Africa
Tanzania: opposition party stages first demonstration in seven years
On 24 January, supporters of the main opposition party, Chadema, staged a peaceful march in Dar-es-Salaam - the first such occasion in seven years. A ban on political gatherings and protests was imposed…
Ghana: ‘crown jewels’ to be loaned by UK
The UK is sending 32 significant artefacts, including a gold peace pipe, to Ghana on long-term loan, 150 years after they were looted from the Asante king's court. 17 pieces are from the…
Comoros: violence follows disputed election result
The announcement on 17 January that Azali Assoumani had been re-elected president of the Comoros resulted in numerous protests and clashes. Demonstrators in the capital, Moroni, vandalised a former minister's house and blocked…
Nigeria: charismatic church leader accused of multiple cases of abuse
The BBC has exposed evidence of widespread abuse and torture by TB Joshua, the founder of one of the world's largest Christian evangelical churches, the Synagogue Church of All Nations. The two-year investigation…
Nigeria: ‘persistent, pervasive, proliferating, and growing’ persecution ignored by world
A never-ending massacre of Christians being ‘killed for sport’ is reportedly happening in Nigeria, yet the world appears to be largely deaf to it. While much of the world was celebrating a beginning…
Ethiopia / Somaliland: port agreement angers Somalia
An agreement on 1 January by breakaway Somaliland to allow Ethiopia to use the Red Sea port of Berbera has been condemned by Somalia as dangerous for regional stability. Since 1991, when Eritrea…
DRC: crucial elections complicated by technical problems
On 20 December, amid widespread delays and logistical complications, polling stations opened in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Because of the delays, it was decided to extend the voting for a second…
South Africa: plans for new nuclear power stations
The government has announced that South Africa, battling crippling power blackouts, plans to add 2,500 megawatts of new nuclear generation. The country has Africa's only nuclear power station, but the Koeberg plant near…
Madagascar: re-elected president has to ensure electoral reforms
The USA, Japan, and the European Union have expressed their willingness to collaborate with Madagascar's re-elected president Andry Rajoelina, provided he ensures electoral reforms in the country. The country has a history of…
Sierra Leone: weekend coup attempt foiled
The information minister has declared that attacks on several locations in the capital, Freetown, were in fact a failed coup attempt led mainly by bodyguards of the previous president, Ernest Koroma. On 26…
