On page 2 the article is titled: Mali’s military takeover puts popular protests in the spotlight. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta announced his resignation on Mali’s national television on Tuesday night, 18 August. Earlier that day he was detained by the army, along with his prime minister Boubou Cissé. Rumours of a mutiny that morning morphed into Keïta’s resignation under duress, which amounted to a military takeover. The self-proclaimed National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP) is currently holding power. On page 5 : Côte d’Ivoire and the ‘third-term’ virus. The events that unfolded in Côte d’Ivoire in early August 2020, marked by protests, violence and death, are reminiscent of the country’s darkest hours, particularly the 2000 and 2010/2011 post election crises. Developments over the past couple of months point to a likely rise in tensions around the presidential elections, scheduled to take place on 31 October 2020. On page 7 : The AU’s role beyond the GERD negotiations. The dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is the latest and most intense
diplomatic confrontation over the use of the Nile River. On page 10: Why is SADC slow to intervene in political crises? In the run-up to their 40th annual summit on 17 August 2020, the leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) faced a barrage of criticism from citizens over their inaction in response to the region’s problems. On page 12 PSC interview: Maintaining multilateralism in a world hit by COVID-19. Like many organisations around the world, La Francophonie has been forced to change its working methods because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The PSC Report asked Ambassador Boubacar Issa
Abdourhamane, permanent representative of the Francophonie to the AU and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa, about his organisation’s strategy for the continent going forward.
