Vol 55 No 24 | SENEGAL Martyr or master-crook 5th December 2014 The trial of former President Abdoulaye Wade's son Karim Meïssa Wade, which began in July, has been adjourned until 22 December after briefly resuming on 1 December. The...
Vol 55 No 24 | NIGERIA Danger looms as piracy booms 5th December 2014 Distracted by the Islamist insurgency in the north and the coming elections, the government has no effective response to the wave of oil theft and hijackings in the Gulf of Guinea Crashing world oil prices and next February's elections – in which President Goodluck Jonathan must retain his grip on his base in the oil-producing Niger Delta – could...
Vol 55 No 24 | BURKINA FASO Truth and reconciliation 5th December 2014 Early in his new job, Interim Prime Minister Yacouba Isaac Zida sprang two surprises. The first was the 26 November announcement that the enquiry would be reopened into...
Vol 55 No 23 | NIGERIA After the bombing, Jonathan declares 21st November 2014 Despite security and economic crises, Jonathan wins his party’s support for a second term while the opposition faces a leadership contest The candidate's declaration speech is, by tradition, a key moment in the theatre of Nigerian politics. President Goodluck Jonathan's rally in Abuja on 11 November to announce that... READ FOR FREE
Vol 55 No 23 | NIGERIA Policies, what policies? 21st November 2014 The received wisdom on Nigeria's elections is that they are all about money and mobilisation. Despite sheaves of glossy manifestos rolling off the presses, acres of newsprint devoted...
Vol 55 No 23 | GHANA Oil price down, debts up 21st November 2014 Movement on a deal between the government and the IMF is slowing as concern grows over ballooning debts Hopes that the government would agree a three-year programme worth US$1 billion with the International Monetary Fund this month have been thwarted by worries over debt, deficits and...
Vol 55 No 22 | BURKINA FASO Pressure mounts on Zida 7th November 2014 The public is unhappy with Compaoré’s replacement by one of his Praetorians and many fear for the fate of their revolution In the immediate aftermath of the overthrow of President Blaise Compaoré last week, no one knew who was in charge. Gradually, towards the end of the country’s most...
Vol 55 No 22 | SÃO TOMÉ & PRÍNCIPE Trovoada's return 7th November 2014 Former Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada has crowned an unlikely comeback with an emphatic victory in the 12 October legislative elections. One thing hasn't changed, however: his strained relationship...
Vol 55 No 22 | BURKINA FASO The warning from Ouagadougou 1st November 2014 The overthrow of Blaise Compaoré sends a powerful message from the street to other leaders planning to extend their rule One of Africa's canniest operators, Blaise Compaoré, was forced out of power on 31 October as over 100,000 protestors in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso demanded his exit. Unable to...
Vol 55 No 21 | MALI Crisis returns as talks falter 24th October 2014 Negotiations over the future of the north have resumed without much sign of any rapprochement Lethal attacks by jihadists on United Nations' forces and armed clashes among Tuareg factions take place against a background of another round of sluggish peace talks in Algiers....