“In the Wise words of Nelson Mandela, there is no easy walk to freedom there will certainly be no easy walk socio-economic freedom”.  Impressive words from President Jacob Zuma at the closing day of the Mangaung Conference in the Free

Read the rest of South Africa: post-Mangaung the ANC talks the talk but can it walk the walk? – By Renee Horne »

Guenther von Billerbeck’s piece ‘Congo: crisis in East deflects attention from need for reforms from Kinshasa’ was voted (in a publicly accessible online poll), the best piece to appear on African Arguments in 2012. You can read Guenther’s piece in

Read the rest of Analysis of internal workings of Congo’s Kabila regime wins African Argument of the year »

Stephen Lamony’s article “African Court Not Ready for International Crimes” is premised on an explicit misconception about the nature of international law making and an implicit determinism about Africa. It is also liberally laced with inaccuracies. My purpose in this

Read the rest of Concerning the Criminal Jurisdiction of the African Court – A Response to Stephen Lamony – By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu »

Following his most recent visit to Laayoune in November, the UN envoy for Western Sahara Christopher Ross said that “the conflict over the final status of the territory” has gone on too long. Mr Ross is correct in saying the

Read the rest of Western Sahara is not Mali: on islamist extremists and Saharwi freedom fighters – By Celeste Hicks »

The day Goma fell to the M23 I was on my way there, having planned to take a boat to Eastern Congo’s largest city on November 20th from Bukavu. Eventually I had to travel to Kinshasa through Bujumbura and Nairobi.

Read the rest of Meanwhile in Goma…withdrawal of M23 and Kampala ‘negotiations’ – By Kris Berwouts »

This week in South Africa it seems like an entire nation’s hopes are pinned on the decision 4500 delegates will make at Mangaung in the Free State.  More than 50 million South Africans at the mercy of policy resolutions determined

Read the rest of South Africa: ANC leadership debate swamps meaningful discussion of policy – By Renee Horne »

On Friday 30th November 2012 a judgment was passed by Mr Justice Bean in a libel case brought by Tanzanian media magnate Reginald Mengi and a British solicitor, Sarah Hermitage. The judgment was in favour of Sarah Hermitage who was

Read the rest of Tanzanian media magnate defeated in landmark libel case against British citizen – By Magnus Taylor »

More than 200 academic specialist scholars of Africa have called on President Obama to take action through the United Nations to protect civilians in the conflict zone of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The petition was released today

Read the rest of Association of Concerned Africa Scholars petitions Obama administration to protect civilians in the DRC »

The importance of faith and religious observance amongst African and African diaspora communities was the impetus for a conference held last week by ‘Africa-UK’ – a diaspora engagement project aimed at increasing the impact of the UK’s African Diaspora on

Read the rest of Faith and Development in Africa: A new perspective on Diaspora Engagement? – By Dele Meiji Fatunla »

Princeton Lyman, US special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, is stepping down. A White House source characterised Lyman’s departure as “the kind of personnel change that is normal at the end of a president’s first term and start of

Read the rest of Princeton Lyman resigns: the future of US diplomacy in the Sudans – By Aly Verjee »