The Democratic Republic of Congo has been in turmoil since President Kabila refused to relinquish power at the end of his term. But there is hope of ending the stalemate.
Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Joseph Kabila. Time to step aside.
Reuters/Kenny Katombe
President Joseph Kabila was supposed to step down at the end of his term in 2016. By clinging on to power he threw the Democratic Republic of Congo into a vicious cycle of deadly conflict.
An elderly woman displays her inked finger after casting her vote during the 2016 presidential elections in Uganda.
Reuters/James Akena
The outcome of the race between increasingly artful electoral manipulation and limitless possible manifestations of democratic expression is never entirely certain.
The DRC says presidential elections would probably not happen this year as President Joseph Kabila holds on to power.
Nic Bothma/EPA
President Joseph Kabila remains in office despite upheaval in the DRC. He can still save face and a change of heart could see him become the first Congolese president to relinquish power.
Authenticité survives in the present generation of Congolese musicians like Fally Ipupa (with the red vest).
From YouTube
For many of contemporary Congolese musicians the idea of authenticité was seen as a positive one at a certain level, even though Mobutu abused Congo culture to build his own personality cult.
Congolese children play on a destroyed military tank, abandoned by rebel fighters in 2013.
Kenny Katombe/Reuters
Congolese President Joseph Kabila was due to step down last year after serving two terms. But he failed to organise elections leading to deadly protests. Is Congo’s future now in grave danger?
A woman votes in Zambia. Beyond multi-party systems and regular elections, many countries resemble very little of true democracies.
GovernmentZA/Flickr
Democracy is in a parlous state in many countries in southern Africa. Autocrats hold onto power, while electorates have little to choose from at the polls.
DRC President Joseph Kabila in Kinshasa.
Kenny Katombe/Reuters
The Democratic Republic of Congo desperately needs a peaceful election but with the UN threatening to scale back its DRC mission, the likelihood of a successful poll is being threatened
A deal to finally hold long-postponed elections has been reached, but parts of the country are still dealing with violence and chaos.
A prospector prepares to pan for gold in South Kivu in 2014. Many informal miners faced tough choices as US regulations turned life upside down.
Reuters/Kenny Katombe
The US wants to repeal controls imposed seven years ago on the trade of some Congolese minerals. The president’s reasons might be all wrong. But the law was badly put together in the first place.
Presidents Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Muhammadu Buhari, Macky Sall and former Ghanian President John Mahama at a special meeting of Ecowas on The Gambia.
Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde
SADC’s credibility is at stake. Its lack of political will in acting decisively against despots is at odds with the African Union’s goal of promoting legitimate governance on the continent.
Supporters of president-elect Adama Barrow celebrate his victory in Banjul, the Gambia.
Reuters/Thierry Gouegnon
A peaceful transition in the Gambia, taken together with hints of change in Angola and Zimbabwe, will portend hope that Africa’s democratic renewal is still alive.
Ivorians attend a memorial service for the late Congolese singer Papa Wemba in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 27 April 2016.
EPA/Legnan Koula
Professor of Francophone Studies (Africa, Caribbean), Faculty Affiliate with Africana Studies, World Literature Program and Human Rights Pracice, University of Arizona
Senior Research Fellow, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and Visiting Professor University of Buckingham, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
Senior Associate Fellow on the Middle East at RUSI; Associate Professor in Politics & International Relations; Deputy Director of the Centre on US Politics, UCL