A stamp from Mauiritius.
Weekly Newsletter 30 July 2012
Dear Reader,
President John Atta Mills of Ghana died in hospital in Accra last week. Vice-President John Dramani Mahama was swiftly and smoothly elevated to the presidency, reflecting Ghana’s strong democratic culture. Mahama was also sworn-in as the new leader of the ruling National Democratic Congress party (NDC) and looks likely to be the NDC’s nominee in the presidential elections scheduled for December.
Since conflict returned to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in April, many civilians have lost their lives and more than 30,000 have reportedly fled to Uganda to escape rebel attacks. Meanwhile, in the south-eastern province of Katanga, the Congolese government is struggling to address the unregulated, often corrupt and dangerous practice of artisanal mining.
The African Union Commission elected Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as its new chair earlier this month. She defeated incumbent Jean Ping in an aggressive and divisive campaign, and now faces the difficult challenges of both uniting the organisation and of tackling the many tough issues facing the region.
North: Egypt: President Chooses New Prime Minister
West: When the President Dies
Central: DRC: The Human Costs of Conflict
East: Who Will Benefit from East Africa's Oil and Gas?
South: Sata and Zambia: Robert Rotberg Disappoints and Confounds
Below are a few highlights from the past week:
All the best,
The Team at Think Africa Press
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief
James Schneider is the Editor-in-Chief of Think Africa Press. He read Theology at the University of Oxford and has a particular interest in the study of political economy, patterns of investment, and perspectives from the Global South. Email: editor@thinkafricapress.com. Follow him on twitter @schneiderhome.
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