Skip to main content

Home/ Geopolitics Weekly/ Group items tagged Africa

Rss Feed Group items tagged

Filter: All | Bookmarks | Topics Simple Middle
Argos Media

China looks to British experience for African expansion | World news | guardian.co.uk - 0 views

www.guardian.co.uk/...se-companies-investment-africa

China UK Africa Amnesty International Irene Khan Dfid

shared by Argos Media on 22 May 09 - Cached
  • China has embarked on a series of joint projects with Britain in Africa, with the aim of avoiding the abuses and mistakes committed by former colonial powers as it rapidly increases its economic role on the continent.China invested $4.5bn in infrastructure in Africa in 2007, more than the G8 countries combined, and much of the investment has been private. The number of Chinese companies operating in Africa has more than doubled in just two years to 2,000, with about 400 operating in Nigeria alone, according to new research.
  • In contrast to the "one-dimensional" stereotype of state-owned enterprises extracting natural resources, most of the investment is from privately-owned firms and many are involved in manufacturing.However, many of the business practices followed by those companies, such as a preference for using Chinese workers, coupled with Beijing's belief that human rights are the preserve of host country governments, have led to claims that the rapid rise in Chinese influence in Africa has not helped its human rights.
  • "The Chinese firms that are moving are building infrastructure, they are building roads, they are providing jobs for people, but at the same time: what they are not doing, neither the Chinese government nor the companies, is raising any issues about how the population are being treated," Irene Khan, Amnesty International's secretary general, said today."Therefore we find that the Chinese presence is not helping the human rights situation. It might be aggravating it when revenues and resources are being paid into coffers of hugely corrupt and oppressive governments."
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • In an apparent reflection of Chinese anxiety over its reputation in Africa, both embassies and companies have been urged by Beijing to forge closer links to local communities.China has also entered into a partnership with Britain's department for international development, (Dfid)intended to monitor and control the social and environmental impact of Chinese investment.
Argos Media

Pope claims condoms could make African Aids crisis worse | World news | guardian.co.uk - 0 views

www.guardian.co.uk/...pope-africa-condoms-aids

Catholic Church Pope Benedict XVI Africa AIDS

shared by Argos Media on 18 Mar 09 - Cached
  • The Pope today reignited the controversy over the Catholic church's stance on condom use as he made his first trip to Africa.The pontiff said condoms were not the answer to the continent's fight against HIV and Aids and could make the problem worse.
  • The pontiff, speaking to journalists on his flight, said the condition was "a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems".
  • "It is of great concern that the fabric of African life, its very source of hope and stability, is threatened by divorce, abortion, prostitution, human trafficking and a contraception mentality," he added.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Addressing bishops from South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia and Lesotho who had travelled to the Vatican for papal audience, he said: "The traditional teaching of the church has proven to be the only failsafe way to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids."
  • More than two-thirds – 67% – of the global total of 32.9 million people with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Africa is the fastest-growing region for the Roman Catholic church, which competes with Islam and evangelical churches.
  • Benedict dismissed claims that he was facing increasing opposition and isolation within the church, particularly after an outreach to ultra-conservatives led to him lifting the excommunication of a Holocaust-denying bishop."The myth of my solitude makes me laugh," he said
Pedro Gonçalves

BBC NEWS | Africa | Italy and France 'failing Africa' - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...8094401.stm

Italy France Bono One Africa Poverty G8

shared by Pedro Gonçalves on 11 Jun 09 - Cached
  • Anti-poverty group One, set up by rock star Bono, said Italy had actually cut aid to Africa despite making ambitious pledges at a 2005 economic summit. And it accused France of reducing its aid targets and cutting its aid budget.
  • n 2005, the G8 pledged to increase aid to Africa by $25bn (£15bn) by 2010 - more than doubling the 2004 level of aid to the continent.
Pedro Gonçalves

Africa's arc of instability has myriad causes | Observer editorial | Comment is free | ... - 0 views

www.guardian.co.uk/...-mali-algeria-western-response

Mali Africa

shared by Pedro Gonçalves on 20 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • Mali, little known or not, now belongs inside the arc of instability that was once defined as stretching from Afghanistan, in the days when the Taliban took charge, through Pakistan to the Middle East and the Horn of Africa via Iraq and Yemen. Now the arc is rapidly extending westwards beyond the Arab lands to Nigeria, west Africa and the Atlantic seaboard. The common denominators are poverty, underdevelopment, illiteracy, mass youth unemployment, misgovernance, authoritarianism, corruption, suppression of women's rights and of human and civil rights in general. All this and western political and commercial meddling, too.
  • Despite all this disassociation, despite the looking the other way and the simplistic analysis pitting cut-throat, dynamite-wielding Islamist killers against innocents abroad, this bigger story in which Mali's plight is now entangled ultimately involves us all, more intimately and continuously than could any random threat of a terror bomb in Paris or London. A major shift in perception and in action is required. Otherwise, be it indirectly through mass migration, people trafficking, arms and drugs smuggling, epidemic disease, the pernicious poison of official corruption and abuse; or directly through resulting, premeditated ethnic and sectarian, religion-based violence, the nonchalant, unthinking condemnation of a vast swath of humanity to impoverishment, physical, material and spiritual, will inevitably return to haunt the more fortunate peoples of the west.
Argos Media

New Status in Africa Empowers an Ever-Eccentric Qaddafi - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...23libya.html

Lybia Muammar Gaddafi

shared by Argos Media on 23 Mar 09 - Cached
  • Colonel Qaddafi’s selection last month to lead the 53-nation African Union coincided with his emergence as a welcomed figure in Western capitals, where heads of state are eager to tap Libya’s vast oil and gas reserves and to gain access to virgin Libyan markets. Once vilified for promoting state terrorism, Colonel Qaddafi is now courted.
  • He has used his new status to promote his call for a United States of Africa, with one passport, one military and one currency. He has blamed Israel for the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan, defended Somali pirates for fighting “greedy Western nations” and declared that multiparty democracy was not right for the people of Africa.
  • African heads of state view him suspiciously, and his one-Africa agenda is generally dismissed as unworkable. But he is embraced for his growing status in the West, the lack of credible alternatives across the continent and his money. Many stories are told in Tripoli of African leaders visiting Colonel Qaddafi and leaving with suitcases full of cash, stories that cannot be confirmed but that have become conventional wisdom.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • Diplomats here said it gave him leverage in keeping African and European leaders listening and their doors open. If Libya sent all the migrants home, they would become a burden to poorer African nations, which would have to absorb them while losing out on the remittances they send home. At the same time, diplomats here said, Libya has made it plain to European countries, especially Italy, that if Libya chose to look the other way, most of those migrants would head for European shores. “It’s a kind of soft power they use,” said one Western diplomat who works on Libyan affairs but requested anonymity for fear of antagonizing Libyan authorities.
Pedro Gonçalves

North Mali prepares for war as refugees dream of liberation from al-Qaida | World news ... - 0 views

www.guardian.co.uk/...orth-mali-alqaida-war-refugees

Mali Mujao

shared by Pedro Gonçalves on 01 Nov 12 - No Cached
  • Movement for Tawhid and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao)
  • Sissiko is one of thousands of young people who have grown frustrated at the failure of the Mali government – which was toppled by a coup on 22 March and has been replaced by a widely despised interim regime – to protect its citizens in the north.
  • Despite a United Nations security council resolution earlier this month opening the door to military intervention to end al-Qaida's hold over the northern region, residents have continued to flee.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • An estimated 35,000 internally displaced people, of whom 10,000 are living in official camps, have arrived in the Mopti region alone since the government lost control of northern Mali, one security source told the Guardian.Many, like Sissiko, have joined militias, prompting fears that the ranks of independent trained and armed northerners could create further problems for the country.
  • Military action – which an official source insists is being pursued alongside the possibility of negotiations – is likely to begin in the new year. But civilian authorities in Mopti are already gearing up for war in the north, and are preparing emergency plans to merge the police, gendarmerie, national guard and emergency services.
  • "Militia members are in their thousands, and their numbers are multiplying," said the source. "I fear the impact of their existence on the country – they are regional and ethnocentric organisations that can only further divide Mali."If people want to liberate the north they should integrate into the national forces, otherwise it risks creating a whole new problem when this war is over."
  • Despite reports that the ranks of the Islamist groups – Mujao in Gao, Ansar Dine in Kidal, and al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb in Timbuktu – are filled by insurgents from neighbouring Algeria and Mauritania, people from those towns say that their numbers have been bolstered by Malians who have joined the groups as a means of survival.
Argos Media

BBC NEWS | Africa | Mozambique arrests 'dam plotters' - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...8034327.stm

Mozambique Cahora Bassa

shared by Argos Media on 06 May 09 - Cached
  • Four people who were plotting to sabotage one of the largest hydro-electric dams in Africa have been arrested in Mozambique, police say. The detained were foreigners caught with materials designed to damage the Cahora Bassa dam in north-western Mozambique, according to state media.
Argos Media

BBC NEWS | Africa | Nigeria considers rebel amnesty - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...7980485.stm

Nigeria Niger Delta Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta Umaru Yar'Adua

shared by Argos Media on 03 Apr 09 - Cached
  • Nigeria's President Umaru Yar'Adua has said his government is considering granting amnesty to violent groups in the Niger Delta if they disarm.
  • Attacks and kidnappings by militants in the oil-rich Delta have cut Nigeria's oil profits by 25% in three years.
  • Mr Yar'Adua said the government would discuss measures including offering rehabilitation to militants and help to reintegrate them into society. But the pledge has been dismissed as mere words by the most prominent group.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • "We are working on terms for the granting of amnesty for those who are prepared to lay down their arms," he told a meeting of leaders of his People's Democratic Party (PDP).
  • The country is one of the largest oil producers in Africa, but the attacks have severely hit its oil revenue and caused many oil companies withdraw their staff. Some of the militants says they are fighting for a bigger share in the oil wealth for people living in the Delta. But others use an almost complete breakdown in the rule of law to make money by extortion, oil theft and kidnapping.
  • The most visible group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), said they would not give up their arms because of "a mere verbal statement" from the president.
Pedro Gonçalves

Tuareg rebels ready for Mali talks - Africa - Al Jazeera English - 0 views

www.aljazeera.com/...20124121123843658.html

Mali Touareg Azawad

shared by Pedro Gonçalves on 02 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) said they were no longer seeking to expand their area of control, having secured the borders of what the group considers to be a Tuareg homeland. "Our objective it not to go further than the Azawad borders. We don't want to create problems for the government of Mali, and even less create problems in the sub-region," said Hama Ag Mahmoud, of the MNLA's political wing. "We don't want to give anyone the impression that we're gung-ho for the war, so from the moment we have liberated our territories, our objective is achieved, we stop there."
Pedro Gonçalves

Mali, Bissau, Sudans, Somalia top U.N., AU talks | Reuters - 0 views

uk.reuters.com/...frica-un-idUKBRE85C1SU20120613

Africa AU

shared by Pedro Gonçalves on 14 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • Guinea-Bissau soldiers took power on April 12, further undermining West Africa's fragile democracy gains.Guinea-Bissau has suffered turmoil from several coups and army uprisings since independence from Portugal in 1974, but the latest one has also set back western efforts to combat drugs cartels using the country as a transshipment point to Europe.
Pedro Gonçalves

Whatever euro's fate, Europe's reputation savaged | Reuters - 0 views

uk.reuters.com/...putation-idUKBRE85F03P20120616

EU Europe US China

shared by Pedro Gonçalves on 17 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • Whether the euro lives or dies, the chaotic way Europe has tackled the crisis could undermine the region's geopolitical clout for years to come and leave it at a distinct disadvantage in a rapidly changing world.
  • "The Europeans are completely consumed with a battle to save the euro zone," says Ian Bremmer, president of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group. "It's a deep and ongoing crisis bigger than any they've experienced in decades... it's an environment where European leaders could hardly be expected to prioritise anything else."That could leave the continent being increasingly sidelined as emerging powers - not just the BRIC powers of Brazil, Russia, India and China but other states such as Turkey, Indonesia and South Africa - grow in importance.At the very least, it could undermine the ability of the continent's leaders to persuade the rest of the world to take them seriously on a range of issues, from trade to the importance of democracy and human rights."Europe probably isn't going to stop preaching to the rest of the world," says Nikolas Gvosdev, professor of national security studies at the US Naval War College. "But it's much less likely that others are going to be inclined to listen."
  • At the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009, European states suffered the indignity of being outside the room when the final deal was struck between the United States and emerging powers. In the aftermath of the euro zone crisis, it's a position European leaders may simply have to get used to.
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • for the rest of the world, it's not just the continent itself that is rapidly losing its shine. The whole European political model - generous welfare systems, democratic decision-making, closer regional integration and the idea of a currency union as a stabilising factor - no longer seems nearly as appealing to other, still growing regions.
  • "If the euro dies, it will mark the end of the European experiment in forging closer financial and political integration. But it will also have wider international implications."
  • Chellaney argues the demise of the euro might help secure the primacy of the dollar - and therefore perhaps of the United States itself - for years to come.But others believe a European collapse would be a sign of things to come for the US as well.
  • "The health of the euro or the EU, for that matter, will have a marginal impact on gold and power that is tending any way towards Asia, especially China,"
  • While Britain and France took the political lead in Libya last year, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates complained European NATO forces were in fact almost entirely dependent on US munitions, logistics and other backup.
  • Washington takes the potential threat of Europe's unravelling very seriously. In the short-term, the Obama administration is clearly concerned over the electoral fallout should the crisis in Europe cross the Atlantic before November's presidential election.But in the longer term, whether the euro survives or not US planners are beginning to face up to the fact that the continent will likely be poorer and rather more self-centred than Washington had hoped.
  • But the change in European thinking and the additional defence spending Washington called for now looks all but impossible in this time of austerity.
  • "It's doubtful any future US Defence Secretary is even going to bother to make that kind of pitch," says Gvosdev at the US Naval War College. "We'd hoped Europe could take the lead in some parts of North Africa as well as the Balkans and Eastern Europe. That now looks very unlikely."
  • Washington's military "pivot " towards Asia, he said, had been based in part on the assumption that Europe would remain stable and wealthy and the US now had little or nothing to worry about on its North Atlantic flank. A weakened Europe could make US planners much less confident of that, particularly if China extends its influence.
  • Beijing has upped its investments in Europe in recent years, including major port projects in Greece and Italy.
  • Some waning of Europe's international influence was always likely, experts say, with an ageing population chewing up ever more resources and emerging economies inevitably growing faster. But the current crisis could supercharge its decline. Whether the continent's leaders realise that, however, is another matter.
  • "Europe's main source of influence (should) be the success of its political and economic model in providing high living standards and democratic freedoms," says Jack Goldstone, professor of international affairs at George Mason University near Washington DC "If the current crisis undermines both of those as well, Europe will look like a rather weak, badly run system of ageing and economically stagnant states. Irrelevance awaits."
Argos Media

BBC NEWS | Africa | Pressure grows on Madagascar head - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...7947381.stm

Madagascar

shared by Argos Media on 17 Mar 09 - Cached
  • Madagascar's opposition leader has said he has a mandate to lead a transitional government, hours after troops stormed one of the president's palaces. Speaking to the BBC, Andry Rajoelina denied that the dramatic seizure of the palace amounted to a coup. But he said that the President Marc Ravalomanana no longer had the right or the power to run the country. President Ravalomanana, holed up in another palace, was quoted as saying he was prepared to die with his guards.
  • The African Union condemned the "attempted coup d'etat" and called on Madagascar to respect its constitution.
  • A fierce power struggle on the Indian Ocean island has triggered a military mutiny, looting and violent protests that have left at least 100 people dead since January.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • Earlier, Mr Rajoelina had called for the arrest of the president and won public backing from the self-declared head of the armed forces.
  • Our correspondent says Mr Rajoelina has wrapped himself in the cloak of democracy, but he wants to replace an elected head of state without going to a ballot.
  • The opposition leader, a 34-year-old former disc jockey, says the president is a tyrant who misspends public money.
  • Mr Rajoelina said he wanted a transitional government that would organise elections in the next 18 to 24 months "at the very latest". "I have the mandate of more than 60 political parties in Madagascar to lead this transition, so it isn't a coup at all," he said. Col Andre Ndriarijaona, who last week said he had replaced the military chief of staff, told AFP news agency that soldiers had seized the presidency "to hasten Ravalomanana's departure".
  • The army has traditionally remained neutral during periods of political volatility since independence from France in 1960. Col Ndriarijaona claimed it was now almost wholly behind the opposition.
  • Under President Ravalomanana, Madagascar's economy has opened up to foreign investment, particularly in the mining sector. But 70% of the 20 million population still lives on less than $2 (£1.40) a day and correspondents say the opposition has tapped into popular frustration at the failure of this new wealth to trickle down.
Argos Media

BBC NEWS | Africa | Africans reject Madagascar leader - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...7953617.stm

Madagascar SADC Andry Rajoelina Marc Ravalomanana Daewoo

shared by Argos Media on 20 Mar 09 - Cached
  • Southern African countries have refused to recognise Madagascar's new leader, Andry Rajoelina, who on Tuesday ousted the democratically-elected president. Regional body Sadc, to which Madagascar belongs, said constitutional rule should be restored as soon as possible.
  • The Southern African Development Community statement said the 15-member group "condemns in the strongest terms the circumstances that led to the ousting of a democratically-elected president of Madagascar".
  • A US state department spokesman said of Madagascar: "We view this as an undemocratic transfer of power."
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • On Wednesday, Zambia called for the immediate suspension of Madagascar from the AU and Sadc. It came hours after Madagascar's highest court backed the handover of power to Mr Rajoelina.
  • Mr Rajoelina earlier axed a controversial deal for a South Korean firm to lease about half of Madagascar's arable land to grow food corn and palm oil. Widespread protests had already slowed down progress on the plan, which would have used some 1.3m hectares (3.2m acres). Some had said it amounted to "neo-colonialism". Mr Rajoelina told reporters: "In the constitution, it is stipulated that Madagascar's land is neither for sale nor for rent, so the agreement with Daewoo is cancelled."
  • Opposition to this plan was one of the reasons behind Mr Ravalomanana's loss of popular support.
Argos Media

BBC NEWS | Africa | Guinea-Bissau to bury president - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...7933972.stm

Guinea-Bissau Nino Vieira

shared by Argos Media on 10 Mar 09 - Cached
  • The state funeral is due to take place former President of Guinea Bissau, Joao Bernardo Vieira. He was assassinated a week ago by soldiers, just hours after the head of the country's military was killed in a bomb attack. The West African state has long been unstable and has been made increasingly fragile owing to the fact that it has become a major drug trafficking hub. The country has remained relatively calm since the murders.
  • An investigation was promised but it has been slow to start. The fact that the bloodstained home of the former president was not even cordoned off does not exactly point to a serious inquiry.
  • Meanwhile civil society groups have warned that some politicians are encouraging the military to take over power.
Argos Media

BBC NEWS | Africa | Sudan Islamist leader 'released' - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...7931769.stm

Sudan Hassan al-Turabi Omar al-Bashir

shared by Argos Media on 09 Mar 09 - Cached
  • Sudanese Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi has been released from prison, his family say.
  • Mr Turabi was imprisoned two months ago after calling on Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to surrender to the International Criminal Court.
  • As leader of the National Islamic Front and speaker of the Sudanese parliament, Hassan al-Turabi was a key ally of President Bashir until they split in a power struggle 10 years ago.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • He is the leader of the Islamist Popular Congress Party and has been frequently arrested in the past.
Argos Media

BBC NEWS | Africa | Tanks sent to Madagascar capital - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...7941238.stm

Andry Rajoelina Madagascar Marc Ravalomanana

shared by Argos Media on 13 Mar 09 - Cached
  • Dissident troops in Madagascar say they have moved tanks into the capital amid a continuing power struggle between the president and opposition leader.
  • President Marc Ravalomanana has been locked in a deadly power struggle with opposition leader Andy Rajoelina. Both the army and the military police have distanced themselves from the beleaguered president.
  • At least 100 people have died during opposition protests since mid-January.
Argos Media

BBC NEWS | Africa | Ethiopia troops 'back in Somalia' - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...8057115.stm

Ethiopia Somalia al-Shabab

shared by Argos Media on 19 May 09 - Cached
  • Ethiopian military forces have crossed back into Somalia, barely three months after leaving, witnesses told the BBC.Their reported return comes as Islamist militants like al-Shabab continue to seize towns from the fragile Western-back transitional government.
  • The Ethiopian army withdrew in January after UN-backed peace talks. Its troops entered Somalia in 2006 to help oust Islamist forces from the capital Mogadishu.
  • On Sunday, Islamist militias took the key town of Jowhar from government forces. This is the home town of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and now that the country's rainy season has arrived, the town is also the only passable route into central Somalia from the capital.
1 - 20 of 62 Next › Last »
Showing 20▼ items per page