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Description: The Venezuelan parliament passed a bill, criminalizing individuals and institutions as well as private organizations which are involved in the illegal seizure of the tankers carrying crude oil in and out of Venezuela. The bill arrives after almost four months of sustained US military and political pressure for President Nicolas Maduro to step down. The US Coast Guard with the assistance of the US Navy has so far seized two tankers in the last couple of weeks and is currently in an active pursuit after the third tanker called Bella 1. US President Donald Trump in a rare direct statement claimed that Maduro shouldn’t remain in power while US Homeland Secretary Kri
Description: Officials within the US administration tasked with addressing the war in the DR Congo have expressed concerns over the situation as the M23 rebels and government militias continue to engage in armed clashes in the town of Uvira. The town was captured by M23 rebels earlier this month but after diplomatic pressure from the US, the rebel group pledged to withdraw its forces as an act of good faith and continued negotiations. US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, reiterated accusations towards Rwanda for supporting the rebel group and stated that M23 violated the commitments to withdraw from the town and dedicate efforts to continue the negotiations with DRC’s governm
Description: Five police officers were reported to have been murdered by the Pakistani Taliban terrorist organization (TTP) in the Karak district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The attack drew strong condemnation by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who stated that police officers were always at the forefront in the battle against terrorism. The regional police after the attack cordoned off the site and engaged in a pursuit after the armed assailants killing 8 of the suspected terrorists. Pakistan has continuously blamed Afghanistan for providing safe harbor for terrorist organizations such as the TTP which are aligned with the national Taliban government in the c
Description: More than 28 civilians were kidnapped by armed bandits at gun point while traveling to an annual Islamic gathering in central Nigeria’s Plateau state. The kidnappings arrive only a day after the Nigerian government announced that all 130 catholic students kidnapped earlier this month were rescued and returned to their families. Local sources have stated that the kidnappings were unrelated to the Islamic insurgency in the northwestern parts of the country. Nigeria has recently came under scrutiny from US President Donald Trump due to its inability to counteract the armed insurgencies on its territory which have reportedly targeted the Christian population. Nigeri
Description: Violent protests erupted in Bangladesh after the assassination of opposition leader, Sharif Osman Hadi, who launched an independent candidacy campaign for the general election expected to take place in Feb. The political crisis in Bangladesh was further aggravated by the murder of Dipu Chandra Das, who was accused of blasphemy. The Indian was lynched and beaten to death then set on fire by an angry mob of Bangladeshis which prompted protests in New Delhi, India. Bilateral ties have been consistently tested ever since India harbored the former Bangladeshi leader, Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced to death in absentia due to her activities and involvement against t
Description: Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov has been assassinated on the Yasenevaya street in Moscow by a car bomb. The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, stated that Russian security and intelligence services have launched investigations into the murder of the general and that his loss represented an unfortunate tragedy. The primary suspect is the Ukrainian intelligence service, which has refused to comment and share their position on the assassination. Sarvarov served as the primary educator and trainer of the Russian armed forces. His previous working experience consisted of serving in the Chechnya conflicts in 1980’ and military service in Syria between 2015 and
Description: China and the US along the ASEAN countries led by Malaysia would attempt to restart the peace negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia which have reignited their conflict on 08 Dec. Exchanging blame for the inflamed tensions and the return to armed fighting, Thailand and Cambodia’s foreign ministers attended the ASEAN meeting where their officials delivered messages of reintegration of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord, signed earlier this year in Malaysia. Thailand’s Foreign Minister mentioned that the peace agreement was signed prematurely and the fundamental causes of the conflict haven’t been addressed. Cambodia remained reserved and stated that their military
Description: The US Coast Guard is reportedly engaged in a pursuit of a third sanctioned tanker carrying Venezuelan crude oil. The ship has been identified as the Bella 1, sanctioned by the US due to its ties to Iran and its proxy terrorist organization, Hezbollah. Previously, the US Coast Guard seized two other ships, the Skipper, carrying 1.9 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil, set to be refined in the US and the Centuries, carrying 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil which is reportedly docked in Galveston, Texas. President Trump said that the US effectively confiscated these ships and they would remain under the ownership of the US government. Unverified rep
Description: The paramilitary guerilla unit, ELN, or the National Liberation Army, has announced that it would cease hostilities over the holiday period and impose a curfew in larger municipalities it controls. The leadership of the organization announced that all members were instructed not to attack military or police outposts and not to cause further armed confrontation during the holiday season. Previously, the ELN kidnapped around 18 soldiers in the Choco Department of Colombia which has become a common practice and a methodology to threaten the government. Tensions between the group and President Gustavo Petro’s government have gradually escalated since Petro ceased to
Description: Drone attack was conducted on a busy marketplace in the North Darfur state causing massive material damage and resulting with 10 civilian casualties. Neither the RSF nor the SAF claimed responsibility for the attack in the city of Malha, controlled by the RSF. Clashes elsewhere have intensified while the focal point of the civil war is currently in the South Kordofan province, where sustained armed confrontations between the RSF and the SAF have led to more civilian deaths and infrastructure damages. The cities of Kadugli and Dilling have been besieged by RSF forces since the beginning of the war while aid organizations in the country have reported that vast reg