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Africa Headlines

Nangolo Mbumba sworn in as Namibia’s new President – After Hage Geingob, Namibia’s former president died early yesterday, Nagolo Mbumba has been sworn in as the new President. He was Vice President under the late President. Geingob passed away at the age of 82 at Lady Pohamba Hospital in Windhoek, the country’s capital less than three weeks after it was announced he would receive cancer treatment. The now President ANangolo Mbumba described Geingob as a distinguished servant, liberation struggle icon, and the chief architect of Namibia's constitution, while condolences poured in from around the world. The country goes to the poll later this year to elect a new president. The ruling SWAPO Party's presidential candidate, Nandi-Ndaitwah, would become the country's first female head of state if elected. Namibia is a in the Southern Africa country, bordering South Africa to the Southeast and South with about 3 million people.

ECOWAS reacts to postponement of Senegal’s presidential election – In what is considered a widening democratic concern in West Africa, President Macky Sall of Senegal has unilaterally postponed the country's presidential election and cancelling relevant electoral law. The election originally scheduled for 25^th February has now been postponed indefinitely. The decision comes after some candidates were disqualified by the courts, including candidate of the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS’s) Wade and Rose Wardini, who is currently in jail. The West African regional bloc has expressed concern over the circumstances that led to the postponement and urging Sall to promptly announce a new date for the election. The President is not on the ballot, but his handpicked Prime Minister Amadou Ba is among 20 candidates vying to be the next President.

Nigeria in darkness after national grid collapses first time in 2024 – The national power grid in Nigeria experienced a nationwide collapse, resulting in a complete power outage across the country. The collapse occurred around 1 pm on Sunday, causing electricity generation to plummet from 2,407 MW to 31 MW by noon and eventually reaching zero MW an hour later. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), responsible for managing the grid, confirmed that all 20 power plants, except Ibom Power with 31 MW, were offline during the collapse. Power distribution companies blamed the grid collapse for the widespread blackouts, affecting states such as Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi. This incident follows previous grid collapses in December 2023 and September 2023. Despite years of investments and privatisation policy, Nigeria continues to suffer embarrassing grid collapses and poor energy provision.

Global Headlines

US, UK launch new wave of strikes on Yemen’s Houthis amid Gaza war – The United States and the United Kingdom have carried out strikes on Houthi-controlled positions in Yemen in response to the Houthi group's attacks on US and Israeli interests. The Houthi attacks on Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea have disrupted global trade, prompting the US and UK to respond. The strikes aimed to deter further Houthi attacks on US interests in the region. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) targeted weapons facilities, missile systems, launchers, air defence systems, and radar. The strikes were conducted with the support of several countries. Iran condemned the attacks, while the Houthis warned that they would not be deterred in supporting the Palestinian people. The US intends to carry out additional strikes against Iran-backed groups in the Middle East, and humanitarian issues in Gaza will be a top priority for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The situation has drawn condemnation and calls for a UN Security Council meeting.

US Senate agrees new US $118 billion funding for Israel, Ukraine, and border security – After three months of back door negotiations, there is now a bi partisan deal in the US Senate for US $118 billion funding for Ukraine, Israel, and border security. But there is no sign of relief yet for Ukraine because obstacles remain in the House, led by Republican majority. Instead, the House has put forward a separate Israel funding that excludes the border and Ukraine. The President has urged the Congress to come together and sign this bill, but the expectation is that the impasse will continue. Ahead of the 2024 presidential, set to be a repeat of the 2020 elections, the funding proposals have become a political game between the Republicans and the Democrats. Without the border funding, the US republicans will continue to use the security challenges at the border as campaign issues. Without the funding, Ukraine continues to struggle in its war with Russia. The only funding the two camps agree on is that of Israel.