East Africa Archive

Free Newsletter
Ugandan tanks of the African Union Mission in Somalia participate in a joint offensive with the Somali National Army on the outskirts of Afgooye, west of Mogadishu, May 24, 2012 (U.N. photo by Stuart Price).
BriefingAfrica
Next Up in Somalia’s Fragile Transition: Bridge Political Divides

On Feb. 9, Somalia’s parliament finally endorsed a Cabinet, 66 members strong, after Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke had failed in two previous attempts in January 2015 to present a list that could appease all of the country’s fractious clan leaders and political players. Sharmarke is President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s third premier since taking office in September 2012—a product of consistent bickering between Somalia’s top leaders over their respective powers and responsibilities. With only two years left in the government’s mandate, expectations are high that it can work with all stakeholders in Somalia and complete an ambitious post-conflict transition […]

View of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, June 16, 2011 (photo by Flickr user adryn2006 licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license).
Q & AAfrica
Fractured Tanzania Opposition Unlikely to Unseat Ruling CCM Party

Last month 33 members of Tanzania’s opposition were arrested at an allegedly illegal rally in Dar es Salaam. In an email interview, Michael Jennings, senior lecturer in the department of development studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, discussed domestic politics in Tanzania. WPR: What is at stake in April’s constitutional referendum, and what is public opinion of the proposed new constitution? Michael Jennings: The key political debate has been over the structural form of the Tanzanian government. Opposition parties have been pushing for a more federalized structure, which would reduce the power […]