US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly plans to travel to North Korea on July 6 to discuss the country’s denuclearization plans.
The Assembly of the African Union (AU), comprised of heads of state, began its 31st session on 2 July. Reports on peace and security on the continent will also be presented to gauge the progress made in reducing armed conflicts on the continent in line with one of the key projects of Africa’s Agenda 2063.
A meeting of the heads of state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)will be held in Brussels on July 11 and 12. Ahead of the summit, US President Donald Trump has called on Germany and other European nations to spend more on the military alliance. NATO members have agreed to spend 2 percent of economic output on defense every year by 2024, but Germany and Spain are among the countries not expected to meet the target. France plans to increase defense spending by more than a third between 2017 and 2025, with the aim of reaching the NATO goal.
After repeated postponements since 2013, Mali’s presidential election is set to be held on July 29. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta confirmed that he is running for reelection.
Zimbabwe will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on July 30. The President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took power after the November 2017 military coup against Robert Mugabe, counts on the election to bolster his legitimacy as he pursues a promised break with Mugabe’s repressive policies while urging foreign investors to return to Zimbabwe.
More at: https://theglobalobservatory.org/2018/07/key-global-events-to-watch-in-july-4/