Vol 51 No 22 | RWANDACONGO-KINSHASA Kagame’s troops return to Congo 5th November 2010 Chaos in the Kivus has given Kigali a pretext to send its soldiers back across the border in pursuit of political and economic objectives The Rwandan Defence Force is back in Congo-Kinshasa but trying to keep a low profile. Presidents Joseph Kabila and Paul Kagame agreed on the move at a 6...
Vol 51 No 22 | SUDAN The boom in Juba and its consequences 5th November 2010 Talk of war might be in the air but Juba is booming. Building sites are around every corner of South Sudan’s capital and so are foreign delegations and contract-wielding business people. Expecting independence next year, the South is marketing itself as a virgin land rich in oil, minerals and fertile soil. As one of the last remaining markets to open up to a world economy battling for natural resources, commercial and diplomatic interest is growing fast in the new state. The National Congress Party regime in Khartoum wants to delay January’s referenda on the status of the South and Abyei. Discussions about oil revenue and borders are unresolved...
Vol 51 No 22 | SUDAN Jarch Capital has friends in the South 5th November 2010 Last year, in Africa’s biggest land deal, Jarch Capital leased 400,000 hectares in Mayom County, Unity State, from one-time warlord Paulino Matiep Nhial’s family (AC Vol 50 No...
Vol 51 No 22 | SUDAN Khartoum’s new export trade 5th November 2010 The prospect of losing most of its oil income if the South becomes independent next year has galvanised the National Congress Party. As the Sudanese pound hurtles downwards...
Vol 51 No 22 | SOMALIA UN rejects AU blockade plea 5th November 2010 More troops for Amisom, perhaps, but no air or naval blockade for Somalia as the African Union tries to link Al Shabaab and piracy The African Union has made a bold attempt to yoke the issue of Somali piracy to the Shabaab problem in the hope of getting United Nations Security Council...
Vol 51 No 22 | UGANDA The bout begins 5th November 2010 The shadow-boxing is at an end. Uganda has its eight candidates for the 18 February presidential election after two fraught days of nominations at Namboole Stadium in Kampala...
Vol 51 No 22 | TANZANIA Down but not out 5th November 2010 The general elections were won, as predicted, by the Chama cha Mapinduzi, which did however suffer some setbacks. Exit polls showed President Jakaya Kikwete in the lead but...
Vol 51 No 21 | SUDAN Northern opposition faces increasing duress 22nd October 2010 Khartoum plays the national unity card to crack down on its many opponents in the North as a new movement is launched The prospect of independence for Southern Sudan after the referenda due in January is sharpening the cleavages in the Northern opposition. Many Northern oppositionists say their movement...
Vol 51 No 21 | ETHIOPIA Counting on growth 22nd October 2010 Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, now in his fourth consecutive term, uses his claimed economic policy prowess to counter critics Just before May’s general elections, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi attributed his expected victory to seven years of double-digit growth. Yet the figures are controversial and pose questions about...
Vol 51 No 21 | TANZANIA Challenging the CCM 22nd October 2010 The rise of the opposition Chadema party will not threaten the CCM’s majority but it will make the election battles fiercer The majority of the governing party, Chama cha Mapinduzi, is unlikely to be overturned at the 31 October election. There are nevertheless widespread expectations of good results for...