South Africa, China and Russia are set to commence a 10-day naval exercise – “Mosi II” – off the coast of Durban, South Africa in the Indian Ocean on the 24th of February, 2023. South Africa is engaging in the exercise as a way to strengthen its navy, which in
When Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned during a speech in 2014 that “we all need to work together to avoid the Thucydides Trap”, many wondered about the extent to which China would adhere to its own exhortation. This weekend, China announced at its annual ‘Two Sessions’ of the National People’s
When US presidential – even House and Senate elections, for that matter – take place, it is no exaggeration to say that the world tunes in. Of course, there is a legitimate reason behind this: what happens within the global hegemon’s borders affects all regions of the world and thus
Tropical cyclone Freddy has torn through southern Malawi for the second time on Monday this week, leaving hundreds displaced with no water or basic sanitation and many searching for or grieving loved ones. Although the cyclone is gone, Malawi is “expected to keep receiving heavy rains,” and with that, a potential
After a tumultuous pre-election period given the ongoing state of violence in large parts of the country and widespread doubts cast on the electoral commission, this past Wednesday (March 1st) saw Nigeria announce their new president, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress. Winning just 37% of the vote, the
The African Union – comprising 55 Member States representing the countries of the African continent – met on the 18th of February in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for their annual two-day Ordinary Session of the Assembly. Their agenda included topics ranging from trade to present-day conflicts challenging parts of the continent,
On his “pilgrimage of peace” along with the heads of churches of England and Scotland, Pope Francis is on a six-day peace mission in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Not only is the trip aimed at encouraging transformation in terms of violence and poverty within these
Outspoken human rights activist, lawyer and chairperson of a body of pro-democracy organisations, Thulani Maseko, was murdered on the 22nd of January in his home in Luyengo, Eswatini. The tragedy has fuelled outrage and condemnation from many within Eswatini, the European Union, the United Nations, the United Kingdom and human
50 women and girls were kidnapped between the 12th and 13th of January in Burkina Faso in the country’s Sahel region. The BBC reports that the girls had been foraging for wild fruit when armed men attacked and subsequently abducted them. Although a first in terms of the nature of
Following nearly fifty years of Moroccan control over Western Sahara (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, as it would like to be known), last week Wednesday saw the meeting between Irish and Western Saharan politicians in Dublin to discuss this issue of diplomatic recognition for the territory. Security Council Report expects the
