Weekly Links

Bosnia moved closer towards EU membership and a much needed IMF loan arrangement this week. Meanwhile, Turkey threatened to back out of its migrant deal with the European Union if visa-free travel is not granted to Turkish citizens. Greek officials note that the plan has been working but caution the need for a Plan B should the deal fall through. Elsewhere, there appears to be a warming of relations between the EU and Omar al-Bashir’s Sudan as the former seeks to stymie the flow of migrants from Africa. This comes as al-Bashir received the Champion of African Pride award at a forum in Addis Ababa.

In the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs resulted in 465 deaths in July alone. The president has demonstrated a more diplomatic tone in search of an elusive peace with insurgencies in the country’s restive south. Lawmakers in Myanmar want to step up efforts to combat the country’s drug problem; meanwhile, religious violence remains a serious issue for the government.

A recently agreed upon funding model for the African Union Peace Fund could have implications for how African Union/United Nations partnerships develop in the future. An AU soldier in Somalia has been given a prison sentence for selling military supplies on the black market in Mogadishu. Interesting developments within the AU are sure to surface in coming months as Morocco aims to join the institution. A petition for the removal of age limits on the Ugandan presidency could pave the way for current president Yoweri Museveni to stay in power after his current term expires in 2021. An important election takes place this week in Zambia. UN efforts to control a yellow fever outbreak in Angola recently saw one million vaccines disappear. Chinese officials have pledged nearly $50 million to help construct a new parliament building in Zimbabwe.