Africa's Week In Brief
Week of May 1 - 5, 2023
TD;LR
Sudan: President Joe Biden said that the conflict “must end” and announced new American sanctions against individuals involved in the war (White House)
100,000 people have left the country and some 334,000 have been internally displaced since fighting broke out (United Nations)
Comfort Ero, the president of the International Crisis Group says that “the Horn is highly strategic, and a microcosm of other international disputes... a place where West meets the East, where the Gulf meets Europe" (The Economist)
“If there is no ceasefire… everything will collapse” — Mohamed Lemine, who heads the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency in Sudan (The Economist).
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and Mozambique of his weeklong tour in Africa, where he is also set to visit three other countries in a bid to counter China’s influence on the continent (Africa News)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visits Ethiopia and Kenya, but the focus will be on Sudan (DW)
Africa’s unique geographic features make it primely positioned to lead green hydrogen production (UN)
I’ll be taking a break from writing next week. See you in two weeks time.
w/o 1 May - 5 May 2023
Graphic of the Week
Credit: Mo Ibrahim Governance Weekend Facts and Figures
In context: Africa holds 30% of the world’s mineral reserves, many of which are critical to renewable and low-carbon technologies including solar, electric vehicles, battery storage, green hydrogen and geothermal. According to the World Bank, in order to meet the expected rise in global demand, production of minerals and metals such as lithium, graphite and cobalt will need to increase by nearly 500% by 2050. This cannot be achieved without Africa’s resources.
Business in Africa
Despite African growth, the continent (54 countries) is still disproportionately poorer than wealthier counterparts.
Credit: Mo Ibrahim Governance Weekend Facts and Figures
China in Africa
Two good articles on Sino-African engagement. The first, Foreign Policy writes that asking Are China and Russia Bad for Africa? is the wrong question. Westerners should ask instead what kind of partnerships their own countries offer to the continent. For those readers of the Africa brief, go check out two special editions; China in Africa and The War In Ukraine for more on this topic.
The second article is from Voice of America reports on Chinese investments in African renewable energy sources, from a solar farm in Namibia to the Kariba Dam in Zimbabwe.
Climate in Africa
Credit: Mo Ibrahim Governance Weekend Facts and Figures
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation finds that green hydrogen technology can replace fossil fuels in hard-to-abate carbon-intensive sectors such as cement, steel, fertilisers, plastics and transport. Africa is expected to be a preferred location for the green hydrogen economy due to its greater land availability, easy access to water sources and port facilities. Many African countries are already seeking to tap this potential:
Namibia is aiming to produce 300,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year by 2026.
Mauritania signed two large-scale green hydrogen projects in 2022 with 40 gigawatts of capacity, enough to power the whole country for over a month.
Democracy in Africa
South Africa has appointed a committee chaired by Deputy President Paul Mashatile. The committee is considering various options on the matter of the International Criminal Court as it relates to the visit of Russian dignitaries due to attend the BRICS summit in South Africa later this year (Times).
Anti-government protests kicked off again in Kenya. Raila Odinga, the opposition leader is rallying support around a list of social grievances including; the high cost of food, fuel and electricity (Africa News).
Job Sikhala, an opposition MP in Zimbabwe, has been jailed for obstructing justice. His jailing prevents him from running in an election that is due to take place in July or August. Activists and lawyers accuse the government of using the justice system to suppress the opposition and rig the elections (The Economist)
Europe in Africa
The Mediterranean sea remains a deadly water crossing from Africa to Europe. In the last ten days more than 200 have died attempting this crossing according to the Tunisian coast guard (BBC).
The EU council has placed ISIS leaders based in Mozambique under targeted sanctions. The move comes as the bloc introduces measures to counter insurgency in the oil-gas-rich Cabo Delgado province and to protect European oil majors operating in the region (News24)
Health in Africa
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance’s executive board is considering starting an already-delayed rollout of a hepatitis B vaccination campaign across several African countries, the campaign could save 500,000 lives (Devex).
Peace and Security in Africa
Burkina Faso
Another week and another terrorist attack in Burkina Faso. This time an attack on a military base leaving 33 soldiers dead amid deteriorating security in the Sahelian country. The Economist estimates government forces control only about 40% of its territory (The Economist).
Sudan
Geostrategic Importance
The Economist writes that the prospects for a protracted war within the country depend on how Sudan’s neighbouring countries react. The country is strategically placed on the Red Sea, making it valuable within the region as well as to China, Russia and the West. For its part, the Wagner Group, is said to be involved in gold mining in Sudan and reportedly arming the RSF. The Kremlin’s main aim is to “thwart a democratic transition in Sudan”, says Samuel Ramani, the author of “Russia in Africa”.
Humanitarian toll
Since fighting broke out on April 15 between a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Army — some 100,000 people have fled Sudan for the country's neighbors. More than 500 people have died according to the W.H.O. says. The U.N. secretary general’s office said it was “immediately” sending Martin Griffiths, the under secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, to Sudan. The agency simultaneously warned that 800,000 people could flee fighting.
Meanwhile, development agencies are continuing their exodus from the country. The USAID is pulling out of the country, a major blow as it was the biggest bilateral donor to Sudan, contributing $734 million in 2021 (OECD). The USAID had redirected funding from the government to civil society and humanitarian relief organizations after a coup in 2021, bypassing the military factions (Devex).
While others leave, the International Committee of the Red Cross is coming to Sudan’s aid with the first humanitarian flight to Sudan landing last Sunday, carrying with it eight metric tons of cargo that include surgical supplies to support hospitals in the country (France 24).
A manifestation of the humanitarian crisis are the scenes playing out at the coastal city of Port Sudan, which has been transformed into a hub for thousands of people displaced by the war seeking to flee the fighting (NYT).
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, the World Food Programme has suspended aid deliveries to Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region following an investigation into reports of food misappropriation and diversion — food is a weapon of war in the region (AP News)
Cheers,
Joshua