Kenya is, according to the writer Billy Kahora, a ‘half-made place,’ a country of ‘parallel universes, parallel economies, parallel lives, futures and realities.’[i] One does need to look hard these days to find the parallel universes and realities.  On one

Read the rest of ICC and Kenya’s 2012 elections: ‘The Half Made Place’ – By Dan Branch »

On 1st September the International Criminal Court will decided whether it opens trials against six Kenyan high ranking officials charged to be the most responsible for the 2007/8 post election violence. The suspects include Kenya’s deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta,

Read the rest of ICC and Kenya: time for cooperation? – By Sabine Hoehn »

2010 was in important year for the DRC and the Congolese. It marked 50 years of independence from Belgium and the cancellation of the near totality of its foreign debt. Improved relations with its erstwhile Rwandan enemies and new investment

Read the rest of Congo: Change or stagnation? – A new book by Theodore Trefon »

Two deaths in Zimbabwe’s political landscape happened a week apart in August. First came the tragic news of the murder of MDC-T politician Maxwell Ncube, whose body, according to VOA Zimbabwe, “was found August 9 in a ditch a few

Read the rest of Two Deaths in Zimbabwe – by Timothy Scarnecchia »

Ouattara v Gbagbo. Cote d’Ivoire’s recent post-election problems began in the wake of the November 2010 presidential polls. After the election commission initially gave victory to the opposition candidate, Alassane Ouattara, a crooked Constitutional Council overturned the result in favour

Read the rest of Cote d’Ivoire: Ouattara restores calm after the stand-off – By Ashley Elliott »

Challenges on the Road to Accountable Government This report was originally published by SWP – German Institute for International and Security Affairs Fifteen years of UN-led peacebuilding efforts in the Central African Republic (CAR) should have culminated with the elections

Read the rest of Central African Republic: Peacebuilding without Peace – By Louisa Lombard »

You might think that comfortably re-elected recently and in his 26th year as ruler of Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni might begin to sit back and relish his achievements. But despite his 67 years and looking tired, he appears to have

Read the rest of Richard Dowden blogs from Uganda: Kampala and Kigali’s reconciliation »

In recent weeks a debate has emerged over the merits of the conflict minerals provision in the Dodd-Frank Act. Critics of the legislation assert that the provision and those groups supporting it are responsible for causing damage to the people

Read the rest of DRC: US Conflict Mineral Law Opens the Door to Peace – By Bahati Jacques and Aaron Hall »

Since June 5, Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army Nuba (SPLA Nuba) have been fighting in South Kordofan, and for two and a half months I did not know what to make of it. All I

Read the rest of Sudan: War in the Nuba Mountains, again – By Nanne op ’t Ende »

Seven months into the Libyan Civil War, the NATO-Rebel Alliance is on the way to the successful overthrow of the Gaddafi regime. Continued bombardment of Gaddafi forces, tactical advice and coordination, seizure of government assets abroad and the military blockade

Read the rest of Nato intervention in Libya: costs and prospects for the future – By Edward Kannyo »