As the AU is marking the 50th anniversary of the OAU under the theme ‘Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance’, it is necessary to subject the 50 years journey of the OAU/AU with respect to the question of unity to critical scrutiny.

Read the rest of African unity after 50 years of OAU/AU: A dream deferred? – By Solomon Ayele Dersso »

On the 28th of February this year, an unfortunate incident happened in Garamba National Park, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)-affected area in North-Eastern Congo. A group of Congolese soldiers went on patrol, in order to track LRA-elements; while at the

Read the rest of The (LRA) conflict: Beyond the LRA lobby & the hunt for Kony… and towards civilian protection – By Kristof Titeca »

  The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that have driven the global development agenda, since September 2000, when Kofi Annan, then Secretary-General of the United Nations, and 191 member states surprised the world by unanimously agreeing and making, the Millennium Declaration. The

Read the rest of The curious case of Africa’s Progress and the missing Millennium Development Goals – By Susana Edjang »

The last time I communicated directly with Victoire Ingabire, on October 13th 2010, she sounded tense and tired. After an absence of more than 16 years, she had come back to Rwanda in January to participate in the presidential elections

Read the rest of Lady in Pink: Victoire Ingabire faces her judges in appeal – By Kris Berwouts »

Former Rwandan Prime Minister Faustin Twagiramungu and Gérard Karangwa Semushi announce their return to Kigali to run for presidential elections in 2017. Developments related to the conflict in the eastern DRC indicate a renewed wave of interest in a protracted

Read the rest of Internal political shifts in Rwanda triggered by returning diaspora politicians – By Esther Marijnen »

2012 was the year NGO Invisible Children’s ‘Stop Kony’ campaign focused attention on the man himself and his militia, the Lord’s Resistance Army. But after decades of conflict, neglect and the mass displacement of the civilian population, many communities in

Read the rest of In the wake of Kony: peace versus justice in Uganda – By Carter Newman »

When I asked people in north-eastern Central African Republic (CAR) about Michel Djotodia, whilst conducting research there in 2009 – 2010, most knew very little. If they knew one thing, it was that he was a man with major political

Read the rest of Central African Republic: President Michel Djotodia and the good little putschist’s tool box – By Louisa Lombard »

One of the tangential aspects of the deteriorating situation in the Central African Republic is the controversial role of South African Defence Forces (SANDF). Sent in via a bilateral agreement between Presidents Bozize and Zuma, the SANDF forces (originally called

Read the rest of Bozize Falls and Zuma Fails in the CAR – By Michael Keating »

It took three days for the Seleka Coalition and the Government of the Central African Republic (CAR) to reach a peace agreement mediated by the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) in the Gabonese capital Libreville. Unlike most contemporary

Read the rest of Central African Republic: peace talks without the talks – By Kennedy Tumutegyereize and Nicolas Tillon, Conciliation Resources »

A decision by the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) on whether it would hear a petition to have Lord’s Resistance Army Commander Thomas Kwoyelo released from detention in Uganda was not delivered at its meeting in the

Read the rest of African Commission Silent on Detention of Lord’s Resistance Army Commander Thomas Kwoyelo – By Stephen A. Lamony »