Africa

Jihadisme : le Mali de Goïta en plein déni

Maintenant que l’armée française s’est complètement retirée du pays, il va être difficile d’imputer à l’ancien colonisateur les revers des soldats de Bamako et l’avancée des groupes jihadistes.

Avec une poignée de mercenaires russes, la junte malienne doit désormais assumer ses responsabilités alors que les Casques bleus sont progressivement mis sur la touche et que la Cedeao est en train d’assouplir son train de sanctions économiques. La récente attaque menée contre le camp de Kati, à moins de 20 km de la capitale, n’est guère rassurante à cet égard.

Avoiding the Abyss as War Resumes in Northern Ethiopia

War rages – again – in northern Ethiopia. The resumption of conflict on 24 August between the federal military, forces from the Amhara region, which borders Tigray, and Eritrean troops, on one side, and Tigray forces, on the other, marks the breach of a roughly nine-month truce that had largely halted some of the world’s deadliest fighting. The return to blows is a setback for a struggling peace process and strenuous efforts to get food to millions of besieged Tigrayans. Although it is unclear exactly why combat restarted or whether either side planned a sustained campaign, both immediately escalated, with a Tigrayan offensive to the south into Amhara and a joint Ethiopian-Eritrean incursion into Tigray from the north. Sustained full-blown hostilities would mean prolongation of a likely unwinnable war, creating more mass suffering. Instead, the Ethiopian parties must renew the truce and overcome the obstacles that have impeded the beginning of formal talks. Concerted high-level pressure by donors, many of whom have been distracted by the Ukraine crisis, will likely be vital to any breakthrough.

Western Sahara dispute spills into Tunisia

A diplomatic crisis is brewing in the Maghreb region amid tension between Morocco and Tunisia after President Kais Saied received the leader of the Polisario Front.

Tunisian President Kais Saied’s decision to receive Brahim Ghali — the leader of the Polisario Front, a rebel group fighting for independence in the Western Sahara — late last month has developed into a diplomatic crisis with repercussions spilling into the sports world.

Les États-Unis veulent punir les pays africains jugés pro-Russie

Un projet de loi américain vise à contenir certaines activités de la Russie en Afrique. Sur le continent, des voix s’élèvent pour protester contre cette tentative d’ingérence.

C’est au moment où le fossoyeur de la guerre froide Mikhaïl Gorbatchev disparaît que s’esquisse à nouveau une épreuve de force entre les États-Unis et le cœur de l’ancienne Union soviétique. Un bras de fer particulièrement tendu dans la gestion de la crise ukrainienne. De même que certaines nations africaines accédant à l’indépendance ont été ballotées, entre 1960 et 1989, entre les enjeux stratégiques des blocs du Nord, les membres du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies scrutent et cataloguent, aujourd’hui, les régimes du continent.

Africa’s Ukraine Dilemma

Why the Continent Is Caught Between Russia and the West

As Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine enters its seventh month, many African countries have yet to show strong support for Kyiv, to the chagrin of Western leaders. In the early days of the conflict, after 17 African countries declined to back a UN resolution condemning Russia, several European diplomats assigned to African capitals made a grand show of browbeating African leaders for not taking a stand against the invasion. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in particular, was the target of some strikingly undiplomatic tweets, with Riina Kionka, at the time the EU’s ambassador to Pretoria, writing that “we were puzzled because [South Africa] sees itself and is seen by the world as a country championing human rights.”

Deteriorated Situations

Libya

Worst fighting in years broke out in capital Tripoli between forces loyal to rival govts, raising prospect of a return to full-blown war. Fighting 26-27 Aug raged across Tripoli as forces aligned with Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR)-appointed PM Bashagha failed to take control of capital and oust Tripoli-based govt of PM Dabaiba; 32 people reportedly killed and 159 injured. Flare-up followed days of escalating tensions between rival factions.

Tigray: After The Calm, A Possible Storm

On August 26, 2022, there was the bombing by Ethiopian federal troops of a primary school in Mekelle—the capital city of the Tigray province, which had a population of about 500,000 before the fighting began. It is not clear if the attack brings to an end some five months of relative calm in the war-torn Tigray or not.

Russia To Offer Africa More Military Equipment And Support

Russia’s Army Games factsheet, publicly distributed at the centrally coordinated information bureau, documented an increase in the annual purchases of military equipment by foreign clients including African countries. Our monitoring and research show that Russia has traditionally maintained good relations with north African countries especially Algeria and Egypt.