12th 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 twelfth 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 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?}

• Somalia strongly condemns Ethiopia-Somaliland new port deal

• Nigeria government bans foreign degrees

• The former President of Sierra Leone charged with treason

• Israel vows to fight South Africa’s ICJ case as US calls case “meritless”

• Kenya’s President Ruto brands judges as “corrupt”

^{What does this mean?}

Earlier this week landlocked Ethiopia took the first steps toward gaining access to the Red Sea by singing an MoU agreement in the capital Addis Ababa with the breakaway of current Somali region and government of Somaliland.

Somaliland seceded from Somalia more than 30 years ago, but has since not been recognised by the United Nations and African Union as an independent state. Meanwhile, Somalia still considers Somaliland as an integral part of its territory.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi. As part of the agreement, Somaliland will lease 20km (12.4 mile) stretch of land alongside its coastline of Berbera to Ethiopia to build a military base and have access to commercial maritime services.

In exchange, the idea is for Ethiopia to recognise Somaliland’s independence at some point in the future as well as receiving shares in its flagship carrier, Ethiopian Airlines. But there seems to be some ambiguity in relation to the recognition.

Somaliland insists that recognition has already been agreed upon and settled, Ethiopia has so far been reluctant to firmly address the matter as the published communique suggests… “Beyond that, it also includes provisions for the Ethiopian government to make an in-depth assessment towards taking a position regarding the efforts of Somaliland to gain recognition.” (see page 3)

Meanwhile, Somalia has promised to defend its territory by “any legal means” and recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud addressed a joint session of parliament and vowed that Somalia will not allow “an inch of Somali territory to be taken away.” Whilst citing Ethiopia’s military intervention in 2006, the President said the current Ethiopian government is creating an “opportunity for al-Shabab to recruit” after al-Shabab immediately responded to the deal and condemned the MoU signed by Ethiopia and Somaliland.

The Arab League, EU and the United States rejected the MoU deal saying the agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland violates Somalia’s sovereignty. The US went further by rejecting international recognition for Somaliland and instead called for calm in the region.

“The United States recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia within its 1960 borders,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

The President of Somalia also spoke with Egyptian President Sisi following the MoU deal. Egypt assured Somalia that it will maintain a firm position alongside Somalia and support its security and stability. It is interesting to note, negotiations between Egypt and Ethiopia over the mega-dam issue have so far failed. Find out more by reading our 10th edition here.

Did you know…

Ethiopia was cut off from the coast after Eritrea seceded and declared independence in 1993 after a three-decade war making Ethiopia the world’s most populous country without sea access.