Togo

In this file photo taken on Oct. 5, 2017, a woman holds a sign that reads, “Faure! How many Togolese do you still have to kill to quench your thirst for power?” in Lomé during a demonstration against the Togolese President. (Matteo Fraschini Koffi/AFP/Getty Images)

MundoÁfrica

After months of large-scale protests demanding that President Faure Gnassingbé step down, Togo’s main political parties are currently holding a regionally brokered dialogue to negotiate a way forward. Should the country adopt a power-sharing arrangement, as some are advocating?

As outlined in a forthcoming book chapter, my research on the reform dynamics and outcomes of post-election power-sharing in Africa suggests that the answer is: It’s complicated.

My research was based on more than 100 interviews and focused on Kenya, Lesotho, Togo, Zimbabwe and the semiautonomous islands of Zanzibar. My research revealed that elite power-sharing pacts have significant costs, including bloated cabinets, constrained democratic competition and dangerous incentives for incumbents to refuse to give up power.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoÁfricaInternacionalTerrorismo Internacional, ,

Physically imposing, vastly talented, sometimes irascible, often headstrong: Emmanuel Adebayor is no one’s idea of a sporting softie. So the television footage of an emotional Adebayor clinging tearfully to his team-mates was especially poignant. It followed a lethal gun attack in Angola on the bus of the Togo national team at the Cup of African Nations. More deaths in Africa; but this time they have captured our attention.

For Adebayor, one of the English Premier League’s most recognisable players, it should have been a triumphant return to his home continent. Instead, the Togo team has been ordered to return home, and Adebayor has found himself at the centre of an uncomfortable debate about the ability of Africa to host a safe World Cup later this year.…  Seguir leyendo »