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Published 19th October 2023

Vol 64 No 21

Edging towards the abyss

A general view of the devastation caused by the attack on the Ahli Arab Hospital. Pic: Mohammad Abu Elsebah/dpa/Alamy
A general view of the devastation caused by the attack on the Ahli Arab Hospital. Pic: Mohammad Abu Elsebah/dpa/Alamy

The fallout from Hamas's attack on Israel raises the spectre of a regional war and further undermines western influence

When Jordan's King Abdullah II judged the Middle East was on 'the brink of falling into the abyss' in the days after Harakat al Muqawama al Islamiya's (Hamas) unprecedented attacks on Israel on 7 October and the Israel Defense Force's (IDF) bombardment of Gaza, few in the region were ready to contradict him.

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Politics in a time of war

Abdel Fattah al Burhan. Pic: Jacques Witt/Abaca Press/Alamy
Abdel Fattah al Burhan. Pic: Jacques Witt/Abaca Press/Alamy

General Abdel Fattah al Burhan is struggling to build diplomatic support and cast himself as a statesman

General Abdel Fattah al Burhan, mocked by his adversaries as the 'basement commander' – a reference to his decision to stay in the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) General...

Stolen election claims trigger protests

Filipe Nyusi casts his vote. Pic: Xinhu /Alamy
Filipe Nyusi casts his vote. Pic: Xinhu /Alamy

Evidence of mass vote-rigging in municipal elections has prompted public anger and infighting in the ruling party

Widespread protests followed ruling party Frente de Libertação de Moçambique's (Frelimo) declaration of a near clean sweep in the 11 October municipal elections, despite evidence from parallel counts...

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THE INSIDE VIEW

The explosion at the Al-Ahil Hospital in Gaza has underscored the limits on Israel's political support from African states just days after Hamas's 7 October attacks killed more than 1,400 people in southern Israel.

AU Commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat and South Africa have accused Israel of a 'war crime' following the explosion, which the Gaza health authorities said had killed over 300 people. Moussa Faki granted Israel observer status at the AU in 2021 but he backtracked follo...

The explosion at the Al-Ahil Hospital in Gaza has underscored the limits on Israel's political support from African states just days after Hamas's 7 October attacks killed more than 1,400 people in southern Israel.

AU Commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat and South Africa have accused Israel of a 'war crime' following the explosion, which the Gaza health authorities said had killed over 300 people. Moussa Faki granted Israel observer status at the AU in 2021 but he backtracked following protests led by Algeria and South Africa.

Israel's efforts, backed by the United States, to assert that the hospital explosion was caused by a misfired missile by Palestinian Islamic Jihad are getting little air time in the Middle East and Africa.

Popular anger against Israel's siege of Gaza as well as its bombardment, which is reckoned to have killed over 3,000 people since 7 October, is driving the argument over responsibility for the deaths. Morocco and Egypt both blamed the Israel Defense Force.

In a joint statement on 15 October, Moussa Faki and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit warned that Israel's planned ground invasion of Gaza 'could lead to a genocide of unprecedented proportions.' In Beijing, UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the Hamas attacks but argued they could not justify the collective punishment of Palestinians.

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Mnangagwa presses on regardless

Another disputed election over, the President's faction of the ruling ZANU-PF wants to change the constitution to give him a third term

Undaunted by regional and international criticisms of the legitimacy of the August elections, the ruling party is continuing its rout of the opposition and abuse of its control...

Weah and Boakai brace for second round

Worsening economic conditions and corruption swung votes behind the opposition candidates

A close second round run-off looks almost certain after Liberia's presidential elections failed to deliver a decisive conclusion in the first round of voting on 10 October. With...

The north challenges Goïta on two fronts

The Sahelian juntas have signed a military alliance as jihadist and separatist groups step up their attacks

As Mali's military regime pursues its drive to reassert central government authority over the Kidal region hitherto dominated by Tuareg former separatists, conflict has spread across the north,...

Governor in the firing line

Opposition demands for Ernest Addison to resign over $5.2bn loss have exposed the politicisation of the Bank of Ghana

Bank of Ghana Governor Ernest Addison reacted angrily after hundreds of protestors took to the streets of Accra on 3 October demanding that he and his two deputies...

Demands grow for reforms

African governments are boosting their voice in international fora but the changes are yet to translate into a substantive power shift

The first IMF and World Bank annual meetings to be held in Africa for 50 years, delivered some gains for the continent against the backdrop of heightened geopolitical...

Ruto's reshuffle rewards the technocrats

Musalia Mudavadi is the main winner as technocrats gain ground and some political jobbers are moved sideways

Loyalty over talent was a common criticism when President William Ruto unveiled his ministerial team last September. Co-opting former rivals and rewarding those who backed his presidential campaign...

Back to the military drawing board

The African Union is delaying its troop withdrawal and government tactics are questioned after its anti-Al Shabaab offensive suffered a heavy reverse

Nine months ago, when President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced a pause in its hitherto successful anti-Al Shabaab offensive, prospects were good. Unusual clan alliances and pressures from the...

Eskom chaos is at the heart of the growth crisis

Unless the power utility gets credible leadership and more investment to boost generation and transmission it will continue to hold the economy down

The IMF's latest data forecasts South Africa's economy will grow by 0.9% this year, up from projections in July of 0.6%. The marginal improvement is based on fewer...

Pointers

Travel bans and training

The unusual part-lobbying part-security pact between recently re-elected President Julius Maada Bio and former Green Beret and United States defence consultant Jerry Torres continues to take shape. Washington...

Nigeria leads attack on tax

Nigeria has tabled a draft resolution calling for the negotiation of a comprehensive United Nations convention on tax as African states seek to push reform on global tax...

Chasing the greenback

Both government and citizens seek US dollars but the greenbacks are getting scarcer and the naira keeps depreciating. The government wants portfolio investors to return to Nigeria and...

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