The Egypt story is vitally important and has deserved its place at the top of the headlines over the last couple of weeks and Africans are following the events as closely as anyone. But it also runs the risk of sucking all of the oxygen out of the room, especially when there are lots of other Africa-related stories to keep an eye on. Here is a roundup with brief commentary as apt:
Sudan strongman Omar al-Bashir still seems determined to accept the independence vote in South Sudan, though what the actual contours of an independent South Sudan will look like is very much up in the air. It is pretty clear that Salva Kiir, the former head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement’s (SPLM) military wing, will be the man to bring South Sudan to independence and beyond, likely starting in July. He has a daunting task ahead of him, but if al-Bashir really does keep his promise not to intervene, it will represent a huge leg up for South Sudan, and one that frankly few of us believed possible.
A surge in politically-motivated violence in Zimbabwe serves as a useful reminder that whenever that country holds elections we can almost certainly expect more of the same: intimidation and brutality in defense of Robert Mugabe’s regime, even if occasionally Mugabe’s supporters go too far even for the authorities to condone (though the police cracking down on the so-called war veterans just might reveal that the thugs risk overplaying their hands.) And dissent is still alive and well even if its perpetrators suffer for it. The question remains whether Mugabe is actually behind the violence or if even he no longer has true control over those who act in his name for their own benefits.
Qualifying for the African Cup of Nations will pick up again in March and South Africa is shifting some of its Premier Soccer League (PSL) fixtures in order to give Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane’s charges adequate preparation time for what will be a crucial group clash with Egypt. Of course one cannot help but wonder what impact the recent political upheaval will have on the always-formidable Egyptian side.
Saferworld has a report on China’s role in Africa, which in particular “assesses China’s growing role in Africa and its effect on factors that drive conflict and those that promote peace.”
This helps serve as just another reminder that “voluntourism” might be just another word for badvocacy.
Pre-Election updates: Uganda is scheduled to have elections on February 18 and all signs are that President Yoweri Museveni will win a fourth term, though not without putting a thumb on the scales. The Democratic Republic of Congo will also hold elections later this year, in November, and the country recently approved electoral reforms that are widely seen as lifting incumbent President Joseph Kabila’s odds of victory.
Mauritania’s recent foiled terrorist attack, which all signs point to coming from al Qaeda, serves as a reminder that Africa will continue to be a front in the struggle against radical Islam.
South Africa’s Proteas will soon be taking the pitch to seek the cricket World Cup that has long eluded them. The star-crossed South African cricketers fall into that category no one wants: best team never to win a major tournament. This may be the last best chance for a number of veteran Proteas, some of whom are among the very best players in the world, to win the hardware that they so crave. The World Cup begins in India in eleven days.
Finally, Nelson Mandela’s home village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape shows the attempt to strike a balance between modernization and traditionalism that so much of the country, especially its rural areas, faces.
