Photo : Khalil Senosi, AP Photo
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : Khalil Senosi, AP Photo
IN BRIEF
by Jerry Franklin, Ryan Marcus, Sneha Surendran, Nithyashree RB and Prerana P
Kenya: African climate summit will not prioritise the Western agenda, says President
On 17 August, Kenya’s President William Ruto affirmed that the African Climate Summit which is to be held from 4 to 6 September 2023 in Nairobi will not be “hijacked by foreign interests.” Ruto responded to an open letter sent to him from 300 African organisations claiming that the summit prioritises Western agendas such as carbon markets. The letter stated that Western organisations and governments are “hellbent on pushing a pro-West agenda and interests at the expense of Africa.” In an interview with BBC, the special adviser for climate change to Ruto, Ali Mohamed said that the summit is an “African endorsed event hosted by an African bank that is going to discuss the challenge to the global community.” (Wedaeli Chibelushi, “Kenya's African climate summit not ‘hijacked by West’,” BBC News, 17 August 2023)
DRC: State of siege ends in two provinces
On 17 August, the members of DRC’s parliament voted in favour of ending the military rule in two eastern provinces namely Ituri and North Kivu where security is deteriorating. The state of siege was levied on the provinces in May 2021 intending to fight the armed rebels. According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ report, 400 million people are displaced in the provinces. According to a Member of Parliament who participated in the three-day meeting: “The state of siege brought nothing to us…citizens are tired of it. Let the authority be handed back to civilians.” (Samba Cyuzuzo, “DR Congo MPs vote to lift military rule in the east,” BBC, 17 August 2023)
Mali: US condemns attack on UN soldiers leaving Ber
On 14 August, MINUSMA reported that they were under attack twice during their withdrawal from Ber, a town in Mali which resulted in several UN soldiers being wounded. On 17 August, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller responded: “It is critical that Minusma be permitted to conduct its withdrawal in a safe and orderly manner, and we call on the transition government to cooperate fully until the final Minusma element departs.” (“US concerned by 'worsening violence' in Mali,” BBC, 17 August 2023)
Africa: Ukraine’s Foreign Minister says Kyiv looking to woo Africa
On 17 August, Al Jazeera reported on Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba’s statements that Ukraine was planning to invest in African countries in an attempt to strengthen ties. He further added that this “strategy is not to replace Russia but to free Africa from Russia’s grip.” He assured that Ukraine would be respectful of these interactions as opposed to the “coercive” tactics used by Russia. (“Ukraine’s Kuleba promises to ‘free Africa from Russia’s grip’,” Al Jazeera, 17 August 2023)