Hopes for an historic reset linking security to a US-backed minerals and infrastructure deal have been overshadowed by fresh fighting displacing 200,000 people
It has taken less than a week for a brutal reality to intrude on the brash hopes for the peace accord signed between Congo-Kinshasa and Rwanda in Washington...
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After four African deals, Washington claims there are advanced negotiations ongoing with 20 more countries for bilateral health pacts
After the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) comes America First healthcare. In the week ending 13 December, Lesotho, Eswatini and Uganda joined Kenya in signing agreements...
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US legislators eyeing extension of trade deal as they fear Russia and China filling the vacuum
Ten weeks after its expiry on 30 September, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is close to being reborn, at least for three years. Less clear is...
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Move comes after US President boycotted Johannesburg meeting
United States President Donald Trump’s administration is intensifying its diplomatic feud with South Africa, inviting Poland to next year’s G20 summit in Miami and excluding South Africa. President...
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$1.7 billion of health assistance announced as replacement for USAID funding
Kenya will get US$1.7 billion of United States funding in the first of a series of bilateral health spending pacts that will replace assistance from the United States...
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Presidential allies blame political agendas and sabotage within the military for failure to protect citizens
In early November, officers in the Department of State Services received intelligence about a planned abduction at Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, Kebbi State. They...
Puntland’s war on Da’ish drags on and piracy revives as President Said Deni prioritises electioneering above paying for troops
Puntland’s bitter campaign against Islamic State (IS or Da’ish), backed by United States special forces, shows no sign of let-up despite 11 months of fighting and the capture...
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There are also still no plans for withdrawal of Rwandan troops or M23’s disarmament at the heart of the fighting in the Kivu provinces
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has hedged on the prospect of a peace deal with Congo-Kinshasa being signed in Washington DC next week, accusing the Kinshasa government of having...
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ExxonMobil won’t recommit to its gas export scheme until Maputo agrees resumption terms with TotalEnergies
Over US$50 billion of gas investments are riding on the outcome of a financial fight between President Daniel Chapo’s government and France’s TotalEnergies Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanné. The...
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US President says any attack would be ‘fast, vicious and sweet’ after Abuja officials claim separatist lobbyists are misleading Washington
Rejecting Washington’s 31 October designation of Nigeria as a country which violates religious freedom, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said it did ‘not reflect our national reality’. He added...
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Kinshasa balks at signing economic framework as Kigali-backed rebels consolidate territorial gains and set up proto-state
The pressure is mounting on Massad Boulos, senior Africa advisor to United States President Donald Trump, after the latest setback to his efforts to corral Congo-Kinshasa and Rwanda...
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Kinshasa gets tough on cobalt quotas and mining leases under industry veteran and new mines minister Watum Kabamba
Congo-Kinshasa’s new Minister of Mines of Louis Watum Kabamba has inherited an ever more complex web of mining and trading relationships in a country that produces over 70%...
Washington-based BGR Group hired ex-Paris CIA station chief to aid defendants in sovereign wealth fund and hidden loans scandals
More questions are being raised about the accountability of lobbying companies after it has emerged in filings lodged with the United States government that veteran CIA agent Dale...
Calling for a three-month humanitarian truce and banning Islamists, the Quad plan brings civilian politicians into talks for a post-war transition
After multiple failed attempts to chart a route out of Sudan’s devastating civil war, the statement by the Quad – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the...
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EU seeks to deepen trade relationship with South Africa in response to US protectionism
President Cyril Ramaphosa faces crunch trade talks with United States President Donald Trump’s administration next week, with talks expected on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly...
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With the country on the brink of a new war, dissident former deputy chief of staff Thomas Cirillo is planning a visit to Washington
With South Sudan on the brink of return to war, one of the main holdouts to the 2018 peace agreement is returning to the political fray.
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President Trump’s threat of 50% tariffs decimated textile factories, exposing the government’s limited choices
Almost three years after Sam Matekane’s Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) stormed to power on an anti-corruption and pro-business platform, Lesotho is reeling from tariff whiplash, a suspended United...
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Denmark among European countries considering follow UK and US lead
Rwanda has become the latest African state to accept foreign deportees from United States after confirming that it had received seven people expelled by Washington.
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A secret meeting in Zurich between US President Donald Trump’s envoy and SAF Commander Burhan may cut across the regional rivalries blocking negotiations
A three-hour meeting in Zurich between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) commander General Abdel Fattah al Burhan and United States President Donald Trump’s Senior Africa Advisor Massad Boulos on...
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The defence chief’s foreign policy pronouncement in Tehran exposes President Ramaphosa’s waning authority
The most serious problem with South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya’s visit to Iran from 12 to 14 August was that President Cyril Ramaphosa...
After recognising Israel in return for US backing on Western Sahara, Morocco is maximising its commercial gains
Morocco is vying with Egypt to become United States President Donald J Trump’s main ally in North Africa, after recognising Israel, with which it has long-standing security ties,...
Pretoria warns of long-term economic damage as the US weaponises trade for political pressure
There is little prospect of short term relief from the United States increasing tariffs to 30% on a wide range of South African imports, with the new rates...
The worst was averted – yet oil states and surplus exporters still face steep duties, as Lesotho breathes easier and AGOA’s future hangs in the balance
The final tariff sweep was softer than feared – but still sharp enough to sting. Algeria, Libya and South Africa will face 30% tariffs on goods exports, while...
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Hargeisa is also offering the US a Red Sea military base
Somaliland’s President Abdirahman Mahamed Abdullahi Irro is the latest African leader to appeal to US President Donald Trump’s transactional instincts by offering Washington a military base on the...
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With a close eye on the oil and gas reserves managed in Tripoli and old ties to rogue General Khalifa Haftar, United States President Donald Trump is...
As the EU spends over US$9 billion on migration deals with African states, Washington is pushing its own plan
Opposition is mounting to efforts by US President Donald Trump’s administration to persuade African states to accept third-country deportees. Some governments such as Nigeria have openly rejected the...
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Despite US pledges, plans for AGOA revamp are unclear
South Africa, Libya, Algeria and Tunisia were among a group of over 20 countries to be issued with tariff letters from United States President Donald Trump’s administration this...
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A White House-brokered agreement promises regional calm and economic integration, but success depends on dislodging rebels and securing mining rights
Speaking at the White House on 27 June, during the signing of a new peace agreement by the Rwandan and Congolese foreign ministers, President Donald Trump declared that...
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US officials have sounded out the combatants and their backers over a new peace plan – but nobody is jumping into fresh talks
A flurry of peace initiatives put to the warring factions in Sudan and their main sponsors is yet to move the needle. But it may prompt would-be mediators...
Multiple mining investments and a hydropower project are riding on Kigali and Kinshasa making peace but details on military arrangements remain thin
US Africa Envoy Massad Boulos and US hedge fund executive Gentry Beach – both with close links to US President Donald J Trump’s family – were prime movers...
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Despite Trump’s bullying, South Africa may receive positive US response after generous offer
Despite leaving the G7 summit in Canada without a meeting with United States President Donald Trump, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is hoping to kickstart trade talks with...
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Demands by Washington and Kinshasa for Rwanda to withdraw its troops are the key sticking point
The United States is stepping up the pressure on Kigali and Kinshasa to conclude a security-minerals access deal by the end of June. Both Washington and Kinshasa insist...
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The Trump administration is taking a transactional approach to diplomacy in Africa
Five Democratic Congress members have sent a letter to President Donald Trump’s Africa advisor Massad Boulos demanding details of the administration’s deal on critical minerals that has accompanied...
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The US is considering merging Africom into its Europe command as its commitment to the continent wavers
African leaders should make their positions on the future of the United States’ military command in Africa known in the coming months, Africom commander General Michael Langley told...
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Two South African billionaires have cleared the path for a business accord to unfreeze the diplomacy
Until a month ago, the chances of President Cyril Ramaphosa getting a constructive meeting with his United States counterpart Donald J Trump appeared vanishingly small. After a barrage...
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Washington envoy Boulos has prompted Kinshasa and Kigali to offer mining rights and military changes
Under the terms of a peace process agreed with the United States, the governments of Congo-Kinshasa and Rwanda are due to submit separate draft peace agreements ahead of...
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The top investment bank is briefing South Africa on how to structure an offer to Washington
Goldman Sachs has positioned itself as the trade whisperer to United States President Donald J Trump, holding talks with several African leaders, including South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa...
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President Trump’s special advisor is testing transactional diplomacy amid the conflict and the continent’s biggest reserves of critical minerals
Washington’s latest intervention in Kinshasa, led by Massad Fares Boulos, senior advisor to United States President Donald Trump, is disrupting the calculations of Congolese politicians and warlords. Boulos,...
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After meeting the US President’s senior Africa envoy, President Tshisekedi has blocked millions of dollars’ worth of consultancy deals
After agreeing contracts with a string of K-Street lobby shops worth close to US$8 million with mandate to broker a mineral access deal with US President Donald Trump’s...
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King Mohammed VI secures US backing as risks mount of clashes with Polisario and Algeria
United States President Donald Trump’s administration has renewed its support for Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara at a meeting in Washington with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. US...
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Facing penalties on its exports of vanilla and textiles Madagascar could lose 2% of its GDP this year
One of the world’s weakest economies, with a GDP per capita of US$509 a year, Madagascar was threatened with a 47% tariff on goods exports to the United...
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Some officials insist the AGOA trade preference scheme will take precedence over the President’s executive order until September
Confusion reigns as officials and companies seek clarity on the timetable for the swingeing ‘reciprocal’ tariffs imposed on exports to the United States by President Donald Trump on...
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President Ramaphosa wants to soothe tensions with the Trump administration but Washington has appointed a hard-liner to South Africa
The choice of the United States’s new Ambassador to Pretoria – Leo Brent Bozell III – dispels any notion that President Donald J Trump’s administration might dial down...
Investigative journalist Anas chalks up an historic win in New Jersey court against New Patriotic Party presidential contender
A United States court has awarded Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas US$18 million in damages, including $8m in punitive damages, after ruling that populist former New Patriotic...
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Loss of trade concessions will marginalise the US as a market for many African exporters
The round of tariffs due to be imposed by the United States across the world on 2 April signals the end of the African Growth and Opportunity Act...
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Lambasted by Trump supporters, the US credit bank may help Exxon Mobil mega gas project in Cabo Delgado
Initially TotalEnergies’ use of Washington lobbyists to push through a vital US loan for its US$20 billion gas export project in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province backfired. France’s TotalEnergies...
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Washington’s tariffs, visa bans and aid cuts are pushing Brussels and Pretoria into a stronger partnership
As the new United States administration targets South Africa on policy and the European Union on tariffs, it has triggered an opposite reaction – bringing President Cyril Ramaphosa...
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International support for South Africa’s renewable plans will on the agenda at EU summit
In line with his opposition to renewable energy projects, President Donald J Trump’s decision to revoke and rescind the United States International Climate Finance Plan will mean cancelling...
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Trump’s swingeing aid cuts will accelerate decline of US soft power in this heavily contested region
Washington’s 90-day freeze on humanitarian and development programmes is escalating into a full-scale withdrawal undercutting United States’ influence, especially in the Horn of Africa wracked by multiple conflicts...
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Almost 40,000 people working on HIV-AIDS prevention have been put on unpaid leave and free drugs treatment stopped
The follow-on effects of the United States’ foreign aid freeze are set to include patients with HIV/AIDs and tuberculosis in Kenya. Those patients will now have to pay...
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Washington has shifted focus, leaving 33 African states uncertain about future trade prospects but creating an opportunity for China
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which offers tariff and quota-free United States trade for 33 African states, looks set to follow the United States Agency for...
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An internal coalition spat was resolved just hours before the President’s State of the Nation address
The government’s determination to hit its 3% GDP growth target and to push its policy agenda as it chairs the G20 this year dominated President Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech...
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Despite assurances, the Kenya-led operation faces uncertainty due to funding issues and the need for UN support
The long-term status of the Kenya-led police mission to combat gang warfare in Haiti remains under threat, despite President William Ruto and United States Secretary of State Marco...
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Scrambling for influence, governments are hiring start-ups and established Republican lobbyists
Amid uncertainty about aid and security policies, a flurry of lobbying contracts with foreign governments, many of them African, have been filed under the US State Department’s Foreign...
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The White House has halted funding to Pretoria but Ramaphosa has downplayed the move’s impact as speculation grows about Musk’s influence
South Africa is the first African country to be specifically targeted by the new United States President, Donald J Trump. On 3 February, Trump announced the halt of...
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An executive order from President imposes a 90-day freeze on most foreign funding – except military aid
Within hours of entering the White House, President Donald Trump issued an executive order for a three-month freeze on all foreign aid. This move seemed certain to result...
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Deal-making diplomacy and geopolitical rivalry with China will dominate Washington’s policy in Africa
Many African leaders believe they can do business with new US President Donald Trump despite his previous lack of interest in the continent. A chorus of congratulatory messages...
Washington may penalise states applying OECD tax rules on multinationals
Fights over new rules to cut corporate tax avoidance and illicit financial flows are intensifying weeks ahead of the first meeting of a new UN convention to set...
Two United States foreign policy veterans are taking the lead on Africa policy in Donald Trump’s second presidency. Joseph Foltz, the staff director on the House Foreign Affairs...
The Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC) has emerged as the latest African separatist movement to stake its hopes on a second Donald Trump presidency recognising its independence from Cameroon...
Before Trump takes over in Washington, the French oil company wants the US export bank to back its gas export plan
France’s TotalEnergies is making a final push to win United States funding for its liquefied natural gas project in northern Mozambique before Donald J Trump is inaugurated US...