5th 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 fifth 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.

We apologise for the delay last week as we travelled to a remote part of the Kenyan-Tanzanian border.

^{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? 13 Nov - 17 Nov}

• South Africa refers Israel to ICC

• UK Supreme Court rules Rwanda plan unlawful

• Malawi’s President bans himself from travel

• Polls close in Madagascar Presidential elections

• Liberia’s election run-off neck and neck

^{What does this mean?}

Last week we covered that the South African government decided to recall all of its diplomats from Tel Aviv following the continuation of Israeli air strikes in Gaza. This week however, things got even more serious.

South Africa filed a referral to the International Criminal Court for an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza. The referral comes as South African lawmakers were expected to debate a motion on Thursday calling for the closure of the Israeli Embassy in South Africa and cutting of all diplomatic ties until it agrees to a ceasefire.

President Ramaphosa said his country believes Israel is committing war crimes and genocide in Gaza where thousands have been killed and public infrastructure destroyed.

The ICC prosecutes individuals for alleged criminal conduct when its 123 member states are unwilling or unable to prosecute themselves. The court has had an ongoing investigation in the occupied Palestinian territories into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity there since 2021. But Israel doesn’t recognise the court.

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

Israel isn’t alone in not recognising the court. Many of the word’s major powers are not members, including China, the United States, Russia, India and Egypt.

South Africa has long backed the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel and is not alone on the list of recalling diplomats amid the Israel-Gaza war. It joins a list of Chad, Chile and Colombia.