Hiding the dead... a Zimbabwean mystery
A disused mineshaft. A mass grave. Hurried exhumations. A mood of dread, suspicion, and blistering political rhetoric. This has the makings of a very Zimbabwean murder mystery. For many days the...
View ArticleCampbell advises South Africa's spin doctors
South Africa's notoriously thin-skinned government spin doctors are being given a little coaching by the Gordon Ramsey of the trade - Tony Blair's former press secretary, Alastair Campbell. Alastair...
View ArticleIvory Coast: Was it a massacre?
How many died here last week? And was it a massacre? On a dirt road in Duekoue, the body bags lie in haphazard groups, every hundred yards or so, waiting to be collected. I count 20 within a few...
View ArticleOuattara troops prepare for final push
I've just driven down an eerily empty highway to the outskirts of Abidjan. I am now surrounded now by about 300 soldiers preparing for battle. These are forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara. They are all...
View ArticleAbidjan fighting escalates
The fighting inside Abidjan has reached a new level of ferocity. Sustained, heavy gunfire has been heard over night in the city centre around the television station and the residence of Laurent Gbagbo,...
View ArticleAbidjan conflict: Last hours?
We have just heard news from United Nations peacekeeping forces here in Ivory Coast who say there are what they call "new developments" in the political front in Abidjan. Disputed President Laurent...
View ArticleCornered in Abidjan as fears grow
These are critical hours for Ivory Coast. Laurent Gbago - corned in a presidential bunker, his general defecting - has been trying to negotiate his way out of trouble. His surrender seemed imminent. "I...
View ArticleBattling militias in Abidjan
It's a little quieter here in Abidjan right now, there's certainly a lull around the residence of Ivory Coast's disputed President Laurent Gbagbo, which is still under siege. We expect a fresh attack...
View ArticleOuattara: 'War over'
It has been quieter in Ivory Coast's main city of Abidjan. Forces loyal to the internationally recognised elected president, Alassane Ouattara, are still consolidating their hold on the city. In order...
View ArticleIn war, even the winners are losers
Monsieur Gogbo pours himself another generous, early morning glug of French table wine and sits back in his chair to listen to the distant boom of explosions in Abidjan. "Power corrupts," he says,...
View ArticleCivil war, Ivory Coast-style
It's 10 in the morning in Abidjan, and at least a quarter of the soldiers around me seem drunk. One man, sporting a gas mask, is offering me a beer. Nearby another heavily armed group is driving off in...
View ArticleGbagbo arrest: Relief - for now
First we heard the car horns, then the cheering. Before long, thousands of people were flooding onto the streets, singing: "Gbagbo is gone," and waving at passing vehicles. Many then rushed into...
View ArticleAfrica on the page
So... what have you been reading? I thought this blog might take an occasional unguided safari into the world of books that deal, in some way or other, with Africa. What's the best, worst, most...
View ArticleDid the world get it wrong in Ivory Coast?
If you're interested in Ivory Coast, then I urge you to read this stubborn, provocative article. If you're interested in Africa, in conflict resolution, in the nuances and limitations of democracy,...
View ArticleMoving home
This blog is moving house, upgrading to a roomier location with choicer views and hopefully, improved furnishings. The removal company assures me no pixels will be damaged in transit. As of today,...
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