Vol 39 No 8 | SENEGAL Children of '68 17th April 1998 Like many of their counterparts elsewhere, the rebels of '68 have joined the system Senegal's energetic media have been painting the general elections of 24 May as a rendez-vous with history. It's the thirtieth anniversary of May '68, when Senegalese students and ...
Vol 39 No 8 | MALI Bamako sparks 17th April 1998 Amid deadlock between government and opposition, preparations are starting for local elections. Business and donors are more worried about the electricity crisis. Donors have again...
Vol 39 No 7 | NIGERIA Room at the top 3rd April 1998 As the coup plot trials near their conclusion, a sweeping military reshuffle looms and a new civilian presidential candidate emerges True to his word, his supporters say, General Sani Abacha is determined to hand over to a civilian successor in October - himself. A year ago, that script looked quite plausible. W...
Vol 39 No 7 | NIGERIA From the shadows 3rd April 1998 Universally known as 'MD', former spymaster and police chief Alhaji Muhammadu Dikko Yusufu (66) has emerged as the most credible challenger to General Sani Abacha's as yet unannoun...
Vol 39 No 7 | NIGERIA Not Alaafin matter 3rd April 1998 The detention at London's Gatwick airport on 24 March of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, and his family after it was claimed that drugs valued at £1.5 million (US$2.5...
Vol 39 No 6 | CÔTE D'IVOIRE Carpet crossing 20th March 1998 Talk of ouverture or power-sharing in Abidjan has been scuppered by the defection of leading oppositionist Adama Coulibally to the ruling Parti Démocratique de la Côte...
Vol 39 No 5 | SIERRA LEONE Freetown fracas 6th March 1998 The Nigerian-led ousting of Major Johnny- Paul Koroma’s Freetown junta raises awkward questions for Whitehall’s proclaimed ethical foreign policy and its ban on militar...
Vol 39 No 5 | CÔTE D'IVOIREUNITED KINGDOM Lions and elephants 6th March 1998 Abidjan provided high-level political backing to make a success of the British Week heavily branded with the title ‘Ensemble’ held on 2-8 March, which brought in a larg...
Vol 39 No 4 | SIERRA LEONE Kabbah's comeback 20th February 1998 The returning civilian government faces empty coffers and a continuing rebellion Sierra Leoneans were surprised at the efficiency and speed with which the West African peace keeping forces (Ecomog) toppled Major Johnny Paul Koroma’s military Revolutionary...
Vol 39 No 3 | GHANA Finding flagbearers 6th February 1998 Two years before the next election and amid more economic problems, the parties are agonising over their presidential candidates The best chance for the ruling National Democratic Congress to win the election in 2000 would be to find a way to put up incumbent President Jerry John Rawlings for a third term. H...