4th Edition

Apologies for the delay 👇

Good Afternoon folks! 😁😁

Delighted to have you here. And if you joined us this week, 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 fourth edition. It’s still 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.

We apologise for the delay and as many of you know, we travelled to a remote part of Kenya near the Tanzanian border and returned late this evening. However, we return per as usual next week.

^{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? 6 Nov - 10 Nov}

• South Africa escalates diplomatic row with Israel

• Saudi Arabia and Africa Summit 2023

• UN to pause troop exit from Somalia

• Calls for ex-prime minister of Burundi to get life imprisonment

• Malawi’s currency loses half its Value

Oh and lastly, enjoy some of our pictures from Kenya this week 👌👌

^{What does this mean?}

The South African government has decided to recall all of its diplomats from Tel Aviv following the continuation of Israeli air strikes in Gaza. South Africa’s government which is closely associated with the Palestinian cause, condemned Israel this week.

Naledi Pandor Foreign Minister of South Africa told a press conference that South Africa is extremely concerned at the continued killing of civilians. He went onto say “we felt it important that we do signal the concern of South Africa while continuing to call for a comprehensive cessation of hostilities.”

South Africa’s sympathy for the Palestinian cause stretches back to the days of late anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela. A few months after as president in 1999, Nelson Mandela visited Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Gaza 👇

Nelson Mandela famously said in 1997, only just three years after becoming the South Africa’s first democratically elected president: “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.” The current South African President Ramaphosa, has pledges his party’s the ANC’s solidarity and support with the Palestinians.

However, the government’s pro-Palestinian position has been condemned by the country’s Jewish Board of Deputies, the South African Zionist Federation and the largest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance also known as the DA.

Did you know…

Recalling Diplomats - The indication of extreme displeasure and disagreement from one country with the actions, decisions, statements of another.

South Africa has long backed the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel. Yasser Arafat was one of the first leaders Mandela met after being released from prison on 11 February 1990.

South Africa is not alone on the list of recalling diplomats amid the Israel-Gaza war. It joins a list of Chad, Chile and Colombia.