🔅 US Tries to Mend Relationship with Ethiopia
Plus: Electric Motorcycles Take Over East Africa, Kenya & Zambia's Maize Marriage, Mali's Interim Government Postpones Constitutional Referendum, And much more... ☕
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GEOPOLITICS
US Tries to Mend Relationship with Ethiopia
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Ethiopia this week in an effort to repair relations between the two countries.
The visit comes after a two-year civil war in the Tigray region.
The United States had been outspoken in its criticism of alleged atrocities by Ethiopian forces during the Tigray war, to the point of imposing restrictions on economic and security assistance. This caused a rift in the traditionally friendly relationship.
But with Blinken's visit, the US is also looking to reinforce ties with a continent in which China has been building diplomatic and economic relations.
What are both countries' goals?
For Ethiopia, the goal is to get the US to lift the restrictions on economic and security assistance, as well as get access to the African Growth and Opportunity Act. It's also seeking to restructure its debt and secure an International Monetary Fund loan, which the state finance minister said last year was being delayed in part by the Tigray war.
For the US, they want to "deepen the peace" in the north, as Blinken said. The US also wants Ethiopia to take additional steps to "break the cycle of ethnic political violence". Ultimately, however, the US seems to want to counter China's influence on the African continent.
What else is Blinken looking to do?
Blinken is also due to meet Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and leaders of the Tigrayan forces that battled the federal government in the war. He's then due to travel to Niger, which has been confronting a growing Islamist insurgency.
What about the aftermath of the war?
Though the peace deal has allowed humanitarian aid to flow into Tigray, needs remain immense after the conflict left hundreds of thousands facing starvation. Allegations of abuse, especially sexual violence, have persisted after the deal was signed. Eritrean troops remain in several border areas while militia from the neighbouring Amhara region occupy large areas of territory in contested parts of western and southern Tigray, humanitarian workers said.
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OTHER HEADLINES
Across the Continent
🇰🇪 ROAM: Electric Motorcycles Taking Over East Africa | ROAM, an electric technology company with Swedish roots, is expanding its production footprint in East Africa. The company's Air electric motorcycle has been taking Kenya by storm and now, with the help of a new 100,000-square-foot facility, ROAM is aiming to produce 50,000 units a year. The ROAM Air features two swappable battery packs that combine for a 112-mile range and can handle both the urban and rural terrains of Africa. Plus, it's got a storage compartment where a traditional fuel tank would be. ROAM has already teamed up with Uber to deploy its electric motorcycles, so they've got to get cracking on filling up the new facility.
🇲🇱 Mali's Interim Government Postpones Constitutional Referendum | The transitional government in Mali just announced that the country’s constitutional referendum—which was scheduled for March 19—has been postponed. This is a key step on the road to restoring democracy after a military takeover in 2020, and the military had set the referendum as the first deadline in their timetable for returning Mali to civilian rule. The delay was expected since almost no arrangements had been made for the vote and the draft constitution was only handed over to the interim president a few weeks ago. But the delay could be good news for the interim government since the new constitution would grant more power to the president—which could come in handy if the current coup leader wanted to run for president. The draft constitution also makes it an “imprescriptible crime” to carry out a coup, though the coup leaders would be safe since acts prior to the constitution going into effect would be covered by amnesty laws. For now, the interim government is setting up subdivisions of the election management body in all regions of the country and familiarizing the public with the draft of the constitution before the referendum is held.
🇰🇪🇿🇲 Kenya & Zambia's Maize Marriage: Here Comes the Bride | It’s official: Kenya and Zambia are tying the knot. As part of the agricultural collaboration agreement, the southern African country has agreed to let Kenyan producers grow maize on 20,000 hectares of land. The move should help reduce the cost of maize and maize products in Kenya, which have been skyrocketing since the worst drought in 40 years. The Kenyan government has also been looking for other ways to bring down prices, including re-introducing subsidies for maize fertilizer and opening up 5,000 acres of the Galana-Kulalu Irrigation Scheme to private companies next month. Twiga Foods, a leading agri-tech firm, has already been allocated some 20,000 acres in the expansive scheme for maize production. If that wasn’t enough, Zambia has even offered to supply Kenya with its surplus maize. All in all, it looks like the maize marriage is going to be a bountiful one.
🇿🇦 Finally, check out photos from the secret archive of Ernest Cole, whose book, House of Bondage, saw him exiled from his native South Africa in the 1960s.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Proverb of the Day
“Love, like rain, does not choose the grass on which it falls.”
— South African Proverb.