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Eritrea and Ethiopia hug again after bitter 20 years, and it looks they mean it

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After 20 years of bitter border wars that led to death of thousands, Eritrea and Ethiopia on Sunday hugged again, promising to re-establish diplomatic and trade ties.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaia Afwerki made the announcement during a landmark meeting in the latter’s capital Asmara.

It is the first time the leaders from the two East African neighbours have met in almost 20 years.

Relations were severed following a border dispute which killed tens of thousands of people in the late 1990s.

A peace deal was signed in December 2000. However, Ethiopia refused to accept the final ruling of a border commission two years later, which awarded disputed territory to Eritrea, including the town of Badme. The countries have been on a war footing ever since.

Sunday’s meeting, which follows a visit to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa by an Eritrean delegation, comes after Mr Abiy said his country would accept the commission’s ruling.

In speeches broadcast live on state television on Sunday, Prime Minister Abiy and President Isaias said they had agreed to set up embassies in their respective capitals, while landlocked Ethiopia will be allowed to use Eritrean ports on the Red Sea.

The two countries will also resume flights between each other, as well as direct phone connections.

Read Also: Like Uganda, Zambia is tinkering with new laws to regulate social media use

The meeting was greeted with excitement in Eritrea, where thousands of people lined the streets singing and waving both countries’ flags.

Speaking at a dinner held in his honour, Mr Abiy, who has been pursuing a reform agenda ever since taking office in April, said “war and talk of war must end”.

“Today, the Eritrean people, particularly the people of Asmara, practically showed us how stronger love is than the missiles of the day,” he added.

“Missiles, tanks, Kalashnikov and bren [light machine guns] can capture people but not their hearts. What can capture the human heart is love.”

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South African police arrest 87 persons ahead of planned protest by opposition party, EFF

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Reports from South Africa on Monday morning say security forces have arrested 87 persons across the country over public violence ahead of planned protests by the Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party.

Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa labeled the planned national wide protest by members of the opposition party as an attempt to overthrow him.

The EFF called for a national shutdown to protest crippling power cuts and demand the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa. The party’s strong base consists of working-class Black South Africans who feel left out of the country’s prosperity since the governing African National Congress (ANC) ended white minority rule in 1994.

As reported by National intelligence body NatJOINTS, 41 people were arrested in Gauteng, including Pretoria and Johannesburg, 29 people were arrested in North West, and 15 people were arrested in Free State. Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape have also been arrested, according to NatJOINTS.

“Law enforcement officers are on high alert and will continue to prevent and combat any acts of criminality,” NatJOINTS said.

The country lately has had challenges with its electricity supply which has forced struggling state power company, Eskom to announce the previous series of power rotation arrangements.

Eskom has implemented scheduled electricity outages every day in 2023, with most households and businesses without power for up to 10 hours a day.

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South Africa to host Russia’s President Putin despite ICC ruling

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South Africa has insisted that it is not without knowledge of what is at stake ahead of a proposed visit by Vladimir Putin after an international court issued an arrest warrant against the Russian leader.

President Cyril Ramaphosa through his spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya on Sunday said it was aware of legal obligation as Russian President Putin is expected to visit South Africa in August to attend a BRICS summit.

In 2006, the foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, and China met for the first time on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, marking the beginning of BRIC cooperation.

“We are, as the government, cognisant of our legal obligation. However, between now and the summit we will remain engaged with various relevant stakeholders,” spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said.

President Putin is expected to attend the 15th BRICS summit, as he did in 2013.

“We note the report on the warrant of arrest that the ICC has issued,” Magwenya said.

“It remains South Africa’s commitment and very strong desire that the conflict in Ukraine is resolved peacefully through negotiations.”

According to the International Court of Justice (ICC), President Putin is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of the population (children) and the unlawful transfer of the population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The crimes were allegedly committed in Ukrainian-occupied territory at least from 24 February 2022.

There has been back and forth between the US and the global South, notably Russia and China over influence and relations with Africa.

Russian president, Vladimir Putin, plans to host the second Russia-Africa summit in July in St. Petersburg, an event intended to underline his attempts to curry favour in African nations after being shunned by the West over his invasion of Ukraine a year ago.

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