morning on a road bordered by vacant plots when a car slowed down beside them. The men inside opened the windows, then began jeering and arguing a...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 21h
Dakar now has a train that runs from the airport into downtown Dakar!!
jeuneafrique.com
TER de Dakar : derrière la vitrine de modernité, une équation financière à résoudre
Avec 100 millions de voyageurs transportés en cinq ans et un taux de ponctualité de 97 %, le train express affiche un bilan flatteur. Mais alors que l’extension vers l’aéroport international Blaise-Di...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 21h
Mali's school year began on 1 October with more than 2,400 of the country's 11,860 schools, over 20%, closed due to worsening insecurity and expanding jihadist control....
rfi.fr
Mali: plus de 2400 écoles fermées pour la rentrée scolaire
Au Mali, ce jeudi 1er octobre est jour de rentrée scolaire alors que 2026-2027 a été décrétée « Année de l'éducation et de la culture » par le président de la Transition, le général Assimi Goïta. Pour...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 21h
An accounting of state and Russian mercenary deaths in Mali....
amnesty.org
Mali: Damning evidence of war crimes by state armed forces and Wagner Group personnel – new report
Members of Mali’s armed forces working together with the Wagner Group committed war crimes during joint operations between 2023 and 2025.
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 21h
C H I L D R E N On 23 September, the police in Chad arrested and questioned five children for appearing in and diffusing a video in which, dressed in military fatigues, they criticize the Chadian regime.
jeuneafrique.com
Tchad : cinq enfants face à la justice pour une vidéo politique
Au Tchad, cinq enfants ayant critiqué le régime dans une vidéo devenue virale ont été entendus par la police pour « incitation à la rébellion ». Une affaire qui relance les critiques sur le verrouilla...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 21h
There have been so many AI-slop memes with Ibrahim Traoré and gold, that I can't help but be curious about this one. But, Burkina did just open the first state-owned gold refinery.
bbc.com
Burkina Faso's Ibrahim Traoré opens first gold refinery in Ouagadougou
Junta leader Ibrahim Traoré wants the country to profit more from its mineral wealth.
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 21h
I do not contest the numbers, but I am curious how they are qualified. Would we count deaths related to terrorism (state and non-state), since access to resources (land, water, etc.) is part of the motivation for war?
theconversation.com
Nigeria faces the world’s highest projected death toll from super El Niño heat: what could save lives
The super El Niño could cause 31,400 extra heat deaths in Nigeria alone. Heat warnings, cooling centres and worker protections could help save lives.
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Here's another fellowship at the @dependencybonn.de Deadline is also January 10, 2027
dependency.uni-bonn.de
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I had this fellowship at @dependencybonn.de, it was DOPE. If you have questions, I'm happy to answer them! application deadline: Jan 10, 2027
dependency.uni-bonn.de
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Open Letter from Feminist Gender and Sexuality Studies at Cornell.... "Cornell’s process makes a mockery of restorative justice."
fgss.cornell.edu
Open Letter on Sexual Assault & Violence at Cornell
Open Letter on Sexual Assault & Violence at Cornell
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
"French school students have blocked schools across France, demanding more teachers, smaller classes, and better-equipped schools. Some protests escalated into clashes w/ police, while teachers, firefighters, & other public workers also protested over funding and resources." ...feeling envy?
aljazeera.com
French students clash with police as protests over education cuts spread
French school students have blocked schools across France, demanding better learning conditions.
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Reposted by Sarah Zimmerman
Africa Center for Strategic Studies @africacenter.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Our new Spotlight examines: the actors subverting Nigeria's information integrity; the narratives being used to foster disillusionment, apathy, and even insecurity; how Nigerians are countering these threats; and what can be done to scale up this response. africacenter.org/spo...
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Reposted by Sarah Zimmerman
Africa Center for Strategic Studies @africacenter.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Foreign actors are targeting Nigeria with manipulative information operations to erode trust, deepen polarization, and shape security narratives to gain greater leverage over Nigeria’s political and economic trajectory.
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
For junior scholars.... The Laura Bassi Scholarship was established in 2018 with the aim of providing editorial assistance to postgraduates and junior academics whose research focuses on neglected topics of study, broadly construed, within their disciplines.
editing.press
Editing Press | Editorial Funding | Laura Bassi Scholarship
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Ibrahim Traoré has been in place for four years?! Given the political context(s), this is impressive. However....
hrw.org
“None Can Run Away”
The 316-page report, “‘None Can Run Away’: War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity in Burkina Faso by All Sides,” documents the devastating impact on civilians of an armed conflict that has received sc...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Kédougou? That's not a port....the borderlands of Mali and Guinea must be dangerous and porous.
fr.apanews.net
Cocaïne : le Sénégal face à des flux persistants
De 1,5 kg intercepté à Kédougou à près d’une tonne saisie à Koumpentoum en quelques mois, les opérations sénégalaises illustrent la persistance de flux de cocaïne dans un espace ouest-africain de plus...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Ezzahra El Mansouri will become the first female prime minister of Morocco (who's head is a king). This is amazing, but I have questions. She's a member PAM, which is likely directed and backed by the monarchy. So, what does Mohammed VI hope to do with this appointment?
rfi.fr
Maroc: Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri nommée cheffe du gouvernement, une première pour une femme
Le roi Mohammed VI a nommé, mardi 29 septembre 2026, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri au poste de cheffe du gouvernement après la victoire de son parti aux élections législatives de la semaine dernière, sel...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Assassinations and torture committed by the army and members of African Corps (they say Wagner here?) (Russian mercenaries)....!!
rfi.fr
Mali: l'ONG Amnesty documente des cas d'assassinats et de tortures commis par l'armée et le groupe Wagner
« Nul n’est épargné ». C’est le titre du rapport publié mardi 29 septembre 2026 par Amnesty International, qui a enquêté sur des cas de meurtres, de tortures et de disparitions forcées attribués à l’a...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The scene described here, women working in their fields taken...reminds one of the eighteenth century.
sahel-intelligence.com
Nigeria : Plus de 80 personnes enlevées en deux jours dans le nord – Sahel Intelligence
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I am devastated, 910 was NOT crowned.
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Due to no particular individual merit, I have decided I deserve a Brewers v. Guardians World Series. Can someone find one for me?
Stephen Vogt as an Oakland Athletic joyfully running the bases (he is now manager of the Cleveland Guardians)Bob Uecker as a broadcaster in major league. He called the radio broadcast for the Milwaukee Brewers for decades.
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
All in for 910!
Final Four competitors in Fat Bear Week, Family 132, bear 910, 89 Backpack, and Bucky 164.
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Who owns the chocolate? and why am I thinking of gyoza?
cocoadiaries.substack.com
The Cocoa Is Yours. But How Much of It Do You Actually Own?
Ghana’s new cocoa law protects cocoa farms at the same time that emerging technologies are raising harder questions about who may control the tree itself. Somewhere between the state, the market & lab
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
may read this with students in the spring....(War and Militarization in Africa)
reaktionbooks.co.uk
The Road to Bamako | Reaktion Books
The Sahel region, from Mauritania in the West to Sudan in the East, is in crisis. Ulf Laessing, a veteran journalist who has lived and worked in the region for years, leverages unprecedented access to...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
"Boko Haram fighters are using the artificial intelligence chatbots of Big Tech companies to help build more powerful bombs, plan attacks and solve problems during combat"
aljazeera.com
‘Just ask Grok’: How ISIL is using Big Tech’s AI to build bombs
Evidence shared exclusively with Al Jazeera shows ISIL supporters sharing ways to bypass AI safeguards.
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Why would a kingdom build a wall in the desert?
theconversation.com
Morocco’s deadly wall across Western Sahara: why the 2,700km Berm was built and the damage it does
The wall in Western Sahara marks the practical frontline of a conflict most of the world has stopped watching.
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Reflections on Dangote's empire
africasacountry.com
Too big to regulate
Dangote’s refinery ended Nigeria’s dependence on imported fuel and became Africa’s most important energy asset overnight when Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz. But it also became the country’s most powe...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Useful notes on Senegal's IMF restructuring of $2.2B in debt...
alexthurston.substack.com
Senegal Debt Restructuring - Dynamics, Uncertainties, and Developments
The restructuring’s consequences will reverberate through the 2027 and 2029 elections.
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Advancing goals with a dangerous partner in troubling times.
responsiblestatecraft.org
In Red Sea crisis, Somaliland seizes leverage for US recognition
The North African country has grasped an opening, sending President Irro to Washington last week to make the case
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Big sigh of relief, Bear 910 made it through yesterday's round of voting. Also, my second pick, Bucky (164), advanced.
A beautiful robust photo of bear 910a side by side comparison of Bucky (164) from June and September.
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A newly edited version of Andrée Blouin's autobiography was released in French last year...
afriquexxi.info
« Pour Andrée Blouin, l'intégrité était un garde-fou essentiel » - Entetien
Mon pays, l’Afrique, l’autobiographie d’Andrée Blouin, rééditée en 2025, est désormais disponible en français aux éditions Hors d’atteinte. Longtemps oubliée, cette figure majeure des (…)
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I enjoy reading about the radicalization of Americans that become involved in anti-colonial revolutions elsewhere....
afriquexxi.info
Elaine Mokhtefi. De New York à Alger, de Fanon aux Black Panthers
Elaine Mokhtefi s’est éteinte le 11 septembre à New York, à l’âge de 97 ans. Sept semaines plus tôt, un décret présidentiel avait fait de cette États-Unienne née en 1928 une citoyenne algérienne. (…)
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
"C’est une lutte de vingt ans, menée sans relâche contre les pressions et les menaces. Dans le village de Niafrang (ou Niafourang), en Casamance, au sud du Sénégal, les habitants s’opposent avec détermination à un projet minier qui menace leur littoral."
afriquexxi.info
Sénégal. En Casamance, la justice passe, le zircon reste - Série 2/3
Depuis vingt ans, les habitants de Niafrang, en Casamance, s’opposent à l’exploitation du zircon sur leur littoral. En novembre 2025, la Cour suprême du Sénégal a annulé le permis de l’entreprise. (…)
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
More oil production in Senegal's future...was this a key promise for the IMF restructuring loan of $2.2B?
fr.apanews.net
Sénégal : accord de 2 à 3 Mrds de dollars pour une 2e raffinerie
Le Sénégal a franchi une nouvelle étape dans le renforcement de ses capacités de raffinage avec la signature, mercredi 23 septembre à New York, d’un protocole d’accord entre la Société africaine de ra...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Senegal's powercuts have increased...I'm curious if they are as bad as during Abdoulaye Wade's presidency.
rfi.fr
Au Sénégal, la Senelec s'explique sur les raisons des nombreuses coupures électriques
Alors que des coupures d’électricité inhabituellement longues et fréquentes affectent depuis début septembre Dakar et le reste du Sénégal, le fournisseur d’électricité tente de rassurer ses usagers.…
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
"The relaunch comes as Niger seeks greater control over its uranium sector and remains in a dispute with French nuclear group Orano following the nationalization of its Somaïr subsidiary."
africanews.com
Niger signs deal with Australian group to relaunch uranium project | Africanews
Niger authorities said Wednesday they have signed a new agreement with the Madaouela Mining Company, which is 60% owned by the Australian Atomic Eagle group, to relaunch a uranium mining project in th...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Chad is maintaining its global military presence...
miamiherald.com
Chadian troops arrive in Haiti as cops say they arrest Floridian who had AR-15
Hundreds of Chadians are arriving in Haiti as the country’s police said they arrested a U.S. citizen who is from Orlando and had an assault rifle in his luggage.
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Armored car production framed as "anti-western" "Interim President Ibrahim Traoré has announced that Burkina Faso has secretly built a domestic armored vehicle industry. Speaking at a science competition, Traoré unveiled the "Nanga" fleet, manufactured locally by a company called Faso Armor."
africa.businessinsider.com
Traore's Russian-backed Burkina Faso rejects Western armored vehicles and unveils locally made war equipment
Burkina Fasos defense and security forces have officially received an initial batch of Nanga armored vehicles, representing a major achievement in the countrys push for domestic defense production
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
yes please....
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Cuckooshrike sounds pretty metal....
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Looking into this, this morning after seeing Mbougar Sarr comment on this....
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Reposted by Sarah Zimmerman
Olivier Tesquet @oliviertesquet.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Le Figaro nous apprend que le mystérieux créateur du compte Balance ton Claude est en réalité Samuel Fitoussi, investisseur dans l’IA et… chroniqueur au Figaro. L’un des premiers a avoir relayé la polémique autour de Thélyson Orélien. www.lefigaro.fr/culture/qui-...
lefigaro.fr
Thélyson Orélien accusé d’avoir écrit son roman avec l’IA : Le Figaro révèle qui se cache derrière «Balance ton Claude»
INFO LE FIGARO - Les spéculations allaient bon train. Le véritable créateur de ce compte X entend dénoncer le «slop» de l’IA et restaurer la confiance envers l’écriture humaine.
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Look at this champion....
Two different photos of bear 910, showing robust weight gain between jule 2 and September 9. It's Fat Bear Week!
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Diomaye Faye is networking at the UN...
fr.apanews.net
ONU : Diomaye Faye mobilise ses partenaires autour du Sahel
En marge de l’Assemblée générale de l’ONU à New York, le président sénégalais Bassirou Diomaye Faye a multiplié mardi les échanges sur les enjeux de paix et de sécurité, notamment la situation au Sahe...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
militarization of the state....
jeuneafrique.com
Comment les militaires maliens ont noyauté toutes les sphères de l’État
Depuis le coup d’État d’août 2020, les officiers ont investi en silence tous les rouages de l’appareil d’État. Une enquête inédite, fondée sur 81 387 actes de nomination, documente l’ampleur de cette ...
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
justwomenssports.com
Kentucky State Center Aminata Seck in ICE Custody After Early August Detainment
Kentucky State women's basketball center Aminata Seck has spent more than six weeks in custody after ICE agents detained her in Louisville.
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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
PASTEF no more....
rfi.fr
Sénégal: nouvelles défections de l'Alliance pour la République en faveur du parti présidentiel Kiiraay
Le parti de l’ex-président sénégalais Macky Sall est touché par une série de défections. Ces dernières semaines, plusieurs maires et élus locaux ont choisi de rejoindre les rangs de Kiiraay, la nouvel...
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