Under its new president, Mustafa Omar, I think some of the most serious and far-reaching reforms across the whole country are underway. Separatist leaders of the Ogida National Liberation Front have ditched their weapons; they plan to contest elections next year. They're engaged in a broadly constructive and quite positive dialogue with the regional government, which is also quite exceptional. When I went there, people were smiling. The inmates were hugging the prison commissioner. It was a very different place.
This weekend marks three decades since the wall fell, yet stark divides remain between East and West. We revisit that moment of hope that remains unfulfilled. Ethiopia’s Somali state was until recently the country’s most repressive; a visit to one of its prisons reveals a tremendous transformation for the better. And China’s effort to boost its national football team: naturalising foreign talents. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here
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