Vol 56 No 4 | BURKINA FASO Between street and barracks 19th February 2015 The country prepares for a democratic dawn at the October elections but stubborn soldiers want their privileges guaranteed The mass movement that toppled President Blaise Compaoré last October is at increasing odds with the Régiment de sécurité présidentielle (RSP, AC...
Vol 56 No 4 | SIERRA LEONE The Ebola bonanza 19th February 2015 Freetown's redoubtable Auditor General, Lara Taylor-Pearce, has struck again, publishing a damning report on the misuse of public funds between May, when the Ebola epidemic broke o...
Vol 56 No 3 | NIGERIA Lots of gunboats, little diplomacy 6th February 2015 High political tensions and a flood of weaponry into the Niger Delta presage trouble in this month’s elections The risk of violent clashes in the Niger Delta is increasing as the political contest heats up ahead of the presidential and governorship elections, scheduled for 14 and 28 Februar...
Vol 56 No 3 | SIERRA LEONE Census suspicions 6th February 2015 President Ernest Bai Koroma has called off the national housing and population census planned for April after criticism that members of his All Peoples' Congress (APC) were over-re...
Vol 56 No 2 | NIGERIA Elections face new risks 23rd January 2015 With three weeks to go until voting day, almost half the electorate still lack voters’ cards and could be disenfranchised New doubts about the timing of the presidential and governorship elections, currently due on 14 and 28 February respectively, will complicate national security. Because some 30 mil... READ FOR FREE
Vol 56 No 2 | CÔTE D'IVOIRE Ouattara looks at second term 23rd January 2015 The President faces greater danger from his allies than from a demoralised opposition that is stubbornly loyal to his predecessor The main opposition Front populaire ivoirien appears unable to accept that it must replace its leader, ex-President Laurent Gbagbo, to contest the elections in October. The Interna...
Vol 56 No 2 | SIERRA LEONE The politics of Ebola 23rd January 2015 The government’s handling of the epidemic is increasingly compared unfavourably with Guinea and Liberia In its last report on Ebola, the United Nations World Health Organisation offered Sierra Leone some good news. The incidence of infection appeared to be decreasing, the WHO said, w...
Vol 56 No 1 | MALI IBK on the back foot 9th January 2015 Peace talks with Tuareg rebels and the President’s dented reputation both need their credibility restored Deadlock in the peace talks with Tuareg rebels promises continued instability and paralysed development for northern Mali this year – unless Algerian mediators step up the pressure...
Vol 56 No 1 | BURKINA FASO Watching the dust settle 9th January 2015 Filling the vacuum left by Compaoré’s long presidency will dominate the year ahead: the mass movement that ousted him will be on high alert Dismantling the political and economic system built around ex-President Blaise Compaoré is political, military and economic. Politically, the transition is about preparing t...
Vol 55 No 25 | NIGERIA Political storm warning 19th December 2014 The opposition is looking stronger but officials are sounding alarms about serious flaws in the election organisation It has been a good month for the opposition All Progressives Congress. The APC's successful national convention in Lagos picked Muhammadu Buhari as its presidential candidate on 11... READ FOR FREE