Overview:
The Global Affairs team share some of the most important weekly headlines that you may otherwise have missed.
The Editor’s Note
The alpacas are back across Oxford this week, so that can only mean one thing…
Welcome back to Week 5’s edition of Outside OX1!
The Week 5 blues may be in full swing, but Blue doesn’t have to be a bad thing, does it?
The wonderful editors here in the Global Affairs team at the Oxford Blue, for example, have collated some of the world’s most important news headlines from this week to update you on what’s gone on outside the ring road.
This week, a historic shift in US-Russia relationships has occurred as notable figures from each country met in Riyadh to discuss the potential end of the war in Ukraine. Yet to receive an invite, European leaders and, most notably, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have been critical of the meeting, fearing any deal made will favour Russian interests.
Looking south, the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has escalated as the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels have seized their second major city, Bukavu. This comes only weeks after the rebels seized the city of Goma, and UN officials have expressed grave concerns over the worsening humanitarian crisis taking place on the ground.
Sticking to the African continent, the world’s first openly gay imam, Muhsin Hendricks, was shot dead in a car ambush in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Investigations into the potential hate crime are underway, with politicians, Islamic organisations, and LGBTQ+ rights organisations all condemning the act of violence.
On the other side of the Atlantic, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been formally charged, alongside many of his allies, of attempting to stage a coup against current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
As you can see, a lot goes on Outside OX1, and the Global Affairs team has condensed these major stories into a weekly briefing you can read as you muse over your welfare tea…
US and Russian Leaders Enter Talks to End the War in Ukraine
Orla McMahon
In a historic shift in US-Russia relations, officials from both nations met at the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss a possible end to the Ukraine War.
On Tuesday 18 February, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accompanied by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, sat down with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to explore a peace deal. Yury Ushakov, Russian presidential aide, and Kirill Dimitriev (CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund) were also present at this meeting.
Ukrainian and European officials were noticeably absent, and Kyiv has expressed concerns that the US might agree to a peace deal favouring Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that “You cannot make decisions without Ukraine on how to end the war in Ukraine.” In response, President Donald Trump labelled Zelensky as “grossly incompetent,” even suggesting that Ukraine was responsible for the Russian invasion of their own country.
This is the first direct meeting between the US and Russia in three years. After Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the Biden administration immediately responded by isolating Moscow through a series of aggressive sanctions. The Biden administration initially authorised $350 million in assistance to Ukraine from Defence Department inventories. The total assistance provided to Ukraine since February 2022 currently stands at $65.9 billion, according to the U.S. Department of State. However, the Trump administration appears to be taking a different approach.
The White House has stated that the meeting aimed to explore the “opportunities which will emerge from a successful end to the conflict in Ukraine.” Following the meeting, which lasted for over four hours, Rubio seemed optimistic, informing the press that teams had been assembled on both sides to handle the subsequent negotiations. The diplomats also discussed restaffing respective embassies. Lavrov, however, has firmly rejected the proposition of sending NATO peacekeeping troops into Ukraine, deeming it “unacceptable.”
Tuesday’s events show that Trump intends to take a dramatically different approach to diplomatic relations with Russia. Both leaders seem eager to reopen dialogue, with Russian President Vladimir Putin even remarking that he desired an “increase in trust” between the two nations. It remains to be seen whether these first steps will succeed in bringing about a peace deal, or even a ceasefire.
M23 Rebels Capture Second Major City in Ongoing Congo Conflict
Matthew Brown
The March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group has captured Bukavu, the capital of the South Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), marking the most recent development in the country’s ongoing conflict. This occurred a mere few weeks after the Rwandan-backed rebels took control of Goma.
The recent fighting began in 2022 in the eastern DRC after Rwandan forces invaded to support the rebels in their fight against the Congolese military (FARDC) and pro-Congolese militias. Hostilities between Rwanda and the DRC have been long-standing, largely fuelled by ethnic tensions between the Hutus and Tutsis, two ethnic groups. Stirred up by Belgian colonial rule, Rwanda’s independence was followed by ethnic-based conflict, reaching its peak with the Rwandan genocide in 1994, during which an estimated 1 million Tutsis were killed by Hutu extremists.
Following the genocide, a Tutsi-led government was established in Rwanda, causing many ethnic Hutus who were involved in the genocide to flee to the bordering eastern DRC.
Hutu extremists in the region then established the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which were responsible for several attacks against civilian Tutsi populations in both Congo and Rwanda. The Tutsi-led M23 group was consequently formed, claiming to protect Congolese Tutsis from government discrimination and the FDLR.
M23 is believed to be heavily supported by the Rwandan government, although Rwandan President Paul Kagame denies this. Meanwhile, the FADRC receives reinforcements from South Africa, Malawi, and Burundi, indicating strong international ties on both sides of the conflict.
Following their formation in 2012, M23 seized control of Goma but withdrew after only 10 days of occupation following international pressure. The group then reduced its activity. However, the group reconvened in 2022 and launched a new offensive, recapturing Goma in late January 2025.
Unlike their previous occupation of the city, a very different tone has been set this time, with M23 showing no intention of a ceasefire. Upon successfully driving governmental forces out of the city, Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance (a coalition of rebel groups including M23) declared that the group were “in Goma to stay” and further vowed to “march until Kinshasa”.
The M23 rebels have since rapidly expanded their area of control, capturing a second major city, Bukavu, on Sunday. As the second-largest city in the eastern DRC with a population of about 1.3 million people, this signifies another important victory for the group and another stark warning for the Congolese government. Governmental forces reportedly offered little resistance against approaching rebels, with Bukavu residents claiming to have been “abandoned by all the authorities.”
Human Rights violations committed by the M23 rebels in Bukavu have been raised by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Reports of executions (including children), gender-based and sexual violence, and forced child recruitment have been verified.
Large-scale insecurity has descended upon the city. Children were reported to be taking weapons left on the streets and “shooting in all directions”, looters stole over 7,000 tonnes of food from a UN World Food Programme Warehouse, and a major prison break has left many crime victims and witnesses requesting protection from the UN.
Further complicating matters, Uganda’s top military officer, General Kainerubaga, recently posted on X last Saturday, threatening to invade the east Congolese town of Bunia. Kainerubaga cited the killing of ethnic Bahimas as his motive but presented no evidence to support these claims.
The Ugandan military has since deployed troops in the Ituri province, of which Bunia is the capital. Military spokesperson Felix Kulayigye said that this was “agreed with our Congolese counterparts to carry out joint operations to save lives”.
With M23 troops reportedly marching on to a third major city, Butembo, fears of a full-scale regional war are emerging.
World’s First Openly Gay Imam Shot Dead in South Africa
Sophia Giblett
On February 15th, Muhsin Hendricks, widely recognised as the world’s first openly gay imam, was murdered in Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Hendricks was ambushed in a car by two masked gunmen who fired at Hendricks multiple times. He was in the area to conduct a wedding ceremony for a lesbian couple after local imams had refused to officiate the wedding.
Hendricks was raised in a conservative Muslim family. After initially marrying a woman, he ended his marriage and publicly came out as gay in the mid-1990s after taking 80 days to meditate on his faith in the form of an istikhaara, where he came to terms with his sexuality.
In 1996, he founded the “Inner Circle”, an organisation dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ Muslims and established the Al-Ghurbaah mosque in Cape Town that serves as a safe haven for marginalised Muslims. He advocated for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals in Islam, challenging traditional interpretations of Sodom and Gomorrah and promoting a message of love and acceptance.
His work garnered both international recognition and opposition. He faced numerous death threats and fatwas from conservative Islamic groups, including the Muslim Judicial Council of South Africa, which deemed his views as incompatible with Islamic teachings.
Hendricks’ assassination has sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ and Muslim communities internationally. The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA) condemned the murder and called for an investigation into the potential hate crime. President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed deep concern over the incident, and the Muslim Judicial Council issued a statement stating “while we have consistently stated that Hendricks’ position was incompatible with Islamic teachings, we unequivocally condemn … acts of violence targeting members of the LGBTQ community.”
His death has highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals within religious communities.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Accused of Coup Attempt
Caroline Johnson
Former President, Jair Bolsonaro has been formally charged with plotting a coup by Brazil’s Chief Prosecutor, Paulo Gonet.
Gonet has accused him of leading a “criminal organisation”, known as the “Green and Yellow Dagger”, to undermine democracy in Brazil.
Bolsonaro narrowly lost the 2022 election to the current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. However, he did not accept the result of the election, instead opting to flee to the US just days after Lula’s inauguration. Following this loss, the prosecution claims that he and 33 others aimed to maintain power through an alleged plan to poison Lula and kill Supreme Court judge, Alexandre de Moraes.
Others supposedly involved in the plot include Bolsonaro’s vice-presidential candidate General Walter Braga Netto and almost two dozen retired or serving military personnel. Gonet stated, “the plan was conceived and taken to the knowledge of the president, and he agreed to it.” The charges are based on a Brazil federal police report which was filed in November 2024.
Bolsonaro has denied these accusations. Nevertheless, if the Supreme Court accepts the charges, he must stand trial. A conviction would mean a lengthy prison sentence of more than 40 years for the former president.
Following the election in 2022, Bolsonaro was banned from running for office for 8 years due to attacks on the legitimacy of Brazil’s electoral system, as he claimed that the electronic ballots used in the election were vulnerable to hacking and fraud.
On 8 January 2023, 1,500 of his supporters were arrested after they stormed government buildings in Brasilia, calling for Lula’s resignation. Similarities between this incident and the January 6th insurrection at the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump have since been drawn.
This is not the only court case that Bolsonaro currently faces. He is also accused of falsifying a COVID-19 vaccine certificate and illegally selling jewels given to him as head of state. Moraes is bringing these charges, an alleged potential victim of the plot.
Donald Trump’s media group has since filed a lawsuit against Moraes, accusing him of violating the right to free speech of a right-wing Brazilian influencer living in the US. This comes after last year Moraes ordered Elon Musk to block accounts sharing right-wing misinformation and anti-democratic content on X, leading to the platform being banned in Brazil for 6 weeks until Musk agreed to remove the accounts.
According to Brazil’s former secretary of justice, Augusto de Arruda Botelho, this is only the beginning of a legal process that will likely continue beyond 2025.
On This Day in Global Affairs…
On February 21st 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised the independence of two breakaway regions in Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk.
In a lengthy televised announcement delving into the historic ties of Ukraine and Russia, Putin believed that this move would be supported by the vast majority of Russians. The Kremlin also stated that conversations were had with the leaders of France and Germany following this decision, where both nations expressed disappointment.
An emergency meeting was held for EU foreign ministers in Brussels with Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief stating: “We are ready to react with a strong, united front in case he should decide to do so [recognise the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk].”
This presidential declaration paved the way for Russia to openly send troops and weapons to the Moscow-backed rebels inside Ukrainian borders. Putin would subsequently deploy troops at the eastern Ukrainian border on “peacekeeping duties” that same day, which Kyiv and many Western nations perceived as the start of an occupation.
The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine would then follow three days later, on February 24th 2022, when Russian forces entered Ukraine from Russia, Belarus, and Crimea. At the time of writing, the conflict is still ongoing and the number of casualties is widely disputed.
Thank you for making it to the end of this week’s Outside OX1, see you next week for more Global Affairs stories!