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Published 21st July 2006

Vol 47 No 15


Pause in St Petersburg

After last year's big push, the G8 risks treading water on Africa policy until the 2007 summit in Germany

African expectations of the Group of Eight summit in St Petersburg on 15-17 July were scaled down well in advance and were not unduly disappointed. Neither the host, President Vladimir Putin, nor his core agenda of extracting maximum diplomatic leverage from Russia's vast energy reserves, had much interest for Africa. By the time of the conference's rain-soaked finale on 17 July, the widening Middle East crisis had squeezed out those items on Putin's agenda -education and infectious disease - that were of key interest for Africa. However, at Britain's and France's insistence and on the final day of the summit, the G8 leaders sat down with the 'strategic outreach partners', including South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki and African Union Chairman Dénis Sassou N'Guesso, as well as the leaders of Brazil, India, China and Mexico.


Opening broadside

Image courtesy of Panos Pictures

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The LRA's insistence on sharing political power and wealth is threatening the peace process

Opening peace talks with Kampala last week, Lord's Resistance Army representatives began with a broadside against President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni's government. It underlined the ...


A new political season

After four decades without real elections, Congolese now face five months of voting

Congo-Kinshasa's Commission Electorale Indépendante (CEI) and the country's main financial donors are sure that the first round of the presidential poll, and the election of...


The governor's dues

Oil shut downs and political violence are escalating despite record budgets in the Delta

Despite a record budget of US$1.2 billion for 2006, Rivers State government isn't helping those worst hit by the violence and oil shut downs in the Niger Delta. And there is no vis...


Front-runners and hopefuls

In these elections, the first to be held in Congo-Kinshasa since March/April 1965, no less than 33 presidential candidates are registered with the Commission Electorale Indé...


Up close and personal

ANC stalwarts try to calm nerves as the two camps dig in for a long succession struggle

Manoeuvring over the succession to President Thabo Mbeki in 2009 is becoming increasingly fraught - so much so that a high-level negotiating group was set up last week to dampen te...



Pointers

Khartoum's veto

A United Nations-backed conference in Brussels on 18-19 July brought in delegations from over 70 countries and raised about US$200 million for peacekeeping and humanitarian work in...


Snow white

The Ghana Bar Association says it is considering disciplinary action against Capt (retd) Nkrabea Effah-Dartey, a former deputy Interior Minister and ex officio Chairman of the Narc...


Challengers step up

Supporters of ex-President Sam Nujoma are competing with those of ex-Foreign Affairs Minister Hidipo Hamutenya to recruit delegates to the 2007 congress of the ruling South West Af...