Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Africa Brief. Highlights from this week include a recent troop deployment from Russia to Burkina Faso, a block on a planned police deployment in Haiti by Kenya’s High Court, and British museums reaching a restitution deal with Ghana. To receive Africa Brief in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. Algeria has called for a U.N. Security Council meeting to legally implement a ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding Israel’s actions. If the U.S. opposes taking action through the Security Council, South Africa has stated it will appeal to the U.N. General Assembly. The ICJ ruled that Israel needs to prevent acts of genocide, punish incitement to genocide, enable humanitarian relief in the Gaza Strip, and report on its actions. The court also ordered Hamas to release hostages taken during a recent attack. The ICJ’s decision has put pressure on the United States, as it is the only country with significant leverage over Israel. Algeria’s request for a council meeting is being closely watched, as it began its term as a nonpermanent member of the council this month. A Russian military contingent has been deployed to Burkina Faso, marking the first large deployment in the country. The troops are intended to ensure the safety of the country’s leader Ibrahim Traoré and the Burkinabe people. Additionally, a new confederation and defense pact, the Alliance of Sahel States, has been formed by Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, after these nations announced their departure from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Sudan is now the country with the largest number of displaced people in the world. The country’s rival armies have internally displaced 9 million people and driven 1.7 million people to neighboring countries. In Kenya, the High Court has blocked a planned mission to deploy 1,000 police officers to Haiti, as only the Kenyan army, navy, or air force is allowed to be sent overseas. The Kenyan government has stated that it will appeal the ruling. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently visited Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Angola to underline Washington’s renewed focus on Africa, amid tensions with China. Relations between the U.S. and Africa are particularly important given China’s significant trade with the continent.
