Martin Plaut is a fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London. His most recent book is a biography of Robert Mugabe with Sue Onslow.
British troops are more active in the Horn of Africa than many realise.
Why do men stand so far back?
Cyril Ramaphosa is discovering how difficult it is to govern the country.
The omens on the Ethiopian side are promising.
It may be a relic of the Empire, but smaller countries in particular benefit from remaining members.
Outside the court, Zuma led the 2,000-strong crowd in singing a famous Zulu song that talks of betrayal by one’s comrades.
Abiy Ahmed has come to power following a period of intense unrest and violence.
Across the continent, UK expertise is being deployed online to sway elections and target dissidents.
Britain joins the US and France, which are floundering as human trafficking and drug smuggling mix with Islamist groups in the region.
Slavery was recorded in 20th century Ethiopia and continues to exist in Mauritania today.
