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Call for Russia to Renew Ukraine Grain Deal at Africa Summit

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Egypt’s President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to renew the grain export deal with Ukraine during a summit hosted by Russia.

Al-Sisi emphasized the importance of reviving the deal and finding a swift solution to supply the poorest African countries with grain. Russia had withdrawn from the agreement and subsequently bombed Ukrainian Black Sea ports. In response, Putin blamed the West for failing to fulfill its obligations under the deal and offered to provide Russian grain for free to six African countries.

These countries include Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic, and Eritrea, except Somalia, which is experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis. The summit also saw African leaders urging Putin to consider a peace plan proposed by them to end the war caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The plan calls for recognizing the sovereignty of both Russia and Ukraine, conducting urgent peace talks, and ensuring uninterrupted grain exports. The blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports following the invasion caused a significant amount of grain to be trapped, leading to a surge in world food prices and potential shortages in Middle Eastern and African nations that heavily relied on food imports from Ukraine.

The grain export deal was initially brokered by Turkey and the UN in July 2022, allowing cargo ships to access a designated corridor in the Black Sea for transportation. Ukraine is a major global supplier of crops such as sunflower oil, barley, maize, and wheat.

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Spain coast guard spots boat during search for missing migrant vessel

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The Spanish coast guard has located a boat carrying around 200 migrants that went missing over a week ago. The boat was found 71 miles south of Gran Canaria, and a coast guard vessel has been dispatched for rescue operations.

The fishing boat had departed from a coastal town in southern Senegal, approximately 1,700km away from Tenerife, with 200 people on board, including many children. Two other similar boats carrying additional migrants are also reported missing, with limited information available. This brings the total number of people missing across the three boats to over 300.

The route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is known to be perilous, and last year alone, at least 559 people died attempting to reach the Spanish islands. The exact number of departures and shipwrecks often goes unreported. The migrants attempting this route typically come from countries such as Morocco, Mali, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, and other sub-Saharan nations.

Despite a decrease in the number of unauthorized arrivals in the Canary Islands in 2022 compared to the previous year, the route remains dangerous, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) emphasizes that the flows are still high compared to previous years.

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Mali govt criticises the arrest of Singer Rokia Traore in France

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A day after a renowned Mali singer, Rokia Traore, was arrested in the European country of France on an arrest warrant issued by Belgium in connection with a family dispute filed in a Belgian court, the Mali government has released a statement supporting the singer, strongly criticising the arrest of the singer.

The African country has called the arrest illegal, saying that the fact that the singer is a Diplomatic Passport holder.

A person with a Diplomatic Passport has certain privileges. He/She cannot be arrested without the consent of his/her country.

The singer’s lawyer says that the singer was on her way to appear before the Belgian court to defend her estranged husband’s petition seeking the custody of their five-year-old daughter.

The singer faces several serious charges in Belgium. She is accused of kidnapping and hostage-taking.

As per a latest report, she is on hunger stroke in a French jail where she has been taken after her arrest.

The case is likely to disturb the diplomatic relation between the African country of Mali and the European country of France.


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International Relations News

Thirteen French soldiers died in Mali

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In a worst accident caused to the French army, as many as thirteen soldiers have died in a helicopter accident in Mali.

The accident has happened when at least two helicopters have collided each other during a military operation.

French President Emanuel Macron has expressed his deep sorrow in the accident that has taken the lives of thirteen of his soldiers.

An investigation has been launched by the French government in this matter. Not any time in the recent past, the French army has experienced anything like this in the soil of Mali.

Several thousands of French army personals are now in Mali to support the Mali government force in its fight against militant groups.

The investigative authority will investigate all the possibilities.

Mali is not the only region which runs with the support of this European superpower. Many other countries in the region, such as Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger, enjoy the support of the French army.

At this moment, it remains unclear whether the French army will alter its policy on the deployment of its military personals in the African region in the wake of this development.


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