Vol 63 No 16 | SOMALIA Hassan Sheikh seeks new foreign allies 1st August 2022 The new president has been touring the region, gauging his support among the neighbours and geopolitical heavyweights as tensions build With funding and diplomatic attention diverted to Ukraine, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his fellow leaders in the Horn of Africa are trying to manage the region's security...
Vol 63 No 16 | KENYA When the political descends to the personal 22nd July 2022 An election campaign focused more on insults than policy is doing little to calm fears about disputed results Ahead of the 9 August presidential elections, former prime minister Raila Odinga has eked out a narrow opinion poll lead over Deputy President William Ruto in recent weeks,...
Vol 63 No 15 | ETHIOPIA Heat of war shifts to the centre 21st July 2022 Tensions may be easing between Addis and Tigray, but in Oromia the bitterness of ethno-nationalist conflict remains strong The intensity of violence between Oromo and Amhara communities is militating against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's attempts to co-opt moderates on both sides, as fresh atrocities multiply and...
Vol 63 No 15 | SUDAN Parties divided on sharing power 21st July 2022 The junta's declaration of a new way to rule the country leaves the opposition unable to decide on what to do. But Burhan is also out of options Ever since Gen Abdel Fattah al Burhan declared on television that the army and civilians would have separate responsibilities in running the country on 4 July, Sudanese have...
Vol 63 No 15 | KENYAUNITED STATES Washington raises its trade offer 21st July 2022 The confirmation by the United States Senate that Hewlett Packard chief executive Margaret Whitman will take over as Washington's Ambassador to Kenya, as the US Commerce department announced...
Vol 63 No 14 | SUDAN Military running out of options 7th July 2022 Massive demonstrations and killings by the security forces are straining relations in the ruling junta as leaders consider their options The 33rd anniversary of the coup that brought Omer Hassan el Beshir to power on 30 June 1989 was always going to be a test for both the...
Vol 63 No 14 | SUDAN Burhan counters anti-corruption drive 7th July 2022 The ousted transitional government launched an anti-corruption body, but the generals suspended it when it did its job too well At the heart of the power struggles between civilians and the military in Sudan is a body whose full name is as daunting as the mission it was...
Vol 63 No 14 | KENYA New coalitions, old faces chase counties 7th July 2022 A mix of business people and political jobbers are eyeing parliamentary seats and plum county governorships The sharpest focus is on the presidential election battle between Raila Odinga and William Ruto, but the 9 August elections will also see some fierce contests in the...
Vol 63 No 14 | ETHIOPIA Rivals differ over talks location 7th July 2022 Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen will lead a seven-member team in upcoming peace talks aimed at resolving the conflict in Tigray province. The other members are Minister of...
Vol 63 No 14 | SOMALIA Al Shabaab wins on TV but loses in the field 28th June 2022 The Islamist militia let the cameras in to demonstrate its durability as a force but then suffered a major defeat to a Sufi militia The normally secretive Al Shabaab shed its shyness on London's Channel 4 News on 15 June in a filmed report from training grounds in Somalia, featuring one of...