Rebel leader Laurent Nkunda likes to compare his relentless
campaign against the Kinshasa government with the military resistance
of General Charles de Gaulle, 'the man who said no'. Taking the
parallels further, Nkunda has announced the formation of a...
The death of Zambia’s president means that, not even
two years since the last polls, there will be a presidential election
before the end of the year. This has revealed deep splits in the
governing party and disorganisation in the opposition. At ...
As the International Criminal Court laid charges of genocide
against President Omer el Beshir on 14 July, Africa Confidential
obtained a United Nations' internal report that blames the Khartoum
regime for much of the death and destruction in Abyei in M...
The ruling party looks set to win again at the parliamentary
elections which are due to be held in September. Strikingly, nearly
one in five Angolans belongs to the governing party, the MPLA.
Nevertheless, voters will expect it to explain why the gener...
The grand coalition government that emerged from a power-sharing agreement has largely succeeded in halting ethnic violence
It is easy to find culprits for the food crisis in Africa,
from the West's push for biofuels to China's newly well-fed middle
class. The fact is that food supplies are short and prices therefore
high in the short term - and probably in the long term to...
El Sadig el Sideeg el Mahdi launched his bid to return to power, only to be shouted down by hundreds of Sudanese who had flocked to listen
The form and content of the Commonwealth are changing.
The growing interest in the economic role of an organisation whose
members include some of the most dynamic economies in Asia and
Africa coincides with the election of a Secretary General from
As...
All the rival factions in the governing People’s Democratic Party hope to benefit from the postponement of its critical national convention, which has been rescheduled to January. Who wins out at the convention will determine the shape of the government f...
The exit of Inkatha leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi from politics and the rise and rise of Jacob Zuma as a national leader with an unassailable base in KwaZulu-Natal is a moment of truth for South Africa’s Zulus.
| 
Alternatively, 
Sign up to receive fortnightly email alerts listing the latest headlines, with extra news and commentaries from Africa Confidential's Editor, 
Request a printed example of our fortnightly Africa Confidential newsletter