38th 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 38th 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?}

• Rwanda re-elects President Paul Kagame

• Ceasefire extended in Eastern DR Congo

• Former Mozambican finance minister on trial in the U.S.

• Kenyan court suspends protest ban

^{What does this mean?}

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has won 99% of the vote in the presidential elections in Rwanda, according to the electoral authorities. The country’s long-time president now extends his three-decade grip on power.

The 66-year-old president, has held power since the end of the country’s genocide in 1994 and was running in this years election virtually unopposed. Two presidential candidates were blocked from running for high office.

More than 9.5 million Rwandans were registered to vote in the country’s population of 14 million. The president has led Rwanda since he came into power as the head of rebels who took control of the government and ended the genocide in 1994.

He was vice president and de facto leader from 1994 to 2000 when he became president. Following the elections, the president told journalists that his mandate came from the people of Rwanda.

Did you know…

President Kagame could stay in power until 2034 as Rwandans voted to lift a two-term limit following a referendum in 2015

The latest truce in the decades-long conflict that was to end on Friday has been extended by 15 days until August 3rd, according to the U.S. State Department. The violence which we covered in the easter North Kivu province has resulted in arbitrary killings.

It also produced one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with over 100 armed groups fighting for control of the mineral-rich area near the border with Rwanda. A key actor in the conflict is the M23 group.

Known as the March 23 Movement, it is a Congolese rebel military group that is for the most part formed of ethnic Tutsi. It is based in easter areas of the DRC and operates mainly in the province of North Kivu

Did you know…

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

Mr Manuel Chang, a former finance minister of Mozambique who had been held in prison in South Africa for nearly five years was extradited to the United States to face a fraud and corruption trial over a $2bn (£1.5bn) scandal involving fraudulent government loans.

A finance minister between 2005 to 2015, Mr Chang was arrested at the International Airport in Johannesburg in 2018 on a U.S. warrant. The Mozambican government attempted to have him face trial in Mozambique but was dismissed by several African courts.

The extradition brings an end to a five-year legal battle by Mr Chang to avoid facing trial in the U.S. and instead to face trial in his home country of Mozambique. However, it is widely believed that he would likely be treated leniently in Mozambique.

Mr Chang will now face the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn and is accused of receiving bribes of up to $17 million (£13 million) during a scheme that secured loans for Mozambican state-owned companies from foreign banks and financiers.

The U.S. accuse him of defrauding American and international investors as the money was intended for the purchase of fishing vessels and naval patrol boats for Mozambique’s fishing industry.

Mr Chang has not commented on the charges against him.

Did you know…

At least 10 people have already been convicted and sentenced to prison by a Mozambican court over the scandal, including Ndambi Guebuza, the son of former Mozambican president Armando Guebuza.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison for receiving up to $33 million (£25 million) from the deal.

A Kenyan court suspended a police ban on protests in the capital, stating that citizen have a right to demonstrate peacefully. Police had barred protests in Nairobi indefinitely, saying they lacked leadership that would ensure peaceful demonstrations.

Recent protests have left businesses counting losses after the lootings and burnings. Police remain heavily deployed around the central business district patrolling the streets

Did you know…

According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, at least 50 people have died since the protests began

^{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!