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Saudi crown prince, African leaders call for end to war in Gaza

Saudi crown prince, African leaders call for end to war in Gaza

SAUDI Arabia's crown prince on Friday called for an end to the war in Gaza, a stance later echoed in a declaration with African leaders attending a summit in Riyadh. "We condemn what the Gaza Strip is facing from military assault, targeting of civilians, the violations of international law by the Israeli occupation authorities," Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said during the African-Saudi summit in the kingdom's capital. "We stress on the need to stop this war and the forced displacement of Palestinians," he added. Israeli air strikes hit three Gaza hospitals and a school on Friday, killing at least 27 people,…
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Africa’s peace mission to Ukraine: Brazil, SA leaders talk

Africa’s peace mission to Ukraine: Brazil, SA leaders talk

BRAZILIAN President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he had discussed the war between Russia and Ukraine and an upcoming BRICS summit with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa as they met in Paris. Ramaphosa recently led a delegation of African leaders to Russia and Kyiv seeking to share the continent's "perspective on finding peace in Ukraine," but key elements of their peace plan ended up being rebuffed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Lula has also pitched himself as a peace broker to end the war, which began when Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. The Brazilian leader irritated Western countries…
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African leaders in Sierra Leone played a key role in ending the transatlantic slave trade

African leaders in Sierra Leone played a key role in ending the transatlantic slave trade

FREETOWN, the capital of Sierra Leone on the west African coast, was named for the freed slaves who were returned to Africa by British members of the movement to end slavery. Founded in 1787 by a group of 400 black Britons from London, the colony ultimately became a refuge for nearly 100,000 people resettled by the British Anti-Slavery Naval Squadron. As a historian focusing on the impact of abolitionism, I have studied this history and the founding of modern Sierra Leone. Author BRONWEN EVERILL, Director, Centre for African Studies, University of Cambridge There is a misconception that Britain was the…
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African leaders start peace mission in Ukraine despite Russian missile barrage

African leaders start peace mission in Ukraine despite Russian missile barrage

PRESIDENT Volodymyr Zelenskiy said after meeting African leaders in Kyiv that peace talks with Russia would be possible only after Moscow withdraws its forces from occupied Ukrainian territory. His comments signalled no change in Kyiv's long-held stance on peace talks, despite the African delegation's hopes of mediating an end to the war that has raged since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. "To allow any negotiations with Russia now while the occupier is on our land is to freeze the war, to freeze everything: pain and suffering," Zelenskiy told a joint press conference with the African delegation. "We need real…
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African leaders seek to persuade Russia, Ukraine to cease hostilities

African leaders seek to persuade Russia, Ukraine to cease hostilities

SIX African leaders propose that Ukraine accept opening peace talks with Russia even as Russian troops remain on its soil, South Africa's presidency said, as South African officials prepare to visit both countries to sell the idea. Ukraine has said Russian troops must withdraw from its territory before talks start, while Moscow wants Kyiv to recognise Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014, as a precondition for negotiations. Russian forces carried out a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. "First is the cessation of hostilities. Second is a framework for lasting peace," South African Presidency Spokesman Vincent…
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Kremlin says African Ukraine peace delegation will visit Moscow

Kremlin says African Ukraine peace delegation will visit Moscow

THE Kremlin said that a delegation from African countries hoping to present an initiative to end the conflict in Ukraine would visit Moscow. Several countries have offered to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, including China, whose special envoy began touring Europe this week in a bid to promote Beijing's plan. Details of the African plan have not been publicly revealed, but South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russia's Vladimir Putin have agreed to meet African leaders. "A group of countries will indeed send a delegation, which will also be in Moscow," Kremlin spokesman…
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Russia, Ukraine to receive African mission on potential peace plan, Pretoria says

Russia, Ukraine to receive African mission on potential peace plan, Pretoria says

SOUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy had agreed to meet a group of African leaders to discuss a potential peace plan for the conflict. Details of the plan have not been publicly divulged, although Ukraine's stated position for any peace deal is that all Russian troops must withdraw from its territory. "My discussions with the two leaders demonstrated that they are both ready to receive the African leaders and to have a discussion on how this conflict can be brought to an end," Ramaphosa told a joint press briefing with the…
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$30-billion plan to help Africa feed itself

$30-billion plan to help Africa feed itself

BATE FELIX DEVELOPMENT partners have committed $30 billion to boost food production in Africa over the next five years, the president of the African Development Bank said on Friday at the close of a summit on food security on the continent. The continent is facing its worst food crisis ever, with more than one in five Africans – a record 278 million people – facing hunger, according to United Nations estimates. A major theme of the three-day summit in the Senegalese capital Dakar was that African countries need to boost their food production capacity rather than relying on imports that have left them…
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US-Africa summit: four things African leaders should try to get out of it

US-Africa summit: four things African leaders should try to get out of it

US president Joe Biden will be hosting African leaders at this week’s summit, as a group. This has its advantages. The 50 African leaders have the opportunity to articulate their common interests and adopt common positions at the gathering in Washington, DC. The priorities they should be focusing on are the following. African Union membership of the G20 group of the world’s largest economies. It is important for Africa to be represented in international conversations that concern the global economy, democracy and governance, climate change, health and security. Author CHRISTOPHER ISIKE, Director, African Centre for the Study of the United…
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