Syrian Islamic Council: Mufti’s Meeting with Haniyeh to Discourage Hamas from Normalizing with Regime

The Syrian Islamic Council said it rejects the Iranian axis, but also normalization with Israel, according to Syria TV,

The Syrian Islamic Council issued a video statement read out by its spokesman Sheikh Moutee’ al-Bateen, explaining the leaked recording in which the (opposition) Grand Mufti of the Syrian Arab Republic, Sheikh Osama al-Rifai, appeared alongside Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau. The recording provoked anger among Syrians.

Cavusoglu, Lavrov discuss Ukraine, food security ahead of G20 meeting

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov have a thorough exchange of views on international and regional affairs with particular emphasis on the situation in Ukraine.

Turkish and Russian foreign ministers have held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 ministerial meeting in Bali, Indonesia.

In Sudan, a Narrow Opportunity to Get the Democratic Transition Back on Track

Coordinated, sustained and high-level international engagement is needed as coup leader offers to hand power back to civilians.

The surprise announcement by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of Sudan’s coup government, that the military is willing to hand power back to civilians presents an opportunity to get the democratic transition back on track.

To Counter Russia’s Aggression, Invest in Africa

A transatlantic partnership with Africa can bolster democracies and global order for the long term.

The current struggle by Western democracies to isolate Russia over its assaults on Ukraine and international rule of law will be costly to sustain. Spiking prices for fuels, fertilizers and foods that Russia exports are risking wider socio-economic instability in many countries. A long-term solution must include a Western partnership to invest economically and politically in Africa, arguably Russia’s most formidable potential economic competitor. This strategy can strengthen a rules-based world against economic coercion by authoritarian powers, stabilize African democracies by enabling them to deliver for their people and strengthen international institutions and laws by including African countries more fully in them.

Tunisia’s Twin Democracy and Economic Crises Push it to the Brink

Tunisia experts examine recent events and discuss what we might expect to see in the weeks to come.

Last July, Tunisian President Kais Saied suspended parliament in what many observers called a bloodless coup. Saied’s supporters — of which there are many — claim that this extreme executive action was necessary to root out rampant government corruption and ineffectiveness. Polling at the time showed widespread dissatisfaction with the performance of parliament and the prime minister; many Tunisians felt that their high expectations following the 2011 popular revolution were not realized and that the country was heading in the wrong direction.

Quinze mois de captivité au Mali pour le journaliste français Olivier Dubois

Cela fait 15 mois qu’Olivier Dubois est en détention. Le journaliste français a été enlevé le 8 avril 2021 à Gao, dans le nord du Mali, alors qu’il était en reportage. Depuis, notre confrère, qui travaille notamment pour Libération, Jeune Afrique ou encore Le Point, est apparu dans deux vidéos, dans lesquelles il confirme être l’otage du Jnim, le Groupe de soutien à l’Islam et aux musulmans, lié à al-Qaïda au Maghreb islamique.