The coming oil boom has upped the stakes in the escalating confrontation between the government and its opponents
There is no grand design to the violence that is wracking the country. Government supporters and oppositionists are pursuing vendettas against each other and a shadowy third force is emerging with a lethal capacity to attack military and civilian targets. There seems to be no one set of culprits behind the dozen or so bombings of the past year: some devices are crude 'chemistry lab' jobs but others are professional, remote-controlled and strategically placed. The bombers are confusing and worrying almost everyone, especially Lagosians and foreign diplomats. For those who believe that General
Sani Abacha wants to shore up his popularity before standing for the presidency in October 1998, this is a critical year: the start of his transition from remote military strongman to civilianised leader. Most concerned is his military constituency, which fears it will be left behind if its chief goes in search of civilian votes. The government's myriad security networks will be busy.
Politicians have begun the year with a peace accord – but Hussein Aydeed stays outside
A new year, a new faction agreement. On 3 January, after six weeks of pool-side discussions at the Ethiopian hot-spring resort of Sodere (AC Vol 37 No 25), leaders of 26 Somali fac...
Al Itahad al Islami, Somalia's main Islamist organisation, says that it intends to become a political party, to the unease of the National Executive Council. NEC members have said ...
