Dakar to Riyadh: Links for 4/25/2025
News and analysis from the Sahel, North Africa, the Horn, and the Middle East
Last week’s links can be found here.
General
Issue 4 of the revived Souffles magazine is out, on the theme of “Afro-Arab Trajectories.” It looks fantastic.
Five candidates are running to replace Nigeria’s Akinwumi Adesina as head of the African Development Bank. The Brookings Institution held a forum with them on April 24. Writing at Semafor, W. Gyude Moore calls for reform: “I would focus on three core primary concerns: Grow the Bank’s investable capital; link infrastructure development to value addition; and expand Africa’s skilled labor force.”
Sahel and West Africa
What could happen if - following an audit of the previous administration’s finances - Senegalese President Diomaye Faye refuses to pay the country’s debts?
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko is preparing a national strategy to combat begging and “vagabondage.”
In Mali, “many dozens of bodies found” near Kwala (Koulikoro Region) after the Malian Armed Forces and the Wagner Group conducted mass arrests in Sébabougou (Kayes Region).
A “widely followed” strike by Mali’s banking and financial union on April 17-18 quickly yielded negotiations with the authorities.
Jeune Afrique profiles Brigadier General Moussa Diallo, head of the Burkinabè military.
An Ivorian appeals court has upheld the removal of ex-banker Tidjane Thiam from the list of candidates for October’s presidential elections. His Democratic Party of Cote d’Ivoire insists he remains their candidate.
In Ghana, President John Mahama has suspended Supreme Court Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
Isaac Anyaogu for Reuters: “ISWAP Claims Responsibility for Deadly Attacks in Nigeria.”
An IMF delegation visited Nigeria from April 2-15. Their readout is, unsurprisingly, very positive on Nigeria’s highly controversial economic reforms, and encourages authorities to stay the course.
North Africa
Djallil Lounnas for the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation: “The North African Foreign Fighter Returnees After the Fall of al-Assad’s Regime: Risks, Challenges and Scenarios.”
In Morocco, controversy around the decision by the former ruling Justice and Development Party to invite a Hamas delegation to its party conference.
Amnesty International: “Algeria: Authorities Step up Crackdown on Peaceful Dissent in the Face of New Expressions of Discontent.”
Simon Cordall at Al Jazeera: “‘I Don’t Know Where I Will Go’: Refugees Run out of Options in Tunisia.”
Amnesty International: “Tunisia: Mass Convictions of Opposition Activists after Sham Trial Marks a Dangerous Moment.”
Kersten Knipp at DW: “Russia's Role in Trafficking, Smuggling from Libya to EU.”
Greater Horn of Africa
France24 has a five-part series on “European Weapons in Sudan.” Part 1 is here.
The New Humanitarian: “‘I Am Going to Saudi Arabia, or My Grave’: The Exodus of Ethiopia’s Frustrated Youth.”
UN News:
In total, 3.6 million of the “most vulnerable” people in Ethiopia stand to lose WFP food and nutrition assistance unless funding arrives urgently, warned Zlatan Milisic, the UN agency’s Country Director.
“Over 10 million people in Ethiopia are acutely food insecure. This includes three million people displaced by conflict and extreme weather. Malnutrition rates are alarmingly high,” he told journalists in Geneva via video-link.
Monique Vanek at Bloomberg: “Kenya Set to Overtake Ethiopia as East Africa’s Top Economy.”
Dake Kang for the Associated Press: “Kenyan President Vows Closer Ties to China During Visit Amid Trump’s Trade War.”
Herald Aloo at The Africa Report: “Refiners, strategic oil stores… While traditional partners hesitate, Emirati firms are fast-tracking energy investment across East Africa.”
Ragip Soylu for Middle East Eye:
The United Arab Emirates deployed a military radar in Somalia’s Puntland earlier this year to defend Bosaso airport against potential Houthi attacks from Yemen, sources familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye.
Satellite imagery from early March reveals that the Israeli-made ELM-2084 3D Active Electronically Scanned Array Multi-Mission Radar was installed near the airport.
Publicly available air traffic data indicates that the UAE is increasingly using Bosaso airport to supply the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan.
Voice of America’s Harun Maruf with a Twitter essay on the fight against the Islamic State in Puntland.
Mashriq
Al Jazeera’s Ahmad Hasan Ismail profiles Egypt’s Taher Elgamal and his contributions to the development of e-commerce.
Patrick Sykes for Bloomberg: “Turkish Gold Contracts Trade at Huge Premiums as Buyers Pile In.”
A new book, compiled by Ahmed Alnaouq and Pam Bailey: We Are Not Numbers: The Voices of Gaza’s Youth.
PBS’ John Yang interviews Gavin Kelleher of the Norwegian Refugee Council about conditions in Gaza:
The situation here on the ground in Gaza is one of utter desperation. People are already running out of the things that they need to stay alive. Civilians are being attacked incessant military violence. People are being displaced in their hundreds of thousands. More than 420,000 people displaced in the last month alone. And people are being denied access to the basics they need to survive, including food and dwindling access to water.
The Financial Times: “What Will an Emboldened Netanyahu Do Next?”
Jordanian authorities crack down on the Muslim Brotherhood, accusing the organization of destabilizing activities.
Haid Haid in Al Majalla: “Syria's 8th Brigade Disbands: A Blueprint for Military Consolidation?”
Amwaj Media on Iraqi politics:
Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’ Al-Sudani has officially declared his intention to run in Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections. The long expected announcement has stirred intense debate in political circles over proposed electoral law reforms, and the stability of Shiite political alliances that brought the premier to power. With Sudani’s intentions clearer, and with the election date officially confirmed for Nov. 11, the stage is set for a fiercely contested ballot that could reshape Iraq’s political map.
The Economist: “How a Saudi Nuclear Reactor Could Accelerate an Arms Race.”
International Crisis Group’s Brian Finucane: “The Trump Administration’s Renewed Conflict with the Houthis.”
Jon Gambrell for the AP: “Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Fire a Missile at Northern Israel, the First Time for the Group to Reach There.”
Politico’s Felicia Schwartz: “US Names Michael Anton to Lead Technical Talks with Iran.”
Yves Marin at OrientXXI: “Oman: The Modernized but Still Authoritarian Dynasty.”