Sabina Nforba

Diplo | Man U fan | Trivia Nerd | Football, politics & global affairs | Retweets are not endorsements

[ONU Afrique centrale @UNOCA_NEWS]

https://t.co/7jJntER8Cc

[ONU Afrique centrale @UNOCA_NEWS]

At the time of his appointment, Mr. Souef Mohamed El-Amine was serving as Chief of Staff of the Chairperson of the @_AfricanUnion Commission.
https://t.co/to57G5JRcj

[ONU Afrique centrale @UNOCA_NEWS]

Central Africa : On 27 May, the Secretary-General of the @UN announced the appointment of @souefmo_elamine (Comoros) Special Representative / Head of @UNOCA_NEWS.

[African Union @_AfricanUnion]

AU Commission Chairperson appoints new Chief of Staff.

The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has appointed Dr. Yann Bedzigui as his new Chief of Staff.

Dr Bedzigui brings to the position a wealth of experience and distinguished service, and will support the Chairperson in advancing the vision, priorities, and institutional objectives of the Commission.

A holder of a PhD in Political Science and International Relations from Université Panthéon-Assas, Dr Bedzigui Bebena has authored numerous publications on the African Union's peace and security policy, conflict prevention and regional dynamics in Africa.

The Chairperson @ymahmoudali expresses profound appreciation and gratitude to the outgoing Chief of Staff, Ambassador Souef Mohamed El-Amine, for his dedicated service, steadfast commitment, and valuable contributions to the work of the Commission during his tenure.

The Chairperson commends Ambassador Souef Mohamed for his professionalism and leadership, and wishes him continued success in his future endeavors.

Read @ https://t.co/DAGrT1lRVC

[Reuters @Reuters]

Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye fired Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, according to a statement read by the president's aide, a move that risks reigniting political unrest as the country grapples with a debt crisis https://t.co/ZpX8ozVw9A

[António Guterres @antonioguterres]

Grateful for the strong lasting partnership between the @UN & @_AfricanUnion as we reaffirm our shared commitment to advancing peace & security, human rights & sustainable development through the signing of a joint declaration.

Together, we will continue our work to address complex global & regional challenges.

[Souef Mohamed El-Amine @souefmo_elamine]

Tenth African Union–United Nations Annual Conference.🟩🟦

[M.M. Dhoore @dhoorebbc]

The Somali Cabinet approved the appointment of @NuursViews as Ambassador on Monday.

He is an experienced diplomat who has worked with #IGAD, the #AU, and other international organizations.

[Souef Mohamed El-Amine @souefmo_elamine]

Today in Diani, Kenya, I was honoured to participate in the #Mashariki Cooperation Conference (#MCC) 2026—an important platform advancing African security cooperation at a time of evolving threats.

Africa’s security demands greater coherence, stronger partnerships, and reinforced multilateral approaches. I underscored the imperative of enhanced synergy among regional mechanisms, strengthened institutional coherence, and more effective coordination and responsiveness to address increasingly complex and multidimensional security challenges.

[Gabriel Elizondo @elizondogabriel]

The UN has announced the days/times for the interactive dialogues for the candidates for Secretary-General

April 21
Michelle Bachelet - 10am to 1pm
Rafael Mariano Grossi - 3pm to 6pm

April 22
Rebecca Grynspan - 10am to 1pm
Macky Sall - 3pm to 6pm

All will be held in Trusteeship Council Chamber at UNHQ in NY

[Shanaka Anslem Perera ⚡ @shanaka86]

In 1974, Henry Kissinger brokered a deal with Saudi Arabia: price your oil in dollars, recycle the surplus into US Treasuries, and America guarantees your security. The arrangement was never a formal treaty. It was a handshake backed by aircraft carriers. For fifty years, every barrel of oil sold anywhere on earth created demand for the dollar that financed America’s debt. The system required two things to function: Gulf oil priced in dollars, and an American navy guaranteeing the strait through which that oil flowed. Both conditions held until February 28, 2026.

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. Not physically but operationally, by mining approaches, attacking tankers, and establishing an IRGC toll booth that vets vessels, charges in yuan or stablecoins, and escorts approved ships through the Larak corridor. Traffic collapsed 95 percent. The oil that still flows does not flow in dollars. It flows in yuan, settled through CIPS, paid to an organisation the United States designated as a terrorist group. Iran has exported over 11.7 million barrels to China since the war began, all in the currency of a country that claims neutrality. The petrodollar is not being challenged by a BRICS policy paper. It is being challenged by a toll booth.

The United States holds $39 trillion in gross national debt. That debt is serviceable because foreign governments buy Treasuries. Foreign governments buy Treasuries because they accumulate dollars. They accumulate dollars because oil is priced in dollars. If oil stops being priced in dollars, the demand that finances the debt weakens. Saudi Arabia’s Treasury holdings fell to $134.8 billion in January 2026, down $14.7 billion in a single month. The Saudis let the 1974 agreement lapse in June 2024 without renewal. The recycling loop that Kissinger built is loosening at the same moment that the strait through which it operated is controlled by a hostile military collecting tolls in a rival currency.

This is what the war is about. Not the nuclear programme, which was the stated justification. Not the missiles, which are the visible weapons. The war is about which currency buys the molecule that powers the global economy, and the answer to that question is being determined at a 34-kilometre chokepoint by an entity that charges admission in yuan. Every American strike on Iranian infrastructure degrades the capability to maintain the toll. Every barrel of Iranian oil sold to China in yuan during the war demonstrates the toll’s viability. The strikes and the sales are running simultaneously. The petrodollar and its replacement are being tested in the same theatre at the same time.

Trump’s Tuesday deadline is the enforcement mechanism. “Power Plant Day” is not about punishing Iran for closing the strait. It is about ensuring that when the strait reopens, the oil flows in dollars and the $39 trillion remains financeable. The F-35 sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia are not arms deals. They are petrodollar anchors, binding Gulf security to American hardware that requires American currency. The rescue proved reach. The strikes prove capability. The F-35 contracts prove commitment. And the toll booth proves that all of it might not be enough.

The 1974 handshake held for fifty years. The 2026 toll booth has operated for five weeks. The question the deadline answers tonight is whether fifty years of dollar dominance or five weeks of yuan experimentation determines what comes next.

https://t.co/dAOBBMsgDS

[Souef Mohamed El-Amine @souefmo_elamine]

Today in Bangui, I had the honour to represent H.E. the AUC Chairperson @ymahmoudali at the inauguration of H.E. Faustin-Archange Touadéra @FA_Touadera.

Conveyed the African Union’s congratulations and reaffirmed continued support to the Central African Republic in advancing peace, stability, national reconciliation, and the strengthening of democratic institutions and the rule of law.

On the margins of the ceremony, I held substantive exchanges with partner delegations on key priorities of mutual interest, including peace and security, regional integration, and avenues for enhanced cooperation among Member States.

[Solomon Dersso, PhD @SolomonADersso]

In the latest twist, the first page of this letter is circulating on social media as @_AfricanUnion endorsement. The issues raised in relation to this candidacy remain unchanged. If at all this flawed process succeeds, it would be by default not by active support of AU states.

[Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe @onduhungirehe]

What happened today at the African Union is a stark reminder that leadership matters. It's unbelievable to note that a whole continental organisation can be tarnished or driven into a crisis by its own Chairperson, who is in office for not even two months.

Unlike what I read here and there in the media, today's decision by the twenty (20) AU member States who broke the silence was not aimed at rejecting the candidature of anyone. It was aimed at opposing a flawed procedure initiated by President Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, Chairperson of the African Union, in total violation of all rules and regulations governing African candidatures in the international system.

In this matter, everything was wrong from day one:

FIRST, on 2nd March 2026, the Permanent Representative of Burundi in New York sent a letter to the President of the UN General Assembly, informing her that: "my government, current Chair of the African Union, nominates His Excellency Macky Sall, former President of the Republic of Senegal, for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations".

This submission of an African candidature to the position of UN Secretary General came as a surprise to all African Heads of State and Government, as none of them was consulted by the AU Chairperson before taking this important decision.

SECOND, after submitting the candidature of former President Macky Sall in New York, the President of Burundi attempted to force his African counterparts to endorse this gross breach of procedure. Indeed, he yesterday convened the bureau of the African Union (attended by only two other members) and decided to put such an important matter under an unusual 24-hour "silence procedure".

In other words, President Ndayishimiye, instead of convening an AU Summit to advise him on the right procedure, chose to give his fellow AU Heads of State and Government only 24 hours to either endorse, by keeping silent, an AU decision that "EXPRESSES ITS FIRM SUPPORT to the President of the Republic of Burundi, H.E. Evariste Ndayishimiye, Chairperson of the AU for 2026, for having presented the candidacy of President Macky Sall [...] for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations", or to reject it by breaking the silence.

This was too much for many AU member States, which could not accept such a diktat and such disrespect from their Chairperson. They then decided to break the silence, block his decision and remind President Ndayishimiye that the African Union is governed by the rule of law.

Unfortunately, the damage was already done in the outside world but I hope that this incident will nonetheless serve us as a lesson for future appointments of AU Chairpersons.

[Sabina Nforba @STEMgirll]

@Ayang_elly Thank you my beautiful darling ♥️♥️♥️

[Amani Africa @africa_amani]

Macky Sall is not an African Union endorsed candidate for the position of UN Secretary General
https://t.co/zpR5Vp11KB

[BBC News Africa @BBCAfrica]

The UK government will stop issuing study visas to people from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan from this month.

The Home Office said the action was being taken due to what it said was widespread visa abuse.
https://t.co/0oRMffrwHC

[Gabriel Elizondo @elizondogabriel]

JUST IN: Macky Sall, former President of Senegal, has been officially nominated by Burundi as a candidate for next Secretary General of the UN.

Sall is now the third official candidate the others being Rafael Grossi (Argentina) and Michelle Bachelet (Chile)

[Furkan Gözükara @FurkanGozukara]

Oman’s foreign minister says Iran agreed to “zero enriched uranium stockpiling.” Within hours, Israel hits Tehran

[UN Web TV @UNWebTV]

🎬Watch LIVE at 4pm EST: Emergency Security Council meeting to discuss the Middle East attacks
📷 4:00 PM EST🕛

https://t.co/0E5p7gZNyL