Africa

China’s Soft-Power Advantage in Africa

Beijing Isn’t Just Building Roads—It’s Making Friends When U.S. policymakers consider China’s influence in Africa, they often think of big-ticket infrastructure development programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Over the past two decades, Beijing has spent billions building dams, highways, railways, and ports in countries from Egypt …

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Can Ethiopia Survive?

What Might Happen If Abiy Ahmed Falls In October, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered an offensive against the Tigrayan rebel forces that control much of the country’s northern Tigray region and part of the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions. His aim was to force the insurgents into a final …

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Egypt supports Cyprus against Turkey

Egypt has criticized Turkey’s plan for a two-state peace deal on ethnically divided Cyprus. Egyptian criticism of Turkey’s plan for a two-state solution peace deal on ethnically divided Cyprus has come as the latest sign of ongoing tension between Cairo and Ankara despite previous diplomatic efforts to rebuild their relations. …

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Death Toll Rises To 47 After Weekend Attacks in Nigeria

President Buhari said that security forces have turned the heat on terrorists “who are getting frustrated and are soft-targeting innocent citizens, looting their assets, burning their homes and killing them indiscriminately.” The death toll from weekend attacks on villages in Nigeria’s northern state of Kaduna has risen to 38 as …

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Turkey and Egypt Open the Door to a Diplomatic Thaw

In mid-March, Turkey and Egypt confirmed they’d had their first diplomatic contact since breaking off relations in 2013. Though the talks were described by Egyptian sources as preliminary, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying, “Contacts at the diplomatic level have started.” The thaw comes after a decade …

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Why Piracy Is a Growing Threat in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea

In early May, a high-speed boat pulled alongside the Rio Mitong, a Panama-flagged cargo vessel, just off the coast of Equatorial Guinea. Using ladders to board the ship, a group of assailants kidnapped two crew members, taking them back to the shore, where they subsequently held them for ransom. Another …

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Mozambique Could Become Africa’s Next Piracy Hot Spot

On March 24, Ansar al-Sunna, a militant group linked to the Islamic State, launched a bloody attack on the coastal town of Palma, in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, leaving at least 61 dead and scores more unaccounted for. The assault, which lasted more than a week and took place …

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Russian Policy Failing Africa’s Sustainable Development – Interview

Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Russia, Brigadier General (rtd) Nicholas Mike Sango, who has been in his post since July 2015, was one of the African envoys to attend a special meeting with Russian legislators to exchange views on common problems, common issues for the African continent and the Russian Federation. According …

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Mali: Pourquoi Emmanuel Macron a annulé son déplacement à Bamako?

Le président français a reporté in extremis son déplacement au Mali, prévu le 20 décembre prochain, au cours duquel il devait rencontrer le président putschiste, le colonel Assimi Goïta Un conseil de défense sanitaire s’est réuni vendredi après-midi autour d’Emmanuel Macron en vue de prendre de nouvelles décisions pour tenter …

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Young and Angry in Fezzan: Achieving Stability in Southern Libya through Greater Economic Opportunity

The Fezzan region of Libya is home both to the country’s largest oil field, making it key to Libya’s oil-based economy, and to some of its direst poverty. Young people have borne the brunt of the region’s chronic development challenges, making them vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups and criminal …

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