13th 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 thirtieth 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?}

• Comoros Islands to vote in Presidential elections

• DR Congo (DRC) court upholds election results

• ICJ hears South Africa’s genocide case against Israel

• Somali National Army begins rescue of UN helicopter passengers

• Morocco wins bid to lead UN Human Rights Council

• Burundi shuts borders with Rwanda *New*

^{What does this mean?}

The people of the Comoros Islands will vote in an election on Sunday which is widely expected to hand a fourth term to President Azali Assoumani. Some opposition leaders have called for a boycott accusing the electoral commission of supporting the ruling party.

The electoral commission has strongly denied the accusation.

Under the new system change, President Assoumani who took charge in a 1999 coup before stepping down in 2002 and then winning an election 14 years later, would be required to step down in 2029.

In the Comoros Islands, the Presidency must rotate among the country’s three main islands every fiver years. However, in a vote held in 2018, the country voted to remove the presidential term limits and the requirement for the presidency to rotate between the three main islands.

The YES vote - 155,734, whilst the NO vote - 12,925.

Nearly 340,000 people are eligible to vote in the country of fewer than one million people.

Critics say in recent times President Assoumani has cracked down on dissent even from opposition leaders. Former President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi who was in office between 2006 and 2011 and a fierce rival of the current president, was sentenced to life in prison in November 2022 for high treason.

He was convicted of selling passports to stateless people living in the Gulf. The scheme was aimed to give nationality to the so-called Bidoon. The Bidoon are an Arab minority who cannot obtain citizenship in the Gulf.

At the time of his sentencing, he had already spend four years in detention.

Did you know…

The three Comoros Islands are called Anjouan, Grande Comore, and Moheli

The country is a major source of irregular migration to the nearby French Island of Mayotte, which was historically part of the Comoros.

The Comoros Islands have endured years of poverty and political turmoil since its independence from France in 1975

The Constitutional Court of The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed the landslide victory of President Felix Tshisekedi in December’s elections. Mr Tshisekedi won 73% of the vote the court said.

On December 20th, the DRC held presidential, legislative, regional and local elections in which opposition leaders called a “sham election”. Nice opposition leaders signed a declaration in December rejecting the outcome and called for a re-run.

Police clashed with opposition supporters demanding that last week’s presidential poll be annulled. This comes after opposition candidates in the presidential elections in which early results show the incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi with a large lead, plan to march in the capital, despite authorities banning the protest.

Voting was officially extended by a day to account for problems and continued for some days in very remote areas of the country.

The President is due to be sworn in on the 20th of January.

Did you know…

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is not to be confused with neighbouring Republic of the Congo .

Israel is defending itself in the UN’s highest court against allegations of genocide brought forward by South Africa. South Africa asked the ICJ to order Israel to immediately stop the war as they believe it has violated the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

However, as you may know, the case will likely drag on for years to come.

What is South Africa’s case? ⬇️

• 84-page filing that states Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide as they “intended to bring about the destruction of substantial part” of the Palestinians.

• It asks the ICJ for legally binding rulings that include; declaring that Israel is in breach of its obligations under the Genocide Convention, order Israel to cease hostilities, offer reparations and the reconstruction of all destroyed places in Gaza.

• Genocidal acts include; killing Palestinians, causing serious mental and bodily harm, deliberately inflicting conditions to bring about their physical destruction as a group and Israeli official expressing genocidal intent.

What is the Israeli response? ⬇️

• The Foreign Ministry of Israel said South Africa’s case lacks legal foundation and constitutes a despicable and contemptuous exploitation of the court

• Israel accuses South Africa of giving political and legal cover to the Oct- 7th attack by Hamas

What’s next? 🤔🤔

The court is holding public hearing today as lawyers representing either side make their arguments. A panel of 15 judges drawn from around the world with one each nominated by Israel and South Africa.

The court will then enter a lengthy process of consideration. Israel could challenge and seek the case to be thrown out before lawyers argue. Other countries that are part of the Genocide Convention could apply to make submissions.

The ICJ does not have a police force to implement its rulings, but if a nation believes another member has failed to comply with an ICJ order, it can report that to the Security Council.

The 15 member council has tools ranging from sanctions to authorising military action, but all actions require support from at least 9 council nations and no veto by a permanent member.

Did you know…

Difference between International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) both located in The Hague:

ICC - is a criminal court that prosecutes individuals

ICJ - is a civil court that hears disputes between countries

The Somalia National Army begins the rescue mission of passengers on board a United Nations helicopter that was captured by al-Shabab. The minister of internal security of Galmudug State in central Somalia told news reporters that the helicopter made the landing due to engine failure in a remote village.

An internal UN memo seen by Al Jazeera stated that the helicopter landed due to a technical glitch as opposed to a firing of an unidentified object.

He said 7 passengers were on board and one was shot dead while trying to escape and one was missing. The UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed the incident and said;

“response efforts are underway… We’re fully engaged on the issue and trying to resolve it.”

The helicopter was burnt following the confiscation. Al-Shabab did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack. A government offensive since 2022 has managed to recapture vast sways of territory in central Somalia.

Did you know…

Al-Shabab has been trying to overthrow the Somali Government since 2006

Morocco was voted to lead the United Nations Human Rights Council after beating off a challenge from South Africa. In a vote, Morocco’s Ambassador Omar Zniber was elected council president after 30 votes whilst his opponent managed just 17 votes.

The vote came after Africa whose turn it was assume to the presidency failed to agree on a single candidate. Prior to the ballot, South Africa criticised Morocco’s human rights record saying it would stain the UN’s legitimacy.

Did you know…

Morocco is seen by several African countries as an occupying power in Western Sahara

Algeria opposed Morocco’s candidacy for the presidency in the vote

BREAKING NEWS!

Burundi has closed its boarders with Rwanda after accusing Rwanda of funding rebel attacks. In December, a Burundian rebel group killed 20 people near the border with Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Rwandan government denies the charge, as the Burundi government brands Rwandan President Paul Kagame as a “bad neighbour”.

The Rwandan government responded by saying it regrets the uniliteral closure of the border which violates the principles of regional cooperation and the integration of the East Africa Community.

More to follow next week…

^{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!