Essay: Sudan’s civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight
In an article first published on the Conversation, JAN POSPISIL, an associate professor at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University in the UK, looks at the two-year-old conflict in Sudan and the challenges facing a peaceful resolution…
Essay: West African trade bloc, ECOWAS, shaken as three member states withdraw and form their own alliance
OLUMBA E EZENWA and OLAYINKA AJALA, in an article first published on The Conversation, take a look at what’s happening in West Africa…
Open Doors 2024 Watch List highlights persecution of sub-Saharan African Christians
United States RNS In its annual list detailing countries of concern when it comes to persecution against Christians, the watchdog organization Open Doors International highlighted outbreaks of violence against sub-Saharan African Christians, where 16.2 million were forced out of their homes at the end of 2022. The report, published at the beginning of every year, […]
Putin delivers mixed tribute to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin after deadly plane crash
Moscow, RussiaReuters Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to the family of Yevgeny Prigozhin on Thursday, breaking his silence after the mercenary leader’s plane crashed with no survivors two months after he led a mutiny against army chiefs. Putin’s comments, which suggested he harboured decidedly mixed feelings about Wagner’s mercenary boss, were the most […]
Organise or fight? Three years in exile, Belarus opposition divided about path
Warsaw, PolandReuters Pavel Maryeuski, 33, was an activist committed to peaceful politics who had never held a weapon, when he fled his native Belarus after President Alexander Lukashenko’s crackdown on protests following an election three years ago. Last year, when Russia invaded Ukraine, he felt the call to battle, and joined a Belarus volunteer unit fighting in support of […]
Mali’s troops, foreign partners target women to ‘spread terror’ – UN report
United NationsReuters Mali’s troops and its foreign security partners, believed to be Russia’s Wagner mercenaries, are using violence against women and other “grave human rights abuses” to spread terror, UN sanctions monitors said in a report seen by Reuters on Monday. The monitors also warned in their report to the UN Security Council that the […]
West African leaders plan possible Niger intervention as deadline looms
Abuja, Nigeria/Niamey, Niger Reuters West African defence chiefs have drawn up a plan for military action if Niger’s coup is not overturned by Sunday, the regional bloc said on Friday, after mediation failed in a crisis that threatens regional security and has drawn in global powers. The Economic Community of West African States has given […]
Countries urge return to order in Niger day after coup
Updated: 11:40am (AEST)Niamey, NigerReuters Niger President Mohamed Bazoum remained held in the presidential palace on Thursday afternoon and it was unclear who had taken charge of the country, after soldiers on Wednesday evening declared a military coup. France, the country’s former colonial power, and the West African regional bloc ECOWAS called for Bazoum’s immediate release […]
New hazards of war enclose Belarusian town with turbulent past
Osipovichi, Belarus Reuters A Belarusian town with a turbulent past may hold some haunting new secrets: an empty camp that mutinous Russian mercenaries have yet to use and perhaps even a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons Russia says it has deployed in Belarus. In a former military camp surrounded by fir and birch forest […]
Analysis – Where are Russia’s top generals? Rumours swirl after mercenary mutiny
London, UK Reuters Russia’s most senior generals have dropped out of public view after a failed mercenary mutiny aimed at toppling the top military brass, amid a drive by President Vladimir Putin to reassert his authority. Unconfirmed reports say that at least one person has been detained and is being questioned. Russian President Vladimir Putin […]