Author: M Barbu

Sahara occidental : Staffan de Mistura, mission impossible 2

Entré en fonction il y a tout juste un an, l’envoyé personnel du secrétaire général de l’ONU pour le Sahara occidental a hérité d’un dossier complexe sur lequel il a peu de prise.

Des encouragements. C’est ce dont a dû se contenter Staffan de Mistura, le 27 octobre, lorsque 13 des 15 pays membres du Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU ont approuvé une résolution prolongeant d’un an le mandat de la Mission des Nations unies pour l’organisation d’un référendum au Sahara occidental (Minurso) jusqu’au 31 octobre 2023.

Encrypted App Breach Exposes Bosnian State’s Ties to Crime

Evidence obtained from a crackdown on the Sky ECC encrypted messaging app has shed more light on the support that crime gangs enjoy from public officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has confirmed that evidence obtained from the crackdown of an encrypted messaging app will be valid in court, announcing the first indictments by the end of November for some of more than a 100 people arrested in the past year-and-a-half.

Bulgaria Faces Fresh Criticism over Ukraine Refugee Response

Concerns are growing over the government’s handling of a programme to move Ukrainian refugees from hotels to state-owned facilities, undermining their integration into Bulgarian society.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, Bulgarians have been pressing their authorities to do more for the tens of thousands of refugees who have sought shelter in the Black Sea country. Now they face a new challenge.

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.