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🎬A French thing
Good morning. Yesterday was April Fools’ Day, a day to be extremely cautious about things you see or hear, but also one you could have used to your advantage at work. “You really wanted that report by 2 pm? Oh, I thought you were joking.”
— Geraldine Ndzomo.
Currency exchange rates as of market close yesterday. Here’s what these numbers mean
Somalia is ‘offering’ Somaliland up for US control
What’s that saying about only giving out what you have again? Well, in today’s illustration of exceptions to a rule, Somalia’s government on Friday offered two ports up to the United States: the Berbera and Bosaso seaports and their accompanying airbases. Only hitch? Both ports are under the control of Somaliland, the breakaway region that has sought independence from Somalia for over three decades.
Who are they to offer that access?
According to reports, the Somali government is desperate for US recognition over its breakaway counterparts like Somaliland. Somaliland itself believes there’s a glimmer of hope for it to be recognized as a sovereign state under the new Trump administration. Semafor first reported in December that key members of Trump’s new cabinet expressed interest in Somaliland’s underdog story, especially with the likelihood that Trump would care less about war-torn Somalia.
Well, they’re a bit more proactive this time, especially considering that last year, tensions heightened when Somaliland reached an agreement to lease land to landlocked Ethiopia to build a naval facility on the Berbera coast in exchange for recognition. Somalia managed to rally international support against the deal, and with Turkey acting as a mediator, the move was quashed.
Somaliland’s foreign minister has since responded to the letter on X, calling it ‘desperate and misguided. ’
But those are not desperate words (no pun intended). Currently, the main operator at the ports of both Berbera and Bosaso is DP World, a multinational logistics company based in the United Arab Emirates, whose government has been a key backer of Somaliland’s quest for independence and also maintains ties with Israel. -GN.
Another French head topples
Reuters
Marine Le Pen, along with other members of the party she leads, the right-wing National Rally party, were convicted of illegally using about $5 million worth of European Union funds to cover party expenses. The court’s sentence bars her from running in the 2027 election, in which she had been the favored candidate to win, potentially flipping the nation’s politics on its head. Le Pen, who called the ruling “political,” has vowed to appeal, which means her sentence of four years in prison (with two years suspended and two years of house arrest) won’t kick in yet.
Last week, her former foe, now turned friend in crime, Nicolas Sarkozy, was convicted on account of conducting electoral campaigns using embezzled funds from previous Libyan governments.
“Airport security can probably tell who is starting/ending their trip based on how the bag is packed when it goes through the X-ray.”
Around the continent
Zelvan/Shutterstock
The UK is finalizing a deal to hand over control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
A convicted warlord, Thomas Lubanga, has announced the formation of a new rebel group in DR Congo.
Nigeria’s stablecoin, the cNGN, is seeking listings on popular crypto changes like Roqqu and Yellow Card.
The junta-ruled states of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have agreed to impose a 0.5% import duty on all incoming goods, except for humanitarian aid.
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