Dakar to Riyadh: Links for 8/16/2024
News and analysis from the Sahel, North Africa, the Horn, and the Middle East
Last week’s links are here.
Sahel and West Africa
Lolade Akinmurele at Business Day: “Ownership Battle Rages at Nigeria’s Oldest Bank.”
“A day without the press” in Senegal (video, in French).
Who is negotiating the release of two Wagner Group mercenaries reportedly held by Malian rebels, and what are the rebels’ demands?
The International Federation for Human Rights on political repression in Mali.
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko visited Mali on August 12 and seemed relatively friendly to the junta.
Marco Simoncelli and Luuk van der Sterren in Follow the Money: “A Niger Town Shows the Dark Side of Europe’s Hunt for Energy Independence.”
Amnesty International: “Cote d’Ivoire: Protecting the Environment and People’s Right to Health Against Actions by Corporates.”
North Africa
Nabil al-Rayhani analyzes the upcoming Tunisian presidential elections for Al Jazeera, focusing on the contrasting perspectives of President Kais Saied and his opponents; much depends on whether one sees the events of July 2021 - when Saied dismissed his own government - as a “correction” or a coup.
Campaigning began on August 15 for the Algerian presidential elections, scheduled for September 7.
Jacob Mundy for World Politics Review: “The U.S., France and Spain Are Deluding Themselves on Western Sahara.”
Chad opens a consulate in the Western Sahara.
A return to civil war in Libya, as Khalifa Haftar’s forces advance in the southwest?
Greater Horn of Africa
A second round of Turkish-mediated talks between Somalia and Ethiopia over a port deal Addis Ababa signed with the breakaway Somaliland region ended without a deal on Tuesday, but Turkey and ministers from both countries sounded upbeat on progress.
The negotiations held in Ankara have attempted to repair relations between the East African neighbours, whose relationship nosedived in January when Ethiopia agreed to lease 20 km (12 miles) of coastline from Somaliland in exchange for recognition of its independence.
Wedaeli Chibelushi, Imogen Foulkes, and Kalkidan Yibetal for the BBC: “Sudan Peace Talks Start - But Neither Side Shows Up.”
Halkano Wario: “Kenya’s Court Backlogs Keep Drug Lords on the Streets.”
Mashriq
Paul Adams on “spiraling violence” in the West Bank:
Seconds later, a man in jeans and a dark T-shirt emerges from the direction of the white van, uniformed Israeli soldiers behind him.
He raises a handgun and shoots Abdel Nasser dead.
Soon, the street is full of Israeli soldiers. They retrieve Abdel Nasser's rifle and, as his colleagues try to retrieve his body, continue to shoot – all captured on CCTV.
Orla Guerin for the BBC: “Lebanese Hold Their Breath as Mediators Scramble to Avert All-Out War.”
SIPRI: “Strengthening Social Cohesion in the Nineveh Plains of Iraq: Issues of Common Concern and Local Cooperative Solutions.”
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Tuesday strongly condemned the storming of his Office’s representation in Sana’a by the Ansar Allah de facto authorities and renewed his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all UN staff detained in Yemen.
Luca Nevola and Valentin d’Hauthuille for ACLED: “Six Houthi Drone Warfare Strategies: How Innovation Is Shifting the Regional Balance of Power.”
A “crisis cabinet” for Iran.
Google Threat Analysis Group: “Iranian Backed Group Steps Up Phishing Campaigns Against Israel, U.S.”
Recall This Book (podcast): “Shaul Magid on the Jewish Radicalism of Meir Kahane.”