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Joseph Kabila’s announcement that he will not run for re-election in the Democratic Republic of Congo took the world by surprise given that he’s continued to hold onto the job even though his constitutional term ended in December 2016. But Reuben Loffman suggests that Kabila isn’t actually loosening his grip. By selecting ruling party hardliner Emmanuel Shadary as his successor, the incumbent is actually consolidating power.
Meanwhile great swathes of the DRC remain unsafe. Peer Schouten explores how rebels are finding new ways to fund their activities - mainly through setting up roadblocks.
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Anti-Joseph Kabila protesters left five people dead and scores injured in Kinshasa.
Robert Carrubba/EPA-EFE
Reuben Loffman, Queen Mary University of London
Emmanuel Shadary is President Joseph Kabila's preferred presidential candidate meaning that Kabila could remain in power if not in office.
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Politics + Society
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Peer Schouten, Danish Institute for International Studies
The DRC's roads are a crucial space where conflict, illegal taxation, and conflict financing entangle.
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Business + Economy
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Steven Gordon, Human Sciences Research Council
A survey shows 70% of South Africans feel immigrants pose a threat to the country.
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Science + Technology
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Julia Selman Ayetey, McGill University
If Ghana is to fully harness the benefits of space technology, it will need space legislation and regulations.
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Environment + Energy
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Zander Venter, University of Cape Town
Woody plants' cover has increased across large swathes of the continent in the past three decades.
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From our international editions
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Courtney Hughes, University of Alberta
Environmental organizations are using games to engage communities on conservation matters.
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Amy Chambers, Manchester Metropolitan University
Virtual assistants are often assumed to be female – perpetuating gendered assumptions in our imagined future.
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