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In Focus | Rwanda, South Africa
Serial entrepreneur Brian Menell bets double on rare earth mining sovereignty

South African Brian Menell.
South African Brian Menell. © Facebook/africaminingforum

The mining and defence specialist and heir to the dynasty that co-founded AngloVaal has been investing heavily in "technology metals" with help from the US, worried about being left behind by China. As he had done in the 1990s with British and South African army veterans, who found the first private military companies to help his activities, Menell now has a retired US admiral and a former British army officer on board.

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central-africa

Central Africa

west-africa

West Africa

eastern-africa-and-the-horn

Eastern Africa and the Horn

Egypt, Horn of Africa
Abdelfattah al-Sisi's very personal diplomacy in the Horn

Egyptian President Abdelfattah al-Sisi (right) welcomed his Djiboutian counterpart Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (IOG) in Cairo, 7 February 2022.
Egyptian President Abdelfattah al-Sisi (right) welcomed his Djiboutian counterpart Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (IOG) in Cairo, 7 February 2022. © Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt

The Egyptian president snubbed an African Union summit and instead attended the Beijing Olympics in the company of his financial sponsor, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. Sisi is continuing his strategy of encircling his Ethiopian rival and consolidating his position in Sudan and Djibouti.

LogoSubscribers only Diplomacy
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Southern Africa and islands

north-africa

North Africa

Morocco
After split with Algiers, Rabat scours horizon for new gas supplies from Madrid to Doha

Morocco's PM Aziz Akhannouch and Qatar's emir Sheik Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha, February 2022.
Morocco's PM Aziz Akhannouch and Qatar's emir Sheik Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha, February 2022. © Twitter @CheGov_ma

Having been slow to build its own LNG terminal, Rabat has been forced to turn to Spain for gas but has yet to find suppliers willing to deliver at satisfactory rates. This quest was a key focus of Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch's recent visit to Qatar.

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