The former comrades in arms, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Paul Kagame of Rwanda (his one-time security chief) have fallen out. Never slow to pick up the gun – Kagame in particular – both of them control and supply militias in the region. Now they seem to be […]
“We have people in power who are not accountable to the people. If there is a regime like that, there is no way you can guarantee that it will not mismanage the economy today or tomorrow. Therefore the only thing to do is the restore peace to the […]
The 1955 Rivonia treason trial in South Africa was an event of monumental, almost biblical stature. Not just was – is. Nelson Mandela and his comrades were on trial for their lives. The African National Congress leaders had been caught red-handed at a house called Liliesleaf Farm north […]
Africa is…a phrase we often hear. But it is impossible to make general statements about Africa. It is the most diverse continent on the planet. And it changes fast, sometimes for the worse but increasingly for the better – although it has a daunting mountain to climb to […]
I recently attended a meeting on Zimbabwe at the University of Westminster organised by Dr Winston Mano. I was hoping to gain some insight into the politics of Zimbabwe post Mugabe. Entitled Towards 2018 Zimbabwe elections: Democratic Challenges and Opportunities it seemed like an opportunity to understand the […]
The imminent death of twenty thousand men That, for a fantasy and trick of fame Go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause Which is not tomb enough and continent To hide the slain. Hamlet’s words came to […]
It is not often that the BBC caves in to government pressure especially when the government in question is Burundi. A tiny francophone country in Central Africa, Burundi has been ruled by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s for 13 years and he is now planning to use the upcoming election […]
Southern Africa has been hit by a political earthquake. Three powerful rulers did not feel it coming: Jacob Zuma, Eduardo dos Santos and Robert Mugabe. Suddenly they are gone. The first two were removed by constitutional procedures. In South Africa Jacob Zuma failed to renew his presidency and has been […]
Who thought up the title Commonwealth for the remnant of Britain’s empire? Its earliest meaning is welfare, the common good. Now it is a club of countries, mainly – but no longer exclusively – those which were once British possessions. Allowing Mozambique and Rwanda, former Portuguese and French […]
The resignation of Hailemariam Desalegn and the appointment of Lt Col Abiye Ahmed as the new Ethiopian Prime Minister seems like a big change but it may be a change instigated to ensure everything remains the same. The 47 year old Abiye Ahmed has a remarkable C.V. He […]
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