Bjørnar Østby

The current state of world politics.

Blir det fred mellom Rwanda og Kongo nå? Sist fredag signerte Rwanda og DR Kongos utenriksministere en lenge ventet fredsavtale i Washington, D.C. Blir det fred mellom Rwanda og Kongo nå? Bjørnar har skriblet ned noen av sine reaksjoner.

Rwanda og DR Kongo signerte nylig en fredsavtale i Washington, D.C. Jeg håper at jeg tar feil, men jeg er foreløpig skeptisk til at avtalen vil bane vei for fred med det første. Jeg drodler litt om dette i en ny tekst på Afrikansk politikk-substacken. open.substack.com/pub/maren930...

David Squires on … the Paris Saint-Germain fairytale Our cartoonist takes us to a far-away magical kingdom for the story of how a pumpkin of a football club became the kings of Europe

Oh yes.

www.theguardian.com/football/pic...

This will be carefully followed in the Sahel

YESSSS!!!

Traoré og jihadistene Burkina Fasos juntaleder har blitt en internasjonal kjendis, men på hjemmebane kjemper han på vikende front mot transnasjonale jihadister.

Jeg har begått en liten kommentar om Ibrahim Traoré - Burkina Fasos juntaleder som har blitt den nye politiske superhelten på TikTok. Følg Afrikansk politikk på Substack for å få oppdateringer fra @marensa.bsky.social og meg direkte i innboksen din!
maren930.substack.com/p/traore-og-...

I går hadde @marensa.bsky.social og jeg en hyggelig prat med utviklingsminister Åsmund Aukrust i podkasten vår Afrikansk politikk. Samtalen svingte innom alt fra amerikanske bistandskutt og et FN-system i pengekrise, til Norges mulige rolle i en turbulent verden. open.spotify.com/episode/7eeY...

I think another way of looking at this is that the court of a corrupt and distracted mad king has always been fertile ground for opportunistic dealmaking by those in attendance.

Trump catalyzes this opportunism, but it's unclear who are the beneficiaries of any deals that are actually closed.

Asle Toje forveksler antiamerikanisme og antitrumpisme Snoen svarer Toje.

Jeg har svart Asle Toje i Aftenposten. Han forveksler antiamerikanisme med antitrumpisme. www.aftenposten.no/meninger/deb...

More than 200 civilians killed as Sudan’s RSF assaults Darfur refugee camps Relief International medics among dead as paramilitaries step up violence against region’s displaced people Paramilitaries in Sudan have murdered more than 200 civilians in a wave of attacks in refugee camps and around the city of El Fasher, the last big city still in the hands of the Sudanese army in the Darfur region. The deaths include at least 56 civilians killed by the Rapid Support Forces over two days of attacks in Um Kadadah, a town they seized on the road to El Fasher. Continue reading...

More than 200 civilians killed as Sudan’s RSF assaults Darfur refugee camps

Thousands rally against Russian Wagner mercenaries in Central African Republic Thousands have protested plans of Central African Republic's president to run for a third term with the backing of Russian-led mercenaries from the Wagner group.

Demonstrations in Central African Republic against #Wagner and President's bid for a third term:

“We’re here to say no to a third term..But more than that, we want to protect our sovereignty, which Touadera and the Wagner have trampled upon,”

#Russia #CAR #Africa

apnews.com/article/cent...

Biggest commitment to a 3 second joke I've ever seen

Historians are going to have better records from the 19th century than the 21st, is my most medievalist futurist prediction.

Video Shows Aid Workers Killed in Gaza Under Gunfire Barrage, With Ambulance Lights On (Gift Article) The U.N. has said Israel killed the workers. The video appears to contradict Israel’s version of events, which said the vehicles were “advancing suspiciously” without headlights or emergency signals.

A video obtained by @nytimes.com clearly refutes the Israeli military's narrative on the aid convoy attack: Israeli troops opened fire on clearly marked ambulances that had their emergency lights on. 15 aid workers were killed. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/w...

Seriously this Bible exchange goes on even longer than I'm able to clip here.

BREAKING — Nearly all employees at the US Institute of Peace (USIP) received an email tonight informing them they were fired effective immediately, multiple staffers confirmed with me.

Just a few HR and IT staffers are being kept on to assist DOGE’s illegal dismantling of the independent nonprofit.

If this were an *actual* war this opportunistic photoshoot would be a violation of the Geneva Convention.

Abu Ghraib as photo op.

Det har gått raskt utfor i Sør-Sudan. Med arrestasjonen av visepresident Riek Machar er fredsvtalen fra 2018, i realiteten revet i stykker

Making Peace Great Again? The Challenges and Potentials of Trump’s Approach to Peace Diplomacy - IPI Global Observatory How should we assess Trump’s peace diplomacy? And what can Europe and Ukraine do to position themselves strategically in the diplomatic battle over Ukraine’s and Europe’s future?

Our analysis on Trump as mediator theglobalobservatory.org/2025/03/maki...

Hate to say I told you so, but...

This is the wildest story I have literally ever read. In any normal circumstances, a half-dozen senior officials would be forced to resign over this—starting with the National Security Advisor. And I doubt anyone will face any accountability at all.

I'd frame this as part of what I've called Trump II's war on words. In this case, they've hollowed the word "terror" out of its accepted meaning and inserted "migrant" in its place.

... That last I take from @nescio13.bsky.social. So segregationist managed democracy at home, and mercantilist monopoly patronage guiding economic and foreign policy. This is an indefensibly awful social and economic system, nothing to endear it unless you are a politically well-connected sycophant.

Sesongpremiere Afrikansk politikk · Episode

Lydspor til saken: open.spotify.com/episode/50U8...

– Usikkerheten er det verste Innsatsen mot en koleraepidemi nord i Sør-Sudan er rammet av USAs bistandsfrys. I en leir for internt fordrevne i Bentiu med rundt 100 000 innbyggere, blir ikke lenger latrinene tømt.

Elon Musk hevder USAs bistandsfrys ikke har kostet liv. Det er nok ikke sant i Sør-Sudan. I en leir for internt fordrevne i Unity nord i landet har man sluttet å tømme latriner som følge av kuttene, og det midt i en koleraepidemi. www.panoramanyheter.no/sor-sudan-us...

Absolute insanity

EKSTRA: Alt rakner Afrikansk politikk · Episode

Sør-Sudan og Tigray står på kanten av stupet, og i Sudan er alt i bevegelse. @marensa.bsky.social og jeg har kastet oss rundt med en hasteepisode, og Kjetil Tronvoll svipper innom for å forklare oss hva som skjer på Hornet.
open.spotify.com/episode/5Jdy...

The United States is now a fascinating experiment in how quickly rule by imbecile can destroy the foundations of global power status