DIPLOMACY

On May 13, 2025, Mali’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Abdoulaye Diop, addressed the United Nations Ministerial Conference on Peacekeeping held in Berlin. In a stark and unflinching speech, he laid out a critical assessment of the UN’s…

Burkina Faso’s president, Ibrahim Traoré, has strongly dismissed recent accusations made by U.S. General Michael Langley, head of U.S. Africa Command (Africom), who claimed before the U.S. Senate that Burkina Faso’s gold was being used to finance military operations. In…

Tensions between French mining giant Orano and Niger’s military-led transitional government have intensified following the alleged abduction of a senior company executive. In a statement released on Tuesday, May 13, Orano denounced what it described as the “kidnapping” of its…

On April 30, 2025, Ukraine and the United States finalized an agreement on the exploitation of Ukraine’s natural resources—minerals, gas, and oil. According to Washington, the deal is intended to offset the significant financial and military aid the U.S. has…

In a bid to cut public spending, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah announced on Wednesday, April 30, the closure of 25 diplomatic missions abroad. The decision is part of a broader austerity plan aimed at reducing the financial burden of…

Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Yuliia Svyrydenko, confirmed that Kyiv and Washington have officially signed the minerals agreement, which includes the creation of a joint investment fund. The announcement was made via a post on her…

India has closed its airspace to all flights originating from Pakistan, according to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by Indian aviation authorities. The ban, effective from April 30 to May 23, applies to both civilian and military aircraft. The…

U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to make a future visit to Africa. He confirmed his intention during a brief exchange with journalists at the White House. “Of course. I would. Absolutely,” said the American leader when asked…

Morocco has proposed a strategic project to the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) aimed at providing Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger with access to the Atlantic Ocean. The three member countries have officially expressed their support for the initiative. Seeking…

After visiting Uganda and Burundi, Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Prévot, concluded his diplomatic tour of the Great Lakes region with a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo. On Monday, April 28, in Kinshasa,…

Burkina Faso’s Prime Minister, Jean-Emmanuel Ouédraogo, on Monday, April 28, 2025, accused Ivory Coast of being involved in plots aimed at destabilizing his country. During a televised interview lasting just over an hour and twenty minutes, he claimed that the…

The bridge spanning the Logone River, linking the Cameroonian town of Yagoua (in the Far North region) to the Chadian city of Bongor, was officially inaugurated on Monday by Cameroon’s Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute and his Chadian counterpart Allamaye…

A meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, agreed upon during a phone conversation this week, is scheduled to take place within the next three months. According to the South African weekly Sunday Times, no…

As Russian shelling once again claimed lives in Kyiv—killing at least a dozen people—comments made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to U.S. network CBS have caught many by surprise. “We are ready to conclude an agreement,” Lavrov stated, although…

The government of Niger and the Emirati company Suvarna Royal Gold Trading signed an agreement on Wednesday in Niamey to establish a gold refinery and gemstone processing units in Niger. The agreement was signed by Niger’s Minister of Mines, Commissioner-Colonel…

An official ceremony marking the formal handover of a rice donation from China to Togo took place on Tuesday at the Maritime Regional Directorate of the National Agency for Food Security of Togo (ANSAT) in Lomé. The donation, consisting of…

U.S. President Donald Trump could sign an executive order next week aimed at reducing the activities of the State Department and U.S. embassies across Africa. According to The New York Times, the order outlines a sweeping restructuring of the State…

The German government is blocking the delivery of around thirty Eurofighter jets to Turkey, according to a report by Handelsblatt. The main reason behind Germany’s refusal to approve the deal is the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, which German…

The reform agenda pushed by the Trump administration has significantly impacted U.S. diplomacy, with a marked reduction in personnel and resources. Just four months after returning to the White House, Donald Trump initiated a sweeping cut to the federal budget.…

On April 17, 2025, Donald Trump welcomed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to Washington. The meeting was marked by overt displays of personal friendship, as well as a shared alignment on several key issues, from security to immigration policy. During…

Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé has taken up the mantle of mediator just days after being designated to help resolve the crisis shaking eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and its neighbor, Rwanda. On Wednesday, April 16, he made his first official…

Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will meet on Thursday, April 17, 2025, to discuss a range of current issues, including regional and humanitarian challenges, bilateral relations, and the war in Ukraine,…

After several months of tension, Nigerian authorities are multiplying gestures of openness toward Niger. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dispatched his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, to Niamey to deliver a special message to General Abdourahamane Tiani, leader…

The European Union has adopted a radical position on Ukraine because it fears appearing weak in the eyes of the Global South, said Vladislav Maslennikov, Director of the Department for European Affairs at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during…

On Monday March 24, Angola announced that it would no longer take part in the mediation of the conflict between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, a confrontation that is exacerbating security instability in eastern Congo. In an…

Libya repatriated 177 Nigerian migrants, mainly women, on Tuesday as part of a voluntary return program, the country’s Illegal Migration Control Department announced. “Today (…) we organized the voluntary return of 177 female migrants and some Nigerian children aboard a…

Niger has announced its withdrawal from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), a decision that continues the policy of rupture initiated by the Niamey authorities with Western institutions since the coup d’état of July 2023. According to a diplomatic…

Rwanda’s decision to sever diplomatic relations with Belgium comes amid rising tensions between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, reigniting fears of a regional conflict in the Great Lakes area. On Monday, March 17, 2025, the Rwandan government…

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has dismissed the head of Senegal’s intelligence services. The restructuring of key and sensitive positions in Senegal continues to progress. According to information from the media outlet “Afrique sur 7”, following the High Command of the…

Mauritania officially announced that the first round of the presidential election will be held on June 29, 2024, a date now etched into the national political calendar. Mauritania has officially announced the critical dates for its highly anticipated presidential election.…