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See also 'Seychelles' in 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 1, 2004. France Albert René, one of the longest serving presidents in Africa, relinquished his post and handed over power to his vice-president, James Michel, thus preserving the political dominance of the ruling Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF). Michel gave clear signals that he would continue with the economic reforms introduced in 2003 and pursue more market-friendly policies with the intention…

See also 'Seychelles' in 2004 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 2, 2005. In a relatively uneventful year, political attention already began to be focused on next year's election campaign, with the likelihood of a stronger opposition challenge to the long rule of the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF). President James Michel continued his cautious reforms towards partial economic liberalisation, but the economy contracted for a third consecutive year and the populat…

See also 'Madagascar' in 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 1, 2004. President Marc Ravalomanana came into office in 2002 with high expectations at home and massive goodwill from abroad. In 2004, he worked on expending that goodwill in an effort to meet the expectations. A large anti-corruption programme under way got a boost in October with the appointment of the director of Ravalomanana's military cabinet to director general. The W…

See also Senegal 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2022. Contents Volume 18, 2021. Domestic politics was dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to social unrest and, above all, mobilisation by authorities to acquire vaccines and vaccinate the population. But the most significant political issue was the protest over the arrest of prominent opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on charges of rape, which left 14 people dead. The Senegalese army conducted …

See also Burundi 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 9, 2012. In 2012, Burundi celebrated the 50th anniversary of its independence. The year was marked by increasing consolidation of the political dominance of the ruling ‘Conseil National pour la Défense de la Démocratie – Forces de Défense de la Démocratie’ (CNDD-FDD). Despite some timid attempts at promoting political dialogue with opposition leaders in exile, the dominant party bu…

See also Comoros 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 6, 2009. The political scenery continued to be dominated by the tensions emanating from the delicate politico-institutional structure of the ‘Union des Comores’ and by constant quarrelling over the respective competencies of the Union authorities and the leaders of the three semi-autonomous islands. President Sambi finally succeeded in bringing about changes to the complex federal …

See also Benin 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 6, 2009. The promises of presidential and parliamentary elections in 2011 dominated the political agenda. The year was marked by political struggles between government and opposition. President Boni Yayi faced strong opposition in the National Assembly as well as growing dissatisfaction within his own majority camp. The government pushed ahead with its ambitious programme to improve …

See also Nigeria 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 4, 2007. The April elections at federal and state levels dominated the political scene. The run-up to the elections soon became a legal battlefield, while the seriously flawed elections produced a large number of petitions before the election tribunals. Although the tribunal dealing with the petition on the presidential election had not reached its verdict by year's end, other trib…

See also African-European Relations 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 7, 2010. African-European relations were marked by several events that appeared to illustrate a trend that has become apparent to many analysts in recent years: the world had changed, the ‘post-colonial era’ was passing into history, and Europeans could no longer take for granted that their model for development on the basis of the rule of law, human rights and de…

See also Zambia 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022.Contents Volume 10, 2013. President Michael Sata’s cabinet faced important challenges throughout the year. Domestic politics saw six rounds of by-elections, which, apart from incurring significant financial costs, tipped the balance of power in favour of the ruling Patriotic Front (PF). At the end of the year, the PF held 51% of the seats in the National Assembly (10 more than in 2011), the Movemen…

See also Ethiopia 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 4, 2007. This year saw the Ethiopian millennium. Ethiopia's domestic and international situation remained highly unstable and was marked by violent tension. The political space was monopolised further by the ruling party, the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), while the fragmented opposition was further undermined. The government released major opposition fi…

See also Zimbabwe 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 17, 2020. The year was dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic and its political, social, and economic repercussions. There was turmoil in the main opposition grouping. Also notable were human rights violations and the arrest and prosecution of opposition figures. The Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (mdc-a) continued to consider the presidency of Emmerson Mnangagwa illegitimate. Efforts at re-engagement with the west su…

See also Lesotho 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 14, 2017. The seven-party coalition government led by Prime Minister Phakalitha Mosisili, which had led the country since the February 2015 general election, lost a vote of no confidence in February. This followed the breakaway from the government by Monyane Moleleke, hitherto deputy leader of Mosisili’s Democratic Congress (dc), in January, and his formation of a new party, the Alliance of Democrats (ad). Rather than resign, Mosisili advis…

See also Liberia 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 9, 2012. The consolidation of the country’s impressive economic gains over the previous few years, and matters relating to governance reform, were dominant issues following President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf ’s inauguration for a second term on 16 January. As a result of its ill-advised boycott of the presidential run-off the previous year, the formal opposition remained largely insig…

See also Sierra Leone 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022.Contents Volume 11, 2014. According to all estimates, Sierra Leone had been expected to finish the year with impressive financial growth. Instead, due to the Ebola epidemic, 2014 turned out to be one of the worst years since the civil war ended in 2002. Following the first Ebola death in late May, the virus spread uncontrolled and by the end of the year the country had 10,000 reported cases. T…

See also Namibia 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 8, 2011. The contest for the up-coming head of state elections emerged as a prominent political feature during the year, which in terms of domestic politics presented no surprises. The results of the 2009 parliamentary elections continued to be contested in a prolonged legal battle. Poverty remained a challenge and the government responded to the high unemployment rate by introduci…

See also 'Sierra Leone' in 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 1, 2004. On 4 February, the president of Sierra Leone officially dismantled the National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (NCDDR). This marked the official closure of a five-year programme that reintegrated 72,490 ex-combatants, including 6,845 ex-child combatants. These fighters had taken part in the decade-long Sierra Leonean conflict (March 1991–February 2002). The year was characterised by a…

See also Somalia 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 7, 2010. Effectively divided into three autonomous units with their own political dynamics, Somalia remained a highly volatile and conflict-prone political space, marked by state weakness, precarious humanitarian conditions and international crime (piracy, smuggling and terrorism). Somaliland was the most stable entity, although not recognised internationally. It held successful pr…

See also Equatorial Guinea 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2022. Contents Volume 18, 2021. The year was particularly disastrous for the long-dominant Essangui clan of Mongomo. In addition to the challenges of Covid-19 and chronic human rights abuses, vice-president Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue (Teodorín) continued to draw negative international attention to the regime, resulting in virtually collapsed relations with the West. Persistent economic declin…

See also 'Factual Overview' in 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 5, 2008. West Africa Country Area (in sq km) Population (in m) Currency HDI Head of State Prime Minister Benin 112,622 9 CFA Franc 0.459 Boni Yayi Burkina Faso 274,122 13.7 CFA Franc 0.372 Blaise Compaoré Tertius Zongo Cape Verde 4,033 0.5 Cape Verdean Escudo 0.705 Pedro Pires José Maria Pereira Neves Côte d'Ivoire 322,462 18.9 CFA Franc 0.431 Laurent Gbagbo Guillaume Kigbafori Soro Gambia 11,295 1.6 Dalasi 0.471 Yahya Jammeh Ghana 238,50…