Nigeria and China have shown how to make military cooperation among nations, that is, to protect, develop and promote the defence interests of their countries. According to the strategic partnership between the two countries, they are based on the bedrock of shared values, shared interests, and true friendship. They have demonstrated the width and depth of security and defence ties as a model for African relations. The Senior Colonel Lin Wei, the Defence Attaché in...
The Russia and Ukraine standoff, vis a vis boycott of Russian gas has triggered significant disruptions and created a huge shortage in the global gas supply chain. Available data indicate that Russia is the world’s largest natural gas exporter; exporting 238 billion cubic meters in 2020 and accounting for about 45 per cent the EU’s imports in 2021. It implies that any dislodgement in Russia’s gas supply would leave a deep crater that must be...
President of the European Commission (EU) Ursula von der Leyen says the body has proposed a ban on Russian oil, amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Recall that the war between Russia and Ukraine began in February this year, and as of today, many casualties have since been recorded as a result of the war. She disclosed this in a tweet via her Twitter handle on Thursday morning. “Finally, we now propose a...
As the DRC becomes the newest member of the East African Community, the regional organization confronts multiple challenges in its effort to tackle insecurity in eastern Congo. The East African Community (EAC) wasted no time in wading into the complex and murky security issues bedeviling its newest member, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The DRC, which is also a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern...
By Olalekan A. Babatunde (Guest Columnist) Recent history indicates that China abhors war or violence of any kind. Since its brief war against Vietnam in 1979 and border dispute with India for the first time in more than four decades, China has not been a full-scale war with anyone. Instead, China builds and not bombs. It is building bridges across the multipolar and multicultural world. It is not that China was not tempted or provoked...
The 27 European Union member states have agreed to send another 500 million Euros in military aid for Ukraine, top EU Diplomat, Josep Borrell, announced on Wednesday in a statement. Borrell said it was crucial the EU increased military support to Ukraine as Russia gears up for a new assault in the country’s east as “the next weeks will be decisive.’’ It is the third package of military aid the EU has agreed to send...
ABUJA — The European Union will on Monday approve a new defence strategy designed to increase the capacity of the bloc which include setting up a 5,000-strong rapid reaction force. The plan in the last two years has undergone a last-minute rewrite to increase the focus on the threat from Russia after Moscow invaded Ukraine. “It’s not the answer to the Ukrainian war, but it is part of the answer,” EU foreign policy Josep Borrell...
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said the ongoing crisis in Ukraine will trigger a rise in the prices of fuel and food items. Kristalina Georgieva, IMF managing director, said this after a meeting with African ministers of finance, African central bank governors, and representatives from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to discuss the impact of the crisis in Ukraine. According to him, the ongoing crisis in Ukraine could undo Africa’s post-COVID-19...
ABUJA — Nigerians who survived Russia’s offensive military operation in Ukraine arrived in Abuja on Friday, narrating how they escaped the intense bombing and missiles fired by Russia’s forces. The war, which has led to the death of hundreds of civilians and troops, leaving thousands injured and many more displaced, has seen millions of foreign nationals fleeing Ukraine for neighbouring countries. As of Friday night, no fewer than 775 Nigerians had been flown back to...
African countries’ reservations on condemning Russia’s invasion to Ukraine can be explored through growing Russian ties with African leaders. Those who did condemn also called out Western double standards on international law. How will African countries react to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and what diplomatic fissures are likely to be opened by the conflict as it drags on? Early indications are that African countries will line up behind the United States and its...
