Dear Reader,
Rwanda has seen many of its biggest donors suspend aid to the country over reports it is fuelling the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Kigali strongly deny the allegations, and the decision to re-direct overseas development assistance marks a break with past when donors have tended to support Rwanda despite its failure to meet conditionalities. Meanwhile, as the fighting in eastern DRC continues, Think Africa Press has been assessing the ability of country’s fledging mobile gender courts to tackle impunity in the region.
Somalia’s political leaders meeting in Nairobi to lay the groundwork for a new constitutional government passed a new constitution last week, paving the way for August presidential elections. President Sharif Ahmed will run for a second term and it looks like reformist former cabinet member Abdirahman Warsame will be his main rival. Whoever wins will face difficult challenges ahead given Somalia’s numerous political fault-lines and institutionalised corruption, which was examined by the (potentially politicised) UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea’s latest report.
North: Egypt Closes Sinai, Gaza Border After Deadly Attack
West: Nigeria's Petroleum Industry Bill: Reasons to be Sceptical
Central: Rwanda: No Longer an Aid Darling?
East: UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea: Who Watches the Watchmen?
South: Angola Set for Protests
Below are a few highlights from the past week:
| Obstacles to Progress: Somalia’s Fault Lines | |
| Wainaina: One Day I Will Find My Voice | |
| Mobile Gender Courts: Delivering Justice in the DRC | |
| Sierra Leone: Health is Wealth | |
| Yahya Jammeh: 18 Years and Counting |
All the best,
The Team at Think Africa Press