🔅 Sudan: Tensions High as General Pulls Away
Plus: Benin's Biennale Debut: Joining the Art World, Netflix is Going Big in Africa, Cyclone Freddy's Devastation Continues to Rise, And much more... ☕
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*Data accurate as of the close of markets across the continent
SECURITY
Sudan: Tensions High as General Pulls Away
In Sudan, a powerful former militia leader is making moves that have some worried there could be a confrontation with the armed forces.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been mobilising troops in multiple cities, headed by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti.
Dagalo was a former leader under Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, who was ousted in a coup in 2019.
He's now been pulling away from his military colleagues, and found common ground with a civilian political alliance, while his underlying differences with the army have yet to be resolved.
In response to the deployment of his paramilitary group, the military has been placed on high alert, with soldiers stationed around the capital Khartoum.
So why is this concerning?
It's concerning because Dagalo commands tens of thousands of fighters in the RSF.
This has delayed the signing of an internationally-backed agreement with political parties for a two-year civilian-led transition to elections.
Analysts fear a confrontation between Dagalo and the military that could potentially tip Sudan into deeper instability.
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OTHER HEADLINES
Across the Continent
🇧🇯 Benin's Biennale Debut: Joining the Art World | Benin is joining the art world’s biggest party: the Venice Biennale... This will be the first time ever that the West African nation has a pavilion at the world’s longest-running contemporary art exhibition. Lagos-based curator Azu Nwagbogu will be in charge of the inaugural show, and the country’s president Patrice Talon is already pumped: “His unique background, vision and expertise in the field of art curation makes him the perfect candidate to showcase Benin’s cultural heritage and contemporary art to the world.” Nwagbogu’s appointment comes as part of the government’s greater cultural diplomacy efforts, which have included the repatriation of 26 artefacts stolen by the French military in the 19th century and a travelling exhibition showcasing the looted works alongside pieces by contemporary Beninese artists. Benin’s biennale debut is part of a growing African presence at the event—Ghana and Madagascar made their first appearances in 2019, and Cameroon and Namibia will have their inaugural pavilions in 2022. The Benin pavilion’s curatorial team also includes Yassine Lassissi, Franck Houndégl.
📽️ Netflix, Going Big in Africa | Netflix has been putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to African storytelling. The streaming giant has invested $175m since 2016 and is now ready to take it to the next level. Netflix's Sub-Saharan Africa policy director Shola Sanni says that their efforts have already resulted in some hit shows like Silverton Siege (South African), Aníkúlápó (Nigerian) and Disconnect: The Wedding Planner (Kenyan) making it into Netflix’s Global Top 10 lists. But the company says that to keep telling African stories on a global stage, they need support from the government, civil society, and the private sector.
🌪️ Cyclone Freddy's Devastation Continues to Rise | Cyclone Freddy’s whirlwind tour of the South Indian Ocean was an expensive one. The cyclone made landfall in Madagascar in late February, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake that extended from Malawi to Mozambique. Over 2 million people were affected, with more than 500 reported dead. But that number has now risen to more than 1,000, as hundreds of people remain missing in Malawi. With the final death toll still to be determined, the only thing we can say for sure is that Cyclone Freddy was one ambitious storm—it travelled 8,000 km before hitting Madagascar.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Proverb of the Day
“One who possesses much wisdom has it in the heart, not on the lips.”
— Ugandan Proverb.