ZIMBABWE A heartbeat away 17th December 2004 By suppressing dissent in his party, the President puts at risk its ethnic balance The struggle for the succession to President Robert Mugabe gets sharper every day. His latest purge of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front puts his loyalists into the top jobs. Less obviously, it upsets the delicate ethnic balance by which Mugabe, from the smallish Zezuru group, has for more than 20 years seen off all challengers. He has put his ally Joyce Mujuru (aka 'Teurai Ropa' - Spill Blood) into what looks like the key position of first Vice-President, ready to take over if anything sudden happens to Mugabe.
ZIMBABWE Morgan's method 17th December 2004 Image courtesy of Panos Pictures View site The opposition Movement for Democratic Change will benefit from the factional rivalries in the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has told Africa Confidential. 'The...
MOZAMBIQUE Guebuza's day 17th December 2004 Image courtesy of Panos Pictures View site Frelimo has won a huge but tarnished victory in this month's elections The result was not quite what Mozambique's young, post-war generation would have hoped for. President-elect Armando Emilio Guebuza, poised to succeed Joaquim Chissano after the elections on 2-3...
MOZAMBIQUE Man with a past 17th December 2004 Armando Emilio Guebuza (61), from Nampula, was associated with the worst abuses of Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (Frelimo). As Interior Minister during the transition to Independence in...
SIERRA LEONE Diamond diagnosis 17th December 2004 Official diamond export earnings are set to reach as much as US$120 million for 2004 compared to just over $70 mn. in 2003. This is partly an effect...
GHANA Now for the hard work 17th December 2004 Having won clean elections, Kufuor's government has serious work to do Ghanaians surprised themselves on 7 December, when 84 per cent of the electorate turned out to return John Agyekum Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party to the presidency...
ANGOLA Boom boom, China's coming 17th December 2004 Production is soaring, prices are up and Luanda is finding new friends With all the world betting on high oil prices, Angola's post-war economy is set to boom and to boost its soaring trade with China. The Finance Ministry credibly...
SIERRA LEONE The truth of the matter 17th December 2004 Will President Kabbah act on a series of damning reports on human rights and corruption? The government has yet to respond to the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which released a first version of its final report in October. There is...
RWANDACONGO-KINSHASA On edge 17th December 2004 The fighting in North Kivu threatens both next year's promised elections and Congo's fragile peace. President Joseph Kabila's cheerleaders in Kinshasa blame Rwandan aggression for the latest clashes,...
CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE A shining example 17th December 2004 Congo's Christmas wish, a three-year US$84 million Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility, was granted by the International Monetary Fund on 6 December, after years of failed reforms and...
UNITED STATESAFRICA Don't sign anything 17th December 2004 The United States wants to ensure that its citizens (and those of its ally, Israel) are not summonsed by the International Criminal Court (ICC), set up under the...
NAMIBIA Correction 17th December 2004 In our Namibia feature 'Sam's successor' (AC Vol 45 No 24) we described the United Democratic Front as a 'former DTA component'. The UDF had an alliance with...