1104InTheNews

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,  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 audio clip 

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.

The Huffington Post, 25 January 2010
Can Sudan marriage be save

RFI, 7 April 2010
AC's Gill Lusk talks to RFI's Michel Arsenault audio clip

World Socialist Website, 24 February 2010
Military coup in Niger

The military have carried out a coup in the West African state of Niger, ousting incumbent President Mamadou Tandja in this former French colony. According to a BBC report, troops burst into a cabinet meeting being held in the presidential palace on Thursday, February 18. 

BBC Newshour, 14 January 2012
Suicide bomb kills Basra pilgrims; elections in Taiwan; and special focus on Nigeria audio clip
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
 audio clip
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
 audio clip 

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
 audio clip

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

Radio Netherlands Wordwide, 7 December 2009
Politicians arrested after Khartoum protest

NRC Handelsblad, 25 November 2009
VN-rapport: Vredesmissie maakt crisis in Congo erger

De Standard, 25 November 2009
'
Offensief VN-missie Congo mislukt'

The Times, 12 November 2009
China and India engaged in 21st century 'scramble for Africa'

The Observer, 8 November 2009
Simon Mann, freed dog of war, is demanding justice

After more than five years in jail, the British mercenary is seeking vengeance on others he says were part of the failed 'Wonga Coup' – including Mark Thatcher. By Tracy McVeigh, Rajeev Syal and Patrick Smith

Interview with Massimo Alberizzi of Corriere della Sera on the ousting of President Marc Ravolomanana in Madagascar, 17 March 2009  
Madagascar: I militari sono divisi. Si rischia il bagno di sangue

SW Radio Africa, 2 March 2009
Zimbabwe's Fuel Scam
           

Harper's Magazine, 30 September 2008
Cheney Watch: Halliburton Bribery Investigation proceeding in UK and US

Voice of America, 8 September 2008
Sudan Denies it Receives Iranian Military Help

Le Monde, 4 August 2008
Mike Turner quitte BAE Systems sur un bilan mitigé

Reuters, 23 July 2008
Arabs hear alarm bells as ICC targets Sudan's Bashir

L'Express de Madagascar, 17 July 2008
Africa polls bring hope but big hurdles lie ahead

Voice of America, 14 July 2008
South Africa's Mbeki To Brief AU's Ping On Zimbabwe Talks Process
includes 
Interview With Patrick Smith - Download (MP3) 
audio clip
Interview With Patrick Smith - Listen (MP3) 
audio clip

Institute of War and Peace Reporting, 30 June 2008
African Union urged to act on Zimbabwe

The Daily Telegraph, 15 June 2008
Barclays accused of giving Robert Mugabe 'financial lifeline'

The Independent, 15 June 2008
Standard Chartered at centre of Zimbabwe sanctions inquiry

BBC News, 17 March 2008
How long can Cameroon's Biya rule?

BBC News, 3 January 2008
At a glance: Kenya unrest

BBC News Magazine, 29 November 2007
What can't be named Muhammad?

BBC News, 24 September 2007
Zimbabwe diaspora 'may get vote'

BBC News, 26 April 2007
Could Nigeria go Orange?

BBC News, 2 January 2007
Africa's year of terror tactics

The Observer, 10 September 2006
US accused of covert operations in Somalia

The Independent, 14 February 2006
Obituary: Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti, Nigerian human rights campaigner

BBC News, 29 December 2005
Africa's year of democratic reverses

BBC News, 2 August 2005
Profile: Salva Kiir

BBC News, 6 July 2005
Praise for peaceful Burundi poll

BBC News, 5 March 2005
West challenged on Africa issues

BBC News, 13 January 2005
Sudan peace paves way for oil deals

BBC News Online Magazine, 6 October 2004 
Taking Africa in hand

BBC News, 27 August 2004
Mercenary Guilty: Simon Mann convicted in Zimbabwe
 
Video interview with Patrick Smith about Simon Mann's conviction in Zimbabwe

BBC News, 11 March 2004
Equatorial Guinea: Ripe for a coup

BBC News, 25 February 2002
Oil and diamonds after Savimbi

BBC News, 19 December 2001
Tanzania row escalates

BBC News, 26 September 2001
Congo pays the price for war

BBC News, 5 July 2001
Gill Lusk, Deputy Editor, Africa Confidential, discusses the Libyan/Egyptian initiative for Sudan
 audio clip

BBC News, 19 December 2001
Patrick Smith discusses corruption in Tanzania
 audio clip

BBC News, 29 May 2000
Patrick Smith talks about finding a political solution in Sierra Leone
 audio clip

BBC News, 9 July 1998
Patrick Smith on the death of Chief Abiola
 audio clip

BBC News, 4 January 1998
Special Report - President Moi: an enduring face of Africa