Loading
Description: Militants pertaining to the numerous bandit organizations in Nigeria have killed more than 50 people during morning prayers at a mosque located in the town of Unguwar Mantau, in Katsina State. Nigeria’s bandit insurgency has stemmed from territorial disputes between herders and farmers which transpired towards armed resistance and morphed into organized crime in collusion with offshoots from terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda, Boko Haram and the Islamic State. Groups such as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Jama'atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda'Awati Wal-Jihad (JAS), as well as offshoots such as the Lakurawa network, the Sadiku group and the Shiroro cell are
Description: Clashes between the administrations of the five semi – autonomous regions in Somalia have provided the terrorist group Al Shabab with an opening for land grabs and extension of territorial control. Following years of war, Somalia is presently divided between five semi – autonomous regions or member states such as Puntland, Jubaland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, and South West, which are engaged in a constant power struggle with the centralized government in the country’s capital, Mogadishu. In recent weeks, Al Qaeda affiliate, Al Shabab, has intensified attacks within several member states focusing on Jubaland, where the current administration is engaged in an intense
Description: Thailand and Cambodia’s militaries have remained relatively disciplined in the fragile US – brokered ceasefire, however, both establishments have intensified their wartime narrative raising concerns over renewing the conflict. Thailand and Cambodia have recently exchanged accusations over ceasefire violations, with Thailand using public media channels to show that Cambodia has violated the Ottawa mine treaty through positioning land mines in the disputed border regions. On the Cambodian side, the influential Hun Sen and Hun Manet have managed to strengthen their ruling position riding on a nationalist sentiment of defense while also intensifying accusations on T
Description: The Israeli government moved forward with its plans for the complete occupation of the Gaza Strip by launching the military operation Gideon Chariots II focusing on encircling Gaza City. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government had further stated that up to 60 thousand reserve troops would be activated and the initial operations would begin in the next couple of days. Settlement expansions in the West Bank were also approved in the E1 land tract area where several apartment complexes are expected to be built, a move strongly condemned by the international community. Israel’s military has reportedly commenced operations on the perimeters of the city where they
Description: Independent reports issued by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization and the United Nations (UN) have confirmed, based on testimonies from individuals in the DR Congo, that M23 rebels have executed and massacred more than 140 civilians in the past month in the North and South Kivu provinces in eastern DRC. The testimonies elaborated in detail the persecution by the armed militants explaining that up to 14 villages were looted and testified to the fact of sexual abuse and other forms of atrocities conducted by the rebels. The reports arrive after a failed conclusion to the previously signed Declaration of Principles between the DRC government and the M23 rebel
Description: Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has significantly downplayed the possibility of bilateral or trilateral meetings between the leaders of Ukraine, the US and Russia. Lavrov additionally said that a potential trilateral or bilateral summit would have to be carefully planned and every aspect of confliction under the present conditions in the war should be examined in order for the deterioration of the peace process to be avoided. Leaders from the major NATO countries conducted a virtual coordination meeting where the previously discussed security guarantees for Ukraine have reportedly been formulated. Trump has expediently transformed his public statements
Description: Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, met his Afghani counterpart, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul where discussions were held regarding deeper and closer cooperation between the two countries in various sectors. Wang Yi stated that China would pursue the initiative of including Afghanistan in their Belt and Road Initiative which would significantly strengthen economic and strategic cooperation. Yi also stated that China could potentially launch considerable mining operations by the end of the year as Afghanistan’s vast deposits of lithium, iron and copper as well as its oil reserves provided a substantial investment opportunity. Yi and Muttaqi were also accompa
Description: The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has announced that it was downsizing its budget by approximately $700 million annually after revoking the security clearances of more than 37 current and previous intelligence officers. The Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, has stated that ODNI’s departments have become obsolete in tackling and combating real threats to US national security and blamed the revocation of the security clearances on the officers’ weaponization and politization of intelligence, citing claims made by intelligence officers regarding Russia’s 2016 elections interference. The most impacted department would be t
Description: Myanmar’s military junta has announced through official social media channels that its forces captured the strategic town of Demoso in the eastern parts of the country as they expanded their territorial control facing the self-proclaimed elections in Dec. The junta announced that after 16 days of intense combat in the region its forces managed to encircle and eliminate forces pertaining to the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), a local militant group which is part of the larger resistance force fighting against the country’s military. Intense confrontations were also reported in the town of Magok, a gem mining city where rebel militants reported that up
Description: Manhattan Federal Judge, Richard Berman, has denied the US Department of Justice (DOJ) request to release transcripts from a grand jury testimony regarding the trial that indicted the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The Judge explained that the real evidence disclosure still pertains to the government as the grand jury transcripts were comprised of a Power Point presentation and testimony from a single FBI agent which has been mostly deemed as hearsay and that it endangered the safety, security and privacy of Epstein’s victims. Berman further stated that the treasure trove of documents related to the Epstein investigation is held by the DOJ and the 70 – pag