Two conflicts persist in Sierra Leone, weakening the authority of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (elected in March 1996) and undermining the United Nations' appeal for funds for nati...

The fighting between Ijaws and Itsekiris in Warri, the oil city of Delta State in South-Western Nigeria, threatens to halt oil production in Nigeria's most lucrative fields. The ci...

After three months of indecision and wrangling, President Jerry Rawlings has still not produced a full cabinet list. Since his inauguration on 7 January for a second elected term i...

Instead of confirming Mali's status as a multiparty democracy, the first round of legislative elections on 13 April, produced chaos at polling stations, an opposition boycott of th...

It is always difficult to satisfy both international donors and home-grown politicians. President Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara (known as IBM), a military man with lukewarm s...

Confusion abounds about General Sani Abacha's political intentions. Following an interview with the Washington Times in which Abacha said his possible candidacy in the 1998 preside...

The peace process known as Abuja II is moving unsteadily towards success. The goal is free and fair elections on 30 May. The main faction leaders now say they want to take part and...

The man who most wants to take control of Liberia, by whatever means, is Charles Taylor of the National Patriotic Front (NPFL). His most fervent rival warlord is Alhaji G.V. Kromah...

Amid the fanfare around Ghana's 40th anniversary of Independence, little attention was paid to President Henri Konan Bédié of Côte d'Ivoire's first official vis...

Speculation about General Sani Abacha's political ambitions dominates the calculations of aspiring presidential candidates who had wanted to throw their hats in the ring before the...