This report comprises the following short articles: On page 2 the article is titled: “The Central African Republic at another turning point” – The Central African Republic (CAR) is scheduled to hold the first round of its legislative and presidential elections on 27 December 2020. On page 5: “The African Union should support Somalia– Somaliland talks” – The leaders of Somalia and the self-declared independent region of Somaliland held a landmark Consultations Summit in Djibouti on 14 June 2020. The meeting was chaired by Djibouti’s President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh and attended by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who facilitated informal talks between the two leaders in Addis Ababa in February 2020. On page 8 “Coordinated action needed in the Sahel” – Decision makers have underestimated the challenges facing them in the Sahel. Given the sheer size of the region and of the terrain occupied by armed groups, international responses have been inadequate. On page 11: ” COVID-19 further complicates holding free and fair elections in Africa” – Africa is severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Not only has the pandemic impacted the continent’s development agenda, but it could also reverse the gains already made in terms of respecting the rule of law by holding regular, free, fair and transparent elections. On page 15: ” Can the AU protect citizens against COVID-19 abuses?” Lockdowns and curfews to fight COVID-19 across Africa have been designed as an abuse of fundamental rights. This was the view of Mélanie Sonhaye Kombaté of the West Africa Human Rights Defenders Network during a webinar on human rights hosted by the African Union (AU) last month. Crackdowns by security forces in Nigeria, for example, caused 18 fatalities in the first week of lockdown compared to 15 due to the pandemic, she said. On page 17: “Governing in West Africa and Lake Chad Basin during COVID-19” – As countries in the region navigate the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, their governments should learn lessons from the management of the crisis so far. This will help inform policy choices and societies’ responses to future crises.
