Reuters, 3 April 2013
Western envoys to attend ICC-indictee Kenyatta's inauguration
By Edmund Blair
'Analysts said Western businesses may also put pressure on their governments to avoid losing their foothold in Kenya or to prevent any harm coming to investment plans in a nation that could be at the center of an oil and gas boom in east Africa.

"That is why Europe is back pedaling a bit," said Patrick Smith of Africa Confidential, a fortnightly journal. He added that handling ties with Kenyatta's government "is going to be a real test of diplomatic and commercial skills."'

BBC Mundo, 13 February 2013
¿Milagro africano o nueva rapiña colonial?
By Marcelo Justo
'Sin embargo, el subdirector de la revista especializada Africa Confidential, Andrew Weir, alerta que no es la primera vez que se vive este optimismo.

"Las compañías energéticas, China y el sector financiero están viendo grandes oportunidades. El tema es que África ya ha vivido esto. La pregunta clave es a quién beneficia y de qué modo contribuye al desarrollo", señaló Weir a BBC Mundo.'

The Guardian, 14 January 2013
Mali conflict: France has opened gates of hell, say rebels
By Afua Hirsch and Kim Willsher
Patrick Smith: "There is a genuine fear that these people could come from north Mali and set off bombs on the Champs Elysées."

BBC Radio 4 – The World Tonight, 11 January 2013
French troops are taking part in operations against Islamists in northern Mali
Patrick Smith, talks to David Eades: 'French security forces worry about Jihadi elements coming into France.'

The Observer, 27 October 2012
The man who could determine whether the west is drawn into Mali's war
By Peter Beaumont
'Patrick Smith of the Africa Confidential newsletter, who was in Paris after the MNLA delegation, believes Ag Ghaly will be offered a choice. "There's a growing desire to reach out to him to say you can ally with us and help work out a deal for a decentralised north. If not, it's war and you'll end up on a list with other al-Qaida-associated leaders wondering when a drone is coming for you."'

The Economist, 5 October 2012
Sierra Leone: Presidential calculations
'In July, an American businessman posted a vituperative open letter on the internet accusing Mr Sam Sumana of failing to repay loans worth thousands of dollars. The following month Africa Confidential reported accusations that Mr Sam Sumana had diverted commercial investments into campaign funds for the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) party before the last presidential election in 2007.'

Reuters 10 September 2012
Analysis - Pressure from below strains Angola MPLA monolith
"The social inequity is only matched by the political inequity," said Patrick Smith, editor of Africa Confidential, the respected newsletter analysing the continent.

"I don't see where the model is going. The system looks after the elite, but that's all ... there is a huge question mark about the political future," he added.'

BBC News Magazine, 13 June 2012
Spain is not Uganda. Discuss.
'Patrick Smith, editor of newsletter Africa Confidential: "[The text message] connotes old-fashioned European thinking from almost the 19th Century, that there are all these different worlds within the world and Africa is out there, completely cut off and bumbling along. If you go to Africa today, there's a lot of people, many of them European, touting for business, trying to get in on the economic growth. The claimed unemployment figure of 4.2% seems extremely low - most countries in the region are recording unemployment at 15-20% and youth unemployment at 30-40%. But it's a developing economy and an entirely different ballgame from Europe, which is like the geriatric continent trying to manage old age gracefully, whereas Africa is young and growing fast."'

Foreign Policy, May/June 2012
A giant among giants
By Ken Silverstein
[Glencore] 'recently announced a $90 billion takeover of Xstrata, a global mining giant in which it already holds a 34 percent stake; if the deal goes through, Glencore will rule over an "empire stretching from the Sahara to South Africa," as the Africa Confidential newsletter put it.'

Council on Foreign Relations, 29 May 2012
"Africa Day" in South Africa and President Jacob Zuma's rivals
By John Campbell
'Looking toward the December ANC party convention in December, Africa Confidential is running a story on Zuma’s likely challengers for president of the party. It credibly identifies: Cyril Ramaphosa, an architect of the 1994 transition and now a business tycoon; Kglama Motlanthe, the sitting vice president; and Tokyo Sexwale, now a minister and former premier of Gauteng (Johannesburg.)' 

Foreign Policy, 18 May 2012
Remember General Dabi?
By Colum Lynch
'As a senior aide to president Omar al-Bashir, Dabi was assigned the task last year of shepherding a panel of U.N. experts charged with monitoring the enforcement of U.N. sanctions in Darfur, according to a leaked report by the panel.

'The report, which was first published by Africa Confidential last month, provides a detailed account of how Dabi and his associates thwarted the U.N. Security Council panel's efforts to investigate abuses of a U.N. travel ban and arms embargo' 

Foreign Policy, 30 April 2012
What's the point of U.N. sanctions in Darfur when even the U.N. flouts them?
By Colum Lynch
'The Tek episode is simply one nugget buried away in a confidential 80-plus page report, first reported by Africa Confidential, that documents systematic violations of a six-year-old U.N. arms embargo, travel ban, and asset freeze, imposed on Khartoum and rebel leaders in an effort to contain the violence in Sudanese province.'

Reuters, 16 January 2012
UPDATE 1-Nigeria: will it fall apart or can it hold?
[Goodluck Jonathan is] "eerily calm considering we could be weeks away from a major confrontation," said Africa Confidential editor Patrick Smith. "The absolute failure ... to wheel on southerners and northerners at the same time to say this is a national crisis and we have to pull together, is striking."

Sudan Tribune, 31 December 2011
A Timeline for Catastrophe: Sudan’s continuing slide toward war
By Eric Reeves
Africa Confidential (November 19, 2010) reports the view of Dinka Ngok civil society: "Mbeki was basically telling the Ngok that the Abyei Protocol and PCA boundaries must all be renegotiated because the Misseriya wouldn’t budge, [said one prominent member of Abyei civil society]."

Financial Times, 22 November 2011
Delta militants: Locals see the benefits of an end to hostilities
By Christopher Thompson
Patrick Smith, editor of Africa Confidential, says: “One of the functions of the militias was to lead the charge for the area’s politicians, so some fighters could get dragged into the political competition.”

Business Day, 8 September 2011
Gaddafy and the OAU – Thirty years ago
Kaye Whiteman writes: 'My old friend the late Hon. Godfrey Morrison, at one time editor of Africa Confidential, who was with me reporting on the failed OAU Tripoli summit Mark 2 of November 1982, used to refer to the Libyan leader as a “drama queen,” a reference, perhaps, to the thrill derived from playing a central role, no matter what the cost. It was the same frantic and intemperate quality that prevented him from being taken seriously as a successor to Nasser in the Arab world, or to Nkrumah in Africa.'

BBC Newsnight, 24 August 2011
Risk Islamists will move in to fill Libya power vacuum
Colonel Moammar el Gaddafi claimed that if he was ousted from power Islamist radicals would seize control of Libya. Patrick Smith speaks to Newsnight's Robin Denselow about whether he is likely to be proven right or wrong.

TIME Magazine, 1 June 2011
Death, Prison or Exile: Gadaffi Is Out of Options
"My understanding is that they would be delighted if he did a duck," Smith says.

Los Angeles Times 11 May 2011
NATO expects Kadafi's regime to eventually collapse
By Henry Chu

BBC News Magazine, 14 April 2011
What happens to deposed leaders?
'The creation of the International Criminal Court in 1998 narrowed the number of countries that would accept a deposed leader, says Patrick Smith, editor of the London-based newsletter Africa Confidential.'

BBC News, 4 April 2011
The historical background: Ivory Coast's deline into conflict
AC's Patrick Smith joins the BBC's Allan Little to look at how the once prosperous Ivory Coast declined from being an African success story, to a county mired in civil war.

Financial Times, 21 March 2011
Madagascar Oil to freeze contracts
By Christopher Thompson and David Blackwell

Daily Monitor, 13 March 2011
Creating African dynasties
In the past 10 years, four sons have succeeded their fathers directly as presidents. For others, it hasn’t been easy, writes Mwaura Samora

BBC Focus on Africa, 23 December 2010
End of Year Quiz
If you missed this on the radio, tune in online to Ahmed Rajab, Robin White, Joseph Warungu and our very own Patrick Smith being put through their paces by Veronique Edwards

Resonance FM, 25 November 2010
Africa Confidential's Billie McTernan on Talking Africa  

GNTV, 7 January 2011
The bottom line: Patrick Smith
Buchi Madu speaks to Patrick Smith, Editor of Africa Confidential, about Niger Delta issues and how they could impact the presidential elections in May.

Daily Monitor, 29 October 2010
Government seizes pro-Besigye book
Government officials have seized a consignment of books that largely profile opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye’s challenge to President Museveni in the 2001 and 2006 general elections. The book titled: “The Correct Line? Uganda under Museveni” is authored by Dr Olive Kobusingye, a surgeon.

Channel 4 News, 3 August 2010
Human rights fears over 'undemocratic' Rwandan poll
As Rwandans prepare to vote in only the second post-genocide presidential elections, Human Rights Watch tells Channel 4 News laws intended to prevent another slaughter have instead been used to suppress free speech.

Foreign Policy, 26 February 2010
Guinea’s junta hires ex-war crimes prosecutors - and gets a favorable report
Two former war-crimes specialists were recently hired as consultants for Guinea's military junta after it was accused of massacring civilians - and produced a secret report downplaying the violence.

BBC Radio 4 – The World Tonight, 29 March 2013
A UN peacekeeping force in DRC gets an "offensive" mandate for the first time
Patrick Smith talks to David Eades: "I think it can make a difference if it has the resources to do the job." (Around 8 minutes in).

Reuters, 11 March 2013
Analysis: Western states walk diplomatic tight-rope over Kenyatta win
By Edmund Blair
"It is extremely problematic for the West partly because several Western officials inserted themselves into the Kenyan election campaign and made pretty clear they thought Kenyans should not vote for Kenyatta," said Africa Confidential editor Patrick Smith. "That triggered ... the opposite response." 

Reuters, 1 March 2013
Preview: Kenya braces for repeat of election bloodshed
By Edmund Blair
'"Many people are saying they don't think Kenyans are going to be suckered into another round of clashes led by the political elite," said Africa Confidential editor Patrick Smith.

"But at the end of the day this is a bare-knuckle, brutal contest in which the stakes have rarely been higher," he said.' 

The New York Times, 11 February 2013
France Takes a Step Back in Its History
By Alan Cowell
'“We face a threat that concerns the entire world,” Mr. Hollande told the United Nations in September.

That assessment, said Patrick Smith, the editor of a London-based newsletter, Africa Confidential, has spread a “geopolitical patina” over the “very, very local” mistakes and miscalculations in Mali and elsewhere.' 

VICE, 22 January 2013
Is this the century of Africa's rise?
By Oscar Rickett
'The problem, though, is that most of this wealth is extractive. There is, as Patrick Smith, editor of Africa Confidential, told me, a “lack of value added on the African side.” “The energy companies are seeing massive domestic demand from Asia and they are capitalizing on that,” he said.'

Council on Foreign Relations, 24 October 2012
ANC Party Politics and the Upcoming Convention
By John Campbell
'The ANC candidates for presidency and vice presidency can count on support from most of the country’s black population, making victory for its nominees in national elections almost a foregone conclusion. Africa Confidential has published an excellent primer on the current state of play inside the ANC.'

Council on Foreign Relations, 11 October 2012
Nigeria’s Economic Reforms in Trouble?
By John Campbell
'Africa Confidential published on October 5, a clear-eyed analysis of the challenges facing Nigeria’s economic reformers and concludes that those blocking reform “are winning hands down.”  Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi states publicly that oil theft is massive and organized. He also questions whether, in fact, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) actually knows how much oil is produced–NNPC says 2.7 million barrels a day.'

Los Angeles Times, 21 August 2012
Ethiopian officials: No major change after Meles Zenawi's death
'Patrick Smith, editor of the analytical journal Africa Confidential, predicted that Ethiopia’s military and ruling party leadership would not change tack on hitting Islamic extremists hard.

“They’re absolutely agreed that Ethiopia should be in Somalia and they should go in and out of Somalia when they feel like it. And that is not going to change with Meles’ death,” he said.'

Bloomberg, 25 July 2012
Ghana's ruling party seeks unity after President's death
By Mike Cohen, Franz Wild and Ekow Dontoh
“You have sentiment, you have the renewal factor, and Mills was clearly extremely ill,” Patrick Smith, editor of the London-based newsletter Africa Confidential, said today by phone from Paris. “Mahama is young, has a lot of energy and is very good with the media.”

Business Day, 26 June 2012
Royal Bafokeng may see red soon
By David Gleason
'Africa Confidential (June 22) claims the Guinean government’s decision to "shut down a bid by South African businessmen who wield high-level political connections to run its national mining company follows growing pressure from international financial institutions and multinational mining companies". The magazine names Hennig and Mark Willcox as two of the key South Africans linked to the plan.'

African Aguments, 28 May 2012
Take a holiday in Somaliland: Journey to the state that isn't
By Magnus Taylor
'A more concrete example is provided by Africa Confidential, which recently reported that the Hong Kong oil company PetroTrans is likely to pull out of investing in the port of Berbera, having been unable to obtain insurance for the Liquified Natural Gas plant it was to build. The plant was to link up gas fields in Ethiopia’s Ogaden region with export facilities on the coast, and will now see Somaliland lose out to its tiny, but strategically important neighbour Djibouti.'

Sudan Tribune, 25 May 2012
Darfur in the still deepening shadow of lies
By Eric Reeves
'The leaked report, which deeply offended both Russia and China with its frank account of their massive violations of the Darfur arms embargo, was first reported by Africa Confidential on April 13, 2012; AC summarized its assessment of the report by noting that "the Darfur crisis, far from winding down as Khartoum and some press reports suggest, is worsening, with new incidents of ethnic cleansing, arms deliveries and aerial bombing." The report had been submitted to the UN in January 2012.' 

Reuters, 13 May 2012
Analysis: Nigeria president unlikely to risk oil graft crackdown
By Joe Brock
'"I don't think we're going to see high level officials in jail ... that would imply his regime had imploded," said Patrick Smith, editor of Africa Confidential.'

Foreign Policy, 7 May 2012
The silence in Sudan
By Colum Lynch
'A group of three former U.N. experts, meanwhile, recently wrote a confidential report claiming that the U.N. mission in Darfur has minimized critical reporting of government abuses, downplaying a series of attacks against the Zaghawa tribe last year that displaced 70,000 people, and which amounted to ethnic cleansing.' 

The Insider, 29 April 2012
Masiyiwa says Jonathan Moyo and Ibbo Mandaza are former CIO
'Masiyiwa said he was "intrigued" by the rumours of a "united front" political movement, but was extremely cautious.

'He also denied that he had funded or supported the "united front" and said that he personally called Patrick Smith, editor of Africa Confidential, to complain about the story linking him to the new movement.'

Popbitch, March 2012
Kony 2012
In 2008 the Americans helped the Ugandans launch a massive surprise attack on Kony. Kony escaped at the last minute. Well, I expect he used some kind of weird African juju.
Or a Nokia.
Because the Ugandan army LEAKED THE INFORMATION THEY WERE COMING so he could escape in time. It’s not me saying this, it’s the most respected source in African journalism, Africa Confidential Vol 52 – N° 23. [USA joins fight against LRA]

BBC Newshour, 14 January 2012
Suicide bomb kills Basra pilgrims; elections in Taiwan; and special focus on Nigeria
Africa Confidential's editor Patrick Smith speaks to Julian Marshall in the special focus on Nigeria.

Vanguard, 29 December 2011
Away from home this Christmas
By Is’ haq Modibbo Kawu
'...Africa Confidential... described the “staggering sum” as “a Boko Haram campaign bonanza for the generals and private security companies”...'

Reuters, 13 December 2011
S.Leone's "Timbergate" threatens president poll bid
'The journal Africa Confidential published an article on Nov. 18 criticising the ACC's decision earlier this year to settle a major case involving the social security agency out of court, rather than seeking prosecutions.'

BBC News Africa, 7 October 2011
Q&A: Cameroon presidential elections
Africa Confidential's editor Patrick Smith says that critics are rare in Cameroon and are soon silenced.

iMaverick/All Africa Global Media, 16 September 2011
Stability, snakes and salacious gossip – a Zambian election preview [analysis]
'As Africa Confidential explained: "Food and fuel prices are Sata's main targets, as is the increasing Asian commercial presence. Such was the virulence of his 2006 campaign that Chinese ambassador Li Baodong threatened to cut ties if Sata won."'

Voice of America, 12 September 2011
Zimbabwe Advances Modestly in Global Competitiveness Rankings
Africa Confidential editor Patrick Smith said Zimbabwe has a distance to go to become globally competitive though the economy is "a lot more predictable and disciplined" so from a big-company standpoint "that means the business climate is much more benign."

Channel 4 News, 7 September 2011
Gaddafi not the only victim of Libya's revolution
'Andy Weir, associate editor of Africa Confidential, told Channel 4 News: "South African President Jacob Zuma feels a strong loyalty towards Gadaffi. He's led delegations to Tripoli when they were trying to negotiate out of the crisis.'

The Nation, 7 September 2011
Blowback in Somalia
The Somali government has portrayed this as a military victory and has declared the beginning of the end of the group. However, “These assessments owe more to wishful thinking than reality,” according to an analysis published in the well-respected journal Africa Confidential.

BBC, 16 August 2011
Solomon Mujuru: Obituary of a Zimbabwean 'king-maker'
"He had all the mystique of a liberation war hero that has served him to present-day politics," Patrick Smith, editor of the London-based Africa Confidential magazine, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

Cocorioko, 26 May 2011
Africa Confidential's mischief-making enterprise in reporting Sierra Leone's Golden Jubilee
The view from the pro-All People's Congress website Cocorioko

234Next.com, 31 May 2011
Africa lures investors, but is it ready?

Christian Science Monitor, 17 May 2011
Election in Sudan's Southern Kordofan marred by disputed result
By Amanda Hsiao, Guest blogger

The Huffington Post, 28 April 2011
The Bloody Sideshow in Sudan
Journalist and human rights activist Rebecca Tinsley reports

BBC News – Today, 7 April 2011
'Complete breakdown' in Ivory Coast
AC's Patrick Smith talks about the crisis the country faces now

BBC World Service,  4 April 2011
World Have Your Say, 1800 GMT
AC's Patrick Smith joins a panel of experts to discuss the situation in Côte d'Ivoire

McClatchy Newspapers, 4 April 2011
Gadhafi finds that money can't buy friends in Africa
By Shashank Bengali

guardian.co.uk Poverty Matters Blog, 8 February 2011
Sudan should learn the emerging lessons of Egypt
Posted by Peter Moszynski
Africa's largest country is about to be split into two, and there is much that needs to be done politically, economically – and, above all, democratically

Christian Science Monitor, 23 November 2010
Ahead of Sudan referendum, north and south are arming a border region
One of the most critical places for the Sudan referendum is Abyei, a border region that has to decide whether to join the north or south. Expecting a confrontation, both sides are arming the area.

The Zimbabwean, 20 October 2010
Army firm in FARC arms scandal
Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI) has been sucked into the arms trafficking scandal involving rogue Ecuadorian bishop Walter Crespo, amid allegations that the shadowy Zimbabwean army-run company supplied some of the weapons smuggled by Crespo to Colombian rebels.

BBC World Service Africa, December 2009
The Africa Video Quiz 2009
How much do you remember of the past year in Africa? Regular Focus on Africa quiz contestants, Ahmed Rajab, Cameron Duodu, Patrick Smith and Robin White join quiz mistress, Veronique Edwards to pose the questions.

The Guardian, 10 January 2010
Violence, fear and confusion: welcome to the Horn of Africa
In Yemen, Somalia and beyond, the lawless, strife-torn region has provided disturbing evidence that its myriad problems cannot be ignored – and that the west must see the connections between them all

National Public Radio, 5 November 2009
A real-life government coup made for TV
Listen to the interview 
Simon Mann was granted amnesty on Wednesday by the government of Equatorial Guinea. This is the same government that he attempted to overthrow in a coup plot that went awry in 2004. Mann was sentenced to 34 years in prison though he only served 15 months before returning home to Britain yesterday. Host Michel Martin talks with Patrick Smith, Editor of Africa Confidential, about the coup plot and the legacy of Simon Mann.

BBC News,6 January 2009
What lies ahead for Africa in 2009?

New York Sun, 11 September 2008
U.S. Widens Iran Sanctions As Drone Is Reported In Darfur

Sunday Standard, Botswana, 5 August 2008
Mugabe cronies reportedly stashing US dollars into foreign accounts

Financial Times, 1 August 2008
Harare tycoon rides political upheaval

SW Radio Africa, Zimbabwe, 22 July 2008
Zanu PF chefs transferring millions outside the country

BBC World Service radio, 16 July 2008
Mike Johnson speaks to Patrick Smith about Zimbabwe's economy  

The Southern African, 14 July 2008
Angola’s Economy Run By Presidential Daughters And Generals

The Southern African, 14 July 2008
Where Mugabe’s Government Gets Its Money 

The Daily Mail, 26 June 2008
Helping the desperate or prolonging their misery? The British firms doing business with Zimbabwe

Reuters, 3 Jul 2008
Rebuff to Mugabe is watershed for African Union

World Socialist Website, 18 June 2008
Fighting erupts over Eritrean armed incursion into Djibouti

BBC News, 29 April 2008
Open season on Nigeria's Obasanjo

The International Herald Tribune 15 February 2008
Bush Africa visit seen more about strategy

BBC News, 29 December 2007
Special Report - Divided they fall: the Kenyan opposition

The Sunday Herald (Scotland), 16 September 2007
Congo facing third civil war in 10 years

BBC Focus on Africa, 18 June 2007
Somalia in the eye of the storm

The Observer,  28 January 2007
Barclays' millions help to prop up Mugabe regime

BBC News, 26 October 2006
Prize offered to Africa's leaders

BBC News, 25 March 2006
Death stirs debate over sullied leaders

BBC Focus on Africa magazine, 2 January 2006
Fine words but corruption soars

BBC News, 3 August 2005
Obituary: John Garang

BBC News, 7 July 2005
Tutsi party accepts Burundi poll

BBC News, 11 March 2005
Africa Commission report: Analysis

BBC News, 11 February 2005
Togo: Africa's democratic test case

BBC Radio Four, File on 4, 30 November 2004
Taxpayers' cash 'funding corrupt deals'

BBC News, 27 August 2004
'Mercenary leader' found guilty

BBC Focus on Africa, 21 April 2004
Africans crazy for democracy

BBC News, 23 February 2003
Mugabe cronies 'get farms'

BBC News, 23 February 2002
Patrick Smith on the killing of Jonas Savimbi 

BBC News, 5 July 2001
Rebels welcome Sudan peace plan

BBC News, 15 February 2001
Democratic Republic of Congo war
Video interview with Patrick Smith as African leaders gather in Lusaka for a summit to try and end the conflict in the DRC

BBC News, 26 May 2000
Company 'to list for Congo mining'

BBC News, 23 November 1999
Moi confronts corruption critics

BBC News, 23 November 1999
Kenyan leader denies foreign cash claims