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| Top of the Agenda Nigeria Cuts Power Supply to Niger as Neighbors Debate Coup Response Nigeria cut off its electricity supply to Niger as part of sanctions imposed in response to the military’s decision to overthrow the country’s government last week, AFP reported, while the World Bank announced that it was suspending development aid (AFP) other than private-sector partnerships. A bloc of West African nations led by Nigeria is meeting for a second day of talks today on how to respond to the coup, while U.S. President Joe Biden called today for the release (VOA) of Niger’s ousted president and ordered a partial evacuation of the U.S. embassy in the capital, Niamey. While the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has reacted strongly to the coup with sanctions and threats of military action, Niger’s military has leaned on other military regimes nearby. Yesterday, a Nigerien coup leader met with Mali’s military government (NYT), which has close ties with the Russian private military company Wagner Group. |
| Analysis “ECOWAS might have backed itself into a corner by putting a short timeline before threatening to exercise military options. Yet a military threat has worked in the past, notably by convincing long-serving Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh to go into exile in 2017 after he initially refused to cede power following an election loss,” the Financial Times’ Aanu Adeoye writes. “While Niger’s near-term political trajectory is shrouded in uncertainty, rampant instability would be detrimental to the interests of every major external stakeholder. These financial interests and security imperatives could convince outside powers to strike a Faustian bargain with Niger’s junta, while pressuring [coup leader Abdourahamane] Tchiani to accept a framework for a transition to civilian rule,” the Royal United Services Institute’s Samuel Ramani writes for Foreign Policy. For the Africa in Transition blog, CFR expert Ebenezer Obadare writes why Nigeria should lead peace talks in Niger. |
| Pacific Rim North Korea Acknowledges U.S. Soldier Who Ran Across Border Pyongyang called the UN Command (Bloomberg) at the demilitarized zone to acknowledge that a U.S. soldier ran across the border from South Korea last month, but has still not responded directly to the United States through diplomatic channels, a State Department spokesperson said. Thailand: The constitutional court postponed a third prime minister vote (Nikkei) set for tomorrow until mid-August while it reviews a case that seeks to disqualify pro-democracy lawmaker Pita Limjaroenrat from being nominated for the position. Pita won a plurality of the votes in the first election but fell short of the majority needed, and was rejected by parliament in the second round. |
| South and Central Asia India Announces Import Restrictions on Laptops, Personal Computers Companies will now be required to apply for a special license (India Today) for restricted imports beginning immediately as part of India’s efforts to boost local electronics manufacturing. The costs of these products are expected to rise in India as the rule takes effect. U.S./Mongolia: The two countries will increase their cooperation (Reuters) on rare earth mining and civil aviation, Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene said yesterday during a visit to Washington. He warned that Mongolia would suffer from increasing competition between superpowers such as the United States and China. In Foreign Affairs, Jason Bordoff and Meghan L. O’Sullivan discuss the global race for minerals needed for the energy transition. |
| Middle East and North Africa Iran’s Two-Day Office Shutdown Prompts Worry Over Electricity Shortages While Iranian officials this week said offices would be closed due to the unprecedented heat, some observers noted little change in temperature and instead voiced concerns that the nation could be experiencing a power shortage (Al Jazeera). The government has denied a connection between the shutdowns and power stability. Iran/UAE: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi invited (Reuters) Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan for an official visit in the near future, Iranian news agency Tasnim reported. Iran appointed its first ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in seven years in April as part of its warming ties with Gulf states. |
| Sub-Saharan Africa Amnesty International Flags Alleged War Crimes in Ongoing Sudan Battle Mass civilian casualties are occurring during the war in Sudan, human rights group Amnesty International said in a new report [PDF]. Both the Sudanese military and their paramilitary opponents have shown “utter disregard for the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law,” and committed sexual violence against women and girls, the report said. It called on regional and international powers to take concrete measures to respond. This In Brief by CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo and Diana Roy details the extent of Sudan’s humanitarian crisis. |
| Europe Ukraine Takes Stock of Grain Damaged in Latest Port Attack Ukrainian officials said yesterday that a Russian attack on Kyiv’s main port on the Danube River had damaged almost forty thousand tons (Reuters) of grain, which had been originally bound for Africa, China, and Israel. Overall, Russian strikes have destroyed 180,000 tons of grain since they withdrew from the deal last month, sending global grain prices soaring. UK/Zambia: United Kingdom (UK) Foreign Minister James Cleverly said during a four-day visit to Africa that the country will support more than $630 million of government-backed investments (Reuters) in Zambia’s clean energy and mining sectors, with the goal of generating $3.17 billion in British private sector investment. |
| Americas UN Greenlights More Observers in Colombia Amid New Cease-Fire A resolution that passed the UN Security Council yesterday authorizes up to sixty-eight more observers (AP) in the country as a cease-fire deal begins between the government and the rebel group known as the National Liberation Army. There is already an 120-person UN observation mission in the country to monitor the implementation of a 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Brazil: The central bank lowered its interest rate (Bloomberg) by fifty basis points, a margin larger than expected, for the first time in three years after having hiked to a peak above 13 percent to control inflation. Annual inflation in Brazil is below the central bank’s 3.25 percent target. The bank indicated that more cuts are to be expected. |
| United States Trump to Appear in Court on Election Overthrow Charges Security has been reinforced (NBC) around a Washington, D.C. courthouse where former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be arraigned today for charges of conspiracy and obstruction related to events that occurred in the aftermath of the 2020 election. |
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