Thabo Mbeki will be fighting for his political life this weekend when the National Executive Council (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC) meets. Supporters of Jacob Zuma believe that Mbeki is behind political machinations in the judiciary aimed at Zuma and have called for Mbeki's ouster. Mbeki's supporters insist that the President is not […]
Imagine it: A government official in Africa goes out to pay a visit to the headquarters of a company. The company's managers pile up freebies for the official, gifts and extras and the usual pocket-lining tribute that has come to accompany power across the continent. But a funny thing happens on the way to business […]
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), an umbrella militant group in the Niger Delta, today threatened to broaden their “oil war.” MEND plans to target offshore oilfields, crude oil pipelines in the Niger Delta and other facilities. The organization is estimated to have cut Nigeria's oil output by a fifth.
Forgive the silence the last few days. A monstrous illness felled me and then for the last day or so I have been waiting for the Zimbabwe situation to sort itself out. As I’ve maintained all along, I am thrilled at the prospects of a resolution to the political stalemate and am more than happy to have […]
If the optimists are right and the sides in the Zimbabwe negotiations really are close to an agreement, even Thabo Mbeki's harshest critics will be forced to give the man credit for his role in keeping the sides at the bargaining table and thus facilitating an agreement. Certainly Mbeki will still be vulnerable to accusations […]
Despite my pessimism (cynicism? realism?) about the on-again, off-again negotiations in Zimbabwe, optimism seems to be ruling the day elsewhere. And assuming that the various parties can overcome the remaining sticking points and achieve a meaningful agreement, I will be happy to have been wrong (though I think that my generally skeptical forecast and assessments […]
We all know that Somalia is “A country in peril, a policy nightmare.” Now we have this Ken Menkhaus report (pdf) to give us the grim and graphic details. Do take the time to read the whole thing.
South Africa's unmatched political cartoonist Zapiro has caused quite a stir, infuriating the Jacob Zuma wing of the African National Congress over this controversial cartoon depicting various wings of the ANC holding down the justice system, depicted as a woman struggling to break free, as Jacob Zuma prepares to, well, rape her. [Zapiro, Sunday […]
Despite some signs of tentative optimism on the part of parties to the Zimbabwe negotiations, and despite Thabo Mbeki's best efforts, Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) do not seem any closer to approaching a deal than they have at any other point in the past month. ZANU-PF appears unwilling to […]
The FW de Klerk Foundation has released correspondence between the former president and current president Thabo Mbeki in which the former expresses her concerns about the encroachment on the independence of the country's judiciary. Mbeki provided assurances to de Klerk that the government is committed to judicial independence and to upholding the constitution. I have […]
Angolans went to the polls last week and overwhelmingly re-elected the ruling party, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). The Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita), the longtime opposition party has conceded, a far cry from the 1992 elections after which Unita took up arms rather than accept defeat at […]
The Movement for Democratic Change is calling upon regional leaders in southern Africa to apply pressure on Robert Mugabe to continue working toward a settlement of Zimbabwe's political stalemate. It seems clear that Mugabe must have hoped for just this sort of impasse when he agreed to sit down at the negotiating table to begin […]
Popular from Press
