STWR - Share The World's Resources

The explosion of piracy off Somalia's coast is an attention-grabbing product of internal chaos in the Horn of Africa country - but what are the underlying causes of economic, political and humanitarian meltdown in Somalia?

A preoccupation with the personality of Robert Mugabe has resulted in a narrow perspective of Zimbabwe's current problems. Instead, any understanding of the country's ills must start with an important historical legacy: post-colonial land reform. By Mahmood Mamdani.

The current crisis offers a rare opportunity for Africa to advance its interests in global affairs. It needs to make sure that it fully exploits this opportunity. Doing so requires pragmatism, creativity, and assertiveness — all of which exist in abundance in Africa, says Daniel Bradlow.

An eruption of war and displacement in east Africa is rooted in historical land tension, a dense ethnic mixture, and the Rwandan government's belief that the area remains a 'mineral mother-lode waiting to be exploited'. But are the DR Congo and Rwanda on the verge of civil war? By Gerard Prunier.

If the DRC government does not succeed in reclaiming the territory seized by rebel forces and supported by transnational enterprises, a small but very rich country will be formed in the Congo - and the impact on the rest of the country may lead to a real balkanisation. Interview with Ernest Wamba dia Wamba.

In light of the current humanitarian disaster in the Congo, powerful governments continue to ignore the bloody nexus of mineral extraction and civil war. However, a series of UN documents lay bare the influence of external intervention and multinational corporations in the country. By Jooneed Khan.

The global financial crisis will hit African countries hard, especially the exemplar of neo-liberal adjustment policy - South Africa. Now the call for Africa to contest international financial orthodoxy becomes all the more compelling, writes Patrick Bond.