Dear Reader
Mali experienced a coup last week in a move by military officers that took many by surprise. Army soldiers angry at President Amadou Toumani Touré’s perceived failure to give the military sufficient resources to deal with the Tuareg rebellion in the north took power in what some believe was a largely accidental overthrow. Captain Sanogo, the leader of the coup, has promised a democratic handover, but with no timeline in place, Mali’s future remains unsure. Furthermore, the MNLA rebels in the north appear to have capitalised on the uncertainty amongst the Malian army and have recently managed to capture the town of Anefis, reportedly have Kidal surrounded, and are marching on Gao.
In Senegal’s presidential election run-off yesterday, Macky Sall defeated the incumbent Abdoulaye Wade. Wade conceded defeat in congratulatory phone call to Sall last night and the peaceful election sets an impressive example to the rest of the continent, although questions remain about the newly elected leader.
Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been nominated as one of three candidates to replace Robert Zoellick as World Bank president. Meanwhile, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur was elected to the position of as the National Chairman of Nigeria’s ruling party, the People's Democratic Party, by a landslide.
Abdullah Senussi, Colonel Gaddafi’s chief of intelligence, was captured in Mauritania ten days ago. He will be tried in Libya, whose fragile judicial system will face a stern test.
And, finally, Think Africa Press is co-sponsoring Oxford Africa Society's pan-Africa conference, which will be held on May 5. This year's conference has the theme "Building Capacity for a New Generation: The Case for Youth Leadership in Africa". The event is now open for registration and we look forward to seeing you there.
All the best,
The Team at Think Africa Press