Africa
Violence still threatens after Kenyan peace deal
By Ann Talbot, March 12, 2008
President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya and opposition leader Raila Odinga signed a power-sharing agreement brokered by former United Nations General Secretary Kofi Annan on February 28. Both parties to the ag...
South Africa and the global economic downturn
By Latief Parker, March 7, 2008
In South Africa, we swing wildly between believing that everything is doomed or imagining that the financial sun will always shine. Because of our mineral resources, it often seems—for a short p...
French lead European Union force to Chad/Sudan border
By Brian Smith, March 5, 2008
The European Union mission to Chad and the Central African Republic (EUFOR) is set to begin operations by March 15, with between 400 and 600 troops on the ground. Deployment of the 3,700-strong force ...
US missile strike kills women and children in Somalia
By Bill Van Auken, March 4, 2008
The US military fired missiles at a town in southern Somalia in the pre-dawn hours of Monday morning, killing and wounding civilians. Local officials in the town of Dobley told news agencies that at l...
Bush’s Africa tour: US seeks to counter growing Chinese influence
By Ann Talbot, February 26, 2008
When the president of the United States goes on an overseas trip, it usually evokes a high level of press interest. For the most part, however, George Bush’s visit to Africa last week scarcely m...
Chad regime survives rebel attack on capital
By Francis Dubois and Alex Lantier, February 11, 2008
Rebel troops reached Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, on Saturday, February 2, in a rapid movement in pickup trucks armed with heavy machine guns. Once there, the rebels fought it out for two da...
UN secretary-general arrives in Kenya in attempt to restart talks
By Ann Talbot, February 2, 2008
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has flown to Kenya in an attempt to restart talks between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga. Talks broke down after a second opposition MP was s...
An exchange on “Kenya: Social disintegration in country touted as African ‘success’ story”
January 31, 2008
The following letter was received on “Kenya: Social disintegration in country touted as African ‘success’ story.” It is followed by a reply by the article’s author, Chris...
South Africa hit by power cuts
By Chris Talbot, January 29, 2008
For more than two weeks, South African cities have suffered electricity power cuts lasting several hours. The mainly black townships have often had power cuts in the past, but the present round of bla...
Kenya: post-election violence continues
By Ann Talbot, January 24, 2008
At least 700 people have died in the three weeks of violence that have followed the disputed election that returned President Mwai Kibaki to power in Kenya. It is estimated that a quarter of a million...
Further war threatens in Congo as rivalry for resources intensifies
By John Farmer and Ann Talbot, January 22, 2008
A major escalation of the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) erupted as President Joseph Kabila carried out an assault on rebel forces led by General Laurent Nkunda at ...
Kenya: Social disintegration in country touted as African “success” story
By Chris Talbot, January 8, 2008
More than 350 are estimated to have been killed in almost two weeks of violence following the rigged presidential elections in Kenya. The total continues to rise, with no sign that a political resolut...
