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Observatory of Central and Southern Africa

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Since 2016, the Observatory of Central and Southern Africa within Ifri's Sub-Saharan Africa Center provides regular analyses to identify local and regional trends regarding political and security issues in the area. 55 notes were written between 2016 and 2020.

The Observatory aims at assessing major political, economic and security trends in the area, analyzing their overall effects on the stability of the continent, and enabling a better understanding of the numerous rapidly evolving strategic issues in the region.

 

 

The countries covered by the Observatory are:

  • For Central Africa: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe and Rwanda;
  • For Southern Africa: Botswana, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Lesotho, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, as well as Madagascar and Comoros.


Twelve analytical reports and two seminars per year constitute the core of the Observatory's activity, which focuses mainly on the following issues:

  • Political systems and elections
  • Conflicts and security
  • Governance of natural resources
  • Religious and societal dynamics
  • International relations and partnerships

The Observatory coordinators collaborate with the General Directorate of International Relations and Strategy of the Ministry of the Armed Forces (DGRIS) to ensure a strategic monitoring of the area as well as to define research priorities for the reports and seminars.     

Find all of the Observatory's work here.
 
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Thierry VIRCOULON

Associate Research Fellow, Coordinator of the Observatory of Central and Southern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa Center

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Elisa DOMINGUES DOS SANTOS

Associate Research Fellow, Sub-Saharan Africa Center and Turkey/Middle East Program

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29/09/2021
By: Selma EL OBEID, John MENDELSOHN

The relationship between Namibia and its historical partners has evolved over the last thirty years since Namibian independence. As in many countries, Namibia has been going through transformation, influenced by the process of globalization. This created new sets of geopolitical challenges and...

02/09/2021
By: Muhidin SHANGWE

Since the post-colonial period, China and Tanzania have maintained a close diplomatic relationship. This note offers a subtle analysis of the changing relationship between both countries since the 1960s. It assesses the economic ties and studies the collaboration of both countries in the...

28/04/2021
By: Thibaud KURTZ

Lesotho is a landlocked mountain kingdom encased in South Africa for which it is a reservoir of water and labor. This kingdom of tormented creation is in a structural political and security crisis. Since 1993 and the return to multiparty politics, all elections, except that of 2002, needed...

17/03/2021
By: Thierry VIRCOULON, Henri-Paul MAGLOIRE

Despite the coronavirus pandemic and the passing of  President Pierre Nkurunziza on June 8, 2020, the election cycle (presidential, legislative, senatorial, communal and hillside elections) have been upheld and went smoothly. Not only has the ruling party, the National Council for...

09/02/2021
By: Michaela COLLORD

Beginning with early voting in Zanzibar on October 27, 2020, Tanzanians went to the polls in a general election for district councilors, Members of Parliament (MPs) and the President. As official results began to be declared, it became clear that Tanzania’s long-time ruling party, Chama Cha...

02/11/2020
By: Sina SCHLIMMER, Cyrielle MAINGRAUD-MARTINAUD

Tanzanian voters were called to the polls on Wednesday, October 28, 2020 to elect the country’s main political institution – the President, the National Assembly, and the District Councillors (diwani). Without surprise, the outcome of the sixth general elections since the...

22/01/2019
By: Stephanie REGALIA

On May 21st 2019, Malawi will hold its tripartite elections, where voters will vote for the President, Members of Parliament and local Councillors. 2019 will also mark the 25 years of multiparty politics in Malawi since the one-party regime presided by Hastings Kamuzu Banda came to an end in...

21/09/2018
By: Lee M. HABASONDA

Recently, Zambian politics have been changing in a pretty checkered manner. The threat of corruption, political violence and ethnic-politics has been growing since the ruling Patriotic Front Party (PF) assumed power in 2011.

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