WORLD - The African Mirror

May

25

2026

Ministers of 18 muslim-majority states condemn Somaliland’s “Embassy” in Jerusalem as illegal and void

WORLD

SEVERAL Muslim and Arab foreign ministries have issued a joint condemnation of the opening of an office in Jerusalem by representatives of Somaliland, calling the move illegal and a breach of international law. In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Djibouti, Somalia, the State of Palestine, Oman, Sudan, Yemen, Lebanon and Mauritania said the so-called “Somaliland Region” had proceeded to open an “alleged embassy” in Jerusalem — a step they described as “illegal and rejected.” The statement accused the Somaliland office of violating relevant United Nations resolutions…

May

23

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Medicine as a Weapon: How Gaza’s sick and maimed are being starved of care

WORLD

WHEN Dr Renee Van de Weerdt, the World Health Organization's representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, returned from her second visit to Gaza, she found herself searching for adequate language. "Nothing prepares you for Gaza," she told journalists in Geneva on Friday. "I thought going in the second time would make things easier. But it just doesn't." Her words were not the polished diplomatic understatement of a UN official managing optics. They were the confession of a medical professional confronted with something that exceeds the boundaries of conventional humanitarian crisis — a health system methodically reduced to rubble, its patients…

May

23

2026

By JONATHAN ESTE

First Trump, now Putin – all roads lead to Xi Jinping

WORLD

THE red carpet at Beijing Capital International Airport has had something of a workout in recent months. In addition to Donald Trump’s visit from May 13-15 and Vladimir Putin over the past couple of days, a parade of world leaders, including five out of seven G7 leaders, have made the trip to Beijing to visit the Chinese president, Xi Jinping. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, arrives on Friday, and Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, is scheduled to begin a four-day visit on Sunday, May 24. In terms of diplomacy, at the moment, all roads appear to lead to Xi Jinping.…

May

22

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENTS

Kneeling for the camera: How Israel turned a flotilla into a global disgrace

WORLD

THEY came in peace, in lifejackets, aboard a flotilla of more than 50 boats, carrying a symbolic hold of humanitarian cargo and the moral weight of a world grown sick of watching Gaza burn. What they got in return was zip-ties, a concrete floor, and the sneering face of Itamar Ben-Gvir — Israel's far-right National Security Minister — waving an Israeli flag above their bowed heads as the national anthem blared from a loudspeaker. The video Ben-Gvir posted on X, captioned with the words 'Welcome to Israel', may prove to be one of the most strategically self-destructive acts in Israel's…

May

22

2026

By ALEXANDER KOROLEV

Playing host to Putin and Trump, China sends a message – it’s now in the driver’s seat

WORLD

IT'S been quite a week for Beijing, with back-to-back visits by the leaders of the United States and Russia. Chinese President Xi Jinping has had his hands full with hosting duties, gun salutes, photo opportunities, and high-level talks. Each visit was important in its own way. US President Donald Trump’s state visit was his first to Beijing since 2017. It came at a moment of strained China-US relations, with the US at war in the Middle East and its foreign policy undergoing a massive transformation under Trump. For Putin, it was his 25th official visit to China. The trip was…

May

22

2026

By DAVID ROWE

Why Trump and FIFA are perfect bedfellows as the World Cup heads to the US

WORLD

THE 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico is almost upon us. This sporting spectacle – the largest ever World Cup, with 48 teams – will generate many memorable moments. Mexico will get the tournament underway in its capital city on June 12, hosting South Africa. Apart from the on-field action, much attention will be paid to the politics of the World Cup and to two major political players – US President Donald Trump and his FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino. But before a ball is kicked, an earlier media encounter is stubbornly lodged in the…

May

21

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENTS

While the world burns, Xi and Putin meet: a summit at the axis of a new world order

WORLD

THERE are moments in history when the symbolism of a handshake speaks louder than any treaty. The meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday was precisely such a moment - a summit that arrived not in a diplomatic vacuum, but in the eye of the most violent and consequential storm the international order has faced since 1945. The world that watched these two men exchange courtesies at the Great Hall of the People is not the world it was even eighteen months ago. The United States and Israel are at war with…

May

21

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENTS

Gaza’s ceasefire illusion: six months on, Palestinians are still starving and still dying

WORLD

WHEN Israeli and American negotiators unveiled the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict last October, they presented the world with a framework dressed in the language of peace and humanitarian relief. Six months later, the architecture of that plan is crumbling — and the Palestinian civilians it was meant to protect remain hungry, medically abandoned, and in the crosshairs of continued Israeli military action. On Wednesday, the Board of Peace — authorised under UN Security Council Resolution 2803 to monitor compliance with the ceasefire — will brief the Security Council on its six-month progress report. But the report's headline…

May

20

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENTS

Tehran’s peace gambit exposes the chasm between ceasefire and settlement

WORLD

NEARLY three months after the United States and Israel launched a war that has killed thousands of Iranians and displaced hundreds of thousands across Lebanon, the two sides remain separated by a gulf that diplomatic language can barely bridge. Tehran's latest peace proposal, disclosed publicly on Tuesday, lays bare just how far apart Washington and Tehran remain — and how precarious the current ceasefire truly is. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed on Tuesday that Tehran's latest proposal to Washington demands an end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, the withdrawal of US forces from areas close to…

May

20

2026

By The African Mirror

Arakan Army massacre leaves Rohingya survivors with no justice, no homes and no safe return

WORLD

TWO years after Arakan Army fighters killed and wounded hundreds of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, survivors remain displaced, their village destroyed, and no one held accountable, Human Rights Watch said. The rights group said the May 2, 2024, attack in Hoyyar Siri, also known as Htan Shauk Khan, exposed the scale of abuse facing Rohingya civilians caught in Myanmar’s widening conflict. According to Human Rights Watch, the assault began as villagers fled fighting near two military bases in Buthidaung township, only to come under fire from Arakan Army fighters. The group said the attack targeted unarmed civilians and…