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Twenty years after the 1994 genocide, Rwanda remains a country apart. Devastated by the death of 800,000 to a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus, he got up and rebuilt to the point of posing as a development model. But the stronger methods of its president tarnish his reputation. Paul Kagame, a former soldier, leads his country to the stick. Internationally, the same ambivalence prevails: despite his strong relations with the United States and Britain, Rwanda is increasingly isolated because of its support to rebellions in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - a region rich in minerals. Twelve years after the end of the Second Congo War (1998-2001) in which he was involved, this small country in the Great Lakes is accused of perpetuating instability among its larger neighbor. The gold, tin and coltan (1) extracts the Congolese subsoil under the watchful eye of armed groups, are used for development of a stable state to however uncertain future. Adapted from the source document.

What will Mali do once the French soldiers pack up and hand over to a UN peacekeeping mission, charged with maintaining security until local forces are ready to take up the torch? What will the post-crisis country look like? One thing is sure: it will face a host of challenges. The jihadists of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb were decisively routed earlier this year, but they will not be quiet for long, and the utmost vigilance is needed. In the long-neglected north of the country, separatist aspirations have not disappeared either: a solution is needed to the age-old issue of the Tuareg. Implementing a national reconciliation process, after a year sullied by the stench of civil war, will be another major headache. Nor will Mali remain peaceful while corruption and drug smuggling continue to take their terrible toll... The future President, to be appointed in the next few months, will have his work cut out for him! Adapted from the source document.

In this interview with Sabine Cessou, the influential South African economist and political analyst William Gumede takes a closer look at a phenomenon that is gradually shifting the balance inherited from colonialism, namely China's foothold in Africa, advancing slowly but surely. Beijing began to take a real interest in the African continent in the 1980s, against the backdrop of its strong economic growth. At the time, the major issue for China was the recognition of Taiwan. China made massive investments in an attempt to rally as many African countries as possible to its cause. But thirty years down the road, results are hardly conclusive. Trade is almost exclusively to the benefit of China, which purchases or exploits oil, mineral and agricultural resources on the continent, without these businesses benefiting the local economies. The Chinese import their own labor and live in a closed society. Meanwhile, African countries face a daunting uphill battle if they want to expand to the Chinese market. Adapted from the source document.

After 26 years of single-party rule and an equal amount of time under a military regime, Guinea held a presidential election in 2010 that returned real power to the country's people. The election as president of longstanding opposition figure Alpha Conde, a leftist who spent 30 years of his life in exile, would seem to open a new chapter in Guinea's history. But behind this case study in exemplary democracy lies the threat of ethnic division. Tensions are rising between the country's two main ethnic groups: the Malinkes (to which Alpha Conde belongs) and the Peuls (to which the loser in the elections, Cellou Dalein Diallo, who had been favored, belongs). The new president has made a plea for a political break with the past, but it remains to be seen whether his good intentions will withstand the test of tangible actions. He would not be the first African leader to disappoint the hopes of a people wearied by decades of violence and authoritarianism. Adapted from the source document.