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The province of Cabo Delgado, in the extreme north of Mozambique, is experiencing a difficult situation of armed conflict linked to the presence of an "Islamist" insurgency launched by the group known as al-Shabaab. The essay reconstructs and analyses the main topics and the most relevant axes of this complex political and social process, by examining in particular: origins and characteristics of the group, the ways in which it was formed, the main reasons underlying the phenomenon, placing them within the socio-economic context of the region. Finally, it discusses some aspects related to military responses to the rebellion, including the role of some international actors. ; The province of Cabo Delgado, in the extreme north of Mozambique, is experiencing a difficult situation of armed conflict linked to the presence of an "Islamist" insurgency launched by the group known as al-Shabaab. The essay reconstructs and analyses the main topics and the most relevant axes of this complex political and social process, by examining in particular: origins and characteristics of the group, the ways in which it was formed, the main reasons underlying the phenomenon, placing them within the socio-economic context of the region. Finally, it discusses some aspects related to military responses to the rebellion, including the role of some international actors.

The question of development in sub-Saharan Africa has been historically discussed according to modernizing paradigms which have left unsolved the dichotomy between tradition and modernity constructed during the colonial period. In a continent still strongly rural, weak economic performances have reopened, both in the theories and in the practices of development, the historical tension between modernity and custom, and between modern and traditional authorities. Meanwhile, decentralisation policies have been strongly supported as a pathway to democratisation, good governance, and a more efficient management of the land and natural resources by local communities. The article aims to discuss the contemporary processes of transformation in Southern Africa concerning the rural governance, the effects produced on authorities and systems of power (local/national, traditional/modern), and the role of tradition in contemporary policies of rural development and decentralisation programmes. It intends to analyze the discussion concerning the policies of development and of decentralisation in the rural areas by signalling continuities and discontinuities with colonial patterns. Indeed, the control of the land (both in colonial and post-colonial states) has been characterized by a form of control based on traditional authorities (chiefs); therefore, within the framework of rural development and decentralisation programmes the role of traditional institutions and their relationship with rural communities and the state will be discussed. ; The question of development in sub-Saharan Africa has been historically discussed according to modernizing paradigms which have left unsolved the dichotomy between tradition and modernity constructed during the colonial period. In a continent still strongly rural, weak economic performances have reopened, both in the theories and in the practices of development, the historical tension between modernity and custom, and between modern and traditional authorities. Meanwhile, decentralisation policies have been strongly supported as a pathway to democratisation, good governance, and a more efficient management of the land and natural resources by local communities. The article aims to discuss the contemporary processes of transformation in Southern Africa concerning the rural governance, the effects produced on authorities and systems of power (local/national, traditional/modern), and the role of tradition in contemporary policies of rural development and decentralisation programmes. It intends to analyze the discussion concerning the policies of development and of decentralisation in the rural areas by signalling continuities and discontinuities with colonial patterns. Indeed, the control of the land (both in colonial and post-colonial states) has been characterized by a form of control based on traditional authorities (chiefs); therefore, within the framework of rural development and decentralisation programmes the role of traditional institutions and their relationship with rural communities and the state will be discussed.

L'articolo intende ricostruire alcuni elementi del dibattito contemporaneo sulle politiche si sviluppo rurale nei paesi in via di sviluppo (PVS) e del ruolo della questione agraria e dei contadini. Dopo aver presentato una riflessione sul dibattito che si č articolato riguardo a cosa sia storicamente, e a come si possa intendere oggi, la questione agraria, analizza alcuni elementi del mondo rurale nei PVS (con un'attenzione specifica all'Africa sub-sahariana) sia in rapporto allo sviluppo sia in rapporto ai processi di accumulazione capitalista. Presenta poi il dibattito che si incentra sul fatto se esistano ancora i contadini (a causa di significativi e diffusi processi di de-agranianisation) e sul loro ruolo economico-politico, anche in rapporto alle lotte per la loro sopravvivenza e alle politiche di riforma (incluse le riforme agrarie). Nelle conclusioni si segnala la complessitŕ di tali questioni, peraltro diverse da luogo a luogo, evidenziando tuttavia che esiste una spazio politico per i contadini attraverso nuovi e variegati processi di re-peasantisation.

The two articles are revised versions of papers presented at the end of May 2004 to a Zimbabwe Conference at the Nordic Africa Institute, which was co-organised by the project "Liberation and Democracy in Southern Africa" (LiDeSA). They highlight current socio-economic aspects of Zimbabwean society. By doing so, they raise relevant issues, yet ones that have tended to be neglected given the almost exclusive concentration on political events. While this is understandable, the articles fill the gap in our knowledge and add insights into important sectors of society. These include information on the Zimbabwean economy and the present constraints of the decline, which together help us to understand the structural legacy that any future government will have to deal with. What is more, the elections in Zimbabwe in 2005 provide an ideal moment to discuss such matters. This Discussion Paper will thereby make a substantive contribution to the analysis of the overall picture in Zimbabwe. CONTENT Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Zimbabwe's Development Impasse. Suzanne Dansereau From Social Justice, to Neo-liberalism, to Authoritarian Nationalism - Where is the Zimbabwean State going? Mario Zamponi

1. State, land and democracy: reflecting on agrarian change in Southern Africa / Mario Zamponi 1. - Part I Land and Rural Development in Southern Africa: Historical and Political Perspectives. - 2. An unfinished agenda in a neoliberal context: state, land and democracy in Malawi / Blessings Chinsinga 23. - 3. Rural development and the fight against poverty in Tanzania: a fifty-year perspective / Arrigo Pallotti 39. - 4. State, poverty and agriculture in Zambia: the impact of state policies after democratization / Federico Battera 61. - 5. Land and labour contestation in Manica, Mozambique: historical issues in contemporary dynamics / Corrado Tornimbeni 83. - Part II Land Reform in Zimbabwe: National and International Dimensions. - 6. Proposed large-scale compensation for white farmers as an Anglo-American negotiating strategy for Zimbabwe, 1976-1979 / Timothy Scarnecchia 105. - 7. Land reform, livelihoods and the politics of agrarian change in Zimbabwe / Ian Scoones 127. - 8. Women and land in Zimbabwe: state, democracy and gender issues in evolving livelihoods and land regimes / Rudo B. Gaidzanwa 149. - 9. Ecolonization and the creation of insecurity regimes: the meaning of Zimbabwe's land reform programme in regional context / Padraig Carmody 169. - Index of names 183