37th 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 37th 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?}

• Kenya’s President Ruto fires the Cabinet following protests

• President Abdelmadjid of Algeria announces re-election

• South Sudan peace talks may end due to new security bill

• BREAKING: Rwandans to Vote on Monday*

^{What does this mean?}

Kenyan President Ruto has decided to sack almost all of his Cabinet ministers promising to form a new government that will be lean and efficient following weeks of protests over high taxes in the so called “finance bill” which has since been scrapped.

In a televised address, the president dismissed the attorney general and said ministries will now be run by their permanent secretaries. The president said he was now listening to the people and would form a broad-based government after consultations.

More than 30 people died in the protests which morphed into calls for the president to resign. Ruto appointed 21 Cabinet ministers following his election in 2022. However critics accused him of choosing political cronies and departing from the practice of selecting technocrats.

Several ministers have since been engulfed by corruption scandals involving fake fertiliser and misappropriation of funds. Three of the sacked ministers were MPs before leaving their legislative roles to join the Cabinet.

Kenya’s defence minister is one of many dismissed. Aden Duale was quick to praise the President on X (twitter) and said;

“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to President Ruto for entrusting me…. I am deeply honoured and will forever be indebted to him and the people of Kenya for this opportunity to serve our great nation”.

The law allows the president to nominate a maximum of 22 ministers and with a minimum of 14.

Did you know…

President Ruto is first president in Kenya to dismiss Cabinet ministers under the new constitution.

Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune announced that he intends to run for a second term in office, five years after ascending to power as the military and establishment-backed candidate during the widespread protests.

The 78-year-old president said in an interview when asked about the election;

“If the Algerian people want to vote for me, that’s fine, otherwise I’ll have accomplished my mission and whoever succeeds me will be welcome”.

Mr Tebboune had avoided declaring his intentions even after setting the September 7th election date a few months ago. However his intentions were widely known and often referred to as “an open secret”.

34 candidates have announced plans to run in the election, but only three so far have gathered the number of signatures necessary to appear on the ballot. Candidates have until July 18th to collect the required signatures.

Did you know…

President Tebboune is first president to not have fought in the war that led to Algeria’s independence in 1962.

The government of South Sudan led by President Mayardit and rebel opposition groups signed a “commitment declaration” for peace during mediation talks in Kenya.

This step marked the first efforts to end the long devastating conflict in South Sudan. The rebel opposition groups were not part of the 2018 agreement that ended South Sudan’s five year civil war that left 400,000 people dead with millions displaced.

Kenya’s foreign office said the agreement was a “first milestone” in the ongoing talks. However, this was to change….🤔🤔

The talks faced a stumbling block with opposition groups after a newly passed bill allowing the detention of people without an arrest warrant was presented to the president.

The parliament voted in favour of the 2015 bill and President Mayardit will have to approve it within 30 days for it to become law. This comes ahead of South Sudan’s first-ever election on December 22nd.

Mr Anum Okiech, who is negotiating on behalf of the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliances said;

“This law violates the fundamental rights and freedoms of the South Sudanese people. It eliminates civic and political discourse. There can be no peace or democracy under such law.”

Did you know…

President Salva Kiir Mayardit has led South Sudan since it became independent from Sudan in 2011.

The election on the 22nd December will be the first national vote ever held in South Sudan.

BREAKING NEWS

Rwandans vote on Monday in an election that will almost certainly extend the term of President Paul Kagame.

Watch this space.

^{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!