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☆ The Bleak Life of a Deposed President and His Wife, Held Captive
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Elian Peltier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Held captive by his former security guards in an isolated wing of his house, the deposed president of Niger paces a bedroom with no direct daylight, cut off from the world and unable to talk to his lawyers, according to people with direct knowledge of the conditions of his detention. Nine months since he was toppled in one of the coups that have recently wracked West Africa, Mohamed Bazoum is lingering in detention with no end in sight. The military junta that deposed him is seeking to strip him of presidential immunity, paving the way for him to be prosecuted on charges such as treason, for which the penalty could be life imprisonment, his lawyers said. His only visitor is a doctor, who brings him food once a week. Many of Mr. Bazoum’s closest allies — his cabinet members and advisers — have been thrown into jail or forced to flee Niger.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Hadiza, Bazoum’s, — Locations: Niger, West Africa

☆ Russian forces are operating at same base as US troops in Niger
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Russians have been using a separate hangar on the base, known as Air Base 101, the sources said, and are not operating in the same space as the Americans. They also raised questions about the future of Air Base 101 and whether it would be ceded to the Russians, CNN previously reported. Reuters first reported that the Russians troops had entered Air Base 101. Russian media reported on April 11 that Russia was sending equipment and 100 military trainers to Niger, though one of the sources said Russian troops were in the country well before April. More than half of the US troops stationed at the French military base in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, have now left the country and relocated to Germany.

Persons: Michael Langley, Celeste Wallander, Sabrina Singh Organizations: CNN, Russian, Air Base, US Africa Command, Nigerien, Pentagon, Reuters, Russia’s Defense Locations: Niger, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Chad, N’Djamena, Germany

☆ India deports Myanmar refugees who fled 2021 coup
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Guwahati, India — India on Thursday deported the first group of Myanmar refugees who had sought shelter after a 2021 military coup, a top state minister said, following weeks of efforts that were hampered by fighting between Myanmar’s rebel forces and the ruling junta. Thousands of civilians and hundreds of troops from Myanmar have crossed the border to India after the coup. This has worried New Delhi, which has announced plans to fence its border with Myanmar and end a visa-free movement policy. “Without any discrimination, we have completed the first phase of deportation of illegal immigrants from Myanmar,” Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said in a social media post. “The state government is continuing the identification of illegal immigrants.”Thousands of people have crossed from Myanmar into India since the 2021 coup, like these civilians seen in India's border state of Mizoram on November 20, 2021.

Persons: Biren Singh, Rupak De Chowdhuri, Singh, Narendra Modi’s, Modi Organizations: “, Reuters, Indian, Refugee Convention, Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party Locations: Guwahati, India, Myanmar, New Delhi, Manipur, India's, Mizoram

☆ 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

☆ Kim Aris: Aung San Suu Kyi’s son casts doubt on reports Myanmar former leader has been moved from prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Drn/Getty Images Suu Kyi, front center, is seen with her parents and her two elder brothers in 1947. Kyodo News Stills/Getty Images Suu Kyi poses with Burmese comedian Par Par Lay, who was part of the pro-democracy act "The Moustache Brothers." Soe Than Win/AFP/Getty Images Suu Kyi meets US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at Suu Kyi's residence in Yangon in 2011. Peter Muhly/AFP/Getty Images Suu Kyi is presented with the Congressional Gold Medal while visiting the US Capitol in 2012. U Aung/Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images Suu Kyi addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2016.

Persons: Aung, Suu, ”, Kim Aris, Suu Kyi, she’s, ” Aris, CNN’s Anna Coren, “, Michael Aris, ” “, Zaw Min Tun, Min Aung Hlaing, Aris, they’ve, Ma Khin Kyi, Par, Karl Malakunas, David Brunnstrom, Jonathan Karp, Price, Luis D'Orey, David Van Der Veen, Jonathan Utz, Michael Wolf, Pornchai Kittiwongsakul, Soe, Hillary Clinton, Paula Bronstein, Minzayar Oo, Kyi, Bono, Peter Muhly, Alex Wong, Barack Obama, Obama, Brendan Smialowski, Chris Ison, Ragnar Singsaas, Romeo Gacad, Lauren DeCicca, Lam Yik Fei, Htin Kyaw, Aung Naing, Min Aung, Aung Htet, Kyaw, Jewel SamadD, John Kerry, Jonathan Ernst, Reuters Suu Kyi, Heath Mitchell, Pope Francis, Elizabeth II, John Stillwell, Mike Pence, Bernat, Myanmar's, Koen Van Weel, ’ Aris, I’d, Suu Kyi’s NLD Organizations: CNN, Aung, National League for Democracy, Aris, Reuters, Burma Independence Army, Kyodo, Stills, Oxford University, Getty, Embassy, Suu Kyi, Panos, Congressional, Capitol, Suu, Xinhua News Agency, United Nations General Assembly, National Park Service, Palace, ASEAN, Court of Justice, Association for Political, United Nations Locations: Myanmar, Britain, Rangoon, Yangon, Myanmar’s, Zaw, heatstroke, Naypyidaw, India, Par Par Lay, England, AFP, Bangkok, Thailand, Bagan, Pathein, Camberley, Oslo, Norway, Kawhmu, New York, Washington ,, Washington, DC, Singapore, Gambia, “, Burma, doesn’t

☆ A Gen Z Resistance, Cut Off From Data Plans
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Hannah Beech | Adam Ferguson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In the night, the mountain air not quite chill enough to still the insects, young people gathered around a glow. The light attracting them was not a phone screen, that electric lure for people almost everywhere, but a bonfire. Moths courted the flame, sparking when they veered too close, then swooning to their deaths. For months now, these hills of Karenni State in eastern Myanmar have been severed from modern communications. In these resistance strongholds, where people from around the nation have congregated, there is almost no internet, cell service or even electricity.

Persons: strummed Locations: Karenni State, Myanmar

☆ What’s Happening In Myanmar’s Civil War?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Hannah Beech | Weiyi Cai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +16 min

RUSSIA CHINA INDIA Pacific Ocean MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIA RUSSIA CHINA INDIA Pacific Ocean MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIAWhat’s Happening In Myanmar’s Civil War? Parliamentary rule 1962 Military coup 1988 Nearly five decades of military rule Widespread pro-democracy protests followed by bloody military crackdown. National civil unrest 2021 Military coup ended power sharing with civilian government. Parliamentary rule Nearly five decades of military rule National civil unrest British colonial rule 1948 1988 1990 2007 2011 2021 1962 2015 Widespread pro-democracy protests followed by bloody military crackdown. National civil unrest 2021 Military coup ended power sharing with civilian government.

Persons: Adam Ferguson, Min Aung, Daw Aung, Suu Kyi, Aung, —, Tom Andrews, Chin, Rakhine Karen Mon Bamar, Kayan, Karen, Ms, hideouts Organizations: MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean, Insurgent, Council, Myanmar, 8th Battalion, Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, The New York Times, Senior, National Unity Government, People’s Defense Forces, Rebels, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Myanmar Peace Monitor, United Nations, General Administration Department, Union of, United, National Liberation Army Locations: RUSSIA CHINA, MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIA RUSSIA CHINA, MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian, MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIA, INDIA CHINA BANGLADESH Mandalay MYANMAR LAOS Naypyidaw Bay, Bengal Yangon THAILAND, INDIA CHINA Mandalay MYANMAR, Yangon THAILAND Bay, Bengal, Myanmar, Ukraine, Gaza, India, China, Karenni State, country’s, Suu, Myanmar’s, British, Sagaing Region, MYANMAR, Naypyidaw, Burma, United States, Rakhine, Thailand, Union, Union of Burma, Afghanistan

☆ Why Myanmar’s War Matters, Even if the World Isn’t Watching
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

An escalating civil war threatens to break apart a country of roughly 55 million people that sits between China and India. That has international consequences, but the conflict hasn’t commanded wide attention. Over the past six months, resistance fighters in Myanmar’s hinterlands have been defeating the ruling military junta in battle after battle, stunning analysts. That raises the possibility that the junta could be at risk of collapsing.

Persons: hasn’t Locations: China, India

☆ A Ragtag Resistance Sees the Tide Turning in a Forgotten War
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Hannah Beech | Adam Ferguson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The night Ma Suu Kyi thought she would die of her wounds on the front lines of a forgotten war, a crescent moon hung overhead. Or maybe, she said, it was not yet time for her to die. “I’m an ordinary girl, an ordinary young person. I believe in federal democracy and human rights.”Ms. Suu Kyi said the words “federal democracy” in English. A new generation, which came of age during the civilian administration of the Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, has taken to arms, joining rebels who have opposed military dictatorship for decades.

Persons: Suu, Virgin Mary dangled, ” Ms, Suu Kyi, Ms, Daw Aung Organizations: Virgin Locations: Myanmar, Suu

☆ Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi moved to house arrest
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Myanmar’s detained former leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved from prison to house arrest, a spokesperson for the military government told media. It was not immediately clear where Suu Kyi had been moved to. Suu Kyi has been detained by the Myanmar military since it overthrew her government in a 2021 coup. A spokesperson for the NUG shadow government called for the unconditional release of Suu Kyi and U Win Myint, Myanmar’s ousted president, who has also been moved to house arrest according to the media reports. They must take full responsibility for the health and security of Aung San Suu Kyi and U Win Myint,” spokesperson Kyaw Zaw told Reuters late on Tuesday.

Persons: Myanmar’s, Nobel, Aung, Suu Kyi, Zaw Min Tun, Min Tun, Kim Aris, Kyaw Zaw Organizations: Aung, Reuters Locations: heatstroke, Zaw, Myanmar

☆ Niger: Russian weapons and trainers arrive, weeks after US military agreement ends
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Michael Rios | Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Russia has delivered military equipment to Niger that will provide the African country with the “latest generation of anti-aircraft defense systems,” Nigerien state broadcaster RTN said Thursday. The equipment arrived in Niamey on Wednesday along with 100 Russian military instructors who will install the system and train Nigerien soldiers to use it, RTN added. AFP/Getty ImagesThe arrival of Russian instructors followed a recent phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Nigerien General Abdourahamane Tiani on March 26 when the two leaders discussed “ensuring security and combating terrorism.”Since seizing power in a coup last year, Niger’s junta has been strengthening military ties with Russia while turning away from the US and France. Last month, the junta said it was ending an accord with the US that allowed military personnel and civilian staff from the US Department of Defense to operate in Niger. France, Niger’s former colonial ruler, withdrew its troops from the African nation at the end of 2023.

Persons: RTN, Novosti, Seyni, Vladimir Putin, Abdourahamane Tiani Organizations: CNN, RIA Novosti, NATO, Niger's National Council, Safeguard, Getty, Nigerien, US Department of Defense Locations: Russia, Niger, Nigerien, Niamey, Africa, ”, Agust, AFP, France, Niger . France

☆ Middle class wiped out: Half of Myanmar’s people forced into poverty by civil war, UN report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Once considered among the most promising economies in Southeast Asia with a growing middle class, Myanmar is now suffering from soaring levels of poverty as a devastating civil war drives tens of millions further into destitution, according to a new United Nations report. Poverty has not only doubled but people are also more deeply poor, the report found. Wignaraja said Myanmar’s middle class is “literally disappearing.”“A 50% collapse of the middle class over two and a half years is quite astounding for this country, but for any country,” she said. The value of Myanmar’s local currency, the kyat, has plummeted, along with rising costs for food and other basic necessities. “We call on all stakeholders — inside and outside Myanmar — to take action and preserve vulnerable households from slipping into irreversible poverty and despair.”

Persons: Aung, Suu Kyi, ”, Kanni Wignaraja, Wignaraja, Achim Steiner Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN Development Program, UNDP, Asian Development Bank, Bank, Asia Locations: Southeast Asia, Myanmar, destitution, Suu, Yangon, Mandalay

CNN —Myanmar rebels fighting the junta say they have seized the last remaining military base in a key border town, dealing the latest significant blow to the country’s military rulers as they struggle to cling to power. About 200 soldiers abandoned their base in the southeastern town of Myawaddy and have been pushed to the No 2. “Officially we (are in) control of the town Myawaddy since last night,” KNU spokesperson Saw Taw Nee said. Footage also showed Thai military vehicles and troops stationed along the border. CNN has reached out to Myanmar’s military junta for comment.

Persons: Karen, ”, Saw Taw, Thailand’s Mae Sot, Manan Vatsyayana, “, Naw Tee, Aung, Thailand's, Prasarn Saengsirirak, ” Prasarn, Prasarn, Kim Jolliffe, it’s Organizations: CNN, Myanmar, Karen National Union, UN, Reuters, Getty, Karen National Liberation Army, Command, National League for Democracy, Army, Arakan Army Locations: Myawaddy, Myanmar, Thailand, Thailand’s, Tak, Thailand's Mae Sot, AFP, Teetering, Aung San, Kachin, China, Rakhine, Arakan

☆ Challenged by Uprising, Myanmar Junta Cracks Down Harder
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Caleb Quinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tens of thousands more pro-democracy protesters locked up. The return of military rule has wreaked havoc in Myanmar in recent years. Now the junta is growing increasingly brutal as a rebel uprising has gained ground in the countryside. Conditions in military-run prisons have deteriorated further, they say, with prisoners being deprived of food, proper sanitation and health care, and facing horrific torture. They also threatened to shoot me in the head, and shot live rounds beside my head.”

Persons: ”, Myar Reh Locations: Myanmar, Karenni State

That morning, local villager Zaw Zaw says he woke at his parents’ home in Myauk Khin Yan to the sound of gunfire. A Myanmar military jet flies overhead after bombing the quarters of Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), in Kayah state, Myanmar on July 6, 2022. Following the executions, Zaw Zaw said the militia “locked down” the village and threatened to kill those who left. Multiple villagers who spoke to CNN consistently said Myauk Khin Yan has been a militia stronghold since the 2021 coup. Phoe Ei Thu, 17, lost her leg to a landmine while fleeing Myauk Khin Yan in early January.

Persons: dehumanized, Phoe Tay, Phoe, Volker Türk, ”, Min Aung, Aung, Suu Kyi, ” Yaw, Myauk, “ Yaw, guerre, Soldiers, “ Ninja ”, Myo Satt Hla, ” Ninja, “, ” Yaw Lay, Zaw Zaw, ’, Myauk Khin Yan, ” Zaw Zaw, …, Kaung Zaw Hein, ” Kim Jolliffe, Kim Jolliffe, Yan, Khin Yan, Yaw Lay, Stringer, NurPhoto, Jolliffe, Hla, Mai Thomas, Ei, It’s, Kim Jolliffe “, Ei Thu, Richard Horsey, Matt Lawrence, ” Horsey, Thierry Falise, ” Miemie Winn Byrd, hasn’t, Khung Aung, Lawrence, Min Aung Hlaing, Miemie Winn Byrd, Daniel K, Inouye, “ You’re, ” Byrd, Byrd, There’s, they’ve, Soe Lin Aung, Organizations: CNN, People’s Defence Force, United Nations Human, ” CNN, Army, National League for Democracy, Yaw Defense Force, Karenni Nationalities Defence Force, Burma Affairs, Union Solidarity and Development Party, ISIS, UN, Association for Political, Getty, Information Resilience, Myanmar Witness, Human Rights, Junta, US Army, Pacific Center for Security Studies Locations: Myanmar, Phoe Tay, Thar, Aung San, Chin, Myauk Khin, Gangaw, Magway, Loikaw, Kayah, Myauk, Gangaw Township, Magway Region, Khin, Yangon, United States, United Kingdom, Shan, Thantlang, Chin State, AFP, Inouye Asia, Sagaing

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

☆ Niger Orders American Troops to Leave Its Territory
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Ruth Maclean | Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Niger said it is revoking its military cooperation deal with the United States, ordering 1,000 American armed forces personnel to leave the country and throwing the United States’ strategy in the region into disarray. The announcement by the West African nation’s military junta on Saturday came after meetings last week with a delegation from Washington and the top U.S. commander for Africa, Gen. Michael E. Langley. The move is in keeping with a recent pattern by countries in the Sahel region, an arid area south of the Sahara, of breaking ties with Western countries. American officials also voiced alarm in the meetings about several other issues, including whether Niger’s military government was nearing a deal to give Iran access to Niger’s vast uranium reserves, a concern that was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal. Niger’s rejection of military ties with the United States follows the withdrawal from Niger of troops from France, the former colonial power that, for the past decade, has led foreign counterterrorism efforts against jihadist groups in West Africa, but which has lately been perceived as a pariah in the region.

Persons: Michael E Organizations: West African, Wall Street Locations: Niger, United States, States, Washington, Africa, Sahel, Russia, Iran, France, West Africa

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger's junta said Saturday the U.S. military presence in the country is no longer justified, making the announcement on state television after holding high-level talks with U.S. diplomatic and military officials this week. He said Niger was suspending military cooperation with Washington and added that U.S. flights over the country’s territory in recent weeks were illegal. The U.S. has also invested years and hundreds of millions of dollars in training Niger's military. Photos You Should See View All 60 ImagesThe Niger junta spokesman said the U.S. tone was condescending and threatened Niger's sovereignty. The U.S. military had some 650 personnel working in Niger in December, according to a White House report to Congress.

Persons: — Niger's, Maj, Amadou Abdramane, Niger's, Mohammed Bazoum, Molly Phee, Michael Langley, Phee, Jessica Donati Organizations: U.S, Washington, European Union, military's, Command, Niger, Associated Press Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, U.S, Africa's Sahel, Agadez, Niamey, Washington, Africa, France, Dakar, Senegal

☆ Niger ends military agreement with US, calls it ‘profoundly unfair’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Mitchell Mccluskey | Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Niger’s military government announced that it has ended an accord with the US that allowed military personnel and civilian staff from the Department of Defense to operate in Niger – days after holding high-level talks with US diplomatic and military officials this week. “This agreement is not only profoundly unfair in its substance but it also does not meet the aspirations and interests of the Nigerien people,” he said. Senior Pentagon officials believe that keeping a presence in Niger is vital to efforts to tackle terrorism in the region. In a letter sent to Congress in December 2023, President Joe Biden noted that approximately 648 US military personnel remain deployed to Niger. During meetings, Nigerien and American officials discussed the military transition in Niger and military cooperation between the two countries, Abdramane said.

Persons: CNN —, Major Amadou Abdramane, –, ”, Joe Biden, Abdramane, “, ” Abdramane, Niger “ Organizations: CNN, Department of Defense, American Department of Defense, Nigerien, US, Niger . Senior Pentagon, Pentagon, American, US Department of Defense Locations: Niger, United States, Republic of Niger, CNN Niger, Niger ., US, Nigerien, Russia, Iran

☆ 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

☆ Myanmar military conscription law sparks panic and fear as youth prepare to flee
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Helen Regan | Angus Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

It’s a terrifying prospect that could become a reality for Anna and millions of her peers across Myanmar after the military junta activated a mandatory conscription law for all young men and women. “While wounded and increasingly desperate, the Myanmar military junta remains extremely dangerous,” Tom Andrews, United Nations Special Rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, said in a statement. “People know for sure that no matter what is written in the conscription law, they will have to go to the front lines. “In Myanmar, young people are not safe anymore,” said Maung Nyein, who also requested to use a pseudonym for safety reasons. “Our villagers won’t join the military forces or leave the country, instead we will join our resistance forces.

Persons: Anna, ”, “, ” Tom Andrews, — “, Aung, —, Ting Aung, Zaw Min Tun, Young, Kyaw Naing, Sen, Min Aung Hlaing, Kyaw, doesn’t, ” Anna, he’s, he’ll, Khin Ohmar, Stringer, Maung, Maung Nyein, terrifies, Ko, Maung Aye, he’d Organizations: CNN, Thai Embassy, Getty, Analysts, United Nations, People’s Defense Forces, National Unity Government, United, CNN Defense, Armed Forces, Reuters, Facebook, Foreign Ministry, Myanmar, Mandalay People's Defense Forces, Immigration, International Labour Locations: Myanmar, Myanmar’s, Yangon, AFP, United States, Naypyidaw, Thailand, Rakhine, Mandalay, Shan State, “, Shwebo, Sagaing

☆ Female Recruits Head Into Battle With Myanmar's Pro-Democracy Rebels
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Lilian Manansala | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Women in Myanmar are upending cultural norms by enlisting in the fight against the military junta that took control of the country in 2021.

Locations: Myanmar

☆ Analysis-Myanmar Junta's Conscription Plan Lays Bare Toll of Fighting Rebels
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

A junta spokesman did not respond to calls from Reuters seeking comment. The current size of the anti-junta resistance is now likely higher with the emergence of more resistance groups as the conflict drags on, analysts said. The Tatmadaw, as the military is known, has not publicly declared the size of its fighting force in recent years. A dozen people eligible to serve also told Reuters that they would rather leave the country than join the military. "They couldn't send backup troops in Rakhine battles," AA spokesman Khine Thu Kha told Reuters via phone.

Persons: Richard Horsey, Nobel, Aung, Suu Kyi, Ye Myo Hein, Generals, Anthony Davis, Miemie Winn Byrd, Htet Myat, Min Aung Hlaing, Andrew Selth, Selth, Khine Thu Kha, Devjyot, Miral Fahmy Organizations: Reuters, United States Institute of Peace, British, U.S ., Griffith Asia Institute, Arakan Army, Reuters Staff Locations: China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Suu, U.S, Rakhine

☆ 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

☆ Myanmar junta enforces compulsory military service law
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Alex Stambaugh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Myanmar’s government has enforced a compulsory military service law as the junta continues to battle armed ethnic militias and resistance forces on multiple fronts across the nation. The junta “issued the notification of the effectiveness of People’s Military Service Law starting from February 10, 2024,” televised state media reported Saturday. The law was enacted in 2010 by a previous military government but had never been enforced before. The introduction of the People’s Military Service Law maintains citizens have a duty to protect “non-disintegration of the union, non-disintegration of national solidarity and perpetuation of sovereignty,” state media said, adding the law has been enacted “in order to serve this duty.”State media said the defense ministry would release details and instructions at a further date. The fighting escalated last October, when powerful armed ethnic militias joined with resistance forces to mount major new offensives against the military.

Persons: CNN —, “, Aung San, Aung San Suu Kyi Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Military Service, People’s Military, Law, “ Locations: Aung San Suu

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