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Published 26th September 1997

Vol 38 No 19

Congo-Kinshasa

Kabila takes on the UN

Mobutu's funeral was overshadowed by his successor's confrontation with the UN over missing refugees

Few Congolese cared much about the funeral of Mobutu Sese Seko, in a Catholic cemetery in Rabat, Morocco, on 13 September. He died of cancer, aged 66, but his era had already ended on 17 May, when he fled Kinshasa just ahead of the advancing troops of the Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Congo-Zaïre (AFDL). The mourners included his businessmen sons Mande and Kongolo and the family spokesperson, Nzanga. The old dictator's death may make it harder for Laurent-Désiré Kabila's government to trace and reclaim the wealth he stole.

Washington quandary

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The US government juggles carrot and stick while business scoops a mineral map

Should the United States and other potential donors make economic assistance conditional upon whether the new Congo government allows the United Nations' inquiry into refugee massacres to proceed?...

No sanctions here

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Donor pressure for democratisation is having only a limited impact

Possession seems to be nine-tenths of the law for Gambia's external partners. They have grown resigned to dealing with President Yahyah Jammeh since he converted his military regime...

'Corruption where it exists'

The World Bank and International Monetary Fund are looking closely at Gambian government finances and especially at June's mini-budget for the six months to December. The budget was...

Not so accountable

The accounts are confused and people are saying so more loudly

President Jerry John Rawlings' government is increasingly coming under public attack after a spate of financial controversies. Ghana's longest-serving cabinet minister, Attorney General and Justice Minister Obed Asamoah,...

Legacy of war

Kigali's intervention in Zaïre helped to oust Mobutu but produced no victories at home

The transformation of old Zaïre in to the new Democratic Republic of Congo has also transformed the politics of the region around Lake Kivu. Yet insecurity remains endemic...

Manpower and muscle

Trades unionists and communists challenge the power and policies of their ANC allies

The political structures of post-Independence South Africa are shaking, as the African National Congress adapts itself to the uncomfortable realities of power. Formally, the ANC works in 'Tripartite...

Pointers

Torture charge

In what is believed to be the first such case ever, a Sudanese doctor has been charged in Scotland with committing torture in the Sudan. On 5 September,...

Oil glistens

General Sani Abacha's regime may be a pariah for Western and Commonwealth governments but it's determined to win friends in his own region. Not content with being Chairman...

Taylor's stitches

Under President Charles Taylor, Liberia has quickly showed symptoms of instability. On 19 July, the day after voting, 'armed robbers' killed Christine Davis, a leading election worker for...

Clouds over summit

There is anxiety in Libreville and Brussels that events in Congo-Brazzaville might stop guests turning up at the first ever summit of the African-Caribbean-Pacific states, due in Gabon...

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