Af-Pak Digest by Ambassador Sharat Sabharwal | April 2021
I Overview Pakistan:• Pakistan Democratic Movement on the brink of breakup• Economy• ‘Gilgit-Baltistan’• Pakistan-India• Pakistan-US Afghanistan:• Peace and Reconciliation• Afghanistan-India• Afghanistan-Pakistan II Developments in Pakistan Pakistan Democratic Movement on the brink of breakup Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of opposition parties, came to the brink of a breakup in March. The month began with Yusuf Raza Gilani, the former […]
Intersect: Africa
INFRASTRUCTURE STIMULUS AU & AFC New Push. The African Union is setting up an infrastructure fund to help bridge the continent’s infrastructure financing deficit of $ 60 to 90 billion a year. Raila Odinga, African Union’s high representative for infrastructure, said the continent was facing infrastructure financing difficulties thanks to donor fatigue and higher debt levels. […]
Intersect: Africa
H I G H L I G H T S • COUPS AND THE KREMLIN• FOURTH COVID WAVE COUPS AND THE KREMLIN While the world’s attention is on the Ukraine, Russia is extending its influence into Francophone regions of the Sahel in countries like Mali and Burkina Faso. The latter two countries recently had coup d’etats against […]
Intersect: Africa
H I G H L I G H T S • ETHIOPIA UNDER SIEGE• SUDAN’S COUPSTERS• BLINKEN’S TOUR• MOZAMBIQUE ARMS UP• ISLAMIC STATE FACTIONS• DROUGHT AND BRIBES ETHIOPIA UNDER SIEGE Embattled Ethiopian president, Abiy Ahmad, signalled an interest in mediation efforts led by the African Union and the United States as his country’s present civil war completed its first year. Abiy […]
Intersect: Africa
H I G H L I G H T S • NEW CHINA DEBT STORY• GUINEA GAMBIT• COBALT IN THE CONGO• KENYA’S TRAIN OF DEBT• GHANA AND OTHERS• LESSONS FROM INDIA NEW CHINA DEBT STORY China is changing how it provides finance to African governments with a shift to smaller, more targeted loans and grants. State-backed financial institutions like the Export […]
Intersect: Africa
H I G H L I G H T S • CHINA’S AFRICA STRATEGY CHINA’S AFRICA STRATEGY Based on the writings of Chinese stategists, Nadege Rolland of the Washington-based National Bureau of Asian Research concludes in the report “A New Great Game? Situating Africa in China’s Strategic Thinking” that Beijing has an emerging, but seemingly informal, […]
Intersect: Africa
H I G H L I G H T S • NIGERIA ON THE BRINK• COVID THIRD WAVE• POLITICAL UPDATE• DARK SIDE OF INDIA IN AFRICA NIGERIA ON THE BRINK Embattled Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari asked the United States for assistance to tackle a spreading wave of insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and secessionist violence that is threatening to undermine Africa’s […]
Intersect: Africa
MOZAMBIQUE LNG PLAN ON HOLD Mozambique’s $24.1 billion Afungi liquefied natural gas (LNG) project received a major setback after French energy firm Total put construction activities on hold following renewed attacks by insurgents. Indian firms Oil India and ONGC Videsh together own a 30% stake in the terminal, the largest Indian investment on the continent. […]
Af-Pak Digest by Ambassador Sharat Sabharwal | March 2021
I Overview Pakistan:• Pakistan stays on FATF grey list• IMF Extended Fund Facility to be revived• Pakistan-India agree to cease firing along the LoC and all other sectors• Pakistan-US• Pakistan-Sri Lanka• Pakistan-France Afghanistan:• Peace and Reconciliation• Afghanistan-India II Developments in Pakistan Pakistan stays on the FATF grey list The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided to retain Pakistan […]
Intersect: Africa
100,000 COVID DEATHS Africa passed 100,000 confirmed Covid-19 deaths this month with signs the continent’s healthcare systems are struggling to contain the virus. “We are more vulnerable than we thought,” the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong. Lack of oxygen, ventilators and other medical equipment is proving to be […]