NIGERIA The President who never was 10th July 1998 Hopes for a credible and popular transition to civil rule have been shaken by the death of the gaoled winner of the 1993 election Although the sudden death of Chief Moshood Abiola (60) happened in the presence of a visiting United States’ delegation on 7 July, it has nevertheless raised suspicions of foul play among his supporters and doused hopes that the country's new military leader General Abdulsalaam Abubakar might be able to usher in a new climate of popular political reform. News of Abiola's death was quickly followed by militant protests in Lagos, Ibadan and Abeokuta in the south-west of the country. If anything, his death emphasised Abiola's centrality to political developments in the country and his emergence over the past five years as a symbol for its pro-democracy movement. Reacting to news of Abiola's death, one activist said, ' Now we are leaderless, headless... and that's dangerous'.
SUDANHORN OF AFRICA Long war, quick fix 10th July 1998 Image courtesy of Panos Pictures View site Outsiders contemplate a north-south peace that helps the NIF and weakens its opponents Western governments have a plan for the independence of southern Sudan. The proposals have the blessing of the Sudan government but bypass Sudan's neighbours in the Inter-Governmen...
SUDANHORN OF AFRICA Standing on the south 10th July 1998 Image courtesy of Panos Pictures View site Since conflict erupted on 31 December 1955, the day before Sudan’s Independence, several million people have died in the war in the south.It’ shard,therefore,tofindasou...
CONGO-KINSHASA Embattled Kabila 10th July 1998 Domestic and foreign pressures push the President towards a new political deal By releasing from house arrest his arch-opponent Etienne Tshisekedi after a ‘cordial’ meeting in Lubumbashi in late May, President Laurent-Désiré Kabila i...
CONGO-KINSHASA The allies fall out 10th July 1998 A year ago, as Mobutu Sese Seko was being chased from power by a coalition of allied governments and rebel movements, Africa Confidential (Vol 38 No 10) highlighted the importance ...
KENYA Surprise guests 10th July 1998 President Moi says relations with the USA are warming but economic aid remains on hold A surprise guest turned up at the United States’ Independence Day festivities in Nairobi’s Ruaraka suburb on 4 July: President Daniel Arap Moi. His presence reflected h...
ANGOLA Mortgaged future 10th July 1998 A new deal with Swiss oil trader Glencore has mortgaged virtually the last barrel of the government’s own oil allocation in exchange for up-front payments of some US$900 mill...
TOGO Stolen votes 10th July 1998 In Israel for medical treatment this week, President Gnassingbé Eyadéma faces unprecedented foreign pressure over the stolen 21 June presidential election. Eyad&eacut...
GUINEA BISSAU Mane fights on 10th July 1998 Amid the shelling and the frantic efforts of over 200,000 displaced Guineans to find food and shelter, President João Bernardo ‘Nino’ Vieira’s mandate expi...
