Africa Update Report with Advocate Sipho Mantula, Researcher: Thabo Mbeki African School of Public & International Affairs: Unisa

17 December 2025

1.    Tunisia- Tunis

Tunisia Observes 15th Anniversary of Outbreak of Revolution in 2010

Tunisia observes, on Wednesday 17 December, the 15th anniversary of the outbreak of the Tunisian Revolution, a defining turning point in the country's contemporary history.

This foundational event initiated profound political and social transformations whose repercussions continue to shape the country's trajectory today.

2.    Madagascar- SADC Troika

Malawi Vice President Mme Ansah Demands Urgent SADC Action As Madagascar Slips Deeper Into Crisis

Malawi State Vice-President Jane Ansah has issued a blunt call to the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation (Troika) to act with urgency on the deepening political and security crisis in Madagascar, warning that delay risks prolonging violence and instability.

3.    DR Kongo- Uvira

M23 Says It Will Withdraw From Key City of Uvira

The M23 armed group had agreed to a request from the United States to withdraw from the city of Uvira in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.The militia captured most of the town last week, in a move Burundi called a "middle finger" to the US after the signing of a peace deal in Washington.

The group "will unilaterally withdraw its forces from the city of Uvira, as requested by the US mediators", the M23 said in a statement signed by coordinator Corneil Nangaa.

4.    In our historical archives, it was on this day, 17 December 2002, when the “Global and All-Inclusive Agreement “Unfinished business) was signed by the Components and Entities to the Inter-Congolese Dialogue in the presence of the representatives of the United Nations Secretary-General and the President of the African Union in Sun City, North West Province, South Afrika.

4.1 In our historical archives, it was on this day, 17 December 1920, when Apartheid South Afrika was mandated to govern the then South-West Afrika (now Namibia).

The mandate granted South Africa full administrative and legislative authority over the territory as an integral part of the Union of South Africa, to promote the well-being and development of its inhabitants.