West
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Elections: Benin gears up for wide open 33-horse race
No one wants to call this one. When applications to contest Benin’s presidential elections opened at the start of this year, there was certainly ... -
Nigeria’s once mighty PDP is fighting for its future
The Peoples Democratic Party’s new chair has been accused of sponsoring Boko Haram and is being investigated for corruption while in office. Once hailed as ... -
Nigeria: Buhari’s southern dilemma heating up
With a cluster of hotly-contested election re-runs coming up and low oil prices squeezing budgets, the next six months will be pivotal for the ... -
What does Jammeh have to gain by making The Gambia an Islamic Republic?
President Yahya Jammeh has developed a reputation for surprising announcements. What might be the reasons behind his latest? In a surprise announcement last month, ... -
Nigeria’s contentious court rulings reveal need for electoral reform
The Court of Appeal’s recent string of rulings on disputed elections have raised accusations of political interference. Nigeria’s presidential election in March 2015 was ... -
Nigeria: Buhari’s 2016 budget continues use of secretive ‘security votes’
Nearly $50 million has been set aside in unaccountable items notorious for being misdirected. Under President Muhammadu Buhari, the fight against corruption in Nigeria ... -
Why Nigeria should think twice before joining Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Military Alliance
Four reasons why joining the Saudi-led coalition might not be such a great idea On 15 December, Saudi Arabia made a surprising announcement as ... -
Boko Haram is not “defeated” but Buhari’s strategy is working
Boko Haram may be on the back foot compared to a year ago, but the group has adapted and bounced back before. It will do so ... -
The “People’s Victory”: President-elect Kaboré and the democratic road ahead for Burkina Faso
It’s tempting to think Roch Kaboré will simply replicate Compaoré’s old system, but the reality is that something has fundamentally changed in Burkina Faso. When ... -
How Burkina Faso ensured its freest and fairest elections ever
Through the coordinated mobilisation of voters, civil society and the electoral commission, Burkina Faso made sure its most open election ever was also its most transparent. On ...