Caring about Africa

[Primula Baggins]

I'm glad that the election turned out well in Guinea. I hope the situation can remain stable there.

[Túrin Turambar]

It's a hopeful step, but it will take more than a smooth election to fix the problems that Guinea and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa faces. I'll get more optimistic when I see long-term stability, peace and economic growth.

[Túrin Turambar]

To no-one's great surprise, South Sudan has apparently voted for independence. What will the new nation be called? How will it make use of its oil reserves? Will it turn out O.K., or end up as another failed state?

The situation isn't that promising, I have to say. Less than 10% of South Sudanese have access to running water, less than 5% finish primary school, and some 1 in 10 die in infancy. But we'll see.

[BrianIsSmilingAtYou]

The situation isn't that promising, I have to say. Less than 10% of South Sudanese have access to running water, less than 5% finish primary school, and some 1 in 10 die in infancy. But we'll see.

These things are true whether it is a separate state or the part of a larger state.

If becoming a separate state eliminates some of the political problems that have existed, then they may be able to focus on these other more fundamental issues.

BrianIs AtYou

[Túrin Turambar]

Two news items:

1) The Ivory Coast has been overshadowed by the Middle East of late, and the news from the country is pretty depressing anyway. Government forces loyal to President Gbagbo have started shooting pro-Ouattara demonstrators.

2) Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is expected to be re-elected. He has been in power twenty-five years, most of which has been dominated by a bloody civil war in the north of the country. He remains deeply unpopular there, where he is widely-accused of having not done enough to protect the civilian population from abuses by rebel forces, but nonetheless seems popular in the rest of Uganda.

[Túrin Turambar]

For those who haven't been following the Ivory Coast situation, it looks like endgame for Laurent Gbagbo. Forces loyal to Alisan Outtara now control most of the country, and yesterday French and U.N. forces intervened in favour of the Outtara side. Obviously there's no way that they can fail to be accused of supporting the side the U.N. considers legitimate only when it looked like they were going to win anyway, but the practical difficulties with intervention were always very high. At any rate, Sarkozy seems to have been flexing his muscles in Africa a lot lately.

[eborr]

Ref Sarkozy
standard game of failing right wing politicians to distract attention is to get involved in armed conflict = he thinks it will bring the country behind him.

[Túrin Turambar]

Laurent Gbagbo has been captured and is now under U.N. guard. It remains to be seen whether this is the end of the whole affair.

[River]

We can only hope.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

It's likely to be the end in terms of Gbagbo leaving power. But, just like in Guinea (though fortunately there the change went more peacefully), it is just the beginning in terms of the country recovering from years of corruption and economic stagnation.