Vol 39 No 12 | NIGERIA A cardiac coup 12th June 1998 Military dissidents may prove the most serious threat to General Abubakar's pledge to hand over to civilians in October As enigmatic in death as in life, General Sani Abacha died suddenly in the early hours of 7 June. He left many Nigerians puzzling over whether it was...
Vol 39 No 12 | CÔTE D'IVOIRE Cotton reel 12th June 1998 The World Bank drive to privatise cotton is causing cross-border problems. Soon Côte d'Ivoire must choose from three bidders for Compagnie Ivoirienne de Développement du Textile. Mali’ s...
Vol 39 No 11 | SIERRA LEONEBRITAIN Private armies, public relations 29th May 1998 Awkward questions are being asked about private security companies' growing power Underlying the political storm in London about the ‘Arms to Sierra Leone’ affair (AC Vol 39 No 10) is a central question about the privatisation of British foreign...
Vol 39 No 11 | SIERRA LEONEBRITAIN Buckingham's gate 29th May 1998 Less well known but critical to Buckingham's African empire are his extensive interests in Namibia, where he's had close connections with influential politicians since the early 1990s and...
Vol 39 No 10 | SIERRA LEONEBRITAIN The Freetown fall-out 15th May 1998 Politicians, civil servants and security men slug it out in a Whitehall row as the desperate plight of Sierra Leone comes a poor second Bafflement and disgust are the main reactions in Freetown to the row that has blown up in Britain about President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah's hiring of London-based security outfit...
Vol 39 No 10 | SIERRA LEONEBRITAIN Lines in the sand 15th May 1998 The Sierra Leone imbroglio casts more light on the web of security companies and mining houses associated with Sandline International and Executive Outcomes. It has focused attention on...
Vol 39 No 9 | NIGERIA Army arguments 1st May 1998 The coup plot trial has brought some military divisions to the surface The death sentences handed down on 28 April to six convicted coup plotters - all from the Yoruba south-west - will do little to settle the unease in...
Vol 39 No 9 | NIGER Uglier turns 1st May 1998 Ambushed by civilian politicians, General Mai¨nassara starts to hit back Niamey's political violence took an uglier turn on 20 April when unidentified gunmen launched a professional-looking attack on the home of the coordinator of the opposition Front pour...
Vol 39 No 9 | GHANA Long shot 1st May 1998 An astute change of strategy by President Jerry Rawlings to secure victory for his National Democratic Congress in the 2000 elections owes something to American history. The plan...
Vol 39 No 9 | NIGERIA Oil slick 1st May 1998 The appointment of Federal Capital Territory Minister Lieutenant General Jerry Useni as head of a taskforce to tackle the chronic gasolene and diesel shortage is having little effect....