Bosnia is Becoming Depopulated – What to do About it?

If the political class doesn’t get to grips with the mass exodus of the young, and give them more opportunities, they risk ending up with no one to rule over.

Ivisited my maternal birthplace of Prusac near the central Bosnian town of Donji Vakuf twice last summer. Once a vibrant community, what was striking about it in August was its sheer emptiness. I encountered a few elderly people, but no youngsters.

Options For Reviving Security Cooperation In The Sahel – Analysis

The Sahel is experiencing increasing political and security upheavals. A series of unconstitutional changes in government have occurred in Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso, with persistent insecurity and violent extremism spreading to West Africa’s coastal states.

The G5 Sahel Joint Force was set up in 2017 to fight terrorism and the trafficking of drugs and people in the region. Its objective was to foster regional cooperation and address security threats in its member countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

Germany to Pull Troops From Mali by End 2023: Govt Source

Germany will end its participation in a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali by the end of next year, a government source told AFP on Wednesday after months of operational snags.

“By the end of 2023 at the latest, German soldiers are to end their involvement in the UN blue helmet mission MINUSMA,” the source said.

Syrian jihadist group HTS challenges Turkish-backed factions

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham tried to enter the Turkey-backed factions’ stronghold to support Ahrar al-Sham that refused to support the newly formed leadership by some groups within the movement.

Sources in the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) told Al-Monitor that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an attack at dawn on Nov. 11 on a base affiliated with the Ahrar al-Sham movement in the northern Aleppo countryside, which prompted the Turkish army to intervene and counter HTS’ attempt.

As Iran’s crackdown on protests enters violent new phase, casualties surge

Lethal force was used against mourners at funerals, women were tear-gassed at a crowded subway station, and more than two months of unrest in Iran appeared far from fizzling out.

Nearly 30 people were killed in less than 48 hours as Iranian cities witnessed a flare-up of anti-government protests, which have rocked the nation since mid-September when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in the custody of religious police.

Frozen Syria? Assessing the state of play and opportunities for engagement

On Sept. 14, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released a statement warning that, “Syria cannot afford a return to larger-scale fighting, but that is where it may be heading.” Syria’s frontlines have been frozen since March 2020, and while cross-line and insurgent attacks continue on a near daily basis, the level of violence is significantly reduced compared to previous years.

IntelBrief: Afghanistan in a State of ‘Durable Disorder’ Under the Taliban Government

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine seems to have captured worldwide attention; yet under the Taliban, Afghanistan continues to exist in a state of ‘durable disorder,’ limping along without either fully collapsing or stabilizing.

The immediate future in Afghanistan looks bleak, with little confidence that the Taliban will be able to fix a country that seems fundamentally broken following four decades of conflict, war, and political instability.