Attacking from the east, the opposition is capturing territory and winning new recruits; and in the south it's threatening Juba
The collapse of the government army's operations against fierce opposition attack in the south and east has thrown the ruling National Islamic Front into confusion. It is no longer able to count on the armed forces' military or political support to shore it up. Opposition gains on both fronts suggest to civilian activists that the time for a 'protected intifadha' (uprising) is drawing nearer. The government response is unconvincing: the titular Head of State, Lieutenant General
Omer Hassan Ahmed el Beshir, first told the Sudanese that he would countenance negotiations with the opposition 'only through the barrel of a gun'; then in the wake of massive government losses, he invited exiled Umma Party chief El Sadig el Sadeeg el Mahdi back to Khartoum to negotiate. For several days, government spokesmen denied there was any serious fighting on its southern border with Uganda; then, without explanation, a spokesman announced the 'huge success' of a government counter-offensive in the same area.
On the ground, the Sudan People's Liberation Army looks competent and confident of taking Juba. Its rout of government forces is unparallelled since the 1991 split. Under the overa...
At last some good economic news to bolster President Mkapa's multi-party democracy
Tanzania may not be an economic tiger yet but visitors to Dar es Salaam (population: 3 million and growing fast) can easily see that the sleepy days are over. Everywhere buildings ...
