On June 24, Sierra Leone’s voters will go to the polls to elect their next president and parliamentary representatives, with the economy at the forefront of their minds. Indeed, despite ethno-regional loyalties that have historically shaped voting patterns, concerns over the economy are likely to determine the election’s outcome.
Africa
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa created confusion about the country’s relationship with the International Criminal Court when he suggested that Pretoria would withdraw from the court. But the larger debate about the ICC’s relationship with Africans is the prism through which Ramaphosa’s remarks must be viewed.
Along the path of Uganda’s EACOP oil pipeline project, farmers claim they were strong-armed into signing inadequate compensation agreements for their land, while oil companies tout economic progress and downplay allegations of misconduct. With development set to begin, the need to resolve these tensions is growing more urgent.