Voting and political sentiment is more divided than ever between
the east and west of the country
Two figures - President
Joseph Kabila and Vice President
Jean-Pierre Bemba - are dominating Congolese politics after the 30 July elections, which have been hailed as a success by United Nations (UN) and the United States' Carter Center, despite huge organisational problems. More serious than the logistics is the evident rift between voters in the east, who have strongly backed Kabila, and those in the west, especially in the capital Kinshasa, who have strongly backed Bemba. By most counts, Kabila and his party, Parti du Peuple pour la Réconstruction et la Démocratie, were ahead after three days of counting, although Bemba insists that he is going to win and accordingly convinced thousands of his supporters in Kinshasa.
Clan rivalries still outweigh the hope of a national government,
as the neighbours look on nervously
Somalia's domestic strife is nowhere near its end. The rival authorities, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Baidoa and the Supreme Islamic Courts Council (SICC) - until ...
The Western-backed peace agreement has led to more fighting,
much to Khartoum's delight
The Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) is in tatters, two months after it was signed in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. The two signatories, the Sudan government and Minni Arkou Minnawi's w...
