[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Mali, South Sudan, Somalia, Mauritania, Djibouti, and Comoros Islands and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the On the Margins Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each month's roundup to info@jadaliyya.com.]
Comoros
Xi meets Comoros president: Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Comoran President Azali Assoumani in Beijing.
Comoros Issues Arrest Warrant for Outspoken ex-VP: Comoros has issued an arrest warrant for former Vice President Ahmed Said Jaffar, an opponent of a recent referendum to increase President Assoumani's power.
Deputy army chief held in Comoros over anti-regime plot: Enter the article description: A former Comoran deputy army chief was arrested on allegations he had plotted against the current regime.
Djibouti
China's strategic moves in Africa meet U.S. silence: The United States does not appear to have a strategic response to Chinese operations in Djibouti.
Ethiopia to relieve congestion in the Port of Djibouti – New Business Ethiopia: Djibouti has reached an agreement with Ethiopia and the World Food Program to improve logistics in its major port.
Opinion | There is a new IMF in town and it’s called China - Livemint: China has attempted to secure its loans to Djibouti by gaining a security interest in state-owned assets.
King Salman holds talks with Djibouti president after peace agreement: Saudi King Salman held talks with Eritrean President Guelleh after the signing of a peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Djibouti Government Nationalizes Port Company: The government of Djibouti nationalized a port company previously operated by Dubai-based DP World.
Mali
ECHO Factsheet – Mali – 20 August 2018 - Mali: Statistics from ReliefWeb about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Mali.
Mamoudou Gassama: Mali 'Spiderman' becomes French citizen: A Malian man was awarded French citizenship after climbing four floors to rescue a young boy hanging onto a balcony.
Sahel anti-terror force shifts HQs to Mali capital after attack: A regional anti-terrorism task force has moved its headquarters to Mali after several recent attacks.
Global security at stake in Mali's Islamist war, president says: The president of Mali sought to portray the conflict in the country as part of a broader fight against terrorist groups.
New Term, Same Old Foes for Mali's Keita: Mali's President Keita was re-elected for a second term in a poll many observers described as lacking legitimacy.
Mauritania
Maghreb Bank injects $20m into Mauritania branch - Journal du Cameroun: The chairman of the Maghreb regional development bank BMICE has said the group has invested twenty million dollars in Mauritania since its inception.
U.S. deports Forest Park man to Mauritania and potential slavery: The Trump administration has deported Mauritanians living in the United States despite the risk of slavery in their country of origin.
Married father of 2 U.S.-citizen children returned to known slave state: Details the story of Issa Sao, a Mauritanian man recently deported from the United States despite raising a family and working legally.
Police, slavery activists clash at Mauritania parliament: Mauritanian police had clashes outside of parliament with antislavery activists.
Customs in Mauritania and Algeria impose strict regulations on Sahrawis in the Tindouf camps: Customs in Mauritania has put restrictions on the movement of Sahrawis.
Mauritanian man refuses to get on plane after deportation order: ICE was forced to halt the deportation of a man from Mauritania after he refused to board a flight.
Somalia
Charcoal still smuggled from KDF-controlled Somalia zones: Islamic extremist group al-Shabaab has been able to derive substantial revenue from illicit charcoal smuggling.
Somalia experiencing economic boom under AMISOM –AU Chairperson: The head of the African Union's Amisom effort has claimed that Somalia has enjoyed prosperity due to AMISOM's efforts.
Somalia: Southwest State postpones election after resignations: The Southwestern region of Somalia postponed its election after technical glitches.
Somalia: How Somali Pirate Got Arrested By U.S. After Contacting Ex-Hostage: A Somali pirate has been jailed in the United States after a conversation with one of his former hostages.
As the War on Terror Continues, Trump's Drone War Expands in Somalia: The Atlantic argues that the US drone strikes in Somalia lack a coherent strategy.
KAGWANJA: Financial deals herald Somalia’s epic rise from the ashes of war: A series of business deals demonstrate the ongoing revival of the Somali economy, according to one commentator.
South Sudan
For South Sudan, It’s Not So Easy to Declare Independence From Arabic: Laura Kasinof argues that sometimes languages introduced by occupiers can form an effective means of communication in some circumstances.
Welcome to South Sudan: The "humanitarian capital": Tereza Kaplanova—an epidemiologist from the Czech republic—describes her assignment with MSF in South Sudan.
The Doctrine of Terra Nullius is not Applicable to South Sudan: The Case of Ramchiel City: This article criticizes the claim that land in South Sudan was ever without ownership, with import land reform implications.
Empowering women toward peace and stability: A discussion of World Bank programs intended to help women from South Sudan.
New Peace Centre opened in Bor, South Sudan: Reliefweb discusses a new peace center opened in Bor in South Sudan.
Sudan
Armed groups, Qatari envoy discuss peace process in Darfur: Leaders from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) held meetings with a Qatari envoy about the peace process.
Rights group: Activist seized in Cairo resurfaces in Sudan: Human Rights Watch claims activist Mohamed Boshi was abducted in Egypt and returned to his native Sudan by the two countries' security services.
Refugees From Sudan Living Homeless In Nashville: A group of refugees has been living in Nashville under a bridge, surviving on assistance from a local nonprofit.
Sudanese Official: We Are Not Sponsoring Terrorists: Sudanese Deputy Chief of Mission Waleed Basheer claims the country should be removed by the United States as a sponsor of terrorism, citing a recent US government report.
Sudan's removal from terror list taints U.S. values: The Sudanese Liberation Army urges the United States to continue to designate Sudan as a sponsor of terrorism.