Good Afternoon folks! 😁😁

Delighted to have you here. It’s great to finally connect with you… so here we go!

Welcome to The Friday Briefing, your weekly brief on geopolitics.

This is our first email newsletter. It’s a bit of a test, so if something does go wrong be sure to let us know… but anyway, we plan to send out your brief every Friday lunchtime 12pm GMT.

Our goal is to provide you with a balanced and insightful overview, allowing you to stay informed and engaged without being overwhelmed by information. But above all, we understand the value of your time. With our summaries, you can quickly grasp the major events shaping our world, deepen your understanding and be on your way in no time!

Our starting point…yes…Africa, but our vision extends beyond the boundaries of a single continent.

I’m sure many of you will find this newsletter useful, but please don’t hesitate to follow our Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Oh don’t forget, feel free to leave behind any feedback, suggestions or further ideas you would like us to run with 🙂 

^{Why Africa? maybe because we don’t hear much…}

Back in 2013, the 42nd President of the United States tweeted the above tweet, “Just touched down in Africa…” ⬆️

Although Mr Clinton’s tweet was true, despite the brazen mistruths our leaders spout these days, he nonetheless could’ve worded it a lot better.

But the tweet tells us a lot more. It exposes an attitude that many of us may have towards Africa, either through ignorance or laziness or maybe because we don’t hear enough about African countries in our national news media.

This is a continent as diverse as it is complex, a continent home to over 1.4 billion people and 54 countries, making it the second-most populated continent in the world.

Events in Africa aren't isolated, they hold global importance too. Political transitions, economic developments and conflicts in Africa have ripple effects that stretch far beyond its borders.

And yes, while we begin with Africa, we’re dedicated to expanding our weekly round-ups to other continents in due course, taking our mission to new frontiers by connecting the dots between nations and continents.

So stay tuned! 👌

^{So, what’s been happening this week?}

• African governments divided on Israel and Gaza War

• Egypt to open Rafah crossing into Gaza on Friday for “several hours” 

• Former football star seeking a second term as President. Liberia’s election set for a run-off

• Gabon’s military leader and now interim President turns down salary

• Ethiopia’s Prime Minister’s controversial comments unites Somalia, Eritrea and now Djibouti

^{What does this mean?}

As the response from Israel continues and the death toll mounts, African governments are wading into the highly contested debate around the war. The continent is simply split. Some pro-Israel, some pro-Palestine and others are campaigning for a ceasefire with a neutral position similar to the two-state solution echoed by the UN.

When reports first emerged last Saturday of Hamas fighters attacking southern Israel, Kenyan President William Ruto was one of the first African leaders to take to Twitter now X. He wrote;

“Kenya joins the rest of the world in solidarity with the State of Israel and unequivocally condemns terrorism and attacks on innocent civilians in the country…” 

Yes, an explicit endorsement of Israel’s position and the response unleashed on the Gaza Strip since. Ghana, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have also expressed some form of support for Israel.

On the flip side, South Africa blamed the escalation on Israel’s illegal occupation and desecration of Al-Aqsa mosque & Christian sites. It has since accepted the invitation of Egypt’s Sisi to attend a peace summit in Cairo on Saturday to discuss the conflict. South Africa previously expressed its desire to mediate in the conflict, drawing on its experience in conflict resolution.

Algeria declared full solidarity with Palestine. The African Union Commission, which acts as the secretariat of the African Union (FYI, you will need to be familiar with the African Union) expressed concern but blamed the denial of the fundamental rights of Palestinians. Tunisia and Sudan were among others who took a more pro-Palestinian stance. Egypt is a key player in the region, with it’s President urging both sides to exercise restraint sparing innocent people from bearing the brunt of military conflict by allowing immediate delivery of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.

But there those who took a more natural stance, Nigeria and Uganda. Whilst Nigeria condemned the cycle of violence, they called on both sides to exercise restraint. Uganda has not officially taken a stance, its President shared the two-state solution on his Twitter (X) account.

Did you know…

In 2021, trade between Israel and Sub-Saharan African countries reached close to £600 million. It exports electronics, chemical and food products to the continent. South Africa one of Israel’s critics, is also its biggest trading partner in Africa. But it also trades with Palestine too, exports of olive oils and other agriculture increased by 34% since 2009.

Israel has also pumped millions of pounds in aid to Ethiopia whilst also taking in thousands of Ethiopian Jews.