Myanmar warlord at centre of battle for key border town
Reuters Armed soldiers loyal to a turncoat warlord patrol the streets of south-eastern Myanmar’s frontier town of Myawaddy, as troops of the ruling junta and rebels jostle for control of the outpost that handles more than $US1 billion in border trade every year. The struggle for Myawaddy has highlighted the role played by Colonel Saw […]
Malian group asks Supreme Court to annul junta’s ban on political activities
Bamako, Mali Reuters The Malian Supreme Court should annul the ruling junta’s order to suspend political activities, a group of Malian political parties and civil society organisations said in an appeal on Monday. The West African country has been under military rule since a coup in 2020. Tensions have risen in recent weeks over the […]
Fighting flares at Myanmar-Thai border as rebels target stranded junta troops
Reuters Fighting raged at Myanmar’s eastern frontier with Thailand on Saturday, both governments said, forcing 3,000 civilians to flee as rebels fought to flush out Myanmar junta troops holed up for days at a bridge border crossing. Resistance fighters and ethnic minority rebels seized the key trading town of Myawaddy on the Myanmar side of […]
Myanmar: In a rebel-held town, fragile unity pushes junta to the brink
PANU WONGCHA-UM, of Reuters, reports that the seizure of a critical trading post by rebels forces last week provides some insights into the ongoing conflict in Myanmar…
Prominent Baptist pastor in military-ruled Myanmar detained again hours after release from prison
Bangkok, Thailand AP A prominent Christian church leader and human rights advocate from Myanmar’s Kachin ethnic minority was detained by the authorities just hours after he was released from prison under an amnesty by the military government, a relative, a colleague and local media said Thursday. Rev Hkalam Samson, former head of the Kachin Baptist Convention and […]
Hundreds rally in Niger’s capital to push for US military departure
Niamey, Niger Reuters Hundreds took to the streets of Niger’s capital on Saturday to demand the departure of US troops, after the ruling junta further shifted its strategy by ending a military accord with the United States and welcoming Russian military instructors. Marching arm in arm through central Niamey, the crowd waved Nigerien flags in […]
Myanmar troops retreat as rebels declare control over key border town
Reuters About 200 Myanmar military personnel withdrew to a bridge to Thailand on Thursday after a days-long assault by the anti-junta resistance, which declared it had won control of the critical border town of Myawaddy, the latest in a string of rebel wins. Myanmar’s military-run government is battling insurgencies on several fronts and has suffered […]
Malian parties reject junta’s suspension of political activities
Bamako, Mali Reuters Malian political parties and civil society groups jointly rejected on Thursday the ruling junta’s order to suspend political activities and vowed to mount a legal challenge to what one opposition politician called the “dictatorial” move. The West African country has been under military rule since a coup in 2020. Tensions have risen […]
Mali’s junta suspends political party activities until further notice
Bamako, Mali Reuters Mali’s junta has issued a decree halting political party activities, government spokesperson Abdoulaye Maiga announced in a statement read on state television on Wednesday evening. The decree suspends until further notice all activities by political parties and “associations of a political nature” on the grounds of maintaining public order, the statement said. […]
Fight back or flee? Myanmar draft forces hard choices on youth
Reuters Weeks after Myanmar’s military government announced a nationwide draft, two young women from far-flung parts of the South-East Asian country headed to the jungles to take up arms against the junta. For two men in their 30s in Myanmar’s two largest cities, the threat of conscription after the February call-up prompted them to upend […]