Explainer: tracing the history of Sudan’s Janjaweed militia

Former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir was finally removed from power after six months of peaceful protest earlier in 2019. The protesters were hopeful for a new beginning but their quest for a civilian government has been shut down by a military council that includes Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, generally called Hemedti, the leader of a paramilitary unit called the Rapid Support Forces that has its roots in the Janjaweed. Tsega Etefa explains who the Janjaweed are and why their presence doesn’t bode well for peace in Sudan.

Darfur Destroyed: Ethnic Cleansing by Government and Militia Forces in Western Sudan

SUMMARY

The government of Sudan is responsible for “ethnic cleansing” and crimes against humanity in Darfur, one of the world’s poorest and most inaccessible regions, on Sudan’s western border with Chad. The Sudanese government and the Arab “Janjaweed” militias it arms and supports have committed numerous attacks on the civilian populations of the African Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups. Government forces oversaw and directly participated in massacres, summary executions of civilians-including women and children – burnings of towns and villages, and the forcible depopulation of wide swathes of land long inhabited by the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa. The Janjaweed militias, Muslim like the African groups they attack, have destroyed mosques, killed Muslim religious leaders, and desecrated Qorans belonging to their enemies.

Syrian Islamic Scholar Sheikh Mustafa Al-Joulani: The Russians, Shi’ites, And Alawites Will Burn In Hellfire; They Wanted To Turn Damascus Into A Shi’ite City; We Will Hunt These Rats Down And Trample Them Underfoot

In his Friday sermon, Syrian Islamic Scholar Sheikh Mustafa Al-Joulani, dressed in military fatigues, declared that polytheists, including Russians, Shi’ites, and Alawites, would burn in Hellfire, while the mujahideen would live in Paradise. “I bring you the glad tidings of Allah’s victory and conquest,” he said. Al-Joulani continued to bring the “glad tidings” of the victory of the “real men” who love death, just like the “sons of mut’a pleasure marriages” – meaning Shi’ites – love life. He also claimed that while the Shi’ites sought to turn Damascus into a Shi’ite city, Allah intended for it to remain Sunni. The sermon was uploaded to @Aljawhara_K3d on YouTube on December 30, 2024.

New Syrian Minister Of Justice Shadi Al-Waisi: We Will Not Impose Shari’a Law, But 90% Of Syrians Are Muslims And The New Parliament And Laws Will Reflect This

In a January 1, 2025 interview on Alaan TV (UAE), Syria’s new Minister of Justice, Shadi Al-Waisi, who was seen presiding over a 2015 execution of a woman accused of prostitution in a shari’a court, discussed the regime’s plans to implement shari’a law in Syria. He emphasized that Muslims make up roughly 90% of the Syrian population, and the government will reflect the will and aspirations of the people. As a result, the implementation of shari’a will play a “major role” in the coming days. Al-Waisi explained that the shari’a will be implemented in line with the conviction that 90% of Syrians hold “at the heart of their beliefs.” He concluded that the state will not impose anything on the people.

The Economics of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

Introduction

Over the past four years, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has tried to transform itself from a faction of the Global Jihad movement into the de facto local military and governing power in north-west (NW) Syria. This shift requires the group to seek sources of funding other than al-Qaeda and its donors; consequently, HTS has undertaken a slow but steady takeover of the economy in NW Syria, from financial services and oil and gas to internet and telecommunications. This paper lays out how that process has taken place and provides a detailed look at the economics of HTS.

Who’s been funding the HTS rebels now in control of Syria?

The rebels who’ve taken control of most of Syria haven’t published a budget or donor list. Their fundraising is opaque, and methods have changed wildly in the past decade.

Speculation swirls online and in conversations over which countries — Turkey, Arab and Gulf states, Ukraine, even the CIA or Israel — may have helped them with cash, weapons or training.

L’impérialisme US, nouvelle version

Le président Trump n’est pas encore entré officiellement en fonction qu’il multiplie déjà les lieux de conflits avec les puissances étrangères. En effet, on a appris ces derniers jours que Trump voudrait à la fois annexer le Canada, le Groenland et le Panama. C’est une espèce d’Anschluss en version 2025, avec un blond à brushing plutôt qu’un brun à moustache. Pour jouer toujours dans la provocation, il décide de rebaptiser également le golfe du Mexique en golfe d’Amérique. La présidente mexicaine n’a pas tardé à réagir en rappelant que ce nom était internationalement reconnu. Ce à quoi nous pourrions rajouter que le Texas, et une bonne partie des actuels USA, faisaient partie à l’origine du Mexique d’où le nom du golfe au passage. On remarquera d’ailleurs que le Mexique a visiblement mieux réagi que les autorités danoises ou canadiennes qui se retrouvent un peu prises au piège de leur propre soumission aux USA à travers l’OTAN bien sûr, mais aussi à travers leur politique économique.

Groenland : Scène géopolitique d’un bras de fer entre les États-Unis et l’Union européenne

Depuis sa victoire électorale, Donald Trump a à plusieurs reprises évoqué l’idée que le Groenland devrait devenir une partie intégrante des États-Unis.

Autrefois une île isolée et silencieuse, le Groenland devient de plus en plus le centre d’un jeu d’échecs géopolitique qui attire l’attention des États-Unis et de l’Union européenne. Sa position stratégique et ses ressources naturelles abondantes en font une cible convoitée, et cette lutte d’influence ne restera probablement pas sans conséquences pour l’Europe.