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Published 24th June 2016

Vol 57 No 13

Zimbabwe

Political questions loom as debt deal is set for September

Zimbabwe Chart Copyright © Africa Confidential 2016
Zimbabwe Chart Copyright © Africa Confidential 2016

International creditors have agreed to the government's plan to repay arrears but politicians and activists voice concern

This week, the government is to finalise its agreement to repay some US$1.86 billion of arrears to multilateral financial institutions. That will trigger its re-entry into the international financial system after almost two decades out in the cold. The news comes as Zimbabweans struggle with a chronic shortage of US dollar banknotes, the main denomination in the country's multi-currency financial system. Facing a worsening balance of payments crisis, the government has announced it will be phasing the payment of June's salaries over the next three weeks. The army and air force are the first in line for payment.

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Battles on the judges' bench

A fight over nominating the Chief Justice could affect the credibility of next year's elections

The Supreme Court narrowly averted a succession crisis just hours before Chief Justice Willy Munywoki Mutunga, 70, hung up his robes for retirement on 16 June. That raises...

A new deal in the East

East African Budgets Chart Copyright © Africa Confidential 2016
East African Budgets Chart Copyright © Africa Confidential 2016

Industralisation efforts, protectionism and higher taxes dominate the region's budgets this year

Industrial policy is in and Western aid is out; the state is back and the market is pushed back; economic nationalism is up, as is scepticism about globalisation....

From putschist to third termer

The President trumpets his successes as he tries for a third term, but oppositionists and outsiders see things very differently

Two years into his second term as President, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is promoting Mauritania as a key pillar of regional security. He enjoys warm relations with neighbouring...

Condé follows regional lead

The president hopes an appeal to 'the people' will allow him to change the constitution so he can stand for a third term

Eight months into his second term, President Alpha Condé is barely concealing his desire for a third term even if this means overturning the 2010 Constitution, which...

Political plots in a slow month

The latest reshuffle promises more effective economic policies but the generals keep a wary eye on the presidential clan

Amid the more relaxed atmosphere of the month of Ramadan, political soothsayers in Algiers are swinging from one forecast, such as the revived ruling clique beginning serious economic...

The General's identity crisis

After a dramatic arrest in Khartoum there are doubts about whether British and Italian police have got the right man

The mystery surrounding the identity of the Eritrean 'people-smuggler' arrested in Khartoum and deported to Italy shows the difficulty of unravelling smuggling networks. Is the man due in...

Bird flu ruffles feathers

The government has moved swiftly to counter an outbreak of deadly bird flu but the economic toll risks stoking political discontent

The much-loved rotisserie restaurants and cafés of Yaoundé stand dark and deserted in the otherwise bustling streets of the Cameroon capital, after the government recently declared that it...

Pointers

The big rand short

The National Treasury has launched an investigation into companies suspected of trying to profit from the volatility of the rand over the past year. Business circles have been...

The Delta-naira yoyo

Facing its deepest economic crisis for two decades, Nigeria has been bolstered by two modest pieces of good news this week. Firstly, officials in Abuja say they have...

Tighter rules on war booty

European Union importers face tougher restrictions on conflict minerals after a deal was finally struck on 15 June. Due diligence checks, conducted according to Organisation for Economic Cooperation...

Not the last Post

Ahead of national elections on 11 August, the government has shut Post Newspapers, publisher of the country's biggest selling daily, claiming the company has failed to pay its...

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