The election has serious implications for Africa, especially former French colonies, which have maintained close links with France, mainly through an organisation known as Francophonie. Paradoxically, as French electoral affairs hog the limelight, events in Africa are bound to be relegated to the backburner, including the mounting cross-border refugee crises sparked by instability in South Sudan and the DR Congo. VOLATILE TERRITORIESAlready, countries like Uganda and Angola that border these volatile territories are feeling the pinch as refugees flee the violence. Bidibidi camp, which opened in August to cope with a flood of desperate people fleeing factional fighting in South Sudan, has reportedly overtaken Kenya’s Dadaab complex as the world’s biggest refugee camp. As Western countries’ lists of priorities change dramatically, for Africa the upshot is that the continent has little choice but to look out for itself.

Source: Daily Nation April 22, 2017 22:18 UTC