Author: M Barbu

Somalia Is Becoming Africa’s Lebanon

The Horn of Africa, a region once described by Jeffrey Lefebvre as one of the world’s most “highly penetrated regional subsystems”, is on the brink of a dangerous turn as the several actors intensify their displays of power in Somalia. Turkey, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, and other regional powers are taking sides in what is fast becoming Africa’s Lebanon—a fractured country where multiple national factions and entities pursue conflicting political agendas, inviting foreign actors to further their own influence and advance their political positions. The most prominent player in this new escalation is Egypt, which has begun to channel military experts and weaponry into Somalia to gain much needed leverage with Ethiopia in relation to the Nile water conflict.

Israel expands ethnic cleansing and deliberate starvation in northern Gaza

A Palestinian man holds the body of a relative killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at a hospital morgue in Deir al-Balah, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024 [AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana]

One year after the start of the Gaza genocide, Israel, with the support of US imperialism, is only intensifying its extermination and ethnic cleansing of the civilian population of Gaza.

CEP – KAS: Sahel Monitoring May 2024

The month of May saw a significant increase in social media output from both the Islamic State as well as JNIM–as was expected given the continuous rise of online activities of both groups in recent months. The number of statements published during the month of May reached their highest point since reporting began in December 2022. 151 statements were released by the Islamic State’s branches and JNIM, al-Qaeda’s representative in the Sahel.

What’s the Israel-Palestine conflict about? A simple guide

It’s killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions. And its future lies in its past. We break it down.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced many millions of people and has its roots in a colonial act carried out more than a century ago.

With Israel declaring war on the Gaza Strip after an unprecedented attack by the armed Palestinian group Hamas on Saturday, the world’s eyes are again sharply focused on what might come next.

Rethinking terrorism in international law

I. Introduction

From 27 December 2008 to 18 January 2009, the Israeli army carried out a military intervention in the Gaza Strip, the so-called Operation ‘Cast Lead’. During this period of time, Gaza was bombed from the sky and the sea and, in the second phase of the offensive, was invaded by land. Eventually, Palestinian casualties amounted approximately to more than 1400, most of them civilians. On the other hand, 13 Israeli citizens were killed, 10 soldiers and 3 civilians. 1 Operation ‘Cast Lead’ was judged as “the most violent, the most brutal and the bloodiest offensive against Palestinian civilians and their property since the beginning of Israeli occupation in 1967”. 2 The pattern of widespread destruction was clearly testified by the way the first attacks were carried out: the air bombing took place during rush hour, when the streets of Gaza were crowded with people. 3 On top of that, the suffering of the civilian population appears to be a distinctive feature of the Israel’s military activities throughout the entire operation. 4 These events constitute the background to the present thesis.

Has Israel used ‘toxic’ depleted uranium in Lebanon?

The New Arab looks into the accusations that Israel has used depleted uranium, as well as what the substance is and why it’s so dangerous.

Israel has been accused of using bombs containing depleted uranium in its bombardment of Lebanon.

“The extent of destruction and the penetration of buildings and ground by dozens of meters is evidence of the use of bombs containing depleted uranium, which has tremendous penetrating power,” the Syndicate of Chemists in Lebanon (SCL) said in a statement released on Monday.

Will Israel strike Iran’s oil ports in retaliatory attack?

Iran appeared to be taking preparations in anticipation of a potential Israeli strike on its oil facilities, despite US warnings to Israel regarding this.

Iran is anticipating an Israeli attack after it launched ballistic missiles against Israel earlier this month, and appears to be taking steps in preparation for this, notably at its oil facilities.

Hamas will rise ‘like a phoenix’ from the ashes, leader-in-exile says

Hamas leader-in-exile Khaled Meshaal said the Palestinian group would rise “like a phoenix” from the ashes despite heavy losses during a year of war with Israel, and that it continues to recruit fighters and manufacture weapons, Reuters reported.

One year after the Hamas attack that triggered the war, Meshaal framed the conflict with Israel as part of a broader narrative spanning 76 years, dating back to what Palestinians call the “Nakba” or “catastrophe,” when many were displaced during the 1948 war that accompanied the creation of Israel.