Author: M Barbu

Russie-Afrique : à Sotchi, les dirigeants africains répondent à l’appel de Vladimir Poutine

Ouverture réussie pour le premier sommet Russie-Afrique organisé par Vladimir Poutine et co-présidé par le président en exercice de l’Union africaine (UA), Abdel Fattah al-Sissi. Les dirigeants africains ont répondu à l’appel de Sotchi et, en ce premier jour surtout consacré à la coopération économique, promesses, serments d’amitié et contrats se sont multipliés.

Guns, Mercenaries, Minerals – Russia Embraces Africa

Russia has been busy on the African continent in recent years. Russian officials acknowledged Russians were on board an Antonov An-72 transport which crashed last week in a remote Congolese forest.

There have also been reports of Russians killed in civlil war battles in Libya recently. And Russia has been making deals and spending money and making commitments all over Africa.

AL-QAEDA IS STRENGTHENING ITS NETWORKS THROUGHOUT THE SAHEL

Al-Qaeda maintains a stronger position in the Sahel than Islamic State-affiliated groups.

Although Western targets have been struck in recent years, the vast majority of jihadist attacks and resources have been focused on local-level operations in the Sahel.

Vengeance, repression, and fear: The reality behind Assad’s promises to displaced Syrians

The team of researchers from the Syrian Association for Citizen’s Dignity (SACD) worked for months under extremely challenging conditions to interview 165 people in Homs, Damascus countryside, Dara’a, and Aleppo to document the security situation of returnees and those living in areas covered by “reconciliation agreements” in parts of Syria under the control of the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The resulting report and its underlying research comprise an unprecedented effort, considering that no international organization, including the UNHCR, has real, uncensored access to all areas under Assad’s control. It is virtually impossible to publicly gather information in these areas, especially when it comes to the security situation, threats facing returnees, their access to basic services, and their views on the return process and other relevant issues. That is why this report provides unique insights into one of the most relevant issues for the future of Syria.

A dream scenario for ISIS in northeastern Syria

Turkey’s cross-border incursion into northeastern Syria has stirred up a hornet’s nest of instability and threats. If left unchecked, this latest “war within a war” will have deeply destabilizing consequences for many years. The blame for this catastrophe lies in the hands of one man: President Donald Trump. Following a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Oct. 6, President Trump swiftly ordered nearly 100 American troops to evacuate their positions along the Syrian-Turkish border, thereby removing the only obstacle that had, until then, prevented Turkey from crossing to attack. Although the president may not have given a verbal “green light,” his decision could only have been read one way in Ankara.