33rd 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 33rd 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?}

• South Africa’s ANC party loses majority in elections. What next?

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visits Guinea

• First ever South Korean & “African” Summit 2024 concludes

• Death toll increases as dozens killed in Sudan

• BREAKING NEWS : Somalia has won a seat at the UN Security Council

^{What does this mean?}

South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress lost its majority in a historic election that carves out a new path for the first time in South Africa’s history since the end of apartheid rule nearly 30 years ago.

The legendary party of which Nelson Mandela himself hails from had received just over 40% in the parliamentary elections, falling short of the majority 50% it had held since the all-race vote of 1994.

Anything less than 50% ends the majority stronghold of the ANC and ushers in an era of coalition government, a first for the South African people.

With more than 50 parties contesting in the elections, many of them won tiny shares, but the four main parties are the obvious parties for the ANC approach.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) came second receiving around 21% of the vote. The new MK Party of former ANC leader and former President Jacob Zuma came third with just over 14% of the vote in the first election it has contested. The far-left Economic Freedom Fighters otherwise known as (EEF) came fourth with just over 9% of the vote.

What happens next? 🤔🤔⬇️

Firstly, an agreement of some sort needs to be in place by June 16th, the deadline for South Africa’s new Parliament to sit and elect a president.

The most likely scenario is a unity government rather than a direct coalition between the ANC and the main opposition party the DA. The DA is viewed as a centrist party which favours business, whilst the EEF wants to nationalise parts of the economy which includes the country’s important gold and platinum mines and central bank.

There is also the new MK Party of former President Zuma, which has said it would not negotiate while Ramaphosa is ANC leader, a position driven by Zuma’s personal animosity towards the man who replaced him as president.

There is a also a split within ANC itself, which is not completely behind the unity government possibility and may prefer a coalition government. However, the grassroot party members have opposed direct coalition with DA, sometimes with racial undertones as they believe the while-led DA party prioritises the interests of South Africa’s white minority over Black people.

Following meetings over the past days, the President Cyril Ramaphosa and other senior officials of the ANC said “a government of national unity is the first option on the table as we want to bring everybody on board”.

We wait to see the next steps…

Did you know…

Western Cape is a province the DA has controlled since 2009 and it has done measurably better than the rest of South Africa.

It boasts the country’s lowest jobless rate and its main city of Cape Town is a major tourist destination. Interestingly, even the country’s notorious power cuts are less severe.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is on manoeuvres again. He arrived in Guinea early this week on his latest visit to West Africa, where coups and growing discontent with traditional allies like France and the United States is waning.

Mr Lavrov has visited the African continent several times in the past couple of years as Russia seeks support or maybe at least neutrality. Lavrov met with Guinea’s Foreign Minister Morissanda Kouyate.

Lavrov was due to arrive in the Republic of Congo on Monday, where he was due to meet President Denis Sassou N’Guesso in the city of Oyo. Guinea has been ruled by a military junta since 2021.

Col. Mamadi Doumbouya seized power saying he was preventing Guinea from slipping into chaos and accusing the previous government of broken promises. He dissolved the government without explanation saying a new one will be appointed.

Mr Lavrov visited Mali early last year and pledged military support. He also visited South Africa seen as the most significant of several African nations to take a neutral stance on the war in Ukraine. He also visited Kenya in a bid to reach out to East Africa.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hosted dozens of African leaders in the inaugural Korea-Africa Summit. Representatives of 48 African nations, including 25 heads of state attended the summit which focused on trade and investment.

Following the summit, South Korea will expand development aid to Africa and pursue deeper cooperation with the region of 1.3 bullion people on critical minerals and technology.

The continent is a major source of nickel, cobalt, graphite and lithium, which are crucial for technology industries such as semiconductors , batteries and electric vehicles.

South Korea plans to expand its cumulative development aid to around $10 bn by 2030 and also provide $14bn in export financing to encourage South Korean investment in the region.

Traditionally, North Korea has had long-standing relations with several African nations, including Uganda, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Did you know…

Trade with African nations currently accounts for less than 2% of South Korea’s total imports and exports.

At least 100 people were killed, and dozens were injured when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked a village in Gezira province in Sudan. Women, children and the elderly were among the victims in the RSF attack on Wad al-Noura villiage in Gezira.

UNICEF Executive Director said that at least 35 children were killed and 20 otherers were injured during the attacks.

The Sudanese transitional government in statement condemned the attacks and called for the international community to hold the RSF accountable.

The country has been in turmoil ever since a popular uprising forced the removal of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019. The short-lived transitional government was derailed when the two generals joined forces to lead a military coup in October 2021.

Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the Rapid Support Forces, have been fighting since April, with a series of ceasefires failing to stop the intense fighting.

After falling out, the war began with more than 14,000 people dead, around 7.5 million displaced and nearly half of Sudan’s 49 million people requiring aid.

Somalia has won a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. It will be the first time the country, which descended into civil war more than 30 years ago, has held the position since the 1970s.

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!