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Germany supports African Union’s bid to join G20 – foreign minister

Germany supports African Union’s bid to join G20 – foreign minister

Germany supports the African Union's bid to gain membership of the G20 group of large economies, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on a visit to South Africa. Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock walks with South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, ahead of the South Africa-Germany Bi-National Commission in Pretoria, South Africa June 27, 2023. REUTERS/Alet Pretorius Thomson Reuters Foundation
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Wagner Group mercenaries in Africa: why there hasn’t been any effective opposition to drive them out

Wagner Group mercenaries in Africa: why there hasn’t been any effective opposition to drive them out

IT is easy to understand what African rulers see in the mercenary group Wagner. Its fighters can be deployed quickly. It brings sophisticated arms with it and can apply force speedily and ruthlessly. Alternative sources of military muscle have flaws: United Nations missions lack robust mandates; African Union (AU) forces lack the arms and motivation; European Union interveners bear the legacy of colonial repression. The US has little interest in Africa beyond supporting fights against Salafi terrorists. JOHN F. CLARK, Professor Politics and International Relations, Florida International University The Wagner Group was set up by Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2014 as…
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India’s Modi seeks African Union’s full membership in G20

India’s Modi seeks African Union’s full membership in G20

INDIAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written to the leaders of the G20 nations proposing the African Union be given full, permanent membership of the diplomatic group at its upcoming summit in India, an official source said. Modi's proposal to grant the African Union full membership in the G20 demonstrates India's commitment to strengthening Africa's representation and partnership in shaping global affairs, the source said. The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world's major developed and developing economies. The members represent around 85% of global GDP, over 75% of global trade, and about two-thirds of…
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Can Music, Art, and Religion accelerate intra-Africa trade?

Can Music, Art, and Religion accelerate intra-Africa trade?

WITH its increasing emphasis on music, art, storytelling and religion as unifying factors among 54 African countries, it is anticipated that the Africa Continental Free Trade Area-the world's largest single market will be implemented more quickly. As the continent gears up for this year's Africa Day celebrations on May 25th, several organisations are hosting events around these themes to appreciate diverse cultures and languages and holding online conversations on the role of faith in fostering social and economic integration. Africa Day is an event that signifies the establishment of the African Union and honours the continent's pursuit of unity. The…
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African migrants suffer under crackdown in Tunisia

African migrants suffer under crackdown in Tunisia

ANGUS MCDOWALL SINCE Tunisia's president announced a crackdown on illegal immigration last week using language the African Union denounced as racialised, Malian construction worker Mohamed Kony has been evicted from his apartment and sacked from his job. Unemployed, homeless and without legal residency, he now fears he will face the fate of several of his friends who have been attacked on the street. "I am confused and worried," said Kony, 32, who has lived in Tunis for five years and appeared well-liked in his neighbourhood, where Tunisian residents said they enjoyed his cheerful demeanour and often employed him for small…
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African Union criticises Tunisia over ‘racialised hate speech’ against migrants

African Union criticises Tunisia over ‘racialised hate speech’ against migrants

THE African Union (AU) has criticised Tunisia and urged it to avoid "racialised hate speech" after President Kais Saied ordered the expulsion of undocumented migrants and said immigration was a plot aimed at changing his country's demographic makeup. Tunisia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday it was surprised by the AU statement issued late on Friday, and rejected what it called "baseless accusations" that it said misunderstood the government's position. The AU voiced what it said was "deep shock and concern at the form and substance of the statement" issued by Tunisian authorities and reminded Tunisia of its obligation within the…
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Top Israeli diplomat ejected from African Union summit as row escalates

Top Israeli diplomat ejected from African Union summit as row escalates

A senior Israeli diplomat was removed from the African Union's annual summit in Ethiopia, as a dispute over Israel's accreditation to the bloc escalated. Images posted online showed AU security personnel confronting the diplomat during the opening ceremony of the summit, before she left the auditorium. "Israel looks harshly upon the incident in which the deputy director for Africa, Ambassador Sharon Bar-Li, was removed from the African Union hall despite her status as an accredited observer with entrance badges," the foreign ministry said. Ebba Kalondo, the spokesperson for the African Union's commission chairman, said the diplomat had been removed because she was…
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Israeli diplomat ejected from African Union summit

Israeli diplomat ejected from African Union summit

DAWIT ENDESHAW A senior Israeli diplomat was removed from the African Union's annual summit in Ethiopia, as a dispute over Israel's accreditation to the bloc escalated. Images posted online showed AU security personnel confronting the diplomat during the opening ceremony of the summit, before she left the auditorium. "Israel looks harshly upon the incident in which the deputy director for Africa, Ambassador Sharon Bar-Li, was removed from the African Union hall despite her status as an accredited observer with entrance badges," the foreign ministry said. Ebba Kalondo, the spokesperson for the African Union's commission chairman, said the diplomat had been removed because…
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Africa should not be arena for international competition, says Chinese foreign minister

Africa should not be arena for international competition, says Chinese foreign minister

DAWIT ENDESHAW AFRICA should not be an arena for competition between world powers, China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Wednesday, opening a new headquarters for a pan-African health body at the start of a five-country Africa tour. Qin visited facilities of the African Union in Addis Ababa, including the new headquarters of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. China financed the complex's construction, as it previously did for the headquarters of the AU itself, also based in the Ethiopian capital. China has been Africa's largest trading partner for over a decade. It competes for influence with the…
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Parties to war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region agree to stop fighting

Parties to war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region agree to stop fighting

ALEXANDER WINNING and TIM COCKS THE Ethiopian government and regional forces from Tigray agreed to cease hostilities, a dramatic diplomatic breakthrough two years into a war that has killed thousands, displaced millions and left hundreds of thousands facing famine. Just over a week after formal peace talks mediated by the African Union (AU) began in the South African capital Pretoria, delegates from both sides signed an agreement described by an AU official as a "permanent cessation of hostilities". "The two parties in the Ethiopian conflict have formally agreed to the cessation of hostilities as well as to systematic, orderly, smooth and coordinated disarmament,"…
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