Geopolitics Daily
Posts
🪖 New front in Sudan war

🪖 New front in Sudan war

and South Africa gets new government

Billy Robinson
July 02, 2024

Good evening from Australia,

Today's headlines highlight Hizbollah, the Iran-backed militant group based in Lebanon, which has recently been removed from the League of Arab States' terrorist list. This development comes amid the latest round of shadowboxing between Israel and Iran, intensifying tensions on the Israel-Lebanon border.

In other news, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has formed a coalition government, questions are arising about the true nature of Bolivia’s attempted coup, and the war in Sudan has taken another turn for the worse.

More details below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇿🇦 President Ramaphosa forms coalition: After the African National Congress (ANC) lost its parliamentary majority in May's elections, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a new coalition government. He described this "government of national unity" as unprecedented in the nation's democratic history. The ANC will hold 20 of the 32 cabinet positions, while the pro-market Democratic Alliance (DA) will have six, with the remaining portfolios distributed among smaller parties. These appointments came after weeks of tense negotiations, during which Ramaphosa accused the DA of attempting to create a "parallel government" in violation of the constitution. The ANC's declining support reflects public dissatisfaction with its handling of basic services, unemployment, poverty, and corruption since ending white-minority rule in 1994 under Nelson Mandela.

2️⃣ 🇧🇴 Former President accuses incumbent of orchestrating self-coup: Following an attempted coup against Bolivian President Luis Arce, opposition factions and critics labelled the events in Plaza Murillo and Palacio Quemado as a "political show." The arrest of General Juan José Zúñiga hasn't quelled the controversy, with former President Evo Morales accusing Arce of orchestrating a self-coup, a claim echoed by the former army commander, Zúñiga. Morales stated that "President Luis Arce deceived the Bolivian people and the world. It's unfortunate that the sensitive issue of a coup was exploited. I apologise to the international community for the alarm and thank them for their solidarity. A thorough, independent investigation is needed." Arce and Morales, key figures in the Movement to Socialism (MAS), began to diverge in 2022, sparking a power struggle within MAS for the 2025 presidential candidacy, despite the Constitutional Court ruling that Evo cannot run again.

3️⃣ 🇱🇧 League of Arab States rescinds Hizbollah’s ‘terrorist organisation’ status: The Arab League has ceased classifying the Iran-backed, Lebanon-based Hizbollah as a terrorist group, as announced by Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki. He stated that member states agreed to stop using this label for Hizbollah, noting that previous decisions to designate the group as a terrorist organisation had halted communication. Zaki clarified that the Arab League does not maintain terrorist lists or actively designate entities as such. The 2016 decision to brand Hizbollah a terrorist organisation had aligned the 22-member league with Saudi Arabia, amidst strained relations between the Kingdom and Iran.

4️⃣ 🇮🇱 🇮🇷 Iran ‘deserves to be destroyed,’ retorts Israel’s Foreign Minister: Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has stated that Iran should face destruction for pledging support to Hizbollah in the event of an Israeli-Lebanon war. Iran's UN mission had recently labelled Israel's invasion threats as "psychological warfare," warning that any full-scale military aggression would lead to an "obliterating war." In response, Katz asserted on social media that "a regime that threatens destruction deserves to be destroyed" and promised Israel would act "with full force" against Hizbollah if attacks from Lebanon persist. Since October 8, Hizbollah has engaged in exchanges with Israel, targeting military and surveillance sites and displacing over 100,000 people from northern Israel. Iran warned that an Israeli invasion would prompt "all resistance fronts" to become involved.

5️⃣ 🇸🇩 Rapid Support Forces open new front in Sudan war: Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) looted homes and shops and took control of the main hospital in the central city of Singa, forcing tens of thousands to flee. This marks a new front in a 14-month war that has pushed Sudan to the brink of famine. According to the United Nations, approximately 57,000 people were displaced by the fighting. Over the weekend, RSF fighters rampaged through Singa in pickup trucks with mounted automatic rifles, looting houses and shops. They took over the city’s main hospital, though Brig. Nabil Abdalla, a spokesperson for the Sudanese armed forces, claimed the military had regained control, which is yet to be verified by other sources.

Major Story

🇺🇳 🇸🇴 UN SECURITY COUNCIL VOTES ON AU TRANSITION MISSION IN SOMALIA

The United Nations Security Council is set to vote this week on a draft resolution regarding the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

The resolution proposes extending the authorization for African Union member states to deploy personnel in Somalia until August 12. The AU mission primarily focuses on containing the terrorist group al-Shabaab, which has carried out numerous deadly attacks in 2024 and controls significant portions of Somali territory.

After the contentious Somaliland-Ethiopia port deal, Mogadishu expressed concerns about Ethiopian AU troops on Somali soil, potentially threatening the mission's longevity. Originally planning to withdraw 4,000 personnel by June 30, Somalia requested a revised timeline in a May 16 letter to the AUPSC. They proposed a phased drawdown, with 2,000 troops leaving by the end of June and the remaining troops exiting by September, the exact number to be determined by Somalia and the AU. In April, the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) supported Somalia's request to revise the timeline for withdrawing African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) troops.

On 20 June, the AUPSC endorsed a new AU-led, unauthorised mission for Somalia, focusing on current security threats and the readiness of Somali forces. They requested the AU Commission to develop financing options with the UN and to submit a detailed operations plan by July's end. The AUPSC supported the revised drawdown and asked the AU Commission to find resources for it.

Long-term solutions to al-Shabaab's containment remain unclear.

Promotion

If you love our stuff we know you’ll love Ground News! Their platform provides around the clock coverage of global news from all political perspectives.

We can’t recommend their app enough!

(p.s. as we’ve partnered with them - by signing up you’ll be helping to grow this newsletter too! 🤫)

Get Ground News by clicking here ⤵️

Ground News App

Compare Today’s Top News Headlines from Multiple Perspectives: Local, Foreign, National; Left to Right. See What the Other Side Sees. Be Well Informed.

Other News

1️⃣ 🇳🇬 Surge in suicide bombings continue to shake Nigeria: At least 30 people were killed and over 100 injured in multiple suicide bombings across Nigeria over the weekend, sources reported Sunday. The first attack occurred on Saturday when an unidentified woman, accompanied by two children, detonated an explosive device at a wedding reception in Gwoza, according to Alhaji Mohammed Shehu Timta, the Emir of Gwoza. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu condemned the attacks, describing them as desperate acts of terror that reflect the pressure on terrorists and the success in limiting their ability to launch offensives.

2️⃣ 🇦🇫 🇺🇳 🇶🇦 Taliban attends UN meeting in Qatar: A Taliban delegation from Afghanistan participated in a United Nations-led meeting in Qatar over the weekend, which focused on Afghanistan and excluded women from the gathering. This two-day event marks the third UN-sponsored discussion on the Afghan crisis held in Doha and comes amid recent talks about foreign states, including the US, reportedly considering diplomatic relations with the group.