“If nothing is done, the effects of terrorism, violent extremism and organized crime will be felt far beyond the region and the African continent,” Guterres said.
On Saturday, the Independent High-Level Panel on Security and Development in the Sahel was launched during a high-level event on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.
On Monday, Burkina Faso authorities reported at least 50 death resulting from an allegedly jihadist attack.
Lionel Bilgo, Burkina Faso Government spokesperson, announced on Monday that 50 people died from the attack reportedly carried out by jihadists in a village in the north of the country.
Iranian Majles member Masoud Pezeshkian, who has previously served as Iran’s Minister of Health, said in a September 19, 2022 show on IRINN TV (Iran) that he is sorry over the recent death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman who recently died after being beaten and arrested by Iran’s morality police for wearing her hijab “improperly.” He said that Iran’s laws are meant to make people more chaste and modest, but instead the Iranian regime should adopt different methods if its behavior is making Iranians hate Islam. He blamed himself, the Iranian government, the mosques, the religious scholars, and Iran’s broadcasting authority for the current situation in Iran, and he argued that it is impossible to make people religious by force. Amini’s death has sparked widespread protests in Iran (see MEMRI TV Clips No. 9833 and No. 9837).
“We will fight, we will die, we will take Iran back” and “Mullahs must get lost,” Iranian demonstrators keep chanting.[1] On September 23, in response to the regime’s cutting off mobile Internet, the State Department tried to take some measures to help the protestors, issuing a “General License” that would allow a general category of services and hardware not to be under sanctions.[2] After the announcement, Elon Musk immediately tweeted: “Activating Starlink.”[3]
“No.” That was President Biden’s response earlier this month when a reporter asked whether the Russian Federation should be added to the Department of State’s “sponsors of terrorism” list. Biden’s terse reply was disappointing, particularly when there is bipartisan support in Congress for adding Russia to the rolls of repressive regimes that have previously been declared terrorist states.
The leader of Lebanese Hezbollah is threatening to attack an Israeli gas project off the Lebanon-Israel coast if it becomes operational before their sea border is agreed upon.
Hezbollah’s threats demonstrate the ability of the Iran-backed party to influence Lebanon’s national security decisions.
One of the most interesting intersections in US Foreign Policy currently is the conflicts that are presented when US National Security Interests are in conflict with Human Rights Concerns.
Currently most focus has been on the relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia. There is an effort currently by the Biden Adminstration to have the Kingdom increase its Energy output while criticism over the murder of Mr. Khashoggi and the role of the Kingdom in the Yemeni conflict appear to be clarion calls for Human Rights Activists.
Cyprus is in a unique position right now. With one action it could accomplish several tasks in one fell swoop that could distance itself from Russia, potentially end the arms embargo imposed by the United States while upgrading their defensive capabilityes and assist Ukraine at the same time.
Fewer babies will be born in all of Europe than in Nigeria alone.
More than half the increase of the global population projected by 2050 will be concentrated in just eight countries, mostly in Africa, according to The Economist: Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines and Tanzania. Nigeria will have more inhabitants than Europe and the United States.
For more than a year, the Iranian population has taken to the streets to ask for more rights and more jobs. However, it seems that the West became aware only now of the existence of demonstrations in Iran against the dictatorial regime. The Iranians have tried in every possible way to communicate to the West that the regime of the ayatollahs does not represent them. This became clear with the elections of June 2021, in which the real winner was not the current ultra-conservative president Ebrahim Raisi, but “the boycott.” The Iranians had in fact chosen not to go to vote, in order not to give legitimacy to the government.[1]