ECONOMY-DRC: Helpful Intervention or Meddling?

A controversy has arisen in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over moves for an international committee that is helping oversee the country’s transition to democracy to assist government in managing public funds.

POLITICS-DRC: “Stronger Commitment” Needed for Peace

Ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has underscored the difficulties of bringing lasting peace to this vast Central African country.

RIGHTS-CAMEROON: When Husbands Become Pimps

Business at the numerous money transfer agencies in Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé, is typically a brisk affair. Of the many people who frequent the agencies, one group is of particular interest, however: the husbands of women who have gone abroad to earn money from prostitution.

ENVIRONMENT-CAMEROON: Corruption Rooted in Logging Industry – NGOs

Just over a decade ago, Cameroon drafted a law that was intended to regulate commercial use of the country's forests. In spite of this, corruption and uncontrolled exploitation are putting forest areas at risk, say non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

POLITICS-AFRICA: Sirte Looks to Gleneagles

The African Union ended its annual summit this week with an appeal for substantially more aid from the West and demands for two permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.

RIGHTS-RWANDA: A Mixed Verdict for Community Courts

It is not the place where you would expect to find justice in Rwanda: at the end of a bumpy dirt road leading to a shantytown of red mud-brick homes, where children sit idly on verandas.

G8-SUMMIT: “We Are Making Good Progress, Considering Where We Came From”

Demands for good governance and tough action on corruption could eclipse calls for increased aid to Africa when the Group of Eight (G8) leaders meet this week in Scotland for their annual summit, African academics and civil society groups fear.

POLITICS-DRC: Bullets, Not Ballots

The 45th anniversary of Congo-Kinshasa's independence from Belgium, Thursday, was supposed to have been the day the country held its first democratic election in over four decades. However, it was teargas and ammunition rather than ballot boxes which many citizens were confronted with.

POLITICS: Burundi’s Peace Process Comes to the Crunch

With a local election under its belt, and legislative and presidential polls scheduled for the next two months, Burundi is entering the final stretch of a lengthy and difficult peace process.

CULTURE-RWANDA: A Poolside View of Genocide

High on a misty, terraced hillside, where a road winds through verdant woods and reddish-brown rock, a makeshift roadblock has been constructed.

POLITICS-SOUTH AFRICA: A Case of "Not Over Until It’s Over" for Zuma?

The long-running scandal over corruption in South Africa’s five-billion-dollar arms deal passed a milestone Tuesday with the sacking of Deputy President Jacob Zuma. However, it remains uncertain whether this dismissal has sounded the death knell for the official’s future in politics.

RIGHTS-DRC: Another Demonstration of the Paradox of Plenty

A report by the New York-based Human Rights Watch claims the competition for gold in the Democratic Republic of Congo has led to widespread abuses in the central African country.

POLITICS-CAR: Junta Leader Swaps Khaki for Civilian Suit

A former military ruler is the new president of the Central African Republic (CAR), which has been plagued with political instability since emperor Jean-Bedel Bokassa was deposed in 1979.

RIGHTS: Rwandan Genocide Trial Opens in Belgium

The trial of two brothers accused of war crimes during the Rwandan genocide began in Brussels Monday (May 9) under a new law.

POLITICS: “No Go” Zones to Prevent Sex Abuse by U.N. Peacekeepers

As charges mount of sexual abuse and child molestation by U.N. peacekeepers, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) has drawn up a list of "no go" zones barring visits by blue-helmeted soldiers and civilian staff.

POLITICS: U.N. Battles Sexual Abusers in Congo Peacekeeping

The United Nations has been urged to aggressively crack down on peacekeeping troops and civilian staff accused of rape and sexual exploitation of women and children in the politically-chaotic Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), currently facing one of the world's "most neglected humanitarian disasters."

POLITICS-DRC: The Challenge of Piecing Together a “Failed State”

This weekend sees a new military operation underway in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Reports from the central African country say about 800 United Nations troops have been deployed in the north-eastern Ituri region to disarm local militias held responsible for the death of nine peacekeepers last month.

POLITICS: From the Ashes of Genocide, a True Democracy Rises

In an inspiring victory for African women - and women everywhere - Rwanda has surged to first place on an international scorecard for gender equality in political representation.

POLITICS-CAMEROON: English Speakers Dream of “Le Divorce”

Members of Cameroon’s minority Anglophone population, which has long complained of discrimination at the hands of majority French speakers, say secession may become necessary if conditions for their community do not improve.

POLITICS-BURUNDI: "When Will Justice Return From its Long Absence?"

For much of the past decade, it has been civil war that has compromised the safety of Burundians. Now, crime appears set to take over where the combatants are leaving off.

POLITICS: U.N. Paints Grim Picture of Spreading Crises in Africa

A senior U.N. official warned Thursday that the ongoing conflicts in Africa would continue to have a "devastating impact" on civilians this year - "as it has been for many months, and in some cases, for many years".