TANZANIA

Elections in Zanzibar in October 2005 are marred with violence and claims of fraud. Tanzania's governing party, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Revolutionary Party, CCM) wins. BBC story linked here. Another BBC story giving background on tensions between the mainland and Zanzibar is linked here. An analysis by The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, a group which complains of unfair treatment of Zanzibar is linked here.

Elections in 2005 bring to the presidency in December 2005 Colonel Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, with a background in the the Tanzanian military and in parliament and as Minister in several portfolios, most recently Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Wikipedia has an excellent treatment of him, linked here.

Tanzania together with most of East Africa is hit with a devastating drought. [For updates on the drought, see Relief Web linked here.] Situation in Zanzibar is reported in page linked here. Southern Africa Flood & Drought Network says in March 2006, " A combination of failed short rains, light rains around Lake Victoria and a slow start of main rainfall season across the interior of Tanzania has led to drought development." For updates on the deteriorating food security situation in the region, see the IRIN page on the situation linked here. For their March 2006 map showing predictions of food security, click here for copy on this server [warning: this is a 1.2 Mb pdf file].