Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore has departed for good. He was ex-filtrated from Ouagadougou by French security to Yamassoukrou, Côte d’Ivoire. According to press reports, he is now in Morocco.
After a consultation among political opposition, the military, and civil society, the people of Burkina have decided on a transitional government. The transitional president is Michel Kafando, a distinguished retired diplomat. The prime minister will be Lt. Colonel Isaac Zida, the second in command of the presidential guard.
Read MoreREGIME CHANGE IN BURKINA FASO: State Department: Please do not designate the change as a “military coup”.
Massive demonstrations in Ouagadougou, the capital city of the West African Republic of Burkina Faso on October 30, 2014, resulted in the resignation of President Blaise Compaore. As of November 1, Compaore was in Côte d’Ivoire where he has been granted asylum.
Simultaneously with Compaore’s resignation and flight, the Burkinabe Army announced that it was taking power for a transitional period, with the promise that they will relinquish power after a democratic election for a new head of state.
Read MoreNigeria’s presidential election in February 2015 will be of historic significance.
Nigeria’s next presidential election will be held during February 2015. It is essential for political and public order that all Nigerians see the election as being “free and fair.”
After many years of dictatorial military rule, Nigeria entered a new era of multiparty democracy in 1999. The “Peoples Democratic Party” emerged from the 1999 election as the dominant political power throughout Nigeria. Subsequent elections in 2003, 2007, and 2011 were all viewed as being deeply flawed by both international and domestic observers. The PDP party utilized its control over national resources to bribe the voters and rig the elections in a variety of ways. While the PDP party was popular in all regions of Nigeria, except the southwest, rigging was considered necessary in order to make sure the party continued to control power. Control over power, of course, means control over the oil resource.
Read MoreHave you seen the most recent YouTube videos uploaded by Boko Haram? Correct me if I am fantasizing, but they appear to have military tanks and armored personnel carriers. When I did my US Army service, I was in the 2nd Armored Division. I commanded both armored infantry and tank platoons. Operating those machines require training. My questions are: “Where did these rag tag terrorists obtain their equipment? Who trained them to use it?"
Read MoreThere was an important new development in Somalia on September 1, 2014. The supreme commander of al-Shebab, Ahmed Godane Brawa, was killed by an American air strike while he was in his motorcade not far from the group’s key strong point in Brawa.
Godane was a total tyrant and megalomaniac. Not only did he assassinate suspected opposition within the movement, he got rid of his closest associates. He also gave the movement an external focus, preferring to do terrorist attacks outside of Somalia in order to enhance his reputation in the international “Jihadist” movement. The majority of al-Shebab militants want to work within Somalia in order to establish their “Sharia” state there first.
Read MoreOnly three years old, the independent nation of South Sudan is in the midst of a catastrophic humanitarian disaster. Hundreds of thousands of people have become internal refugees. Thousands of others have perished in ethnic cleansing attacks against innocent men, women and children living their normal lives in their villages. There are new reports of several thousand-child soldiers who may be fighting in the ranks of ethnic militias.
The international community, especially the United States, is taking the problem very seriously. Peace talks between the South Sudanese Government, and the main rebel group led by former Vice President Riak Machar, have been going on in Ethiopia for several months under the auspices of the African Union. US diplomats have been doing a full court press trying to bring about a cease-fire and reconciliation. Secretary Kerry has personally gone to the Ethiopian capital Addis Abeba to persuade the warring parties to reach at least a temporary agreement. Despite several cease-fire agreements over the past few months, nothing has changed on the ground in South Sudan, and innocent civilians continue to die in vain.
Read MoreDuring the three-month preparatory period prior to the U.S,-Africa summit there was much skepticism among Africa watchers in Washington. The basis for the sentiment was the widespread belief that President Obama had already disappointed African nations who expected so much from an American President of African ancestry. Everything about the summit preparations appeared to confirm this view:
Why did President Obama wait until his sixth year in office to hold the summit?
Was he just trying to play catch up with the Chinese?
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