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Morocco denies applying to join BRICS 

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North African country, Morocco has confirmed that it has not submitted a formal request to join the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) group of global emerging economies.

Morocco, through its state news agency, also revealed on Saturday that it would not attend the BRICS summit scheduled to hold in Johannesburg, South Africa next week.

Morocco would not attend the BRICS meeting in South Africa, the agency said, denying a statement by South Africa’s foreign minister, Anil Sooklal, who said earlier this month Morocco was among the nations seeking to join the bloc.

“South Africa allowed itself to speak about Morocco’s ties with the BRICS without prior consultation,” it said.

“South Africa has in fact always shown primary hostility towards Morocco and has systematically taken negative and dogmatic positions on the Moroccan Sahara issue.”

Relations between the two nations have been strained after South Africa’s diplomatic backing for the Polisario Front, which aligns with Algeria’s interests even as it seeks to create an independent state in Western Sahara, a region that Morocco claims as its own.

Some African nations have expressed interest to join the BRICS. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the president of Algeria, was said to be interested in having his nation invest $1.5 billion to become a shareholding member of the BRICS Bank last month.

Ethiopia has requested membership, and according to Meles Alem, the foreign ministry’s spokeswoman, in a statement to the media in June, “We expect BRICS to give us a favourable response to the request we have made”.

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Politics

Mozambique’s top court affirms governing party’s victory in recent election

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The highest court in Mozambique affirmed Monday that the incumbent Frelimo party won the October election, sparking widespread demonstrations from opposition parties who claim the vote was manipulated.

Fears of fresh bloodshed have been raised in the nation already shaken by weeks of fatal protests after Mozambique’s top electoral court mostly confirmed the results of the country’s contentious October elections, reinforcing the Frelimo party’s decades-long hold on power.

The final decision on the election process rests with the Constitutional Council. Mozambique, a nation of over 35 million people in Southern Africa that Frelimo has ruled since 1975, is expected to see more protests in response to its judgement.

Mozambique operates a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic in a multi-party system. The president of Mozambique serves as both the head of state and the head of government.

The government exercises executive power. The administration and the Assembly of the Republic have the authority to enact laws.

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Alliance of Sahel States opposes ECOWAS disengagement schedule

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) withdrawal timeline has been rejected by the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which is made up of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

The AES claims that the ECOWAS is attempting to destabilise their newly formed organisation.

During a meeting last week in Abuja, Nigeria, the regional organisation announced a six-month withdrawal period to give the three nations time to change their minds after their official departure date at the end of January 2025.

However, this decision is “nothing more than yet another attempt by the French and its auxiliaries to continue planning and carrying out destabilising actions against the AES,” according to the heads of state of the AES.

“This unilateral decision is not binding on the ESA countries,” the statement continues. Before the conference, they stated that their choice to leave the organisation was “irreversible.”

According to the president of the Ecowas Commission, this will be a “transition period” that ends on “July 29, 2025” to “keep the doors of Ecowas open.”

The three nations accused the bloc of neglecting to assist them in resolving their domestic security challenges and of imposing “inhumane and irresponsible” sanctions related to the coup.

The three nations that were involved in the coup have mostly rejected ECOWAS’ attempts to undo their withdrawal. They are creating their alliance and have begun thinking about how to issue travel passports independently of ECOWAS.

It is anticipated that they will finish giving their one-year notice of departure in January.

Visa-free travel to other ECOWAS members is a significant perk of membership, and it is unclear how this would alter after the three nations exit the group.

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