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☆ U.S. and China trade divisions threaten a 'reversal' for global economy, IMF official warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Carlos Barria | Afp | Getty ImagesDifferences between U.S.-led Western and China-aligned economic blocs threaten global trade cooperation and economic growth, a top official with the International Monetary Fund warned on Tuesday. IMF Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath said in a speech at Stanford University that events such as the global pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine have disrupted global trade relations in ways not seen since the Cold War. "Increasingly, countries around the world are guided by economic security and national security concerns in determining who they trade with and invest in," she said, adding that this has resulted in countries increasingly picking sides between China and the U.S. Trade between the China and U.S. blocs has declined compared with trade among countries within the groupings, Gopinath said. The U.S. bloc mainly includes Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, while China-leaning countries include Russia, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua and Syria.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Carlos Barria, Gita Gopinath, Gopinath Organizations: National Committee, China Relations, China Business Council, Economic Cooperation, APEC, Afp, International Monetary Fund, Stanford University, U.S, IMF, Trade, West Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, China, Ukraine, Washington, Beijing, U.S, South, Taiwan, Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Syria

☆ Mali Claims Death of Terrorist Who Helped Lead Deadly Ambush in Niger
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Ruth Maclean | More About Ruth Maclean | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Mali said on Monday that it had killed a high-value Islamist commander who helped lead a 2017 attack in which four American and four Nigerien soldiers were killed alongside an interpreter. The U.S. State Department had put a $5 million bounty on the head of the commander, Abu Huzeifa — a member of an affiliate of the Islamic State — after his participation in an attack in Tongo Tongo, Niger, on American Green Berets and their Nigerien comrades. At that time, the attack was the largest loss of American troops during combat in Africa since the “Black Hawk Down” debacle in Somalia in 1993. In a post on social media on Monday, Mali’s armed forces said that on Sunday they had “neutralized a major terrorist leader of foreign nationality during a large-scale operation in Liptako” — a tri-border region that contains parts of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Persons: Abu Huzeifa —, — Organizations: Nigerien, U.S . State Department, Islamic, American Green Berets Locations: Mali, Tongo Tongo, Niger, Africa, Somalia, Liptako, Burkina Faso

☆ Burkina Faso army executed over 220 villagers in February, HRW says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters —Burkina Faso’s military in February summarily executed about 223 villagers, including at least 56 children, as part of a campaign against civilians accused of collaborating with jihadist militants, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday. The spokesperson for the Burkina Faso government did not respond to phone calls seeking comment on the HRW report. Retaliatory attacksRights groups have previously accused the military in junta-ruled Burkina Faso of attacking and killing civilians suspected of collaborating with militants in retaliatory operations. Burkina Faso is one of several Sahel nations that have been struggling to contain Islamist insurgencies linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State that have spread from neighboring Mali since 2012, killing thousands and displacing millions. Frustrations over authorities’ failure to protect civilians have contributed to two coups in Mali, two in Burkina Faso and one in Niger since 2020.

Persons: Witnesses, HRW, Tirana Hassan, Mali’s Organizations: Reuters, Burkina, jihadist, Human Rights Watch, Ouahigouya, HRW, Facebook, Burkina Faso, Authorities, Rights Watch, Burkinabe, African Union, United Nations, Islamic Locations: Burkina Faso’s, Yatenga, Burkina Faso, Komsilga, Burkina, Nodin, Soro, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Mali, Niger

☆ Aya Nakamura: The most streamed female Francophone artist has become a target in France’s culture wars ahead of Paris 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Bea Adeleke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Aya Nakamura was born in the former French colony of Mali, raised in France and is widely considered the most streamed female Francophone artist in the world. However, ahead of Paris 2024, Nakamura finds herself at the center of France’s culture wars. Aya Nakamura attends the Kenzo Menswear Fall-Winter 2023-2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 20, 2023 in Paris, France. “I think that the people who criticize her actually don’t accept that she embodies France,” French activist Rokhaya Diallo told CNN. Politicians such as Le Pen hailed the legislation as an “ideological victory” whilst French health Minister, Aurelien Rousseau resigned in protest.

Persons: Aya Nakamura, Nakamura, Edith Piaf, Piaf, “, ”, I’m, Rachida, Kenzo, Pascal Le Segretain, Marion Maréchal, Marine Le, Rokhaya Diallo, ” Nakamura, ’, le, Geoffroy Van Der, Emanuel Macron, Nakamura “, Le Pen, Vincent Martigny, Thomas Samson, Marion Marechal, Emmanuel Dunand, Martigny, Diallo, Zinedine Zidane, ” Diallo, ‘, Oliver Roy, Reynaud Julien, Macron, Aurelien Rousseau Organizations: CNN, France’s, of Culture, Rally, Blacks, Rassemblement National, Getty, Olympic Aquatics, France Inter, Science, University of Nice, National Assembly, soccer team, Paris Olympic, Le, Palais des Sports, EUI, of Transnational Governance, Twitter, APS, France, BMFTV, RMC Locations: Mali, France, French, Paris, Bamako, Europe, ”, Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt, AFP, Rassemblement, Ukraine, North, Carhaix

☆ U.S. to Withdraw Troops From Chad, Dealing Another Blow to Africa Policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Pentagon will withdraw dozens of Special Operations forces from Chad in the next few days, the second major blow in a week to American security and counterterrorism policy in a volatile swath of West and Central Africa, U.S. officials said on Thursday. The decision to pull out about 75 Army Special Forces personnel working in Ndjamena, Chad’s capital, comes days after the Biden administration said it would withdraw more than 1,000 U.S. military personnel from Niger in the coming months. The Pentagon is being forced to draw down troops in response to the African governments’ demands to renegotiate the rules and conditions under which U.S. military personnel can operate. Both countries want terms that better favor their interests, analysts say. The decision to withdraw from Niger is final, but U.S. officials said they hoped to resume talks on security cooperation after elections in Chad on May 6.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Pentagon, Operations, Special Forces Locations: Chad, West, Central Africa, U.S, Ndjamena, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, Russia, Moscow

☆ Global arms fairs from Russia to the UAE: Photographer’s take on bizarre world
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —An arms fair may contain all the trappings of war, but it is nothing like a battlefield. Nikita TeryoshinA shot of the reception at the 2016 MSPO expo, the biggest arms fair in Eastern Europe. “It was the only (arms fair I’d been to) where they were shooting real rockets over 20 kilometers (12 miles) maybe,” said Teroyshin. Fairgoers wait for a shuttle to a live demonstration site during the 2019 Army military expo held in Alabino, Russia. Forever.”) is paired with an image of three women in Islamic veils at an arms fair, one pretending to hold a rifle depicted in the poster in front of her.

Persons: ”, Nikita Teryoshin, “, ” Teryoshin, Nikita Teryoshin “, Teryoshin, Majid, Teroyshin, Lockheed Martin, Nikita Teryoshin Teroyshin, ‘, KAI, Nikita Teryoshin Saudi, Linda Åkerström, eyeshadow, Nikita Teryoshin Åkerström, ” Teroyshin, he’s, Åkerström, you’ll Organizations: CNN, Swedish Bofors, expos, Tiger, Kalashnikov, Lockheed, Manufacturing, ITT, Otis Defence, CTA, Elbit Systems, BAE Systems Locations: Russian, Swedish, Kielce, Poland, Lima , Peru, Belarus, France, Germany, South Korea, China, UAE, Peru, Russia, Vietnam, USA, South Africa, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, “, DEFEXPO, Eastern Europe, Mali, Alabino, Abu Dhabi, Paris, Dortmund, Seoul, IDEX, Central, Western Europe, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia, Ukraine

☆ African leaders spearhead efforts to tackle terrorism across the continent
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —African leaders discussed anti-terrorism solutions on the continent during a high-level security summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja Monday amid a rise in terror attacks. According to the African Center for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT), Africa witnessed an average of eight terror-related incidents and 44 daily casualties in 2023. Nigeria’s National Security Adviser and organizer of the summit, Nuhu Ribadu, emphasized the urgent need to combat terrorism in Africa. Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the chair of the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, urged the proper establishment and strengthening of a regional standby military force. “The moment has come to work out an all-encompassing Continental Strategic Plan of Action to effectively fight against terrorism across Africa,” Faki said.

Persons: Ribadu, ” Ribadu, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Faure Gnassingbe, African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, ” Faki, Tinubu, Faki, Africa’s Organizations: Nigeria CNN —, African Center, Research, Terrorism, Nigeria’s National Security, West African, ECOWAS, United Nations, African Union Commission Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Nigerian, Africa, Africa’s, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Togolese

☆ Ukraine isn't the only country Russia is trying to topple
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Even as Russian bombs pound Ukraine, Moscow's mercenaries and spies are busy trying to set much of the rest of the world afire. To Russia, the conventional warfare waged in Ukraine, and unconventional "gray zone" warfare waged around the world, are two sides of the same coin. Human intelligence operations are used to attempt elite capture through the offer of assistance to politicians who support Russian interests. "As the war in Ukraine protracts, Russia has an interest in creating crises further afield," said RUSI. "As a lot of Russia's unconventional operations are self-defeating, countering Russian unconventional warfare must be premised on careful, selective, and intelligence- driven targeting," the study emphasized.

Persons: —, RUSI, Vladimir Putin, Jack Watling, Oleksandr Danylyuk, Nick Reynolds, Britain —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Business, Kremlin, Soviet Union, NATO, Directorate, Staff of, Armed Forces, Getty, Russian, Central African, Wagner, GRU Expeditionary Corps, Convoy, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Europe, Africa, Central Asia, Soviet, Montenegro, Moscow, Moldova, Russian, Britain, Ukraine protracts, Balkans, Russia's, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Central African Republic, Chechnya, Forbes

☆ Author Maryse Conde, winner of ‘alternative’ Nobel Literature Prize, dies at 90
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Paris (Reuters) — Guadeloupe-born author Maryse Conde, who wrote about colonialism, slavery and the French-Caribbean diaspora, died in southern France on Monday at the age of 90. Often cited as a potential winner of the Nobel prize for literature, Conde was awarded the New Academy Prize in Literature in 2018, created after the Swedish Academy postponed that year’s literary Nobel in the aftermath of a rape scandal. “A literary giant, Maryse Conde paints a picture of sorrow and hope, from Guadaloupe to Africa, from the Caribbean to Provence. “Segu” won Conde several awards, including a Fulbright scholarship, and she went on to teach literature at Columbia University in New York, several other US universities and at the Sorbonne in Paris. French Foreign Trade and Language minister Franck Riester said Conde was a leading light of French literature and theatre.

Persons: Maryse Conde, Conde, Emmanuel Macron, “, ” Conde, “ Segu ”, Salem, Mamadou Conde, Richard Philcox, Philcox, Franck Riester Organizations: Paris, —, New, Swedish Academy, New Academy, Columbia University, Sorbonne, Agence France, Presse, Foreign Trade Locations: — Guadeloupe, French, Caribbean, France, Guadaloupe, Africa, Provence, Mali, Brazil, New York, Paris, Pointe, Guinean, Apt

☆ The Long, Strange Decline of Iconic Chicken Soup for the Soul Brand
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Amanda Chicago Lewis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +39 min

What followed was hundreds of sequels and spinoffs, everything from "Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul" to "Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul" to the bestseller I read cover to cover, several times, in sixth grade: "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul." What began as Chicken Soup for the Soul board games and calendars turned into Chicken Soup for the Soul chocolates and Chicken Soup for the Soul pet food. What began as Chicken Soup for the Soul board games and calendars turned into pet food, barbecue sauce, and — yes — soup. He pointed out that the cover of the original Chicken Soup book "ripped off" Campbell's Soup, to trigger "nourishing and comforting and warming" feelings. He started suggesting outrageous directions Chicken Soup could go in next: "The Chicken Soup pistol!

Persons: I'd, I've, who'd, John Wayne, Jack Canfield, Canfield, Oprah Winfrey, Tony Soprano's, Russ Kamalski, Laurel, Hardy, Tyler Le, Americus Reed, hadn't, he'd, Johnny Nunez, Getty, Clement Stone, Stone, Napoleon Hill's, Norman Vincent Peale's, Mark Victor Hansen, Hansen, Bennett Raglin, let's, Mark Twain, They're, they'd, Kamalski, Preteen's, Christian Woman's, Mother's, —, Wayne Booth, Booth, Barbara Ehrenreich, David Gray, Amy Poehler, Kenan Thompson's, Patty Aubery, I'm, I, blurbing, Bill Rouhana, Amy Newmark, Newmark, Rouhana, Winstar, Ashton Kutcher, Isaac Brekken, Kevin, Reddit, Chicken, Redbox, You've, We're, Kevin fumed, hicken, orth, ince, eason, rance, ike, osses, ives, ake Organizations: John, Hyatt Regency, Soul Entertainment, Nasdaq, Americus, Wharton, Hyatt, Harvard, Triple, Beverly, Hotel, Canfield, University of Chicago, Oklahoma State, Washington Post, Wall, Company, Connecticut —, NASCAR, Hollywood, Consumer Federation of America, CSSE, Hindenburg Research, Sony Pictures Television, GameStop, YouTube, Soup, ust, anfield Locations: Newport Beach , California, Indonesian, Crackle, Canfield, Nigeria, Japan, France, Ohio, West Virginia, Mali, New York, Anaheim, Florida, ,, Teacher's, Baltimore, China, Australian, Darfur, Southern California, Greenwich , Connecticut, Connecticut, Zillow, Canadian, Wells Fargo's, Redbox, ife

☆ The Long, Strange Decline of One of America's Most Influential Brands
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Amanda Chicago Lewis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +39 min

What followed was hundreds of sequels and spinoffs, everything from "Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul" to "Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul" to the bestseller I read cover to cover, several times, in sixth grade: "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul." By 2003, research found that more young readers seeking solace turned to the Chicken Soup series than to the Bible. What began as Chicken Soup for the Soul board games and calendars turned into Chicken Soup for the Soul chocolates and Chicken Soup for the Soul pet food. He pointed out that the cover of the original Chicken Soup book "ripped off" Campbell's Soup, to trigger "nourishing and comforting and warming" feelings. He started suggesting outrageous directions Chicken Soup could go in next: "The Chicken Soup pistol!

☆ A global gold rush for buried hydrogen is underway — as hype builds over its clean energy potential
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Geologic hydrogen, sometimes referred to as white, gold or natural hydrogen, refers to hydrogen gas that is found in its natural form beneath Earth's surface. Last year, researchers found what may be the world's largest geologic hydrogen deposit to date in France's eastern Lorraine region. The unexpected discovery further boosted interest in its clean energy potential. Some have expressed skepticism about the clean energy potential of natural hydrogen. Grey hydrogen — produced using natural gas and the most common form of hydrogen production — leads to large greenhouse gas emissions.

Persons: Alex Halada, Le, Canada's Hydroma, Ousmane Makaveli, Geoffrey Ellis, Ellis, we've, Minh, Energy's Le, Ana Maria Jaller, Makarewicz, Sebastien Salom Organizations: Geological Agency of, Ministry of Energy, Mineral Resources, Nurphoto, Afp, Getty, Research, Rystad Energy, CNBC, Energy Resources Program, . Geological Survey, U.S . Department of Energy, Institute for Energy Economics, videoconference, Carbon Trust Locations: Pute Jaya, Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, U.S, Canada, Australia, France, Spain, Colombia, South Korea, Gampern, Upper Austria, Mali's, Bamako, Malian, Bourakébougou, France's, Lorraine, Niger, Mali, gomis

☆ Gambia and the Campaign Against Cutting
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Ruth Maclean | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Yesterday, lawmakers in Gambia voted to advance legislation that would legalize female genital cutting. Yet genital cutting is still on the rise. Today, 230 million women and girls around the world have been cut, a 15 percent rise from 2016. In Africa and the Middle East, several countries still permit the practice, and in many others, laws are erratically enforced. In today’s newsletter, I’ll explain why cutting — which for most communities means removing the clitoris and the labia minora, or almost sealing up the vagina — has been so hard to stamp out.

Locations: Gambia, Africa, Somalia, Guinea, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Mali, Sierra Leone, Iraq, Yemen, Indonesia, Malaysia

The intensifying military cooperation between Russia and Niger is central to the dispute between the US and the Nigerien junta, officials said. Russia and Niger agreed to strengthen their military ties in January, Russia’s Defense Ministry said at the time. If the US were forced to withdraw, counterterrorism efforts across the region could take a hit, officials said. In return, Russia is profiting off the region’s natural resources, another official said, including the gold mines in Niger. Several European countries shared this goal, offering a measure of support to the junta, the official noted.

Persons: Michael Langley, Celeste Wallander, Col, Maj, Amadou Abdramane, Langley, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, what’s, Nusrat al, “ Organizations: CNN, US Africa Command, Air Base, American, Nigerien, Russia’s Defense, EU, Pentagon, Kremlin, West, Russian Federation, National Council, Wagner, US Locations: Africa, Russia, Africa . Niger, Niger, United States, America, Nigerien, Sahel, stoking, China, Russian, Central Africa, ”, Niamey, US, Agadez, Mali, Burkina Faso, Abdramane, Western Africa, Northwest Africa

CNN —The Senate on Thursday confirmed career foreign service member Dennis Hankins to be US ambassador to Haiti, where widespread violence has brought social order to the brink of collapse. The unrest has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes and prompted United States, Germany and European Union embassies in Haiti to evacuate personnel. Hankins’ confirmation comes after Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced on Monday that he would resign following weeks of chaos. The former ambassador to Mali and to Guinea has worked for the State Department for nearly four decades. He served in Haiti earlier in his foreign service career.

Persons: Dennis Hankins, Hankins, Ariel Henry, Joe Biden, Michele Sison, CNN’s Colin McCullough, Caitlin Stephen Hu, Helen Regan Organizations: CNN, European Union, US Marine, Haitian, Southern Command, Haiti’s, State Department Locations: Haiti, Caribbean, Port, United States, Germany, Mali, Guinea

☆ Opinion | I Said the Era of Famines Might Be Ending. I Was Wrong.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Alex De Waal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nearly eight years ago I wrote an essay for New York Times Opinion asking whether the world had finally moved beyond the peril of large-scale famines. Since 2016, the year I took that optimistic view, a decades-long improvement in world nutrition has stalled. And famine — which had all but vanished globally — has returned to threaten a dozen countries and territories today. The list of countries at risk of famine now includes Afghanistan, Syria and Mali. Humanitarian observers also worry that North Korea may be nearing a famine.

Organizations: New York, United Nations, Famine Locations: Afghanistan, Syria, Mali, Korea, Gaza

☆ Vast reserves of clean hydrogen fuel could be hiding beneath our feet
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Trillions of tons of lightweight, energy-dense hydrogen gas may be hidden deep underground. Those natural reservoirs, known as geologic hydrogen, could be a fruitful carbon-free fuel source. Oil and gas giants BP and Chevron have joined a consortium to study geologic hydrogen. That's when an oil and gas company assessed a mine that had exploded in Mali and found it was full of hydrogen gas. In the US, two long stretches of this rock are a promising place to look for hydrogen reserves, and efforts are already underway.

Persons: Bill Gates, Geoffrey Ellis, Joe Biden's, didn't, Ellis, John Barrasso, Evelyn N, Wang, Pete Johnson Organizations: Service, United Airlines, BP, Chevron, US, Energy, Natural Resources, Business, Research Projects Agency, ARPA Locations: Alberta, Canada, Mali, Kansas, Ontario, Michigan, New Jersey, Georgia, France, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Albania, Albania's, Tirana, GENT

☆ Russia can't reach a pro-Russian region in Moldova easily — but there are ways it can cause trouble
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Mikhail Svetlov/Getty ImagesMoscow is continuing its saber-rattling over the pro-Russian region of Transnistria in Moldova, and analysts are saying that while Russian authorities would find it hard to physically reach the breakaway region to annex it, there are still ways it can stir up pro-Russian unrest — and trouble for Moldova. All U.N. members consider the region to be part of Moldova, which has expressed a desire to reintegrate the region. Similarly to Ukraine, Moldova has a pro-Western government and wants to join the European Union. Problematically for Russia, Moldova and Transnistria are landlocked, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. CNBC has asked the Kremlin to comment on concerns that Moscow could look to destabilize Moldova and is awaiting a response.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Svetlov, Russia, Problematically, it's, Ian Bremmer, doesn't, Maia Sandu, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Abdoulaye Diop, Maxim Shipenkov, Lavrov, Bogdan Tudor Organizations: Getty, Moldovan, Kremlin, Russia's Defense Ministry, European Union, Eurasia Group, Gazprom, Western, CNBC, Foreign Affairs, Cooperation of, Reuters, Russian, West, RIA Novosti, Google, Russian Federation, Institute for, EU, Afp Locations: Kremlin, Moscow, Russian, Transnistria, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Moldovan, Romania, Cooperation of Mali, Reuters Russia, Central Asia, USSR, Sochi, Donetsk, Luhansk, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Georgia

☆ Around 170 ‘executed’ in three Burkina Faso villages, public prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Nimi Princewill | Eve Brennan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Around 170 people have been “executed” in attacks on three villages in Burkina Faso’s northern Yatenga province, the regional public prosecutor has said. Aly Benjamin Coulibaly said in a statement on Friday that his office was initially informed of the “massive murderous attacks” in the villages of Komsilga, Nodin and Soroe on February 25. At least 15 Muslims and 15 Catholics were killed when “hordes of terrorists launched simultaneous attacks” on Tankoualou and Essakane villages, the government press agency Agence d’Information du Burkina (AIB) reported last week. Large areas of the north and east of Burkina Faso have become ungovernable since 2018. Millions have fled their homes, fearing further raids by gunmen who frequently descend on rural communities on motorbikes.

Persons: Aly Benjamin Coulibaly, Coulibaly Organizations: CNN, Agence d’Information du Burkina, AIB, European Union, Islamic Locations: Burkina Faso’s, Yatenga province, Komsilga, Soroe, West, Mali, Sahel, Burkina Faso

☆ Russia offering African governments 'regime survival package' in exchange for resources, research says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso - Jan. 20, 2023: A banner of Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen during a protest to support the Burkina Faso President Captain Ibrahim Traore and to demand the departure of France's ambassador and military forces. Russia's military intelligence service is offering African governments a "regime survival package" that provides military and diplomatic support in exchange for access to strategically important natural resources, according to a new report. Russia's Defense Ministry was not available to comment on the report's findings when contacted by CNBC. Wagner has for many years been a key component of the Kremlin's efforts to grow its influence in politically unstable countries across central Africa and the Sahel, including the Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso and Sudan. The report's authors Jack Watling, Oleksandr V Danylyuk and Nick Reynolds explained that the GRU chose to divide Wagner's activities in two.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Captain Ibrahim Traore, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Jack Watling, Oleksandr V Danylyuk, Nick Reynolds Organizations: Royal United Services Institute, Wagner Group, Russia's Defense, CNBC, Central African, Volunteer Corps, Russian Military of Defense Locations: OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, Africa, Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan, Ukraine

☆ Russia says it has delivered 200,000 tons of grain to African countries
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Russian Ministry of Agriculture said Tuesday it had shipped 200,000 tons of grain in humanitarian aid to six African nations, fulfilling the Kremlin’s pledge to the continent last July. Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said late Tuesday that Burkina Faso, Mali, Eritrea, and Zimbabwe each received 25,000 tons of grain while the Central African Republic and Somalia got 50,000 tons each, Russian state news agency TASS reported. Somalia and Eritrea had previously sourced 90-100% of their grain needs from both Russia and Ukraine before the conflict, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). ‘A strategic donation’The Kremlin’s grain initiative has been described by analysts as a “strategic” move as Putin’s African alliance broadens. So, it’s contestation.”Many African states took a neutral stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in perceived loyalty to the Kremlin.

Persons: Dmitry Patrushev, Vladimir Putin, “, ” Patrushev, ”, Godfrey Kanyenze, Kanyenze, they’ve Organizations: CNN, Russian Ministry of Agriculture, Central African, United, Agriculture Organization, FAO, Labor and Economic Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe Locations: Burkina Faso, Mali, Eritrea, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic, Somalia, United Nations, Turkey, Africa, St . Petersburg, Russia, Ukraine, rocketing

☆ Navalny's Widow Joins EU Foreign Ministers as Ukraine War Nears Two-Year Mark
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Gabriela BaczynskaBRUSSELS (Reuters) - The widow of Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin's nemesis who died in an Arctic prison last week, joins EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, days before the two-year mark of Russia's war on Ukraine. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesNavalny, a 47-year-old former lawyer, rose to prominence campaigning against corruption in Putin's Russia. The ministers are due to discuss military support for Ukraine and what would be the European Union's 13th package of sanctions against Moscow since it unleashed a full-scale invasion of its neighbour on Feb.24, 2022. Inside the EU, Germany has blocked replenishing a military fund used to supply Ukraine saying Berlin was contributing too much compared to other members. One senior EU diplomat said they believed it "will be able to make it in time" and agree the new punitive measures for Feb.24.

Persons: Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS, Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin's, Yulia Navalnaya, Putin, Josep Borrell, Navalnaya's, Donald Trump, Viktor Orban, Gabriela Baczynska, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Ukraine, Moscow, NATO, Kremlin, EU, Washington Locations: Russian, Brussels, Ukraine, Munich, Israel, Gaza, Russia, Putin's Russia, Siberia, United States, Europe, U.S, EU, Germany, Berlin, Hungary, Budapest, Kyiv, London, Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania

☆ Sébastien Haller: After recovering from testicular cancer, Ivory Coast striker scores winner in AFCON final
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

In the quarterfinals against Mali, Ivory Coast pulled off yet another great escape, once again scoring a last-minute equalizer before grabbing a winner in extra-time. The team’s uncanny ability to come back from the brink had earned them the nickname ‘Zombie Elephants’ and Ivory Coast lived up to its moniker again in the final. After Nigeria had taken a first-half lead through William Troost-Ekong’s header, the host nation fought its way back into the match. Cheered on from the stands by legendary striker Didier Drogba, Ivory Coast equalized just after the hour mark through Franck Kessié. Former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger and FIFA President Gianni Infantino also watched as Ivory Coast claimed its third AFCON title.

Persons: Sébastien Haller, Ouattara, Haller, Les Éléphants, Coast, Jean, Louis Gasset, Emerse Faé, –, Themba, Faé, William Troost, Didier Drogba, Franck Kessié, Simon Adingra’s, “, Ivory Coast’s Adingra, ” Drogba, Arsène Wenger, Gianni Infantino Organizations: CNN, Ivory, Africa, of Nations, German, Borussia Dortmund, Dortmund, Cancer, Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Congo, Reuters, Arsenal, FIFA Locations: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory

☆ Russia's Wagner Group expands into Africa's Sahel with a new brand
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Natalia Kolesnikova | Afp | Getty ImagesWagner Group has been replaced by a new entity known as Russia's Africa Corps across its key strongholds in the continent, its new leader has confirmed. The new entity has been subsuming operations in Mali and Libya for several months, and negotiations to establish a Russian military base in the CAR are reportedly underway. watch now"The Africa Corps consists of mercenaries and volunteers, and does not form part of the Russian Armed Forces. It began recruiting in December 2023, and has also included job offers for former Wagner Group mercenaries; it may also recruit local residents," they explained. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov oversaw the creation of the Africa Corps, which is expected to be fully completed by this summer.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Dmitry Utkin, Anton Yelizarov, Ibrahim Traoré, Piotr Żochowski, Miłosz Bartosiewicz, Yunus, bek Yevkurov, Yevkurov Organizations: Afp, Getty, Wagner, Africa Corps, Central African, Russian National Guard, Russian Federation, Telegram, Centre, Eastern Studies, CAR, Africa, Russian Armed Forces, Wagner Group, CES Locations: MOSCOW, Moscow, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Belarus, Russia, Cossack, Sahel, Russian, Warsaw, Algeria, Africa, Ouagadougou

☆ Host nation Ivory Coast continues miraculous run to AFCON final to set up a matchup against Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Samuel Joseph | Sam Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The host nation is seeking its third AFCON title, while Nigeria is looking to lift the trophy for the fourth time. ET on Sunday and will take place at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast midfielder Ibrahim Sangare (L) fights for the ball with DR Congo's Simon Banza. Against Mali, Ivory Coast pulled off yet another great escape, grabbing a last-minute equalizer. Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali made two saves and striker Kelechi Iheanacho netted the deciding penalty to send Nigeria into the final.

Persons: Ouattara, Ivory, Les Éléphants, Jean, Louis Gasset, Emerse Faé, Ibrahim Sangare, DR Congo's Simon Banza, Franck Fife, Faé, Franck Kessié, Simon Adingra, Sébastien Haller, Ivory Coast's, Sia Kambou, William Troost, Ekong, Victor Osimhen, Osimhen, Percy Tau, Teboho Mokoena, Issouf Sanogo, Grant Kekana, Stanley Nwabali, Kelechi Iheanacho Organizations: CNN, Africa, of Nations, beIN Sports USA, DR Congo, Guinea, Equatorial, Coast, Ivory, DR Congo's, Getty, Senegal, Against, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Super Eagles, South Africa Locations: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ivory, Abidjan, South Africa, Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, AFP, Against Mali, Europe, AFCON, Cameroon, Angola, Africa

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