Dakar to Riyadh: Links for 11/22/2024
News and analysis from the Sahel, North Africa, the Horn, and the Middle East
General
Grieve Chelwa has edited a new book: Can Africans Do Economics? (Inkani Books). Readers of this site might be particularly interested in the chapter by Ndongo Samba Sylla, titled “‘Live as African’: Thomas Sankara’s Agenda for Economic Liberation.”
Sahel and West Africa
Senegal held legislative elections on November 17, and President Diomaye Faye’s party won massively. I analyzed the results and the context here.
Mali’s Prime Minister Choguel Maïga, a civilian, gave a fiery speech criticizing the ruling junta that had appointed him in 2021. He was sacked, along with his government, and replaced with General Abdoulaye Maïga (no relation), who previously subbed in for C. Maïga when the latter was on medical leave in 2022. And what was Choguel Maïga trying to accomplish, anyways?
Bloomberg: “Resolute Mining Ltd. will pay the Mali government about $160 million as it seeks to resolve a tax dispute that’s seen its chief executive officer detained for more than a week.”
In Nigeria, debate continues over whether World Bank-backed economic reforms are working. I’ve discussed the issue here.
The European Union “appoints João Cravinho as new Special Representative for the Sahel region.”
At African Arguments, Chidi Odinkalu and Chepkorir Sambu assess the legacies of the Berlin West Africa Conference:
The legacies of the Berlin Conference in and on Africa endure. The response of the continent’s leadership has until recently been lacking in coherence and urgency. The deepening of regional integration in the African Union which was supposed to address the colonial atomization of the continent has stalled. In parts of the continent, it is experiencing reversal or now confined only to trade in goods. Similarly efforts to address atrocity violence through transitional justice around Africa confine themselves to cases of post-colonial violence, without recognizing or addressing the lingering traumas from colonial era violence. While the movement for reparations for colonial atrocities, including the repatriation of pillaged African arts gathers pace, it faces renewed resistance from the emergence of illiberal governments in the capitals of perpetrator states who were at the Berlin Conference. On the 140th anniversary of the Berlin Conference, these trends underscore the need for renewed attention to an event whose consequences for both Africa and international law were seminal but not always constructive.
Kent Mensah for The Africa Report: “Bawumia vs Mahama: Two Opposing Visions Face off in Ghana’s Election.”
North Africa
Libya held local elections on November 16, with turnout estimated at 74%. I have not seen anything about results yet. Meanwhile, not everyone sees this moment as a hopeful one.
International Criminal Court: “Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC to the United Nations Security Council on the Situation in Libya, pursuant to Resolution 1970 (2011).”
In Morocco, Crown Prince Moulay El Hassen received Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Souhail Karam at Bloomberg: “Tunisia Opposition Leader Is Hospitalized After Acid Attack.”
Tunisian President Kais Saied calls for reform of the sports sector, which is, he says, “undermined by corruption and sabotage.”
In Algeria, the accused scammer Yacoub Belhassine goes on trial.
Also in Algeria, the French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal has been arrested on charges of undermining national unity.
Greater Horn of Africa
The breakaway territory of Somaliland held presidential elections on November 13. Opposition candidate Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Cirro) defeated incumbent President Muse Bihi Abdi. You can find a biography of Cirro here.
Jacinta Mutura at Kenya’s The Standard:
At least 60 people were killed during the Gen-Z protests in June and July, according to a report by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). The report also revealed that 74 protesters were forcibly disappeared between June and November 2024, with 26 still missing.
Trisha Thomas at the Associated Press: “The U.S. special envoy for Sudan said Thursday, just days after his first visit to the war-wrecked country since taking his post, that he doesn't see enough of ‘political appetite’ from the warring parties to reach a resolution to the conflict.”
Damian Zane and Will Ross at the BBC:
In a move strongly condemned by the UK and US, Russia has vetoed a draft UK-backed UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Sudan.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the veto a "disgrace". But Russia accused the UK of meddling in Sudanese affairs without involving Sudan itself.
Martin Siele for Semafor:
Kenya’s government has canceled all public-private partnership contracts signed with subsidiaries of India’s Adani Group.
It follows the indictment of billionaire Gautam Adani in New York on Wednesday.
Chinedu Okafor at Business Insider Africa: “3 Way Power Deal Between Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania in the Works.”
Simon Vera at The New Humanitarian: “Who is Fano? Inside Ethiopia’s Amhara Rebellion.”
Mashriq
The International Criminal Court has issued warrants for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Beirut Urban Lab: “Visualizing Violence: The Beirut Urban Lab maps the scale and impact of the ongoing Israeli assault on Lebanon.”
Hayder al-Shakeri and Renad Mansour for Chatham House: “How Supply Chains Fuel Transnational Conflict in the Middle East.”
The Financial Times: “Assad Is Sitting Tight as Syria Burns.”
Ben Stockton and Hajar Meddah write about McKinsey and the Gulf in The Guardian:
Behind closed doors, [McKinsey] has also helped the Saudi kingdom find lucrative ways to keep its oil industry afloat. While the identities of the firm’s clients and how much they pay for its advice are closely guarded secrets, documents analysed by the Centre for Climate Reporting (CCR) and the Guardian reveal that Neom accounted for at least 5% of McKinsey’s revenue in the United Arab Emirates in 2023. Meanwhile, state-owned Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil company by output, accounted for between 1% and 5% of McKinsey’s UAE revenue in the same period. (McKinsey’s operation in the UAE is a major hub for its work across the Middle East.) Aramco’s CEO earlier this year described the phase-out of oil as a “fantasy” that should be abandoned.
Human Rights Watch: “The Man Who Bought The World: Rights Abuses Linked to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Its Chairman, Mohammed bin Salman.”
Timur Azhari at Reuters: "Iraq’s Missing Yazidis: Inside the Long Search for Islamic State Captives.”
UNDP on Iraq and COP29:
Iraq's climate change story is a challenging one, with Iraqis bearing the cost at every step. With a population approaching 43 million, the pressure on resources has increased, and each summer is hotter than the last, with temperatures exceeding 50°C. Studies indicate that the Mesopotamian basin, the cradle of civilization, could become uninhabitable if global temperatures continue to rise at the rate they currently do. Iraq also faces water shortages due to decreased flows in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers—a critical challenge, as about 70% of Iraq’s fresh water depends on these rivers. These factors, combined with Iraq’s location and ongoing crises, place it among the most climate-affected countries.
Speaking of Iraq, the country has also launched a new census effort.
The Financial Times: “The Peacekeepers Under Attack in the Israel-Hizbollah War.”
Cash Consortium of Yemen: “The Unseen Assistance: Measuring Informal Social Protection in Yemen.”