Congo-Kinshasa: DRC Elections - the Kabila Family Legacy Looms Large Over the Country's Polls

The Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to hold elections on 20 December 2023. The country's electoral commission has announced President Felix Tshisekedi will be seeking… Read more »

Africa: Visa-Free Travel for Africans - Why Kenya and Rwanda Have Taken a Step in the Right Direction

President William Ruto of Kenya recently announced that Kenya's borders would be open to visitors from the entirety of Africa, with no visas required, by the end of 2023. He said Read more »

Chad: First Dengue Fever Outbreak - What You Should Know

Chad has reported its first dengue outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The country's health ministry declared an outbreak on 15 August and so far 1,342… Read more »

Namibia: Namibia and Angola's Remote Ovahimba Mountains Reveal a Haven for Unique Plants - New Survey

The Kaokoveld region, covering north-western Namibia and south-western Angola, is one of the remotest areas in southern Africa. Although it's extremely dry, it is a centre of… Read more »

West Africa: U.S. Response to Gabon and Niger Coups Suggests Need for a New West Africa Policy in Washington

Recent coups in the West African nations of Gabon and Niger caught U.S. diplomats a little off guard. They also indicate Washington may need to reassess its policy in the region or… Read more »

Gabon: Coup Has Been Years in the Making - Three Key Factors That Ended the Bongo Dynasty

The recent military intervention that put an end to the Bongo family's 56-year hold on power in Gabon has been many years in the making. Read more »

Central African Republic: Wagner, Conflict and Poverty Drive Death Rate Above Crisis Levels - but Where's the Aid?

The Central African Republic (CAR) is one of the poorest countries in the world. Its GDP per capita in 2022 was estimated at US$491 per year. Read more »

Gabon: Coup in Gabon - Ali Bongo the Eighth West African Leader to Be Ousted By Military in Two Years

Gabon's prime minister, Ali Bongo, has become the latest in a string of African leaders to be ousted by a military coup in recent years. Bongo, who had just won a third term in… Read more »

Gabon: Gabon Coup - Bongo's Rule Ended By Failed Promises and Shifting Alliances

The Bongo family's 56 year hold on power in Gabon was abruptly brought to an end with a military coup on 30 August. The military takeover happened hours after election results were… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: DRC - Rising Twirwaneho Rebel Group Highlights the Unending Volatility of the Country's East

The three-decade conflict in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has led to the proliferation of hundreds of armed groups. With the violence appearing to… Read more »

Gabon: Gabon Elections - How the Bongo Family's 56-Year Rule Has Hurt the Country and Divided the Opposition

Gabon's president Ali Bongo Ondimba (2009-present) recently announced his intention to stand for re-election in the country's presidential poll scheduled for 26 August. He is, to… Read more »

Cameroon: What Citizens Say About Ending Six Years of Anglophone Conflict

The armed conflict in Cameroon between separatist groups and the military is in its sixth year. Armed groups are fighting for secession of the English-speaking north-west and… Read more »

Angola: Painted Messages in Angola's Abandoned Liberation Army Camps Offer a Rare Historical Record

In Angola's Malanje province, the buildings of Camalundu stand abandoned amid open fields. On one of them, the fragmented words "IAN NGOYI" recall a figure little-known in Angola… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: DRC Has One of the Fastest Growing Populations in the World - Why This Isn't Good News

The demographic profile of a country matters because it sets its development pace - it creates opportunities and presents risks. For many developing countries, the challenge is to… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: DRC Violence Has Many Causes - the UN's Narrow Focus On Ethnicity Won't Help End Conflict

The UN Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo's 2023 mid-term report reduces the very complex causes of violence in the eastern part of the country to inter-communal… Read more »

Cameroon: The Fascinating Cameroonian Art of Spider Divination Is On Display At London Exhibition

Tomás Saraceno In Collaboration: Web(s) of Life, which opened at London's Serpentine South Gallery in June, explores how humans relate to spiders. It features installations… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: Protecting Congo's Forests - New Timber Parks Will Help Fight Illegal Logging

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) joined the East African Community in 2022. This will offer the country, which has immense natural wealth, a huge market in neighbouring… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: Military Interventions Have Failed to End DRC's Conflict - What's Gone Wrong

For 30 years, the Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered from communal violence, armed conflict and insecurity. Diverse actors have tried to stop it but conflict has… Read more »

Rwanda: Rwanda - Paul Kagame Is a Dictator Who Clings to Power but It's Not Just for His Own Gain

Rwanda's president Paul Kagame recently said he was looking forward to his retirement after 23 years in power. Speaking to the press in April 2023, he claimed he "may join… Read more »

Rwanda: Rwanda Genocide Accused Félicien Kabuga Is Ruled Unfit to Stand Trial - This Will Further Erode Trust in International Justice

The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals recently concluded a two-year court hearing on Félicien Kabuga. Kabuga is accused of crimes against humanity… Read more »

Chad: Chad On the Brink - How the War in Sudan Hurts Its Fragile Neighbour

Since the 15 April outbreak of hostilities in Sudan, the civilian population has been bearing the brunt. Read more »

Africa: What Makes Peace Talks Successful? The 4 Factors That Matter

Peace talks that seek to end armed conflicts are underway in several African countries. Because very few conflicts are resolved on the battlefield, negotiations are fundamental.… Read more »

Rwanda: Thriving in the Face of Adversity - Resilient Gorillas Reveal Clues About Overcoming Childhood Misfortune

In 1974, an infant mountain gorilla was born in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Researchers named him Titus. As is typical for young gorillas in the wild, Titus spent the first… Read more »

Rwanda: Paul Kagame Could Be President of Rwanda Until 2035 - What's Behind His Staying Power

Rwanda's ruling party, the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), recently concluded its 16th congress. This also marked 35 years of its existence. The centre piece, however, was the… Read more »

East Africa: East Africa Has Deployed Troops to Combat M23 Rebels - Who's Who in the Regional Force

The East Africa Community (EAC) has completed the deployment of its regional force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to oversee the withdrawal of the rebel group, M23,… Read more »