Vol 54 No 16 | SIERRA LEONE Shadowy third-term plan for Koroma 23rd July 2013 The constitution restricts presidents to two five-year terms. Confident of their political dominance, top officials in the All People’s Congress are scheming to abolish the term limits. President Koroma's denials are perfunctory and unconvincing Freetown is full of talk that President Ernest Bai Koroma's closest allies are plotting to amend the constitution to scrap presidential term limits. Along with concerns about rampant...
Vol 54 No 15 | GHANA The vote on trial 18th July 2013 The Supreme Court’s hearings on last year’s polls have changed Ghana’s politics for good. Now the fractious parties face their own demons After 43 days in session and an avalanche of technical delays, the 2012 election petition hearings are crawling towards a climax. A ruling is likely within a month....
Vol 54 No 15 | GHANA How the parties judge the judges 18th July 2013 Politicians from both the governing National Democratic Congress and the opposition New Patriotic Party have developed an obsessive interest in the nine judges sitting on the Supreme Court’s...
Vol 54 No 15 | MALI Wanted: a winner for all 18th July 2013 Old politicians woo southern electors to win the presidency but to win for posterity, they will have to speak for the north as well The leading contenders in Mali’s presidential race are jostling to present themselves as the best defenders of national pride, as the date for the first round looms on...
Vol 54 No 15 | SIERRA LEONE Bah humbug 18th July 2013 After Africa Confidential had revealed that Ibrahima Bah, a warlord in Sierra Leone’s civil war now under United Nations’ sanctions, was living unmolested in Freetown, police arrested him...
Vol 54 No 15 | SÃO TOMÉ & PRÍNCIPE 'Piracy' row with Sweden 17th July 2013 The public cheered its coastguard’s seizure of two ships accused smuggling. Stena Oil calls it piracy Swedish firm Stena Oil accuses São Tomé of staging a show trial after it gaoled two ships’ masters for three years for smuggling and seized their vessels. This...
Vol 54 No 15 | NIGERIA The Delta catches fire again 11th July 2013 Rampant oil theft, spills and a pipeline shutdown focus attention on Shell’s operations as a political crisis looms The Niger Delta faces a new round of turmoil as politicians and their business allies jostle for power at the centre of the country's oil industry. On 10...
Vol 54 No 15 | NIGERIA The Bodo spill hits companies and politicians 11th July 2013 The aftermath of the fire could result in costly litigation for Shell and further erode President Goodluck Jonathan's presidency The latest fire and pollution incident at Bodo may leave Royal Dutch Shell open to hugely costly damages. A landmark United Nations Environment Programme report in 2011 estimated...
Vol 54 No 14 | NIGERIA Inside the presidential fight 5th July 2013 Opponents – within and outside the ruling party – are undercutting President Jonathan’s authority as he prepares for the 2015 elections Two factors – rampant factionalism in the governing People’s Democratic Party and a coherent opposition alliance are changing the calculus in Nigerian politics. For the first time in... READ FOR FREE
Vol 54 No 14 | NIGERIA The governors and the insurgency 5th July 2013 Quieter streets along with fewer attacks and bombings suggest the declaration of emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states is holding back, for now, the momentum of...