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Published 18th March 2021

Vol 62 No 6

Sparring for a jab

Copyright © Africa Confidential 2021
Copyright © Africa Confidential 2021

Trade and production deals may help the region’s vaccination drive in the short term more than lobbying for changes to the IP and patent laws

The challenge to access vaccines against Covid-19 is not just an African problem, it is a global battle. But it has shone a spotlight on the complexities that Africa faces when it is competing for commodities it doesn't produce.

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The plot against Cyril

Ace Magashule supporters at Bloemfontein high court, November 2020. Pic: Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters / Alamy
Ace Magashule supporters at Bloemfontein high court, November 2020. Pic: Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters / Alamy

The President’s foes in the ruling party are building a credible coalition to depose him and return supporters of Zuma to power

Former President Jacob Zuma and the African National Congress Secretary-General Ace Magashule, who are both facing multiple corruption charges, have launched an open, brazen campai...

Biden's balancing act

The US is threatening sanctions against spoilers, and is ready for military action against Islamists

The political map in Libya has dramatically changed in the past few weeks. For the first time in over six years, the country has a single administration – the government of nationa...

Marred meeting of minds

Relations warmed by green policies and economic management are undermined by Rabat's jailing of dissidents

Fresh from being elevated to the Legion of Merit by Donald Trump for his 'Abraham Accords' policy of normalisation with Israel, King Mohammed VI has reason to be concerned by a Dem...

Many shoes to fill

The death of the prime minister leaves the race to be Ouattara's political successor wide open

Four prominent onlookers, dressed in black, oversaw the arrival on 14 March of the remains of Hamed Bakayoko, the former Ivorian Prime Minister and Defence Minister seen by many as...

The opposition plans its pushback

President Museveni is maintaining heavy security on the street as concern mounts over treatment of detainees

Tension is running high in Kampala and Jinja over a month after President Yoweri Museveni lifted restrictions on social media and the internet imposed ahead of the 14 January elect...

Frosty formality

The US administration is pressuring Egypt over human rights, but maintains its arms sales

President Joe Biden has been in no rush to engage with the Egyptian authorities nor with other Middle Eastern leaders who had gained Donald Trump's favour. This is partly because t...

Raila's weak grip

The perennial presidential candidate wants his 'handshake' to propel him into State House. But others have their eyes on the prize

The third anniversary of the 'handshake' of reconciliation between President Uhuru Kenyatta and veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga passed with muted celebrations. Orange Democr...

Macky Sall buys some time

Youth unemployment, corruption rumours and Ousmane Sonko's detention trigger an outburst of anger and hunger for change

After two weeks of protest and the most violent clashes between demonstrators and the security forces seen in decades, leaving at least 10 dead and 600 injured, the government of P...

Mutual distrust

Algeria is unlikely to help in counter-terror efforts, and Russia is ahead in Covid diplomacy

Returning in February from another bout of Covid treatment in Germany, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has sought to gain momentum before opposition El Hirak (The Movement) and fact...

Trafigura's middleman emerges

The Swiss-based trader funnelled huge loans and oil payments through an intermediary, despite bribery risks

Major commodity trader Trafigura used an intermediary for its crude oil purchases in Congo-Brazzaville and its huge loans to the country, the company announced in its recent corpor...

Blaise plots comeback

The former dictator is testing the water for a possible return home, but there is a lot to forgive before that can happen

Blaise Compaoré, ousted by mass protests in 2014 after he sought a fifth term as president, celebrated his 70th birthday on 3 February in his palatial villa in exile in Abidjan. A ...

Pointers

Talon tightens his grip

Béninois voters can have any president they like – so long as it is Patrice Talon. They will go to the polls on 11 April to decide whether to award a second term to th...

High courts and hidden loans

Mozambique's prospects for victory in its law suits over US$2 billion in hidden loans are dimming, according to legal sources. Maputo has been suing Lebanese businessman Iskandar S...

Oil on audit

South Sudan's oil sector, which accounts for 85% of government revenue, has resisted an audit amid a litany of scandals and repeated promises of opening the books. But internationa...

Shell and Eni win in Milan

Royal Dutch Shell and Italy's Eni and 13 individuals were acquitted by a Milan court in one of the world's biggest corruption cases on 17 March. After three years and 74 hearings o...

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