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Alex Duval Smith
Journalist, West Africa and Sahel. Senior Ochberg Fellow @dartcenter Alex Duval Smith has over 3631 followers on Twitter.
Chad struggles to deal with influx of poorly refugees
Chad has been hit by a refugee influx from Darfur and Central African Republic as well as the return of its citizens expelled from Libya.
Cissé treads a new path in Mali
The only woman in Mali’s presidential race is determined to connect with people on the streets.
Mali lifts state of emergency ahead of election campaigning
Mali on Saturday lifted a state of emergency to allow campaigning to begin for the first round of presidential elections scheduled for July 28.
Lay workers on frontline in fight against child mortality in Malawi
Resource-lean, short of professionals and prone to food crises, Malawi doesn’t look like a candidate for any of the millennium development goals.
Peter Roebuck was ‘in a state of utter despair’
Police were on the point of arresting Peter Roebuck on a charge of sexual assault when he apparently jumped from his Cape Town hotel window.
Dewani case: How grieving husband became suspect
Claims of police torture and rapid plea bargains by under-pressure crime unit raise questions over Anni Dewani murder.
Sticking it to ’em
African youth are trading in their guns for sticks, as a rural pursuit once seen as backward enjoys a revival in townships.
Mugabe being helped by diamond industry
The global diamond industry has controversially cleared the way for President Robert Mugabe’s regime to raise millions of dollars from exports.
The last best hope of Lesotho, a small country in big trouble
On the mountain of the night in the kingdom in the sky, just space — no gimmicks — at Southern African tourism’s final frontier.
Wallace and Gromit give hope to Cape Town youths
Wallace and Gromit are taking on their most ambitious adventure yet: bringing animation skills to one of South Africa’s most violent townships.
Zuma plea as protests sweep the townships
After weeks of vandalism and battles between township residents and police, Jacob Zuma asked South Africans on Saturday to desist from violence.
‘Trade is not aid’
After years when billions have been spent on aid in Africa, donors are now picking up on a new trend to put their money on the continent’s entrepreneurs.
Townships condemn feuding, divided ANC
South Africans are rapidly losing patience with a divided ruling party seen as arrogant and greedy.
Is this the end of the rainbow nation?
There is a free concert in Johannesburg on Sunday. It is Africa Day and leading artists from across the continent will perform live.
Corruption threat to aid in Sierra Leone
Senior sources in Sierra Leone believe Britain is about to freeze a £15-million payment to the West African nation amid evidence of endemic corruption that has seen millions of…