By: Owen Fugit

Editor-in-Chief

Since February, various international developments have severely impacted countries in Africa, both economically and socially, making 2025 a critical year for determining the continent’s future.

South African Ambassador to the US declared persona non grata: In a sharp escalation in tensions between the Republic of South Africa and the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X that “South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country.” Rubio labeled South African ambassador Ebrahim Rasool a “race-baiting politician who hates America and hates [the President].” He continued, “We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA.” Upon entering the White House in January, President Trump signed an executive order condemning a recent law passed in South Africa, allowing the government to seize land from certain landlords without compensation. Despite Rasool’s unusual expulsion, the government of South Africa said it “remains committed to building a relationship with the United States of America.”

United Nations releases critical reports on conflicts in South Sudan: A report published by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan accuses the government of corruption, repression, and allowing sexual violence and other serious crimes to go unpunished, among other accusations. The report details how governmental actions such as the Sustainable Development Act in Warrap State, known by locals as the Green Book, allowed for extrajudicial killings, illegal arrests, and brutal punishments for prisoners regardless of crime. In the report, the commission noted that it “found that the national government is responsible for gross human rights violations in Warrap State and must end the extrajudicial killings, while senior state government officials bear responsibility for these serious crimes in 2024.” The report points to documented examples of citizens illegally detained and held in shipping containers for days on end as part of the Green Book’s enforcement. The investigation notes how, in one case, seven men were found dead inside a shipping container. The governor of Warrap opened an investigation to find a guard or soldier responsible for the deaths, but the investigation returned no results, and the detentions continued. 

Rwanda leaves peace talks with DRC: In a shocking announcement, rebel forces, including the notorious M23 Rwandan militia group, pulled out of peace talks with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) less than a day before they were set to take place. This past January, Rwandan-backed rebel forces invaded the eastern DRC in a surprise attack, seizing the city of Goma, a regional capital, and displacing thousands of citizens. The peace talks between the two nations fell through when the European Union imposed sanctions on Rwanda due to the nation’s alleged involvement in the violence in eastern DRC.

(Sources: BBC, Embassy of South Africa, France 24, Reuters, United Nations, Washington International Diplomatic Academy)