Peace and Security Council Report No 45

This month our researchers in Addis Ababa, Dakar and Pretoria have produced country analyses on Egypt, Guinea-Bissau and the Central African Republic (CAR).

In the lead up to legislative elections at the end of April, the country analysis on Egypt begins with the January 2013 death sentences imposed on more than 20 Egyptians found guilty of killing dozens of football fans in Port Said last year and the violent civil unrest that followed these sentences.

Growing unhappiness with President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, a widening rift between the Salafists and the Brotherhood, and the country’s continuing economic woes are ingredients indicative of an uncertain transition for the country.

The country analysis on Guinea-Bissau focuses on the previous 12 months since the April 2012 coup. It covers the continuing isolation of the country, the diverging approaches of the international community, divisions within the political class, the delicate balancing act between political and military actors and their failure to agree on the transition, and the debilitating impact of sanctions on the economy.

The country analysis on the Central African Republic explores the impact of the latest unconstitutional assumption of power in this troubled landlocked country.

The analysis looks at the response of the AU and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the UN and EU, and also the involvement of individual states such as France and South Africa, following the take over of power by rebel forces and the exit of President Bozize.

Duke Kent-Brown (Editor)