Death, debts and democratic doubts in Africa

For largeGDP parts of Africa 2023 was a rough year. Violence cut a swathe across the Sahel, where coups and civilian misrule have shaken faith in democracy. , fuelled by outside powers, is spreading relentlessly: on December 15th fighting engulfed Wad Madani, a city 200km south of the capital, war-torn Khartoum. Across the region government have reached their highest levels since 2001, while economic growth in the world’s youngest continent barely outstripped population growth. Measured in current dollars sub-saharan Africa’s share of world fell to just 1.9%, compared with its share of 18% of the world’s people. Why did things go wrong for Africa in 2023? And what does that mean for the continent in 2024?