26th Edition

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 26th 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.

Our goal is to provide you with a balanced and insightful overview, allowing you to stay informed without being overwhelmed with 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.

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?}

• Ethiopian opposition leader shot dead

• Political activities banned by the military rulers of Mali

• South African court overturns ban on ex-president Zuma

^{What does this mean?}

Mr Bate was a senior official of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) one of the biggest political parties in Ethiopia. He was killed in his hometown of Meki in Oromia, Ethiopia’s biggest region, according to the OLF.

The regional government in Oromia condemned Bate’s killing as “unacceptable” and denied any involvement. An outspoken critic of the government, Mr Bate spent several stints in prison and in 2022 fell seriously ill alongside other detained senior OLF members.

Ethiopia’s state-appointed rights commission called for an investigation into the killing of Mr Bate. The Addis Standard reported that sources confirmed that Bate was shot dead on Tuesday night and his body was found dumped early on Wednesday.

A family member who spoke with Addis Standard said Bate was taken out of his hotel room around mid-night on Tuesday, and his body was found dumped by the road the next morning.

The family member added that those who took him “looked like government security forces.”

His death has since sparked outrages across social media.

Did you know…

The OLF waged a guerrilla war against Ethiopia’s federal government, claiming to fight for more rights for the Oromo people, the country’s biggest ethnic group.

The ruling military leadership of Mali banned the media from reporting on activities of political parties and associations, a day after suspending all political activities in the country until further notice.

The Junta ordered the suspension of all activities by political parties citing a need to preserve public order. The news was broadcasted on state television as the population was celebrating Eid al Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan during which Muslims fast from dawn till dusk.

Col. Assimi Goita, who took charge after a second coup in 2021, promised to return the country to democracy in early 2024. But in September, the junta cancelled election scheduled for February 2024 indefinitely, citing the need for further technical preparations.

It cut military ties with France amid growing frustration with the lack of progress and turned to Russian contractors, mercenaries from the Wagner group, for support instead.

Just two weeks ago we covered ex-president Jacob Zuma’s ban from standing in the upcoming elections in South Africa. Well, things have dramatically changed since then.

South Africa’s Electoral Court ruled that Mr Zuma can run for office in the upcoming elections, overturning an earlier decision that had barred him from contesting the polls.

The news paves the way for Zuma to run for president on behalf of the UMkhonto weSizwe Party, a new political organisation he joined last year after denouncing the ruling ANC party he once led.

South Africans are due to elect 400 members of the country’s General Assembly on May 29th. A month later, the lawmakers in the new parliament will choose the country’s president.

Although Zuma was convicted and sentence to 15 months in prison in 2021, the court announced than an appeal by Zuma and his party was successful and that the objection against his candidacy had been dismissed.

He still maintains widespread support in parts of South Africa as more than 300 people died in riots in 2021 when he was sent to prison for contempt of court and refusing to testify.

Did you know…

How does the South African election work? ⬇️

• South Africans vote for a party and not a presidential candidate

• Parties are then allocated places in the 400-seat Parliament according to their share of the vote

• The lawmakers then elect the President

• The President will always come from the party with the biggest parliamentary majority

• South Africans also vote for the makeup of provincial legislatures in the its 9 provinces.

^{Book of the week…. DEAL IN THE WORKS!}

The idea is every week we will hold a poll on our social media pages, asking our readers to recommend a book for the week…

STAY TUNED!

You’re done for the week. Follow us on our socials and see you next Friday!