Africa Archive

New strikes are hitting South Africa’s mining Industry. Gold Fields — the world’s fourth largest gold miner — is the latest victim and there’s still no sign of an end to the crisis at Lonmin’s Marikana mine. Video News by NewsLook

In Kenya, clashes between rival tribal groups in the Tana River area continued this week, as tensions over access to land and water triggered revenge attacks between the seminomadic Orma pastoralist community and the Pokomo farming community.* On Monday and Tuesday, more houses were set on fire, forcing many to flee and driving the death toll higher. Meanwhile, with the government so far unable to restore order to the region, deadly riots also raged on in the port city of Mombasa, following the killing of a radical Muslim preacher. “What is going on between the Pokomo and the Orma is […]

With daily reminders about pandemics, transnational crime, weapons proliferation and other evils associated with the “dark side” of globalization, it’s good to remember that the connectivity that defines globalization also offers opportunities for new approaches to combating these challenges. In developing countries, policy creativity, often in the form of nontraditional partnerships, can mean the difference between life and death. In Mozambique, one of the poorest countries on the planet, cooperative initiatives that combine the capabilities of the government, international institutions and regional neighbors offer just such an example of how strange bedfellows can make for effective partnerships. Mozambique is rich […]

When Mali announced the formation of its latest transitional civilian government on Aug. 20, the new cabinet pointedly excluded representatives of the Islamist coalition that controls much of the territory in the country’s north. The new government, which retains interim President Dioncounda Traore and interim Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra, has made fighting the Islamist rebels — including the Tuareg-led Ansar al Din movement, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and al-Qaida offshoot the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJWA) — a top priority. However, the government and external actors face barriers to success on the battlefield, […]

The Arab Spring has focused attention on democracy’s prospects in the Middle East. But the Arab world is not the only region at a democratic crossroads. In Africa and Asia, young democracies are coming under pressure to consolidate gains. In Europe, the financial crisis is putting postcommunist democratic institutions under strain. And in Latin America, a diverse variety of democratic governance remains healthy, but fragile. This WPR special report examines the state of democracy. Below are links to each article in this special report, which subscribers can read in full. Not a subscriber?Try our subscription service free for two weeks. […]