Zimbabwe

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Politics

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Matatu as commander of the Zimbabwe National Army after sacking Lt. Gen. Anselem Sanyatwe from the post, the BBC reported on March 28.

Zimbabwe: President Mnangagwa Names New Army Chief Amid Calls for Mass Protests 

Economics

Zimbabwe introduced a new currency, dubbed Zim Gold (ZiG), which will be tied to foreign currencies and gold, Bloomberg reported on April 5.

Zimbabwe: Government Replaces Dollar With New Gold-Backed Currency

Zimbabwe's ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party, or ZANU-PF, holds a two-thirds majority in Parliament following six constituency by-elections, Barron's reported on Feb. 4.

Zimbabwe: Ruling Party Secures Two-Thirds Majority in Parliament

Zimbabwe's Harare High Court barred most opposition candidates from running in the Dec. 9 by-elections in nine constituencies, Africanews reported the same day. 

Zimbabwe: Opposition Lawmakers Banned From By-Elections

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Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said Moscow had started shipments of free grain totalling up to 200,000 tons and destined for six African countries, Reuters reported on Nov. 17.

Sub-Saharan Africa: First Shipment of Russian Grain En Route to Burkina Faso and Somalia

China

The Zimbabwean government awarded Chinese companies licenses in the third quarter of 2023 that come with planned investments of $2.79 billion, mostly in the mining and energy sectors, Bloomberg reported Nov. 1. 

Zimbabwe: China to Invest $2.8 Billion in Lithium, Energy Projects 

South Africa

Census data from South Africa shows that 1.01 million Zimbabweans lived in South Africa in 2022, up from 672,308 in 2011 at an average annual increase of almost 31,000, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 14.

Zimbabwe: Worker Migration Numbers Rise as Economy Struggles

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission announced that incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa won a second term against opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, Africanews reported on Aug. 26.

Zimbabwe: Mnangagwa Clinches Another Term as Opposition Condemns Fraudulent Elections

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Yael Braun-Pivet, a French lawmaker for the ruling Renaissance party, delivers a speech after being reelected as National Assembly president following the third round of voting on July 18, 2024.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: France Resumes Political Horse-Trading, Blinken Returns to Middle East

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) speaks as Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (L), chair of the African Union, listens during a joint press conference following the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit in Goyang, South Korea, on June 4, 2024.

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A recent summit highlights South Korea's commitment to expanding its role in Africa as Yoon looks to strengthen his country's technological future and geopolitical influence.

In South Korea, Yoon's Desire for Supply Chains and Prestige Points to Africa

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New Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo (R) and his vice president, Karin Herrera, on Aug. 20 in Guatemala City. In the aftermath of anti-corruption presidential candidate Bernardo Arevalo's Aug. 20 runoff win, the attorney general's office sent a letter Aug. 23 to the president of Congress, Shirley Rivera, requesting the suspension of Arevalo's Seed Movement party in a bid to weaken the president-elect.

The Weekly Rundown: Political Uncertainty in Guatemala, a Potential LNG Strike in Australia

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Supporters of Guatemalan presidential candidate Bernardo Arevalo attend a campaign rally in the Central Square in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on Aug. 16, 2023. 

The Weekly Rundown: Lunar Landings, the BRICS Summit and a Host of Elections

Supporters of Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party attend a campaign rally in Harare, Zimbabwe on Aug. 9, 2023. 

The ruling party appears set on winning the Aug. 23 vote by any means necessary, portending continued corruption and economic stagnation for years to come.

Previewing Zimbabwe's General Election 

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What Q3 security risks should companies expect and prepare for?

Essential Geopolitics: An Overview of RANE's Q3 Forecast

Workers inspect an open cast at the Arcadia lithium mine in Goromonzi, Zimbabwe, on Jan. 11, 2022. 

President Mnangagwa's likely re-election portends a continuation of the patronage politics, outdated legislation and regulatory gaps that have long plagued the industry.

Despite Abundant Resources, Zimbabwe's Mining Sector Will Remain Unsteady

A police officer stands in front of an election poster for Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa as he patrols outside a stadium where opposition leader Nelson Chamisa was holding a campaign rally in Marondera, Zimbabwe, on March 12, 2022. 

Corruption, violence and election interference will likely keep the ruling party in power, portending more unrest and a deepening of Zimbabwe's economic crisis.

What to Expect From Zimbabwe's 2023 General Election

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Women sit under U.N.-branded cardboard boxes in Semera, Ethiopia, on Feb. 14, 2022, as they wait to be registered by the authorities at a hotel compound hosting civilians fleeing violence. 

GBV is often primarily seen as a women’s and human rights issue. But in sub-Saharan Africa, it is also a key constraint to stable (and democratic) governance, economic growth, and lasting peace.

The Geopolitics of Gender-Based Violence in Africa

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A large group of pro-Trump protesters stands on the steps of the U.S. Capitol after storming the building’s grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington D.C. 

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The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

China in Transition

Some adversaries are likely to take new malign actions, while others will use the incident to justify their own destabilizing behavior.

For U.S. Rivals, the Capitol Siege Offers a Window of Opportunity

A man shows a wad of Zimbabwe's new two-dollar notes that he received from a bank in Harare on November 12, 2019. 

Old Leaders in a New Africa

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

With an increasingly cash-strapped and hungry citizenry, the survival of Zimbabwe's current government will hinge heavily on keeping its security forces paid and happy. Though doing so will be no easy feat given the country's depleted reserves.

As Its Economy Worsens, Zimbabwe Teeters on the Edge of Chaos

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While some governments see cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, visually represented in this photo illustration, as a threat, others want to harness the advantages they offer.

A transition is underway as digital currencies move slowly into the mainstream. Some case studies offer clues where the shift is headed and what threats bitcoin, Libra and other systems might pose or what benefits they might bring.

The Future of Cryptocurrencies

Zimbabwe is a landlocked southern African country surrounded by Mozambique to the east, South Africa to the south, Botswana and Namibia to the west, and Zambia to the north. The country traces its roots to the 13th century Kingdom of Zimbabwe, which covered roughly the same geographical area as the country does today.    The kingdom capitalized on the then-growing and lucrative ivory and gold trade from the African interior to Arab traders on the Swahili coast to grow into an important force on the continent for more than two centuries. However, while the legacy of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe is notable, the country's recent history has been profoundly marked by European colonization and the subsequent period when Zimbabwe was known as Rhodesia. Indeed, the independence of Botswana and other British colonies and the ending of Portuguese colonialism in neighboring Mozambique placed immense pressure on white minority rule in Rhodesia and led to eventual black majority rule.    Today, Zimbabwe's 16 million citizens remain mostly rural. Harare, the capital, is far and away the seat of political and economic power. Since independence, Zimbabwe has struggled at times to manage its ethnic diversity, with a notable massacre occurring in 1983. Moreover, the country's liberation party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, has dominated the levers of power for decades. The challenge going forward for Zimbabwe is whether it can sufficiently reform its broken political and economic systems without sparking destabilizing unrest. In addition, Harare seeks to diversify its foreign relations after years of reliance on Chinese and South African support to gain more foreign investment to grow its economy. However, after years of reneging on promises and instilling investor distrust, the endeavor will prove an especially difficult one.

A picture of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. 

SITUATION REPORTS

Zimbabwe: President Mnangagwa Names New Army Chief Amid Calls for Mass Protests

Zimbabwe: Government Replaces Dollar With New Gold-Backed Currency

Zimbabwe: Ruling Party Secures Two-Thirds Majority in Parliament

Zimbabwe: Opposition Lawmakers Banned From By-Elections

Sub-Saharan Africa: First Shipment of Russian Grain En Route to Burkina Faso and Somalia

Zimbabwe: China to Invest $2.8 Billion in Lithium, Energy Projects

Zimbabwe: Worker Migration Numbers Rise as Economy Struggles

Zimbabwe: Mnangagwa Clinches Another Term as Opposition Condemns Fraudulent Elections

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