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Published 29th April 2021

Vol 62 No 9

Chad

Death on the front line, a coup, and then an about turn

Emmanuel Macron Félix Tshisekedi pay their respects at the funeral of Idriss Déby Itno. Pic: Christophe Petit Tesson / Abaca Press / Alamy
Emmanuel Macron Félix Tshisekedi pay their respects at the funeral of Idriss Déby Itno. Pic: Christophe Petit Tesson / Abaca Press / Alamy

Having endorsed a takeover by General Mahamat Déby after his father's death, France and the African Union are having second thoughts

Within a week of the killing of President Idriss Déby Itno on the front line in the early hours of 20 April, his international allies had twice changed their policy stance.

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Fear and loathing in Monrovia

George Weah. Pic: Alexandros Michailidis /Alamy
George Weah. Pic: Alexandros Michailidis /Alamy

Another suspicious death adds to growing unease about George Weah's rule and the consequences of speaking against him

A string of mysterious deaths of officials with links to the centre of power has caused deep consternation among the political elite, and confusion about the true character...

Issayas in for the long haul

Pic: Oleksii / stock.adobe.com
Pic: Oleksii / stock.adobe.com

Asmara sends more military units across the border to Tigray and beyond, despite its pledge to withdraw

Ethiopian officials are preparing for national elections in early June against a backdrop of political and economic reversals for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Despite growing violence in Tigray...

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THE INSIDE VIEW

The synchronicity of two headlines on 27 April – 'Boko Haram two hours from Abuja' and 'Buhari calls on US to move Africa Command HQ to continent' – paints an alarming landscape of the security breakdown in Nigeria and the region. Almost as unsettling is the lack of reaction from the government and security services. Niger State governor Abubakar Bello, of the ruling All Progressives' Congress, said the Islamist insurgents were operating in three local government areas in...

The synchronicity of two headlines on 27 April – 'Boko Haram two hours from Abuja' and 'Buhari calls on US to move Africa Command HQ to continent' – paints an alarming landscape of the security breakdown in Nigeria and the region. Almost as unsettling is the lack of reaction from the government and security services. Niger State governor Abubakar Bello, of the ruling All Progressives' Congress, said the Islamist insurgents were operating in three local government areas in the state and had 'hoisted Boko Haram's black flag' there.  

Niger State Senator Sani Musa opened a debate in the Assembly calling for the police and army to respond to the crisis. The House of Representatives called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency to 'fast track all measures to ensure the restoration of peace'. All demands met with deafening silence. Although Buhari has sacked all three service chiefs as well as the police chief in the past three months, he has rejected all calls to answer questions on security in the Assembly. 

That makes his suggestion via video conference on 27 April to United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken to move the US Africa Command HQ 'closer to the theatre of operations' all the more baffling. Until now, Buhari had fiercely rejected foreign intervention in African security. Might his change of heart be a sign of desperation? 

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Coalition’s sky-high ambitions

A new government plans to transform its finances and take on rebel groups but is reliant on a band of political godfathers

Announcing hundreds of planned initiatives, Congo-Kinshasa's new government has lofty ambitions, but its main challenge may simply be staying together. Its four vice-prime ministers, each from a different...

Oil reform gathers pace

Lobbying frenzy as parliament prepares long-awaited bill to reform and restructure energy industry

Leaks of apparent last-minute concessions on fiscal terms and overseas 'retreats' for lawmakers are the most tangible indicators in years that Nigeria may finally be at the point...

Don’t show us the money

Kenyans worry that the government is leading donors on a familiar dance as it continues to increase borrowing

In the dog days of President Daniel arap Moi's reign, Kenya acquired a reputation for borrowing from the International Monetary Fund and other financial institutions after promising economic...

The battle over the bench

A bid to impeach a senior judge is part of the wider fight between loyalists of President Ramaphosa and his predecessor

It has taken 13 years for the Judicial Conduct Tribunal of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) to recommend the impeachment of Western Cape Judge President, Justice John Hlophe,...

Forecasts fail to lift the gloom

Growth predictions have risen, but Covid-19 will have a devastating impact on Africa's economy, health and education

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank upped their forecasts for sub-Saharan Africa's growth at their 2021 Spring Meetings, but the economic impact from Covid-19 is still...

The IMF picks up the cheque as officials grumble

A hefty loan with few conditions raises questions as the government is lambasted for rights abuses and its opaque finances

Civil servants in Juba joke that even if they see their monthly pay-check, it's all gone by the time they have paid for a haircut. Now the International...

Pointers

No more picking winners

'No special favours' for individual countries but, instead, 'broad engagement' with Africa was the message from Robert Godec, the United States African Affairs Acting Assistant Secretary, ahead of...

Royalties row

Dan Gertler, who made his fortune as a go-between in many of Congo-Kinshasa's biggest mining deals, has promised to allow Congolese to 'directly participate' in the country's mineral...

Nyusi's breaking point

President Filipe Nyusi is under heavy pressure to finally accept foreign military intervention to quash the escalating insurgency in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.

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