Good morning afternoon.

Apologies for the late email today. The full SITREPs will return on Monday.

Africa Stability Ratings and News Summary

More Unstable

🇩🇿 Algeria, 🇦🇴 Angola, 🇧🇯 Benin, 🇧🇼 Botswana, 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso, 🇧🇮 Burundi, 🇨🇲 Cameroon, 🇨🇫 Central African Republic, 🇹🇩 Chad, 🇰🇲 Comoros, 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic Of The Congo, 🇩🇯 Djibouti, 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea, 🇪🇷 Eritrea, 🇸🇿 Eswatini, 🇪🇹 Ethiopia, 🇬🇦 Gabon, 🇬🇳 Guinea, 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau, 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast, 🇰🇪 Kenya, 🇱🇸 Lesotho, 🇱🇷 Liberia, 🇲🇬 Madagascar, 🇲🇼 Malawi, 🇲🇱 Mali, 🇲🇷 Mauritania, 🇲🇿 Mozambique, 🇳🇪 Niger, 🇳🇬 Nigeria, 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo, 🇷🇼 Rwanda, 🇸🇳 Senegal, 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone, 🇸🇴 Somalia, 🇿🇦 South Africa, 🇸🇸 South Sudan, 🇸🇩 Sudan, 🇬🇲 The Gambia, 🇹🇬 Togo, 🇺🇬 Uganda, 🇪🇭 Western Sahara, 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

More Stable

No countries were more stable over this period

Unchanged

🇨🇻 Cape Verde, 🇬🇭 Ghana, 🇲🇺 Mauritius, 🇲🇦 Morocco, 🇳🇦 Namibia, 🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe, 🇹🇿 Tanzania, 🇿🇲 Zambia

Regional News Summary

Conflict and humanitarian crises continue to dominate the landscape in Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where ongoing violence has led to severe famine and mass displacement. Peace talks between the DRC government and the M23 rebel group are set to resume in Qatar, aiming to find a resolution to the conflict. However, accusations against former President Joseph Kabila for allegedly supporting rebel factions have escalated tensions, with the prosecutor's office seeking the death penalty for him [SOURCE - Jurist].

The DRC's rich natural resources have long been a source of contention, drawing international interest and competition, particularly between the US and China. Pakistan has urged the UN Security Council to address the illegal exploitation of these resources, which is seen as a root cause of the ongoing conflict [SOURCE - Associated Press of Pakistan]. This rivalry has prompted calls for the US to bolster its own rare earth mining capabilities to reduce dependency on China [SOURCE - NDTV]. Meanwhile, Japan is also seeking to expand its influence in Africa, particularly in the DRC's mineral sector [SOURCE - Rio Times].

In Nigeria, military operations against Boko Haram have intensified, with airstrikes resulting in the deaths of dozens of militants and the rescue of 76 hostages [SOURCE - Associated Press]. Additionally, Nigeria has taken significant steps to combat cybercrime, deporting 50 Chinese nationals linked to online fraud schemes [SOURCE - TimesLIVE].

In the realm of trade and economy, South Africa is enhancing its trade relations with Japan, with President Ramaphosa describing his recent visit as impactful [SOURCE - SABC News]. Furthermore, the South African Airports Company plans to raise $569 million to support growth initiatives [SOURCE - LiveMint].

In Algeria, the Chief of the Indian Army recently visited to strengthen defense cooperation, highlighting India's growing outreach in Africa [SOURCE - The Times of India]. Algeria's role as a major oil producer is also under scrutiny, as OPEC+ considers unwinding production cuts, which could significantly impact global energy markets [SOURCE - Rigzone].

In Kenya, the UK has agreed to compensate victims of a historical forest fire, marking a significant step towards justice [SOURCE - BBC]. However, the country's raw food exports have declined by 10.25%, raising concerns about its economic stability [SOURCE - Dawn].

Weekend Diversions

Two quick reads for the long weekend

Bloomberg takes a look at President XI’s recent purge of China’s military leadership, asking if this is a sign of his strength or weakness. Xi Unleashes China’s Biggest Purge of Military Leaders Since Mao | Bloomberg

San Francisco’s giant scavenger hunt. The Wild, Citywide Scavenger Hunt That Ate San Francisco | Wired

Have a great weekend!

Carpe tomorrow!