Daily News Brief

April 25, 2023

Top of the Agenda

Some residents in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, heard shelling and gunfire today (WaPo), even though U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the country’s warring military factions agreed to begin a three-day cease-fire last night, their fourth attempt at a truce. Other residents reported that fighting in certain areas of the city had died down. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a “high risk of biological hazard” (Reuters) after one of the warring parties seized a laboratory containing measles and cholera pathogens.

The WHO reported that at least 459 people have been killed (Al Jazeera) in the conflict, which UN Secretary-General António Guterres said could become a regional “conflagration.” The United Nations estimated that up to 270,000 people could flee Sudan into Chad and South Sudan. The UN humanitarian office in Sudan has reduced its operations due to the fighting. 

Analysis

“The best outcome of the ongoing war would be the Sudanese Armed Forces eliminating the [Rapid Support Forces] to prevent a second Somali scenario—where militants have long vied with the state for control—in a volatile region,” National University - Sudan’s Yasir Zaidan writes for Foreign Policy.

“Given the rancor on both sides, and what each stands to lose if they do not prevail, it is difficult to imagine a lasting peace between them until one party is convinced it has decisively defeated the other,” CFR’s Michelle Gavin writes for the Africa in Transition blog. 

Pacific Rim

Dong Yuyu, known for his relatively liberal writings, was detained in February 2022, but his family kept the detention a secret as they sought to secure his release. They now say he is being charged with espionage (The Guardian).

Guatemala/Taiwan: Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei pledged support (Reuters) for a “free, sovereign, and independent” Taiwan while visiting Taipei today. Guatemala is one of only thirteen countries maintaining official diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

South and Central Asia

India’s population is expected to reach 1,425,775,850 (AFP-Jiji Press) by Sunday, which will make it the world’s most populous nation, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs said. The United Nations had said last week that India would mark the milestone by the middle of this year. 

In Foreign Affairs, Nirupama Rao discusses India’s great-power opportunity.

Pakistan: An electrical short-circuit caused two explosions (PTI) that killed at least seventeen people at a police station in northwestern Pakistan yesterday. 

Middle East and North Africa

Iranian officials will also be present (AFP) at today’s meeting, which aims to restore ties that were severed when Syria’s civil war began in 2011.

Iran/UK: The United Kingdom (UK) announced new sanctions (AFP) on four people and the entirety of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for assisting Iran’s crackdown on anti-government protesters.

This Backgrounder explains the role of the IRGC.

Sub-Saharan Africa

The bloc, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, will discuss the membership requests (Bloomberg) during an annual summit in Cape Town in early June, South Africa’s ambassador to the group said.

Europe

The cable is designed to connect to wind farms in the North Sea and help the two countries reduce their dependence (Brussels Times) on Russian energy.

Russia: Diplomats from the United States, the UK, and Switzerland joined UN Secretary-General Guterres in condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (CNN) during a UN Security Council meeting that Russia chaired yesterday.

This Backgrounder looks at the UN Security Council.

Americas

The Colombian government aims for the conference, which begins today, to advance deadlocked talks between Venezuela’s government and the opposition. Envoys are also expected to discuss a potential deal to repatriate U.S. detainees in Venezuela, Newsweek reported.

U.S./Cuba: The United States yesterday sent a deportation flight to Cuba (Reuters) for the first time since 2020, when Cuba stopped accepting such flights due to the spread of COVID-19.

United States

U.S. President Joe Biden announced his reelection campaign (NYT) in a video address released this morning. Meanwhile, two potential Republican challengers, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, are visiting Asia (Al Jazeera) this week in an apparent attempt to shore up their foreign policy credentials.

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