Diplomacy

South Africa has declared diplomatic immunity for foreign officials attending the Brics summit in August, potentially opening the door for the attendance of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a gazette notice on Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor said the immunity also applies to officials attending the Brics foreign ministers’ …

Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has urged African countries to end their neutral stance over Russia’s invasion as he embarks on a second tour of the continent. “By being neutral towards the Russian aggression against Ukraine, you project your neutrality to the violation of borders and mass crimes that may …

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky are talking about peace at the moment. On Twitter, the President of Brazil deplores the position of his Ukrainian counterpart. The latter would have refused to meet him on the sidelines …

The US ambassador to Pretoria has made a damning accusation against the South African government – and it seems to have caught South African officials off-guard. Ambassador Reuben Brigety says that the US has reliable intelligence that South Africa supplied arms and ammunition to a Russian ship which had docked, …

UN chief Antonio Guterres has called on the warring factions in Sudan to stop the fighting immediately, before the conflict escalates into an all out war. Mr Guterres said the people in Sudan were facing a humanitarian catastrophe, with hospitals destroyed, food and aid warehouses looted and millions facing food …

Sudan’s warring factions agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire starting on Tuesday, while Western, Arab and Asian nations raced to extract their citizens from the country, Reuters reported. The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) said the U.S. and Saudi Arabia mediated the truce. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced the agreement …

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will travel to France next June as part of a state visit, the Algerian presidency announced on Sunday, after a telephone conversation between the two heads of state. During this meeting, the two presidents “discussed bilateral relations and the means of strengthening them, including the state …

A US diplomatic convoy to Sudan came under fire on Monday, but no one was injured, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday. According to the diplomat who spoke separately with the two rival generals struggling for power, the convoy was attacked but no one was injured. “I …

Taiwan’s defense minister said on Monday morning that he detected 11 Chinese warships and 59 planes around the island as Beijing is to hold live-fire drills to end three days of military maneuvers. “The Chinese military continues to conduct military exercises around Taiwan”, the ministry said, adding that fighter jets …

Some Russian secondary schools have started teaching African languages, a way to strengthen the country’s relationship with Africa, Professor Alexeï Maslov announced at the 2nd Russia-Africa Parliamentary Conference. It is above all about Swahili and Amharic, which are languages originating in East Africa, Alexeï Maslov, director of the Institute of …