Botswana’s ruling party is in the midst of its worst crisis since taking power at independence from the U.K. in 1966 as a leadership battle rages ahead of an elective congress next month.
A political feud between President Mokgweetsi Masisi and his predecessor, Ian Khama, has exposed divisions within the Botswana Democratic Party as it’s preparing to hold a leadership vote on April 5 and contest general elections later this year. The rift is unusual in the world’s biggest diamond producer after Russia, and poses a threat to the party’s ability to retain the power it’s held since independence.
