Africa

European Union provided US$ 1.44 Million for mediation efforts in South Sudan

The European Union (EU) using its African Peace Facility Early Response Mechanism (ERM) has agreed to provide financial support to the mediation process in South Sudan facilitated by IGAD. One of the main objectives of ERM is to provide funds in urgent situations for the first stages of mediation activities. According to a statement from the EU delegation office to the AU, the € 1.1 Million (US$ 1.44 Million) earmarked on January 16^th by the European Union will help IGAD and the African Union Commission to facilitate the mediation process in South Sudan to reach an agreement for resolving differences between the Government of the Republic of South Sudan and the opposition.

Africa

Kenya’s resource challenge

Rick van der Ploeg & Samuel Wills

Kenya has been exporting energy for years – in the form of some of the world’s fastest long-distance runners. But Kenya will soon be exporting another, far more profitable kind of energy, as it taps into a string of recently discovered oil fields in its 450-mile-long section of the Great Rift Valley, a fissure in the earth’s crust that runs from Lebanon to Mozambique.

Africa

South Sudan in turmoil: Why it should make Ethiopia more nervous

South Sudan has once again managed to keep the world on the edge of its seat. But Ethiopia has more reasons to be nervous 

Tsedale Lemma

The world’s newest country is in turmoil. It started on Dec. 15th 2013, when President Salva Kirr claimed to have foiled a coup attempt orchestrated by his former deputy Riek Machar, who was sacked by the president in July. Four days later, on Dec. 19th, the International Crisis Group (ICG) said South Sudan was “arguably on the cusp of a civil war.” “Too much has been invested in South Sudan since its independence in July 2011 for it to fail so soon,” ICG said.