Democratic Republic of Congo: Allied Democratic Forces Another little-known rebel group wreaks havoc in the eastern Congo The M23 is the armed group which has featured most prominently in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the past year. This rebel group of several thousand, with close links to Rwanda and a long history of destabilising North and South Kivu provinces, recently ended its 18-month insurgency. But just a bit further north, up the road towards the commercial trading centres of Beni and Butembo, in what is known as the Grand Nord, is the home of one of the…
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Sudan may have new borders but the old opposition is still battling Khartoum. by Simon Allison When South Sudan seceded, the opposition remaining in Sudan regrouped: fighting intensified and new alliances emerged. South Sudan, Africa’s newest country, celebrated its independence on July 9th 2011 after an agreement between the Sudanese government in Khartoum and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). With the most organised and effective of Sudan’s rebels subsumed into the new state, Khartoum felt free to focus its attention and resources on other rebel groups in Darfur province in the west. The SPLM, however, was never an exclusively…
‘Empowerment’ benefits political elites while businesses are spooked and citizens are left with nothing but empty promises
Kenya: the usual suspects are running for president. by Clar Ni Chonghaile In a bright office in Nairobi, young Kenyan writers cluster around a mock-up of December’s issue of Shujaaz, a free comic that uses hip characters and funny storylines to educate and entertain the country’s youth. This month’s topic is election violence. Shujaaz (or heroes in Sheng, a mix of Swahili and English) was born out of Kenya’s disputed election in December 2007. At least 1,200 people were killed in politically-motivated violence as tribe turned on tribe. Hundreds of thousands were displaced before a deal to form a coalition…
Meles Zenawi crafted modern Ethiopia by successfully reforming the economy while cruelly supressing dissent. His party is reluctant to loosen its stranglehold on power. by Madeleine Fry The late Ethiopian prime minister, Meles Zenawi, was quick to deny that he was a despot. Mr Meles led the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) government for 21 years and rebuilt an economy shattered by military rule and widespread famine. In the last 10 years, Ethiopia has been the fastest-growing non-oil African country. But his much-lauded economic achievements came at a price: ruthless suppression of other ethnicities and heavy state censorship of…
