Calming the storm

There is be no doubt that the protests in Egypt over the have captured the world's attention over the past two weeks. Post-election tensions in Côte d'Ivoire have also been widely covered by the world's media.

Although these issues have become rather common and almost stereotypical of African politics, there does seem to be progress being made in overcoming them.

Just over a week ago, Mali held a peaceful election which saw civilian rule restored after a year of military rule. Former President Tanjda is now serving time in prison over corruption charges during his time as president.

Yesterday it was announced that South Sudan had voted for independence from the North; the culmination of a relatively peaceful referendum save for some clashes in the region of Abyei and elsewhere. Although many issues remain that will need to be addressed, South Sudan is now poised to become the world's newest nation in six months time.

These cases - added to others such as Ghana being politically stable for almost 20 years - give us hope that there can indeed be an Africa where peaceful transitions of power - true leadership - are the norm.