Category Archives: Uncategorized

Managing the post-coup transition in Guinea-Bissau

Posted on August 19, 2012 by

Guinea-Bissau took another dangerous turn on 12 April 2012, when the army arrested Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Júnior, who was about to be elected president. A military junta accused him of conspiring with Angola to curtail the military’s power and quickly installed transitional authorities, before officially stepping aside on 22 May. International condemnation was swift, but differences developed between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP). The former, pushed by Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso, supports a year’s transition, the latter, especially Portugal and Angola, immediate resumption of the presidential vote. Coup and transition may have opened a way … Continue reading →

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Why all Assange bashing is no good for journalism

Posted on March 23, 2012 by

By Mark Lee Hunter Julian Assange has been a remarkable source for mainstream media. So why has he been so ill-treated in return? There are many accusations levelled at him and his organisation, and whatever their bases, none of them justifies the reactions. And this hurts journalism as a whole Over the past several months leading figures of the news industry have lined up at journalism conferences and in the MSM (“mainstream media”) to hammer Julian Assange’s reputation. Astonishingly, the people bashing the founder of Wikileaks are the same people who relentlessly pursued and used him as a source. Protecting the source is what reporters in general and investigative reporters … Continue reading →

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What next for the African Union in 2012?

Posted on January 1, 2012 by

By Imad Mesdoua As we [start] 2012, I thought I would examine Africa’s recent struggles on its path to unity and a more prosperous region. Certainly, with 2011′s cataclysmic changes taking place in North Africa, most of the African Union’s attention has been heavily turned towards the Arab Spring and its aftermath. Nevertheless, the organisation has not been without its own crises to manage in the sub-Saharan region. The Western-backed referendum for self-determination in the South Sudan, finding its roots in the comprehensive peace deal of 2005, put an end to the decades-long civil war between Omar al-Bashir’s north and the late John Garang’s (now ruled by Salva Kiir) South. … Continue reading →

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The unfeasibility of Gaddafi’s dream for a United States of Africa

Posted on October 26, 2011 by

By Godffrey Olali, TLEP Nairobi Correspondent Muammar Gaddafi who was one of the strongest proponents of African unity went down with a dream he cherished and held dear ­– the formation of a “United States of Africa.” Nicknamed the “King of Kings” Gaddafi will be remembered for going full throttle to make sure his dream was attained. Once, he hosted a Kenyan delegation comprising elders who lavishly dined and wined with him and referred to him as the “King of Kings.” The elders, who included Kenya’s business magnet Kamlesh Pattni, were airlifted from Nairobi and enjoyed an air-flight at Gaddafi’s expense, in a ceremony held under a traditional tent at the … Continue reading →

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