August 2026 II
Makkah Alliance Takes Institutional Shape
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have formally institutionalised their tripartite defence pact, officially naming it the Makkah Defence Alliance and establishing a permanent secretariat in Riyadh, with Pakistan holding the secretary general post for the first three years. Meeting in Istanbul, the three countries agreed to deepen joint defence capabilities, technology development and collective deterrence, with Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan stressing that the alliance is open to expansion and not directed against any specific country. No other details of the pact have been publicly released, as was the case with the Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) from September 2025. An armed attack against one member would be regarded as an attack against all, within the limits of art. 51 of the UN Charter.
Under The Radar
Mozambique’s Graphite Gamble: The Paradox of Resource Sovereignty
Mozambique holds some of the world’s largest graphite reserves, a mineral critical to battery anodes and defence supply chains, yet risks becoming indispensable without becoming powerful. A new 2026 mining law requiring state stakes and local processing reflects Maputo’s ambition to capture more value, but China is already embedded as both processor and investor, as illustrated by a recent acquisition of 70% of key graphite assets in Cabo Delgado. For NATO’s Southern Neighbourhood agenda, building resilient critical mineral supply chains requires supporting African industrial capacity early, not merely signing offtake agreements once extraction is already underway.
Libya’s Rivals Sign Election Road Map
Libya’s rival eastern and western factions have signed an agreement committing to hold legislative and presidential elections within 24 months under a single executive authority, in what would be the country’s first national vote since the 2014 civil war split the country in two. Signed at the UNSMIL mission in Tripoli, the deal follows an initial draft agreed by a UN-backed committee in Tunis on August. Analysts caution, however, that the core question of who governs Libya in the interim, and controls its vast oil revenues, remains unresolved and could yet derail implementation.
Al Jazeera
US Removes Syria From Terror Blacklist
The United States has formally lifted Syria’s State Sponsor of Terrorism designation, a label imposed in 1979 and one of the last remaining legal barriers to foreign commercial investment in the country. The move, which follows a Trump-Sharaa bilateral meeting at the Ankara NATO Summit in July, also includes the removal of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham from the Specially Designated Global Terrorist list, clearing the path for broader US economic engagement with Damascus and anticipated new Commerce Department guidance on export controls.
Al-Monitor
Congo and M23 Agree on Peace Roadmap
The Democratic Republic of Congo and the AFC/M23 group have agreed on a sequenced roadmap for peace negotiations under the existing Doha Framework Agreement, following five days of talks in Switzerland from August 17 to 21. A first ceasefire verification mission has been scheduled in South Kivu, alongside a new joint monitoring mechanism to track implementation. Significant scepticism remains, however, given that fighting has continued unabated since the Doha agreement was signed late last year and Rwanda’s role in eastern DRC remains the central unresolved issue.
France 24
Saudi Arabia Bets on Connectivity Strategy
As disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea routes expose the limits of traditional maritime chokepoints, Saudi Arabia is aiming at positioning itself as the region’s indispensable connectivity hub through integrated overland networks linking the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Arabian Gulf and Caspian. The author argues that infrastructure-driven interdependence, exemplified by the Four Seas Initiative, could become the Kingdom’s defining grand strategy, transforming Vision 2030 from an economic diversification plan into a durable framework for regional geopolitical influence.
Arab News
Africa’s Registries Shield Russia’s Shadow Fleet
Russia’s 591-tanker shadow fleet, carrying up to 4,1 million barrels of oil daily and generating roughly $100 billion annually, is systematically exploiting weak African shipping registries through false flagging, flags of convenience and flag hopping to evade Western sanctions. More than half of global false flag registrations are linked to African jurisdictions, with fraudulent maritime administrations identified in Benin, Cameroon, Malawi and Namibia. The EU has responded by expanding Operation Irini’s mandate to inspect suspected shadow fleet vessels.
ADF
