44th 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 44th 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?}

• Kenyan parliament votes to impeach the Deputy President

• Vote count starts in Mozambique following presidential elections

• Where is the Cameroonian president?

• Somalia, Egypt and Eritrea forge a new path

^{What does this mean?}

The Kenyan parliament this week has approved a motion to impeach the country’s deputy president, following a debate and after the deputy president Rigathi Gachagua appeared in parliament to defend himself against the charges.

Mr Gachagua is accused of supporting anti-government protests in June and being involved in corruption and other irregularities. Prior to his appearance, he accused the legislator who declared the motion of lying, calling it “shameful and sensational.”

The motion was approved by a 281- 44 vote in favour of impeachment, well above the 117 votes constitutionally required. The motion will now go to the parliament's upper house, which will debate the matter and hold a vote.

For impeachment to official, it will need the additional backing of two thirds of senators in the upper house.

Under Kenya’s constitution, the removal from office is automatic if approved by both chambers, though Mr Gachagua plans to challenge the impeachment in court.

President Ruto is yet to publicly comment about the impeachment but is on record in the earlier days of his presidency saying he would not publicly humiliate his deputy, alluding to his troubled relationship when he was deputy president under Uhuru Kenyatta.

With over 16.5 million voters in a nation of 31 million people, the Southern African country of Mozambique awaits the final results. The election will replace the current President Filipe Nyusi after his two terms.

Along with a new president, Mozambicans are expected to vote for 250 members of parliament and provincial assemblies.

While the ruling party, Front for the Liberation of Mozambique known as Frelimo, is widely expected to retain power, at least four candidates have been campaigning to bring change to country which faces insurgencies in the north and a cycle of extreme flooding on the Indian ocean coastline.

Who are the candidates ⬇️

• The ruling party “Frelimo” will be represented by David Chapo who was a former governor of a southern province regarded as the driver of the tourism economy. The ruling party has been in power since independence from Portugal in 1975.

• Mondlane will represent the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique. This party known as “Podemos” was set up by dissidents from the ruling party.

• The Democratic Movement of Mozambique candidate Lutero Simango is widely seen as someone who resonates with the youth because of his policies on inequality and jobs.

• Mozambique National Resistance known as “Renamo” has chosen Ossufo Momade, who became leader following the death of the charismatic Afonso Dhlakama, a former rebel leader.

Counting is underway and it is expected to extend the ruling party’s 49 years in power though opposition leaders are already alleging fraud and manipulation.

Mr Mondlane who poses the biggest challenge tot he governing party said, “I trust the electoral process, but not the people deployed to run the election”.

We await the results.

Did you know…

Mr Chapo, a law professor and former governor would be Mozambique’s first leader born after independence if he wins

Over 1.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to the insurgency, while millions more have faced severe food shortages due to droughts

The authorities in Cameroon has dismissed speculation about the health of 91-year-old President Paul Biya after a long public absence, saying he is away on a visit to Europe and is doing well.

The problem here is, Mr Biya was last seen in public at the China-Africa Summit in China (which we covered here) a month ago. Since then, he has not attended both the U.N. General Assembly and the International Organization of La Francophonie summit in France.

Mr Biya who is currently know to be sick, often travels to Europe, but no details have been publicly shared this time. The authorities believe he is expected to return to Cameroon in the next few days.

We will wait to see.

Did you know…

President Paul Biya is Africa’s second-longest-serving leader and Cameroon’s second president since independence in 1960.

He has been in power since 1982.

The presidents of Somalia, Eritrea and Egypt have agreed to boost and bolster cooperation for regional security amid heightened tensions in the Horn of Africa. T

he three-way summit held in Eritrean capital, Asmara called on the three leaders to bolster ties and improve regional stability by the unequivocal respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the countries of the region.

The security agreement could unsettle Ethiopia, which has thousands of troops in neighbouring Somalia fighting al-Shabab, but has fallen out with Somalia over its plans to build a port in Somalis’ breakaway region of Somaliland.

Somalia has since signed a major military deal with Egypt, while Egypt pledged troops for a new African Union mission against al-Shabab. For years, Egypt and Ethiopia have been in dispute over a construction of a vast hydroelectric dam on the Nile River.

Eritrea has also had issues with Ethiopia despite Eritrean troops having backed the Ethiopian government forces against the 2020-2022 war against the Tigrayan forces. Eretria however, was excluded from peace talks between Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

Did you know…

Al-Shabab has been trying to overthrow the Somali Government since 2006

^{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!