The establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECAf) could allow a more than 50% increase in trade between the countries of the continent, according to a report published Friday by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
It would also, once fully operational, have a significant effect on trade between Africa and the rest of the world, with an increase in exports of 29% and imports of 7%. The consequence would be an increase "of more than 10%" in the median real GDP per capita, also underlines the report.
The agreement creating the ZLECAf provides for the progressive abolition of almost all customs duties over five years for the most developed countries and over ten years for the others. It was signed by all African countries, with the notable exception of Eritrea, and ratified by the vast majority of them and in particular the main economies of the continent, such as South Africa, the Algeria, Egypt, Kenya and Nigeria. However, its implementation has been delayed: initially scheduled for July 1, 2020, it became a reality on January 1, 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Fund recalls, however, that in order to achieve such an impact, African States will have to accompany the implementation of the agreement with a series of reforms: "if the reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers is accompanied by a significant improvement in the business climate, the gains for the countries would be significantly higher" with these reforms, insists the report.
Without these reforms, the impact of the AfCFTA will be less. The simple reduction of barriers, tariffs or not, will allow trade between African countries to increase by only 15%, leading to a 1.25% increase in median real GDP per capita.
In order to seize all the opportunities, "it will be necessary to invest in physical and human capital, to create a robust macroeconomic framework and to modernize the social protection system in order to support the most vulnerable during the phase of transition", insists the report.
Algeria hopes to achieve progress in the memory file with France "without bargaining or concessions"
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Sunday that he hopes that the talks with France on the files of the colonial era (1830/1962) will make progress, away from any "bargaining or concessions."
This came in a message addressed by President Tebboune to the Algerian people on the occasion of the 78th anniversary of the massacres of May 8, 1945, committed by the French colonial army against Algerian demonstrators, and the content of which was published by the presidency on its official website.
"The state, in fulfillment of the enormous sacrifices made by the Algerian people, is determined to put the file of history and memory on the path in which we can give it full transparency, integrity and objectivity, away from any bargaining or concessions," the Algerian president stated.
He added, "We look forward in the short term to achieving the hoped-for progress in this path, taking into account the importance of the work entrusted to the joint committee (with France) by historians to address all issues, including those related to the files of recovering archives, property, and the remains of the resistance fighters, in addition to the two files of nuclear tests." and the missing.”
He continued, "We have confirmed more than once that we are proceeding resolutely in defending the right of the Algerian people, by intensifying efforts to address the issue of history and memory with courage and fairness, and by giving full clarity to this sensitive file."
Previously, the Algerian and French presidents, Emmanuel Macron, announced the formation of a joint committee of 10 historians (5 from each country) to discuss thorny issues and files dating back to the colonial era (1830/1962) to keep them away from “political exploitation.”
According to a joint declaration by the two countries, this committee will work to "address all issues, including those related to the opening and recovery of archives, property and remains of Algerian resistance fighters, as well as nuclear tests and missing persons, while respecting the memories of both sides, provided that its work is subject to regular evaluations on a semi-annual basis."
Usually, the files of the French colonial era in Algeria represent a source of tension between the two countries, as Algeria demands an apology for colonial crimes, while Paris says that the page must be turned and turned towards the future.
Sudan : The army and "rapid support" battles continue, despite the Saudi talks
Khartoum witnessed intense battles on Saturday, despite the agreement of the two conflicting parties in Sudan, namely the army and the Rapid Support Forces, to send their representatives to Saudi Arabia for talks on a new truce.
As has been happening since the outbreak of the confrontation on April 15, eyewitnesses from residents of the Sudanese capital told AFP that they heard the sound of shelling, in light of their suffering from water and electricity cuts and a lack of food and money stocks.
On Saturday, army planes, led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, launched air strikes in the Riyadh neighborhood of Khartoum.
This comes as the two warring parties begin talks in Jeddah, mediated by Saudi Arabia and the United States, from which it is hoped to conclude a cease-fire that will be respected by the two parties, after all field truce attempts between them failed in the past weeks.
This position was reflected by the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, although he did not confirm whether the talks had actually started in Jeddah.
He wrote on Twitter: "Today we welcome the presence of representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in the city of Jeddah, for a dialogue about the situation in their homeland."
He continued, "We hope that this dialogue will lead to an end to the conflict, the launch of the political process, and the return of security and stability to the Republic of Sudan."
On Friday night, Washington and Riyadh announced "the start of preliminary talks" in Jeddah between the two parties to the conflict, and urged them to "seriously engage" in them to reach a "ceasefire and end the conflict."
The army confirmed that the discussion will deal with the truce that was reached and renewed more than once, but without being committed to it.
The commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Lieutenant General Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, thanked Saudi Arabia for "hosting these talks."
Fierce battles
These talks come after a series of Arab and African regional initiatives, which were implemented, especially by the eastern countries of the continent, through the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which did not bear fruit.
Arab foreign ministers are scheduled to discuss the Sudanese file on Sunday, in light of signs of division over it, while the African Union appears to have lost any cards since it suspended Sudan’s membership following the coup of the two generals, Al-Burhan and Daglo, against civilians when they were allies in 2021.
The fierce battles that have been going on for 22 days have resulted in 700 dead and 5,000 wounded, in addition to the displacement of 335,000 people, with 115,000 seeking refuge in neighboring countries.
On Friday alone, the battles left 16 civilians dead, including 12 in El-Obeid (300 km south of Khartoum), according to the Doctors Syndicate.
The ghost of hunger
And with the continuation of the fighting, the United Nations on Friday sounded the alarm about the possibility of 19 million people suffering from hunger and malnutrition in the coming months.
Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General of the Organization, Farhan Haq, said on Friday that the World Food Program expects that "the number of people suffering from severe food insecurity in Sudan will increase between two and 2.5 million people."
According to the program's report in early 2023, 16.8 million of the estimated population of 45 million were suffering from acute food insecurity.
The United Nations warned that the most affected Sudanese states will be West Darfur, Kordofan, Blue Nile, Red Sea and North Darfur states.
The UN Human Rights Council will hold a meeting on May 11 to discuss the "impact" of the confrontations in Sudan "on human rights."
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