
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Several members of the U.N. Security Council on Monday condemned Russia’s moves to escalate its crisis with Ukraine in an emergency meeting of the council after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and deployed Russian troops to them in defiance of international law.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations warned that Putin’s recognition of separatist regions in Ukraine was an attempt to create a “pretext for a further invasion of Ukraine” and termed Russia’s so-called peacekeeping operation in the region as “nonsense.”</p>



<p>U.K. representative Barbara Woodward said that her country will announce a set of new sanctions against Russia adding that there will be “severe economic consequences” to Russia’s actions.</p>



<p>Ukrainian ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya, who requested the emergency meeting, delivered a defiant statement that Ukraine was not “afraid of anything or anyone” and it will not give away “anything to anyone.”</p>



<p>Despite its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/02/04/putin-meets-xi-in-show-of-unity-amid-tensions-with-west-heres-what-they-discussed/?sh=144b93531b43">growing closeness</a>&nbsp;with Russia, China delivered a terse statement at the meeting saying that “all parties concerned must exercise restraint and avoid any action that may fuel tensions.”</p>



<p>Kenyan Ambassador Martin Kimani criticized Russia’s actions, calling it part of a trend of powerful nations breaching international laws, adding “multilateralism lies on its deathbed tonight.”</p>



<p>India’s representative TS Tirumurti was more guarded in his comments calling for “restraint” and “constructive diplomacy” but stopped short of outright condemning Russia’s actions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h2>



<p>Russia’s ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya dismissed the criticism, calling it “emotional.” He added: “Now, it&#8217;s important to focus on how to avoid war. And how to force Ukraine to stop the shelling and provocations against Donetsk and Luhansk.” Nebenzya also accused the U.S. and its allies of “cramming weapons” into Ukraine and said that Russia will not allow a “bloodbath” to take place in the Donbas region.</p>



<p><strong><em>By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


US-UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT-UN

UN Security Council Members Blast Russia After Putin Orders Troops Into Eastern Ukraine


<p><strong>South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation address last night highlighted the strength of the South African people amidst multiple social and economic challenges, but received mixed reviews.</strong></p>



<p>Four years into his term, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered yet another State of the Nation (SONA) address in Cape Town late yesterday, this time outside of the National Assembly and not in Parliament, which had been severely damaged by a fire last month.</p>



<p>Coming two years into the global COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the South African economy, and almost a year after riots and unrest tore through the country, as well as continued issues from state power utility Eskom and the phenomenon of state capture, many observers were seeking an optimistic outlook for the year ahead.</p>



<p>“We are working together to revitalize our economy and end the inequality and injustice that impedes our progress,” said Ramaphosa, introducing his speech. “We are standing together against corruption and to ensure that those who are responsible for state capture are punished for their crimes. We are rebuilding the state and restoring trust and pride in public institutions.”</p>



<p>While Ramaphosa’s address focused on the resilience of the South African people in dealing with the challenges the nation has faced, some observers were not reassured, citing an apparent lack of clear action on challenges highlighted year after year. “We are concerned that the Presidential SOE (State Owned Enterprise) Council is ‘preparing recommendations’ on SOEs to be retained, consolidated or disposed of, but if government was serious about this, the President would have pronounced on meaningful disposal of non-core SOEs that have not made a profit in two years,” said civil society accountability non-profit The Organization Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) in a statement.</p>



<p>Opposition parties held similar sentiments, lauding the focus of Ramaphosa’s speech, but criticizing the lack of apparent action by the President. “Judged by the words alone, this is a commendable SONA,” said Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen in a statement. “But words mean nothing until you put them into action. And so we will reserve our assessment until we see movement on all these issues.”</p>



<p>Opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) also concurred, but issued a more strongly-worded statement. “The fact of the matter is that South Africa is in a state of collapse, and no meaningless appeals for solidarity… will change the dark reality for the black majority in this country,” said the party.</p>



<p>While lockdown restrictions have been all but lifted in their entirety, economic growth has been forecast to slip to 2% in 2022, according to Momentum Investments, citing challenges around electricity supply and unemployment, amongst others.</p>



<p>South Africans face a challenging year ahead, and online discussions around the SONA address is weighted heavily around problems facing ordinary citizens. “Criminals are running amok. Murder, rape, robbery, CIT heists, kidnappings… not a word from the President. Clearly, there seems very little political will to Make SA Safe. #SONA2022,” tweeted attorney and social commentator Yusuf Abramjee.</p>



<p>Judging by the thousands of shares of the comment, many South Africans seem to be in agreement. However, it’s not all criticism, with the President reviewing many key issues such as small business development, focusing on averting challenges with regard to climate change, and the extension of the social grant to assist with COVID-19 until next year, and developing higher education opportunities for the future. “We have the opportunity to be at the forefront of green growth, of low-carbon industrialization, of pioneering new technologies and of taking quantum leaps towards the economy of the future…,” said Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Blade Nzimande, in a press statement responding to the President’s address.</p>



<p>“I welcome the President’s focus on the economy as well as the priorities that have to be achieved,” he continued.</p>


State Of The Nation Address 2022 at Cape Town City Hall

Ramaphosa’s State Of The Nation Address – Another Year And More Challenges Needing Action


<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="topline">Topline</h3>



<p>In August 2021, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed an expert panel to review the government’s response to the public protests and civil unrest that rocked the country’s Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) provinces in July. The report on “the spate of orchestrated public violence, destruction and sabotage in July 2021” revealed that over 300 people died, thousands were injured and at the end of the week of unrest, approximately R50 billion ($3.2 billion) was wiped off the South African economy.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="key-facts">Key Facts</h3>



<p>Vandalism, looting, riots, “political protests” and “anarchy” erupted in two of South Africa’s biggest economies, Gauteng and KZN. The protests, which followed the arrest of South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court, began in KZN, Zuma’s homestead, where he was incarcerated at the Estcourt Correctional Centre. The civil unrest saw multiple businesses, buildings and properties destroyed during the week of destruction. The protests continued in Gauteng, in places such as Soweto, Jeppestown and Alexandra.</p>



<p>The expert panel was appointed a month later to investigate the cause of the outbreak as well as the consequences.</p>



<p>The panel, which consisted of Professor Sandy Africa, as chair, and advocate Mojanku Gumbi and Silumko Sokupa, found that a combination of complex multi-dimensional and obscure factors formed the background and led to the “outbreak of violence never before seen in our post-apartheid democracy, leading to contestations in the public space, including between senior members of government, over how to characterize it”.</p>



<p>The violence that broke out was viewed in the context of multiple crises and challenges facing South Africa, the report found key among them:</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>The weakness of State institutions generally, a phenomenon that has been referred to as the hollowing out of State institutions;</li><li>high unemployment, with youth unemployment above 70% and no consistent, continuous plan to address this challenge;</li><li>inherited high levels of poverty and deep inequality;</li><li>poor spatial planning, leading to overcrowded and unsuitable living conditions for many, with informal settlements emerging in crowded urban spaces as people move to the cities in search of opportunities;</li><li>rampant corruption at various levels of government;</li><li>the phenomenon of sponsored State Capture, as understood in the South African context.</li><li>the frustrations caused by the Covid-19 restrictions, adding to the feelings of despair among the population.</li></ol>



<p>The panel also concluded that although the looting, destruction and violence “have come and gone”, little has changed in the conditions that led to the unrest since July 2021. There have been further concerns by the public that similar eruptions may take place.</p>



<p>“The question, many argue, is not if and whether more unrest and violence will occur, but when it will occur,” the report read.</p>



<p>The report also revealed how shopkeepers, managers or shop personnel found their businesses looted by their own regular customers. Furthermore, there was a sense of bewilderment at the absence of the police at the time – the report found that police failed to stop the unrest.</p>



<p>“In most areas, the police became spectators as one mall after another was destroyed; as one truck after another was torched; as people came back day after day to finish looting whatever was left from the previous day.”</p>



<p>Ramaphosa in a statement said he will outline the first actions the government will take in response to the findings and recommendations of the report Thursday, February 10 2022 during his State of Nation Address.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="tangent">Tangent</h3>



<p>In their recommendations, the panel said it goes without saying that the capacity of the security services needs to be strengthened to respond effectively to all situations. This includes both the South Africa Police Services (SAPS) as well as the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The government, at all levels, are also encouraged to “seriously attend” to the socio-economic challenges facing the country.</p>



<p>“Poorly rolled out programmes of service delivery and unacceptable living conditions, the state of the economy, and the persistent levels of poverty, served to provide the ripe environment to light the tinder box that was the incarceration of former President Zuma that led to many poor and desperate people joining in the looting, alongside those more calculating in their objectives and motivation,” the report read.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">Crucial Quote</h3>



<p>“Mr. President, you asked us to determine whether the response by the security services was timeous, appropriate and sufficient. The answer to that, in respect of the police and the intelligence services, is an unequivocal no. Many reasons were proffered for this failure, but in the end, the response remains that they failed to do the necessary to protect life, limb and property. The reasons are set out in the body of our report. The Executive, however carries some of the blame too and must take responsibility for its lapse of leadership,” the panel said in their concluding assessment.</p>


SANDF inspects Jabulani Mall after social unrest in South Africa

Expert Panel Report On 2021 South Africa Riots Reveals It Cost The Economy $3.2 Billion


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>The reigning winner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant, Andrea Meza, said Wednesday the next edition of the competition set to be held in Israel shouldn’t be politicized, amid pressure for contestants to set aside their hopes for the crown and boycott the event in solidarity with Palestinians.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Meza, a 27-year-old who represents Mexico,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-travel-lifestyle-boycotts-middle-east-d55495b4c920b2e9b708e4425fcc2699" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;the&nbsp;<em>Associated Press</em>&nbsp;she wouldn’t fault women who boycotted this year’s pageant, but said she had no problem with it being held in Israel, stating that “it’s just about embracing other women.”</p>



<p>Palestinian activist groups like PACBI, a founding&nbsp;<a href="https://bdsmovement.net/pacbi" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">member</a>&nbsp;of the movement for a cultural and academic boycott on Israel, called on contestants to “do no harm to our struggle for freedom, justice and equality by withdrawing from the pageant.”</p>



<p>Meza will hand over the crown in December when the 70th Miss Universe pageant takes place in Eilat, Israel.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h2>



<p>The South African government&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/government-withdraws-support-miss-south-africa-resisting-israel-boycott-2021-11-15/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">withdrew</a>&nbsp;its support for Miss South Africa on Monday after the local pageant organizer and the most recent winner, Lalela Mswane, refused to pull out of the competition earlier this week. Malaysia announced it would not send a representative due to Covid-19, but the country has been a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-malaysia-israel-ban/malaysia-imposes-ban-on-events-involving-israelis-idUSKCN1PA0MA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">supporter</a>&nbsp;of Palestinian rights, the&nbsp;<em>AP</em>&nbsp;reports.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, said Israel has been in contention as a host country “due to its rich history, beautiful landscapes, myriad of cultures and appeal as a global tourist destination.” The BDS movement, which promotes boycotts, divestment and sanctions of Israel, has had mixed results in recent years, with some singers like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/dec/25/lorde-cancels-israel-concert-after-pro-palestinian-campaign" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lorde</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/aug/31/lana-del-rey-pulls-out-of-israeli-festival-after-backlash#:~:text=Del%20Rey%20had%20come%20under,to%20play%20in%20apartheid%20Israel.%E2%80%9D" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lana Del Rey</a>&nbsp;cancelling shows in the country, while Irish author Sally Rooney&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/teakvetenadze/2021/10/12/author-sally-rooney-turns-down-israeli-publisher-in-solidarity-with-palestinians/?sh=5cdbde0e3f0d">declined</a>&nbsp;to have her most recent book translated into Hebrew until she found a publisher complaint with BDS’ “institutional boycott guidelines.”&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-travel-lifestyle-boycotts-middle-east-d55495b4c920b2e9b708e4425fcc2699" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">In Israel, Miss Universe says pageant no place for politics</a>&nbsp;(The&nbsp;<em>Associated Press</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/government-withdraws-support-miss-south-africa-resisting-israel-boycott-2021-11-15/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Government withdraws support for Miss South Africa for resisting Israel boycott</a> (<em>Reuters</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan-1/"></a><em><strong>By Anna Kaplan, Forbes Staff</strong></em></p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan-1/"></a></p>


The 69th Miss Universe Competition

Miss Universe Says Pageant In Israel Shouldn’t Be Politicized Amid Boycott Pressure


<p><strong>Despite hotly-contested campaigning across many municipalities, less than half of the registered voters turned up to cast their ballots at the 2021 South African local elections. The poor delivery of essential services was cited by many as a reason. </strong></p>



<p>On November 1,&nbsp;South Africans gathered at polling stations&nbsp;set up&nbsp;in schools, churches and municipal buildings across the country&nbsp;to cast their votes in the 2021 local government elections, which determine the councils for all district, metropolitan and local municipalities in the country.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>In&nbsp;Hitekani&nbsp;Primary School in&nbsp;Chiawelo,&nbsp;Soweto, South Africa’s oldest township and where&nbsp;South African President Cyril&nbsp;Ramaphosa&nbsp;of the ruling African National Congress&nbsp;later&nbsp;arrived to cast his ballot, primarily elderly voters&nbsp;stood in line&nbsp;in the bristling sun even as the suburb suffered power cuts&nbsp;– one of the key concerns highlighted by protestors&nbsp;in the area earlier in the day,&nbsp;perhaps because&nbsp;they&nbsp;were aware of where the President would cast his vote.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>A&nbsp;<em>Reuters</em>&nbsp;report says that “early results from South Africa’s local elections on Tuesday gave the ruling African National Congress (ANC) 46% of the vote, with results in from just over a quarter of polling stations nationwide”.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As results begin to trickle in&nbsp;– the final&nbsp;announcement&nbsp;is on November 4 –&nbsp;the Independent Electoral Commission&nbsp;(IEC)&nbsp;said&nbsp;that voter turnout stood at 8 million (the total number of registered voters is 26.2 million).&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>This is reportedly&nbsp;the lowest voter turnout since South Africa became a democracy.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>“Service delivery!&nbsp;Service delivery!” chanted members in&nbsp;ActionSA&nbsp;t-shirts outside of&nbsp;the school, as&nbsp;Ramaphosa&nbsp;arrived to cast his own ballot&nbsp;amidst a massive security presence.&nbsp;As snipers&nbsp;watched&nbsp;from nearby rooftops,&nbsp;many&nbsp;in the crowd booed – as the president&nbsp;alighted from his&nbsp;vehicle –&nbsp;highlighting their&nbsp;dissatisfaction about being&nbsp;without running water or reliable electricity in the country, and the failure of their municipalities to deliver these services.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>While attempting to keep an optimistic outlook,&nbsp;Ramaphosa&nbsp;seemed to&nbsp;acknowledge&nbsp;the need to address these concerns, in particular, since many of the most poorly-run municipalities have fallen under the&nbsp;governance of the ANC.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>“The least we can do is to go and explain to our people, and tell them why we are not able to do it [resolve issues]… I would like whoever wins to actually make sure that municipal service delivery is done differently from what we have done before,” said&nbsp;Ramaphosa&nbsp;at&nbsp;a press conference shortly after casting his ballot.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>At the&nbsp;three polling stations&nbsp;that FORBES AFRICA&nbsp;visited, the voters were predominantly&nbsp;young – and&nbsp;anecdotal&nbsp;numbers indeed seemed&nbsp;to reflect the low voter turnout reported by the IEC.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“We want all these problems that we have to get better,” said one of the&nbsp;young registered voters&nbsp;to FORBES AFRICA, who did not want to be named. “I vote because I want things to be different.” When asked if&nbsp;many of their friends or peers had voted, they answered&nbsp;that none had.&nbsp;</p>



<p>While some voting stations were closed due to protest action and with&nbsp;reports of ballot shortages in some areas, these were few and far between and don’t account for the low turnout.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>The IEC refused to speculate on the reasons for the&nbsp;apparently&nbsp;low numbers. “We would like at this stage to remain as scientific as possible,” said IEC Chairperson Glen&nbsp;Mashinini&nbsp;during a media briefing the night of the elections. “We still have to see and hear what observers have to say. It might&nbsp;be early stages for the Commission to make&nbsp;opinions and analysis&#8230; So it’s not that we’re not noting whether this raises matters of confidence or no confidence.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>Today, on November 2,&nbsp;state power utility Eskom announced unexpectedly the possibility of further electricity cuts, and the residents of&nbsp;Chiawelo&nbsp;remain without power.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>&nbsp;<br>“We know what the problems are,” said&nbsp;Ramaphosa. “The problems are clear. And we have said that this time round we want to correct what has not been going well.”&nbsp;</p>


1 November 2021 FORBES (1 of 1)

South Africa’s Low Numbers At Local Polls Amid Voter Concerns


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok returned to his home Tuesday, news outlets reported, amid international outrage after Sudan’s military arrested Hamdok on Monday and dismantled a fragile temporary government formed as the country emerged from dictatorship two years ago.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The military allowed Hamdok and his wife to return to their home in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, after he was detained in a top military leader&#8217;s house, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sudan-coup-protesters-537e14871a64dbc634430c60b7c662b5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1453071174460755973" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Agence France-Presse</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/26/protesters-in-sudan-return-to-the-streets-against-military-coup" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Al Jazeera</a>, all of which cited an unnamed military source.</p>



<p>It’s not clear whether Hamdok is now free to leave his home, or if the military has imposed any conditions on his release, the AP and Al Jazeera say — and military officials&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/sudan-military-coup-leaves-no-clear-path-out-of-nations-political-economic-crises-11635272325" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">appear to be in control</a>&nbsp;in Sudan.</p>



<p>Hamdok’s office urged the military to release him in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SUDANPMSOFFICE/?ref=page_internal" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement on Facebook</a>&nbsp;Tuesday.</p>



<p>Earlier Tuesday, Sudanese army Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/26/world/africa/sudan-coup-protests.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reportedly</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/26/sudan-prime-minister-abdalla-hamdok-detained-for-own-safety-says-military-leader" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">claimed</a>&nbsp;Hamdok was taken into custody for his own safety.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>On Monday, the Sudanese military arrested Hamdok and several other officials, declared a state of emergency and dismantled Sudan’s interim government, a move&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59052260" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">military leaders insisted</a>&nbsp;was designed to stave off a civil war. Demonstrators later took to the streets, where military officials reportedly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sudans-doctors-committee-two-shot-dead-protests-military-takeover-2021-10-25/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gunned down some protesters</a>. The apparent coup disrupted an already-tenuous transition to democracy in Sudan that began in 2019, when the military ejected brutal ex-dictator Omar al-Bashir — who ruled the country for three decades — and later agreed to hand over power to a joint civilian-military council. That council appointed Hamdok, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/25/world/africa/abdalla-hamdok-sudan.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">former United Nations economist</a>, to helm the Sudanese government until it could hold democratic elections, but this power-sharing arrangement has teetered near collapse in recent months. Some allies of the military&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/25/world/africa/sudan-military-coup-civilian.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;module=&amp;state=default&amp;region=footer&amp;context=breakout_link_back_to_briefing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">have</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/led-sudans-military-coup-rcna3779" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">criticized</a>&nbsp;Hamdok for the country’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sudan-inflation-slows-38756-august-2021-09-14/#:~:text=Sudan%20is%20in%20the%20midst,%2C%20bread%2C%20and%20essential%20medicines.&amp;text=According%20to%20government%20data%2C%20inflation,the%20highest%20rate%20of%20977.01%25." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rapid inflation</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/sudan/overview#1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deep economic woes</a>, and some civilians&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/explaining-what-led-to-sudan-coup-8e3609d1f573b6dd0383ed7a09f0d4aa" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">have</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/10/25/world/sudan-coup/civilian-leaders-say-the-military-deliberately-crippled-the-economy-to-justify-a-takeover" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">accused</a>&nbsp;the military of undermining the country’s economy and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59035053" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">harboring</a>&nbsp;loyalists of al-Bashir, the&nbsp;<em>New York Times</em>&nbsp;and BBC report.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h2>



<p>The Biden administration&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/10/25/us-cuts-off-700-million-in-aid-to-sudan-amid-military-coup/?sh=2d8d805d6637">paused</a>&nbsp;$700 million in emergency economic aid to Sudan on Monday, and the State Department did not rule out sanctions if the military doesn’t release civilian leaders and restore the interim government. U.S.-Sudan relations warmed last year: The United States removed Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, and Sudan agreed to a nine-figure reparation payment for al-Qaeda-organized terror attacks on U.S. embassies in West Africa in 1998 and the USS Cole in 2000 (Osama bin Laden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47898385" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lived in Sudan</a>&nbsp;in the 1990s).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>Other international actors also condemned Hamdok’s arrest. Leaders of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/eu-demands-immediate-release-sudanese-leader-cabinet-members-2021-10-25/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European Union</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://au.int/en/pressreleases/20211025/statement-chairperson-au-commission-situation-sudan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">African Union</a>&nbsp;urged the military to release all arrested civilian officials.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/10/25/us-cuts-off-700-million-in-aid-to-sudan-amid-military-coup/?sh=2d8d805d6637">U.S. Cuts Off $700 Million In Aid To Sudan Amid Military Coup (Forbes)</a></p>



<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/25/world/africa/abdalla-hamdok-sudan.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Who is Abdalla Hamdok, the Sudanese prime minister detained in a military coup? (New York Times)</a></p>



<p><em><strong>By <meta charset="utf-8">Joe Walsh, Forbes Staff</strong></em></p>


TOPSHOT-SUDAN-UNREST

Sudanese Prime Minister Returns Home After Arrest In Military Coup


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Civil unrest in the small, landlocked African kingdom of Eswatini continued to escalate Friday as nurses&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59011033" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">refused</a>&nbsp;to treat police officers after a tumultuous week during which the country&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/22/eswatini-bans-protests-as-tensions-flare" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">banned protests</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/southern-african-envoys-due-travel-eswatini-after-anti-monarchy-protests-2021-10-21/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">suspended Facebook access</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-18/schools-shut-as-pro-democracy-protests-escalate-in-eswatini" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shut down schools</a>&nbsp;indefinitely as months of pro-democracy protests&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/pro-democracy-protests-flare-up-eswatini-2021-10-14/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">came to a head</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>It comes a day after South African President&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/PresidencyZA/status/1451045191931023360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1451045191931023360%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2F2021%2F10%2F21%2Fafrican-nations-deploy-envoys-to-eswatini-to-help-stem-unrest" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cyril Ramaphosa</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/21/african-nations-deploy-envoys-to-eswatini-to-help-stem-unrest" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deployed</a>&nbsp;special envoys to discuss the crisis with King Mswati III on behalf of the Southern African Development Community, an intergovernmental body that Ramaphosa chairs and Eswatini is a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sadc.int/member-states/swaziland/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">member</a>&nbsp;of.</p>



<p>Nurses at three hospitals in Eswatini demonstrated Friday after civil servants were met with an “unprecedented show of force” from police at a pro-democracy rally on Wednesday during which 30 nurses were injured and a bystander was killed, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59011033" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BBC</a>&nbsp;reported.</p>



<p>Over 80 people have been killed by authorities and two members of parliament detained since the nationwide anti-monarchy protests began in July, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/10/eswatini-detained-mps-must-be-immediately-released-and-all-charges-against-them-dropped/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amnesty International</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2014/06/03/the-5-richest-kings-in-africa/?sh=6ba62e6e41d2">$50 million</a>. That’s at least how much&nbsp;<em>Forbes</em>&nbsp;estimated Mswati’s net worth to be in 2014, while 80% of citizens live on less than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2012/09/21/the-human-development-cost-of-the-king-of-swazilands-lifestyle-and-his-bevy-of-wives/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$2</a>&nbsp;a day.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Eswatini, called Swaziland&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/20/604000612/swaziland-gets-a-name-change-call-it-eswatini-now" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">until 2018</a>, is a country of 1.2 million in Southeast Africa known for its sugar industry — and for being named the most unequal nation on the planet by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/oxfam-challenges-african-leaders-champion-new-economic-models-are-fit-future" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oxfam</a>. According to the intergovernmental International Sugar Organization, Eswatini ranks&nbsp;<a href="https://www.isosugar.org/sugarsector/sugar" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">among the top ten</a>&nbsp;sugar exporters in the world.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/optimist/vaccine-world/coca-cola-bill-gates-covid-vaccines-africa-eswatini-b956279.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coca-Cola</a>&nbsp;has long had a presence in the country, and has been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jan/02/coca-cola-accused-swaziland-dictator" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">accused</a>&nbsp;in the past of “propping up” the dictatorial Mswati.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p>“<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59011033" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eswatini protests: Nurses refuse to treat police after colleagues shot</a>” (BBC News)</p>



<p>“<a href="https://apnews.com/article/africa-south-africa-democracy-political-and-civil-unrest-botswana-515167b66cd631fcb0691c16cce5ce67" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Southern African states send delegation to troubled Eswatini</a>” (Associated Press)</p>



<p>“<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/22/eswatini-bans-protests-as-tensions-flare" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eswatini bans protests as tensions flare amid pro-democracy calls</a>” (Al Jazeera)</p>



<p>“<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-18/schools-shut-as-pro-democracy-protests-escalate-in-eswatini" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eswatini Closes Schools to Quell Pro-Democracy Protests</a>” (Bloomberg)</p>



<p>“<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/pro-democracy-protests-flare-up-eswatini-2021-10-14/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pro-democracy protests flare up in Eswatini</a>” (Reuters)</p>



<p>“<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/02/us/africa-monarchy-eswatini-protests-swaziland.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Africa’s Last Absolute Monarchy Convulsed by Mass Protests</a>” (<em>New York Times</em>)</p>



<p><strong><em>By <meta charset="utf-8">Téa Kvetenadze, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/teakvetenadze/"></a></p>


ESWATINI-UNREST

Nurses Refuse To Treat Eswatini Police As Protests Immerse Africa’s Last Absolute Monarchy


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Weeks after the Taliban wrested control over Afghanistan from the country’s former government, the group is asking to participate in the United Nations’ annual General Assembly as it angles for international recognition.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received a letter Monday purporting to be from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Taliban’s formal name for its government, Guterres’ spokesperson Farhan Haq confirmed to&nbsp;<em>Forbes</em>.</p>



<p>The group asked to join the 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly, an annual meeting of world leaders in New York City that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/un-general-assembly-09-21-21/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">opened this week</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.un.org/en/ga/76/meetings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">will end Monday</a>.</p>



<p>The letter also said Taliban spokesperson Souhail Shaheen should replace the former Afghan government’s permanent representative to the United Nations, according to Haq.</p>



<p>Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid indicated an interest in recognition Tuesday, claiming “the responsibility of the United Nations to recognize our government [and] for other countries … to have diplomatic relations with us,” the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/21/world/asia/taliban-women-government.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>New York Times</em></a>&nbsp;reported.</p>



<p>Reuters first reported on the Taliban’s U.N. request Tuesday.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>It’s not clear whether the U.N will review the Taliban’s request by the time this year’s session wraps up. The U.N. General Assembly’s credentials committee was tasked with handling the Taliban’s letter, but that group — which includes the United States, China, Russia and six other U.N. members — hasn’t scheduled any meetings yet, Haq told&nbsp;<em>Forbes</em>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan over the summer as the U.S. military withdrew its troops from the country, and by mid-August, the group entered the capital of Kabul for the first time since the United States launched its war in Afghanistan in 2001. The group&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/taliban-name-deputy-ministers-double-down-on-all-male-team" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">says it wants diplomatic relations</a>&nbsp;with the rest of the world, and it has publicly promised to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-kabul-1d4b052ccef113adc8dc94f965ff23c7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">respect women</a>, grant&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/talibans-pledge-of-amnesty-for-security-officials-meets-widespread-distrust-11631611675" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">amnesty</a>&nbsp;to Afghans who worked for the former government and allow people to leave Afghanistan. However, reports have emerged of Taliban operatives&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/24/world/asia/taliban-women-afghanistan.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">barring women</a>&nbsp;from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghan-women-bankers-forced-roles-taliban-takes-control-2021-08-13/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/20/world/asia/afghan-girls-schools-taliban.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">school</a>, meting out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghanistan-journalists-taliban/2021/09/17/81b44d5a-1722-11ec-a019-cb193b28aa73_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">harsh</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/08/asia/afghanistan-women-taliban-government-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">punishments</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58271797" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">searching</a>&nbsp;for the group’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/29/world/some-afghans-say-that-enemies-of-the-taliban-have-begun-to-disappear.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">adversaries</a>&nbsp;— echoing the harsh, fundamentalist style of governance imposed by the Taliban when it first ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2000. The Taliban also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/09/07/us-worried-about-members-of-new-taliban-cabinet---which-includes-minister-on-fbi-wanted-list/">faced rebukes</a>&nbsp;earlier this month for forming a cabinet composed largely of Taliban operatives — including a leader of the Haqqani Network, a U.S.-designated terrorist group. On Tuesday, the group&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/graisondangor/2021/09/21/taliban-says-it-wants-women-to-join-cabinet-just-not-yet/?sh=402cec66c1e3">said</a>&nbsp;it would eventually add women to its cabinet, but didn’t specify when.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>Foreign governments still haven’t recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers yet, though officials from <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-05/pakistan-s-spy-chief-visits-kabul-for-meeting-with-taliban" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pakistan</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/qatari-foreign-minister-visits-kabul-al-jazeera-says-2021-09-12/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Qatar</a> reportedly met with the Taliban in Afghanistan earlier this month, and the U.S. military spoke with the Taliban during its frantic evacuation mission from Kabul’s international airport in August. Pakistan’s foreign minister said Monday he doesn’t think “anyone is in a rush to recognize at this stage,” the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-latest-johnson-to-bolsonaro-vaccines-save-lives/2021/09/20/7f1c0c6a-1a40-11ec-bea8-308ea134594f_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press</a> reported, even though Pakistan <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/08/27/1031809296/pakistan-helped-create-the-taliban-heres-what-it-means-for-the-country-now" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recognized the Taliban</a> during its first stint in power and has faced allegations of supporting the group since then, a charge the country <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/05/1034439237/how-pakistan-is-reacting-to-the-return-of-the-taliban-in-afghanistan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">denies</a>.</p>



<p>BY <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/">Joe Walsh</a>Forbes Staff</p>


Press conference by Taliban political office delegation in Moscow

Taliban Asks To Participate In U.N. Session


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> A special forces unit of the Guinea Armed Forces ousted the country’s long-serving President Alpha Conde on Sunday in an apparent coup, causing global aluminum prices to soar over fears that the unrest in the West African nation could impact the supply of a raw material, bauxite, which is needed to make the metal.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The military unit which claims to have seized power announced that they have dissolved Guinea’s government, its constitution and closed its land and air borders.</p>



<p>The new military rulers have imposed a nationwide curfew “until further notice” and have said they plan to convene a meeting of Conde&#8217;s cabinet later on Monday.</p>



<p>Unrest in the world’s third-largest producer of bauxite has pushed aluminum prices to the highest level in over a decade.</p>



<p>Prices of the metal in the London Metal Exchange climbed by 1.8% on Monday to $2775.50 per ton—the highest it has been since May 2011.</p>



<p>In China, the aluminum futures jumped up nearly 3.5% to around $3,400 (CNY 21,970)—the highest it has been since 2006—before leveling off at around 2.3%.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h2>



<p>Following the announcement of the coup, the U.S. State Department&nbsp;<a href="https://www.state.gov/on-the-military-seizure-of-power-in-guinea/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">issued a statement</a>&nbsp;in which it said: “The United States condemns today’s events in Conakry… We urge all parties to forego violence and any efforts not supported by the Constitution and stand by the rule of law.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>64 million metric tonnes. That’s the amount of bauxite that Guinea&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/profiling-the-top-five-bauxite-producing-countries-in-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">produced</a>&nbsp;in 2019 putting it third in the world behind Australia and China in terms of annual production. The country also holds the largest reserve of the aluminum ore in the world at 40 billion tons.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Despite worldwide condemnation, the coup&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/6/guinea-coup-military-arrest-president-dissolve-government" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reportedly</a>&nbsp;sparked celebrations in some quarters of the nation’s capital Conakry. Last year, the ousted president Conde secured a third term in an election that was marred by violent protests, claims of fraud, and controversy over changes to the country’s constitution to remove a two-term presidential limit. His return to power had sparked demonstrations in parts of the country which led to several deaths and hundreds of arrests. One Western diplomat&nbsp;<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/army-seizes-power-in-guinea-holds-president/articleshow/85966324.cms" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;AFP that Sunday’s coup may have been sparked by the Conde government’s decision to dismiss a senior commander in the special forces—sparking a rebellion from some of the members of its group.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/heavy-gunfire-heard-guinea-capital-conakry-reuters-witness-2021-09-05/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elite Guinea army unit says it has toppled president</a>&nbsp;(Reuters)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/6/guinea-coup-military-arrest-president-dissolve-government" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Guinea coup: Military arrests president, dissolves government</a> (Al Jazeera)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


GUINEA-ARMY-POLITICS-UNREST

Guinea Special Forces Oust President In Coup, Unrest Causes Aluminum Prices To Soar


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Taliban co-founder and political chief Abdul Ghani Baradar is set to lead the new government in Afghanistan, reports said on Friday, formalizing the Taliban’s grip on Kabul just days after the U.S. military and its allies withdrew all their soldiers and officials from the country.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Baradar will be aided by two other senior leaders: Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai and Mohammad Yaqoob, son of deceased Taliban co-founder Mullah Omar, Reuters&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-co-founder-baradar-lead-new-afghanistan-govt-sources-2021-09-03/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>, citing a Taliban official.</p>



<p>The Taliban’s supreme religious leader, Haibatullah Akhunzada, will not be part of the political leadership but will remain in charge of religious matters.</p>



<p>The leadership announcement comes at a time when new Afghan leadership faces crises on multiple fronts, including a devastated economy and growing rebellion in the country’s northern Panjshir Valley.</p>



<p>Peace talks between the Taliban and a militia group led by Ahmad Massoud—the son of former anti-Taliban Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud—have reportedly broken down, with both sides preparing for a possible conflict.</p>



<p>The Taliban government will also have to tackle an Afghan economy that is on the verge of collapse as all foreign aid has dried up and the country’s $9.4 billion in cash reserves have been frozen.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Baradar, who co-founded the Taliban in the 1990s, held several senior government positions when the militant group was previously in power between 1996 and 2001. After the Taliban government was dismantled by the 2001 U.S. invasion, Baradar helped lead the insurgent group’s fighters. He was eventually captured in Pakistan, near the city of Karachi, in 2010 in a mission that is believed to have been jointly planned by Pakistani and U.S. operatives. But he was released from prison in 2018 by Pakistani officials after the Trump administration&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-taliban-leader-emerges-hunted-jailed-and-now-free-11629154710" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reportedly</a>&nbsp;lobbied for his release as it began peace talks with the Taliban. Since his release, Baradar has helped lead the Taliban’s negotiations with the U.S.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



<p>The Taliban’s former supreme leader and co-founder, Mohammed Omar,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/4b922166-1d8d-11df-a893-00144feab49a" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coined</a>&nbsp;the nom de guerre “Baradar” for his colleague – which means “brother”. Baradar had worked closely with Omar in a group of Mujahideens who fought against the Soviet presence in the country in the 1980s.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>The Taliban has indicated it will try to seek international recognition of its government’s legitimacy as this would be crucial for opening the door to international aid. Access to foreign aid and the country’s foreign cash reserves will be critical for the Taliban as Afghanistan teeters on the brink of economic collapse. Both the United States and its European allies have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/01/world/asia/taliban-un-afghanistan-us.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">urged</a>&nbsp;the Taliban to form an inclusive government that represents women and the country’s various religious and ethnic minorities.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/08/17/who-runs-the-taliban-these-are-some-of-the-groups-top-leaders/">Who Runs The Taliban? These Are Some Of The Group’s Top Leaders.</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-co-founder-baradar-lead-new-afghanistan-govt-sources-2021-09-03/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Taliban co-founder Baradar to lead new Afghanistan govt &#8211; sources</a>&nbsp;(Reuters)</p>



<p><a href="https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/mullah-baradar-afghanistans-president-in-waiting/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mullah Baradar: Afghanistan’s President-in-Waiting?</a> (The Diplomat)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT

What You Need To Know About Abdul Ghani Baradar— The Taliban Leader Poised To Lead Afghanistan’s New Government


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday hit out at China, accusing it of using  “coercion” and “intimidation” to  back unlawful claims in the South China Sea and affirmed U.S. support for allies in the region as the Biden administration shifts its attention and resources to the Indo-Pacific region to counter Beijing’s advances.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Speaking in Singapore in the middle of an important seven-day tour to Southeast Asia, Harris said that Beijing&#8217;s activities in the region continue to undermine “the rules-based order” and threaten the sovereignty of nations.</p>



<p>Harris, who is scheduled to visit Hanoi on Tuesday, added that the U.S. “stands with our allies and our partners” in the face of threats from China.</p>



<p>Harris’ trip to the region comes at an important time for the Biden administration as it begins to pivot its attention towards the Indo-Pacific and away from the Middle East.</p>



<p>She noted that the Indo-Pacific was “critically important” to America’s national security and prosperity.</p>



<p>While the vice president’s remarks were her sharpest rebuke against China so far, she appeared to acknowledge Singapore’s neutrality in the U.S.-China rivalry by noting that Washington isn’t trying to “make anyone choose between countries.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Washington’s pivot towards the Indo-Pacific comes at a time when the Biden administration is winding down America’s decades-long presence in the Middle East with a messy exit from Afghanistan. The botched withdrawal from Afghanistan has raised several concerns among U.S. allies about its commitment to support them. Acknowledging the situation, Harris said the U.S. is evacuating as many people as possible but added that it was also imperative to “continue to advance our interests in other regions, including this region.” In her speech on Tuesday, Harris emphasized the significance of the Southeast Asia region to the U.S. both in terms of security and trade. Harris will begin the second leg of her tour in Hanoi where she is scheduled to meet top officials from the Vietnamese government.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h2>



<p>On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin accused the U.S. of doing “unscrupulous and dishonest things” in Afghanistan and called on Washington to help rebuild the country. “The United States is the root cause and the biggest external factor in the Afghan issue. It cannot just run away like this.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-business-969fe25162023468754e57746d6da80d" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harris rebukes China in major speech on Indo-Pacific</a>&nbsp;(Associated Press)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/kamala-harris-says-beijing-continues-coerce-south-china-sea-2021-08-24/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. VP Harris says China intimidates to back South China Sea claims</a> (Reuters)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Africa</em></strong></p>


President Biden Delivers Remarks On Status Of Afghanistan Evacuation

Kamala Harris Accuses China Of ‘Coercion’ And ‘Intimidation’, Vows U.S. Support For Allies In Indo-Pacific


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Saturday was the seventh day that Taliban fighters have been in control of Afghanistan&#8217;s capital after the Western-backed government collapsed last Sunday, leading to scenes of chaos and dramatic shifts.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52248" width="718" height="479" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px" /><figcaption>KABUL, AFGHANISTAN &#8212; AUGUST 20, 2021: Protection detail for Khalil al-Rahman Haqqani, a leader of the Taliban affiliated Haqqani network, and a U.S.-designated terrorist with a five million dollar bounty, after visiting the Pul-I-Khishti Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)</figcaption></figure></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The Taliban rolled into Kabul last weekend after taking just 11 days to seize control of the vast majority of Afghanistan following a U.S. troop drawdown, and declared the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/08/19/taliban-declares-formation-of-islamic-emirate-groups-fighters-open-fire-at-protest-rally/">&#8220;Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan&#8221;</a>&nbsp;on Thursday—the same name Afghanistan had under Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001.</p>



<p>Reporters on the ground in Kabul say Taliban fighters are now patrolling essentially every block in the city, prompting concerns of a return to the brutality seen the last time the Taliban was in power, when it enforced an extremely conservative interpretation of Sharia law.</p>



<p>Afghans desperate to escape the Taliban stormed Hamid Karzai International Airport on Monday, with some dying after clinging onto the outside of a U.S. C-17 military plane as it took off.</p>



<p>Thousands of U.S. soldiers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/08/14/biden-dispatching-2000-more-troops-to-aid-afghanistan-evacuation/">were ordered into Afghanistan</a>&nbsp;to retake control of the airport, with planes now departing full of Americans and Afghan refugees fleeing the country.</p>



<p>The Taliban claims Afghans&#8217; fears are unfounded, promising &#8220;amnesty&#8221; for those who worked with the U.S. and saying some of the harsh policies of their earlier rule—like forbidding education for women—will not be repeated.</p>



<p>There are already signs the Taliban is hardening its rule, though, as fighters go on <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/08/20/taliban-kill-journalists-relative-in-intensifying-door-to-door-hunt-for-media-and-collaborators-with-previous-afghan-government-or-us-nato-forces/?sh=4c9e3c6e6544">door-to-door manhunts</a> looking for journalists and those who worked for the previous Afghan government.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52250" width="791" height="527" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px" /><figcaption>TOPSHOT &#8211; Armed Taliban fighters stand next to an Imam during the Friday noon prayer in the Abdul Rahman Mosque in Kabul on August 20, 2021, as the Islamists are swiftly moving to stamp their authority on Afghanistan. (Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI / AFP) (Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-1024x675.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52249" width="735" height="484" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-1024x675.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-300x198.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-768x506.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-1536x1013.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-2048x1350.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /><figcaption>HAMID KARZAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT &#8212; AUGUST 16, 2021:  Maxar satellite imagery of the runway at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan.  Please use: Satellite image (c) 2021 Maxar Technologies.</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52247" width="681" height="454" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px" /><figcaption>BILBAO BASQUE COUNTRY, SPAIN &#8211; AUGUST 20: A woman holds the Afghan flag and cries in a rally to denounce the advance of the Taliban control in Afghanistan and the setback of Human Rights that it means in the citizenship, on 20 August, 2021 in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. The protest has been called by the feminist group Euskal Elkartasun Feminista, EEF, in defense of the rights of citizenship and especially of Afghan women and girls, after the Taliban have managed to take control of Afghanistan. (Photo By H.Bilbao/Europa Press via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52246" width="718" height="479" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px" /><figcaption>A Afghan boy walks by the fences guarded by the Pakistani paramilitary personnel at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing point in Chaman on August 23, 2021 following Taliban&#8217;s military takeover of Afghanistan. (Photo by &#8211; / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52244" width="732" height="488" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 732px) 100vw, 732px" /><figcaption>A man carries Taliban flags to sell at the Karte Mamorin area of Kabul on August 22, 2021. (Photo by Hoshang Hashimi / AFP) (Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-1024x689.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52241" width="679" height="457" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-1024x689.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-300x202.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-768x517.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-1536x1034.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-2048x1378.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 679px) 100vw, 679px" /><figcaption>US President Joe Biden responds to questions about the ongoing US military evacuations of US citizens and vulnerable Afghans, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 20, 2021. &#8211; Biden said Friday he has not seen America&#8217;s allies question US credibility over the conduct of its withdrawal from Afghanistan as the Taliban took over the country. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52242" width="621" height="415" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-2048x1367.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 621px) 100vw, 621px" /><figcaption>Spanish Minister of Presidency Felix Bolanos (2L) welcomes Afghan nationals upon their arrival aboard a second evacuation airplane, carrying Afghan collaborators and their families, that landed at the Torrejon de Ardoz air base, 30 km away from Madrid, on August 20, 2021. &#8211; More than a hundred Afghans arrived today in Madrid, aboard the second evacuation flight organized by Spain since the capture of Kabul by the Taliban. The 110 Afghans left Kabul, passing through Dubai and then landed at the Torrejon de Ardoz military base, northeast of Madrid, where the reception hub for Afghans who worked for the European Union and their families is located. (Photo by Mariscal / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MARISCAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52243" width="753" height="502" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 753px) 100vw, 753px" /><figcaption>KABUL, AFGHANISTAN &#8212; AUGUST 20, 2021: Taliban fighters lay their weapons down and pray during Friday Islamic prayers at the Pul-I-Khishti Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52244" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>A man carries Taliban flags to sell at the Karte Mamorin area of Kabul on August 22, 2021. (Photo by Hoshang Hashimi / AFP) (Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong><em>By Nicholas Reimann, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT

9 Days Under The Taliban: Photos Of Kabul Under Its New Rulers


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> A relative of a journalist working for German broadcaster Deutsche Welle has been killed as the Taliban is carrying out “door-to-door” manhunts in an effort to round up journalists and people who worked for the previous Afghan government or Western forces, a U.N. threat assessment has warned, escalating fears of reprisals despite the group vowing <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/17/transcript-of-talibans-first-press-conference-in-kabul" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">amnesty</a> for Afghans working for the previous government and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/17/taliban-seek-no-revenge-and-all-afghans-will-be-forgiven" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">independence</a> for journalists.   </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The Taliban “shot dead” and seriously injured two family members of a journalist working for DW in a door-to-door manhunt, the German broadcaster&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dw.com/en/relative-of-dw-journalist-killed-by-the-taliban/a-58912975" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;Thursday night.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>The Taliban has raided the homes of at least three journalists with the broadcaster and is likely involved in the kidnapping and shooting of other journalists in Afghanistan, DW said in a statement.</p>



<p>DW’s director general Peter Limbourg said “it is evident that the Taliban are already carrying out organized searches for journalists” in Kabul and other provinces and urged, alongside other media organizations,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dw.com/en/dw-urges-german-government-to-help-afghan-staff/a-58890960" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">governments</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://rsf.org/en/news/rsf-seeks-un-security-council-meeting-plight-journalists-afghanistan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">international</a>&nbsp;organizations to take swift action to ensure the safety of journalists in Afghanistan.&nbsp;</p>



<p>It comes as the Taliban is intensifying efforts to round up Afghan “collaborators” with suspected ties to the previous government and Western forces,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dw.com/en/taliban-hunting-down-afghans-on-blacklist-report/a-58914571" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to a confidential U.N. intelligence report written by the RHIPTO Norwegian Center for Global Analyses and seen by news outlets.</p>



<p>Christian Nellemann, who leads the group,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/20/taliban-un-report-afghanistan-door-to-door-revenge" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;AFP the Taliban is “targeting the families of those who refuse to give themselves up,” prosecuting and punishing them instead in apparent accordance with Sharia law.</p>



<p>“We expect both individuals previously working with NATO and U.S. forces and their allies, alongside with their family members to be exposed to torture and executions,” Nellemann said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The Taliban swiftly retook Kabul and much of Afghanistan after the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/04/13/biden-plans-to-pull-all-troops-from-afghanistan-by-911/?sh=68b8a9492f51">withdrawal</a>&nbsp;of U.S. forces, sparking an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210816-western-powers-scramble-to-evacuate-from-afghanistan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">exodus</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-rescue-staff-taliban-afghanistan/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">diplomatic</a>&nbsp;staff, foreign nationals and some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/16/taliban-says-afghanistan-war-over-as-president-diplomats-flee" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">local Afghan staff</a>. Thousands of Afghans have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/08/16/us-forces-resort-to-aerial-firing-as-chaos-unfolds-at-kabul-airport/?sh=5a8fa52565d0">crowded</a>&nbsp;Kabul airport in the aftermath of the takeover in an attempt to flee and the State Department&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/08/18/us-says-it-cannot-ensure-safe-passage-to-kabuls-airport-despite-taliban-pledge/?sh=4d7f64ea72b7">said</a>&nbsp;it could not guarantee Americans could reach the airport safely. NATO&nbsp;<a href="https://news.sky.com/story/afghanistan-taliban-urge-people-to-leave-kabul-airport-after-12-people-killed-there-since-sunday-12384959" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">officials</a>&nbsp;said at least 12 have died in and around the airport since Sunday. The Taliban—which brutally ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and harshly restricted rights for women and many other groups—said it would respect women’s rights “within the limits of Islam.” As with vows of amnesty, there are already reports of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghan-women-bankers-forced-roles-taliban-takes-control-2021-08-13/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rollbacks to women’s rights</a>&nbsp;in some cities.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/08/17/who-runs-the-taliban-these-are-some-of-the-groups-top-leaders/?sh=5974d2a81a14">Who Runs The Taliban? These Are Some Of The Group’s Top Leaders.</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/graisondangor/2021/08/18/taliban-is-letting-un-work-continue-so-far-officials-say/?sh=23bc7aab62a5">Taliban Is Letting U.N. Work Continue So Far, Officials Say</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/taliban-hunting-down-afghans-on-blacklist-report/a-58914571" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Taliban hunting down Afghans on blacklist — report</a>&nbsp;(DW)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-58271797" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Afghanistan: Taliban carrying out door-to-door manhunt, report says</a> (BBC)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>



<p>  </p>


Taliban Kill Journalist’s Relative In Intensifying ‘Door-To-Door’ Hunt For Media And ‘Collaborators’ With Previous Afghan Government Or U.S., NATO Forces


<p class="has-text-align-center"><strong><em>WORDS By Chanel Retief <br>PHOTOS By Yeshiel Panchia</em></strong></p>



<p>TOPLINE: For the past two days, South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa has met with leaders of political parties represented in the National Assembly. In his meeting, he told leaders that the government is intensifying its efforts and working in partnership with civil society to stem public violence affecting various parts of South Africa.</p>



<p>Key Facts</p>



<p>● South Africa has been mired in lawlessness and civil unrest since Saturday night following the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma. Though believed to be under the banner of #FreeZuma, Ramaphosa on Sunday told the nation that these were also “opportunistic acts of criminality”.</p>



<p>● According to a statement released by the presidency this afternoon, leaders of political parties have characterized the situation in the country as an attack on the democratic order. Furthermore, they believe that this unrest requires a multifaceted response in the long-term as it has already affected unemployment and poverty in South Africa.</p>



<p>● The riots have left businesses in disarray, either looted, vandalized, and/or destroyed across parts of<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1eDx6D_PEhXr9YIzIjWfw6ZXKFs_wiZ5D" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Gauteng province</a>s. </p>



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<p>● Ramaphosa on Monday in his address warned that if the unrest continued, the situation could lead to food insecurity as well as to an overwhelming of public health systems. Between Tuesday and Wednesday, some stores across South Africa witnessed long queues and empty shelves with disrupted supply chains. </p>



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The stockpiling has started. Long queues in grocery stores. It’s a mess! <a href="https://t.co/0EGzjwSwNV">pic.twitter.com/0EGzjwSwNV</a></p>&mdash; Nathi Ndamase (@nathi_ndamase) <a href="https://twitter.com/nathi_ndamase/status/1415260694761594884?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>● This also includes some retail stores that specialize in selling medication, such as Clicks, which have been forced to close “some stores until further notice for the safety of our staff and customers”.</p>



<p>● “The looting and destruction of property are alarming,” said Busisiwe Mavuso, Chief Executive Officer of Business Leadership South Africa, in a statement. “This is inflicting further damage to the economy which is already at stretching point because of lockdown restrictions.”</p>



<p>● This has also affected the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in KZN and Gauteng as inoculations at some centers have had to be suspended due to the riots. “This will have lasting effects on our ability to consolidate some of the progress we were already witnessing in our economic recovery,” Ramaphosa said on Monday.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-photos">In Photos</h3>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-2-of-5-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51833" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-2-of-5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-2-of-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-2-of-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-2-of-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-2-of-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



<p>A young boy lies dead as his family mourns besides his body after he was allegedly shot by taxi association members supporting police in Vosloorus, Johannesburg, 14 July 2021. This was during the course of a conflict between the police, taxi association members and looters of a nearby mall. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-3-of-5-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51834" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-3-of-5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-3-of-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-3-of-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-3-of-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-3-of-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



<p>A shopping center stands completely looted and destroyed in Vosloorus, Johannesburg, 14 July 2021. Looters ravaged the center over the last few days, which saw three people killed. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-4-of-5-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51835" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-4-of-5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-4-of-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-4-of-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-4-of-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-4-of-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



<p>*Moande, a store owner, stands in front of his looted and destroyed shop in Chris Hani Mall in Vosloorus, Johannesburg, 14 July 2021. Over the last few days, his shop has been destroyed, his stock looted, and he stated that he will have to lay off the workers he previously employed as he closes down. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-5-of-5-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51836" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-5-of-5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-5-of-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-5-of-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-5-of-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-5-of-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Taxi association members gather men they allegedly caught looting outside Chris Hani Mall in Vosloorus, Johannesburg, 14 July 2021. Many of the association members turned out to defend the malls, with at least one dead, attributed to their use of live weapons. Police did not interfere in any of their actions. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia</p>



<p><em><strong>This is a developing story and FORBES AFRICA will provide updates.</strong></em></p>


14 July 2021 Forbes (1 of 5)

Panic Buying, Political Meetings And The Pain Of Business


<p><strong>President Cyril Ramaphosa deploys the SANDF and calls to restore order in South Africa after looting, vandalism and violence leave 11 dead and many injured.</strong></p>



<p>Just a day after addressing the nation about strengthened Covid-19 lockdown restrictions until July 25, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa was back on TV screens again “with a heavy heart”, this time on the government’s response to the public violence and unrest currently ravaging parts of the country.</p>



<p>The vandalism, looting, riots, “political protests” and “anarchy” over the last three days have led to the army being called in to “protect property and safeguard social and economic infrastructure”, as the president stated in his address on Monday evening, July 12.</p>



<p>“As the Commander-in-Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), I have today authorized the deployment of Defence Force personnel in support of the operations of the South African Police Service (SAPS).”</p>



<p>The protests, sparked by the arrest of South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court last week, began in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Zuma’s homestead where he is currently incarcerated at the Estcourt Correctional Centre. The civil unrest saw an estimated <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2021/07/11/south-africa-protests-and-unrest-grow-over-zuma-arrest/">$7 million in damages with over 30 trucks set alight.</a> The protests continued in Gauteng, South Africa’s economic hub, in places such as Soweto, Jeppetown and Alexandra.</p>



<p>Social media has been agog with dramatic scenes of the state of affairs: videos of people running into shopping centers, malls, and/or shops being destroyed and/or vandalized. Many experts, politicians, and citizens, including the president, questioned if these protests were really under the banner of the #FreeZuma campaign.</p>



<p>“What we are witnessing now are opportunistic acts of criminality, with groups of people instigating chaos merely as a cover for looting and theft,” Ramaphosa said. “There is no grievance, nor any political cause, that can justify the violence and destruction that we have seen in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.”</p>



<p>So far, over 11 people have been declared dead due to the unrest; 166 suspects have been arrested in KZN and 323 suspects arrested in Gauteng concerning these incidents.</p>



<p>“Many South Africans are at this hour counting the cost to their livelihoods and property, to their shops and businesses, to their safety and security. Many more South Africans are feeling anxious and afraid,” Ramaphosa added in his address.</p>



<p>“This means that our sick cannot get medication from pharmacies, food does not reach supermarket shelves, and health workers cannot go to work.”</p>



<p>The incidents of the last few days have disrupted the country’s ongoing Covid-19 vaccination drive that had been gathering momentum.</p>



<p>With the number of Covid-19 cases still surging, the cost of these protests on the economy may be dire.</p>



<p><em><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-12/rand-slumps-with-south-african-riots-spreading-amid-covid-surge">Bloomberg</a></em> reported that South Africa’s rand collapsed to “its weakest level” against the dollar due to the unrest. The rand declined as much as 2% and was 1.7% weaker at 14.4681 per dollar by today heading for its weakest level since April 30.</p>



<p>“The victims of the violence that is unfolding now are the workers, the truck drivers, the business owners, the parents and families of those who have lost their lives, who have done nothing wrong,” Ramaphosa added.</p>



<p><em>This is a developing story and FORBES AFRICA will provide updates as the story progresses. </em></p>


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