Month: March 2023

Multipolarity was triggered by the 2003 US invasion of Iraq

Twenty years after the unlawful and destabilizing US-led invasion of Iraq, Washington must face the ultimate consequence of that war: UNSC powers China and Russia laying the foundation for a genuine, UN Charter-based system of multipolarism.

On the night of 19-20 March, 2003, the US air force began bombing the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. The EU and NATO were deeply divided on whether to join the aggression: While newer NATO members from Central and Eastern Europe were in favor of the war, European heavyweights Paris and Berlin opposed it.

Iran Warns Of Reaction To Strike On Bases In Syria

A security official warned that Iran will give a prompt response to any pretext for an attack on the bases inside Syria established at the Damascus government’s request for the purpose of fighting terrorism.

Keivan Khosravi, spokesman for Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued the warning on Saturday after American officials claimed that Iran has been involved in attacks on illegal US bases inside the Syrian territory.

Africa Could Benefit From Dynamics Of Russian Education – OpEd

On March 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at the International Parliamentary Conference Russia – Africa in a Multipolar World, held in Moscow under the auspices of the State Duma of the Russian Federal Assembly. “This conference is undoubtedly important in the context of the continued development of Russia’s multifaceted cooperation with the countries of the African continent. We also consider this event a key part of the preparations for the upcoming second Russia-Africa summit scheduled to be held in St Petersburg in July,” he said.

Niger’s army eliminates 20 Boko Haram militants near border with Nigeria

The Nigerien army has killed 20 Boko Haram fighters near the border with Nigeria, AFP news agency reported.

Military operations bulletin in the Diffa region (south-east of Niger) consulted by the agency indicated that the army last week wiped out in an “air-land sweep” operation the bases of the Islamic State in West Africa group (ISWAP, a splinter faction of Boko Haram) installed in the Matari forest in Nigeria from where attacks against towns and military positions in Niger are planned.

The bulletin also notes that the operation aimed to “maintain pressure on ISWAP” and “cut its supply lines”. Some 20 “terrorists have been reportedly neutralized” and “83 suspected Boko Haram terrorists” were captured and handed over to the Nigerian authorities.

The operation was conducted from March 13 to 19 by the Nigerien military of the Mixed Multinational Force (MMF) an 8,500-strong force launched in July 2015 by Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon, to fight armed jihadist groups. In a separate note, the army claims to have intercepted and handed over to Nigerien authorities a total of 1,121 suspected Boko Haram members, including women and children.

These people live in the Sambissa forest in northeastern Nigeria and travel to the Nigerian islands of Lake Chad to flee fighting with their rivals in the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap).

On March 11, it had also killed “some 30 terrorists” who refused to surrender.

Somalia: Al-Shabaab suffers massive losses in Jubaland

Jubaland state continued with operations against Al-Shabaab even in the middle of a planned slow-down by the federal government, targeting the militants in the latest offensive which comes days after the Jana Cabdalle battle which left several militants dead just weeks after the town was taken by the group.

Türkiye nabs 6 terrorists among others on Greek border

Turkish authorities have caught a total of 20 people, including six terrorists, in the northwestern Edirne province bordering Greece, the Defense Ministry announced Thursday.

Greek border guards were pushing the group back into Türkiye when Turkish border units grabbed them, the ministry said.

Out of Africa: Financial Networks of Islamic State 2.0

The killing of a prominent Islamic State financier in Somalia sheds light on the group’s transnational financial networks and shifting centre of gravity.

On 25 January 2023, US special forces killed well-known extremist Bilal Al-Sudani, together with nine associates, in northern Somalia. This has drawn media and expert attention to the role Somalia plays as a piece in the international jihadi jigsaw. Somalia is important not just because of the presence of Al-Shabaab but also because of the globally networked structure that Islamic State (IS) has created for finance and other purposes.

The Long Arm of Washington Extends Into Africa’s Sahel

On March 16, 2023, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced—during his visit to Niger—that the United States government will provide $150 million in aid to the Sahel region of Africa. This money, Blinken said, “will help provide life-saving support to refugees, asylum seekers, and others impacted by conflict and food insecurity in the region.” The next day, UNICEF issued a press release with information from a report the United Nations issued that month stating that 10 million children in the central Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger need humanitarian assistance. UNICEF has appealed for $473.8 million to support its efforts to provide these children with basic requirements. According to the Human Development Index for 2021, Niger, despite holding large reserves of uranium, is one of the poorest countries in the world (189th out of 191 countries); profits from the uranium have long drained away to French and other Western multinational corporations. The U.S. aid money will not be going to the United Nations but will be disbursed through its own agencies, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.