Blue Lines
Attendance may be sharply down at the COP29 climate summit which started in Azerbaijan this week, but the politicking in Baku still reflects the geopolitical faultlines between east and west and wealthy and developing countries.
One of the priorities faci...
Blue Lines
France and Morocco completed the relaunch of their diplomatic relations after the state visit by Emmanuel Macron on 28-30 October featuring an open-top motorcade through the streets of Rabat with King Mohammed VI. The visit saw the signing of more than 20...
Patrick Smith
At a European Parliament hearing on 8 October about the humanitarian crisis caused by the civil war, EU officials and MEPs asked how they could raise media coverage of Sudan’s ‘forgotten’ war. It is a remarkable but accurate indictment and description of ...
Blue Lines
The threat of a widening war in the Middle East has dominated the attention of policymakers in the United States and delegates to the UN General Assembly – and ensured that Sudan’s civil war and humanitarian catastrophe will not get the attention it deser...
Blue Lines
The question of whether Africa should have permanent seats on the UN Security Council will be on the agenda at the UN General Assembly starting on 24 September. The United States Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has called for two permanent ...
Blue Lines
The geopolitical battle over electric vehicles and access to the minerals they need has dealt many African states a stronger hand. Western tariffs on Chinese EVs, and oversupply in China’s home market, is pushing Beijing to seek new markets. That reinfor...
Patrick Smith
African states are expected to start vaccinations against mpox in ‘a few days’, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Jean Kaseya told reporters on 20 August.
Last week, the WHO and Africa CDC declared mpox a public emergency....
Patrick Smith
In parallel to the contest of wills between young activists in Nigerian cities and President Bola Tinubu’s government, another battle has been playing out. It pits Aliko Dangote against the government in Abuja and some of its business allies.
Insiders had...
Blue Lines
The fall-out from the mass protests across Kenya is inspiring activists across the continent as security agencies try out tactics to pre-empt an African Spring. Governments in Uganda, Ethiopia and Nigeria are watching with particular concern.
In Nigeria, ...
Blue Lines
Ahead of Britain’s general election on 4 July, climate activists were lobbying the Labour Party, the probable winners, to step up action on policy and finance. In early July, with his official residence being battered by Hurricane Beryl, Prime Minister of...