Domestic Politics
During his visit to the African Union summit, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari promised to free every child abducted by the terrorist group Boko Haram. [All Africa]
International Relations
African Union leaders met in Ethiopia this past week for a two-day summit with the theme of “Silencing the Guns”. However, this initiative was initially launched in 2013 with a 2020 target. Progress has been made in the Central African Republic (CAR), Mozambique, and South Sudan. However, there is an ongoing civil war in Libya, and there are militia attacks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia. [The Africa Report]
Kenya has angered the African Union by discussing a trade deal with the United States during Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta’s visit to the White House. The AU argues that this contravenes the new African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which states that a country but notify the union when “intends to enter into a free-trade agreement” and that “any preferences given to a third party must also be accorded to the” AU members. [Africa Feeds]
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with African leaders and UN representatives on the sidelines of the 33rd African Union Summit. He discussed ways to secure peace in the continent and the role of international financial institutions and peacekeeping in his role as the 2020 chair of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission. He also wished to garner support for Canada’s accession to the UN Security Council. [The East African]
Environment
The United Nations warned that the 14 million people in East Africa will be gravely affected by the ongoing locust plague, and make the region “severely food insecure”. The body urged donors to meet a target of $76 million needed to control the invasion. Thus far, only $21 million has been contributed. Per day, the omnivorous locusts eat more food than 84 million people. [The East African]
Economy
South Africa added 45,000 jobs during the fourth economic quarter in 2019, but the unemployment figure remains stagnant at 29.1% as the working-age population increased by 145,000 during the same period. Statistics South Africa’s quarterly labor force survey was released on Tuesday and revealed that 6.7 million South Africans are unemployed. [Mail & Guardian]
Law
Sudan has signaled its intent to hand over ex-President Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court to face charges of genocide and war crimes committed during the 2003 Darfur conflict that led to the death of 300,000 and the displacement of millions. [Africa Feeds]
A Zimbabwean court ordered the deportation of 21 Ugandans for entering the country illegally.
Image Source: CTV News