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Africa Headlines

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger withdraw from ECOWAS, accusing Bloc of 'Inhumane' Sanctions – In an escalation of the global geopolitical tensions in Africa, the military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger jointly announced weekend their immediate withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). They accused ECOWAS of imposing harsh sanctions to reverse the recent coups in their countries, claiming that the regional bloc had deviated from its original ideals and become a threat to member states. The Juntas are supported by Russia, have formed a security alliance, and severed military ties with France, their colonial State. They also accused ECOWAS of failing to address terrorism in the Sahel. The 15 member nations have thus been reduced to 12. ECOWAS, established in 1975 to promote economic integration, is the top political and regional authority in West Africa. The coup in Mali was 18 August 2020, Burkina Faso was on 30 September 2022, and in Niger 26 July 2023.

After beating Cameroon, Nigeria to play Angola in AFCON quarterfinals – In the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria's national football team, the Super Eagles, will be facing Angola in the quarterfinals. The match is scheduled to take place at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on Friday, 2 February 2024, at 6 pm. Nigeria secured a hard-fought victory against Cameroon's Indomitable Lions, thanks to Ademola Lookman's two goals. The Super Eagles have remained unbeaten throughout the tournament thus far. Angola's forward, Jacinto Dala, expressed his belief that they deserve to qualify for the quarterfinals following their 3-0 victory over Namibia, with Dala himself being involved in all three goals. This marks Angola's first appearance in the tournament's last eight since reaching the semi-finals in 2008. Dala credited the team's commitment and the involvement of all the players for their success and expressed his happiness at their qualification.

Global Headlines

UNRWA claims: UK halts aid to UN agency over allegation staff helped Hamas attack – Several countries halted funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees. The decision came after revelation that the agency has dismissed staff over allegations of involvement in Hamas attacks. That is, it is suspected that some of the staff helped Hamas in its attack against Israel but investigations still ongoing. Countries that have withdrawn support and funding for the agency include the US, UK, Australia, Italy, Canada, Finland, Netherland, Switzerland, and Germany. UNRWA, established in 1949, provides humanitarian aid, healthcare, and education to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. The agency has used its facilities in Gaza to shelter displaced civilians during the recent conflict. Former UNRWA spokesperson Christopher Gunness called the aid suspension disproportionate and warned of increased suffering in Gaza. Israel has accused UNRWA of bias and demanded an investigation into its alleged links with Hamas.

US blames Iran for drone attack on US troops that killed three – During the weekend, a drone killed three US troops, and injured over 30 people in US outpost in Jordan, near Syria. It is the first time US troops have been killed in the middle east since the escalation of the Israeli / Palestinian crisis that started October 7^th 2023. This is another evidence that the crisis is widening in the region. Besides the 1200 deaths recorded in the Hamas attack on Israel, over 25,000 have been killed by Israeli forces, according to the health ministry in Gaza. The Houthis have followed up with attacks on ships and containers in the Red Sea and US and UK have responded with air strikes. After the attack, oil prices open higher this morning in early trading. The US President Joe Biden blames Iran for the attack and vowed to hold those responsible accountable. However, Iran has denied involvement in the attack. Meanwhile, Iran executed four men accused of spying for Israel over the weekend.