International

Mekelle Retaken: Ethiopia's Federal Forces Enter the Tigray Capital as the Horn of Africa Braces for a Wider War

World Politics 

Overview

Ethiopian federal forces and allied Tigrayan fighters have taken control of Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, after the Tigray People's Liberation Front announced that it had temporarily moved out of the city. The fall of Mekelle, reported by Reuters,…

Ethiopian Forces Retake Tigray's Capital, but the Fall of Mekelle May Mark the Start of a Wider War

ADDIS ABABA

Ethiopian federal forces and allied militias have taken control of Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, after the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) pulled its fighters out of the city, Al Jazeera reported on Oct. 4. The TPLF described the retreat as temporary, saying its regional…

Four Weeks Out, South Africa's Municipal Elections Become a Referendum on Coalition Politics

JOHANNESBURG 

South Africans vote on Wednesday, November 4, in local government elections that will test the Government of National Unity (GNU) formed after the African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority in 2024. With four weeks to go, polls conflict with one another, the ballot is the most…

Bridges and Bargaining: Merz Arrives in a Shaken Kyiv as Washington Pushes for Trilateral Talks by Month's End

World Politics 

Overview

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz travelled unannounced to Kyiv on Sunday, October 4, arriving to air raid sirens and explosions as Russia struck a second Kyiv bridge in as many days. His visit, aimed at finalizing a joint drone-production deal and releasing a…

Guinea-Bissau's Junta Bars Ousted President Embaló's Return, Putting December Election in Doubt

BISSAU 

Guinea-Bissau's military leadership has blocked the return of deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who had said he would fly home from exile in Morocco on Sunday, October 4, to run in the country's December 6 presidential election. The decision, announced in the days before his…

Somalia's President Vows No Israeli Foothold in Berbera as Somaliland Hits Back, Deepening a Dispute Over Sovereignty

MOGADISHU  

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said his government will not accept an Israeli military presence in Somaliland "under any circumstances," accusing Israel of seeking a naval base at the port of Berbera and use of its airport. Somaliland's government answered within a…