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☆ At UN, Kenya's president asks world not to leave Haiti behind
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Kenya's President William Samoei Ruto addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2023. The council could vote as soon as next week, diplomats said, on a U.S.-drafted resolution supporting a multinational police deployment. Haiti last year asked for help to combat violent gangs that have largely overrun the capital Port-au-Prince. "As we mobilize to show up for Ukraine, and countries that have experienced the devastating impact of climate shocks including Libya, Morocco and Hawaii, we must not leave Haiti behind," Ruto said. U.N. peacekeepers were deployed to Haiti in 2004 after a rebellion led to the ouster and exile of then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Persons: William Samoei Ruto, Brendan McDermid, William Ruto, Ruto, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Ariel Henry, Jean, Bertrand Aristide, Michelle Nichols, Grant McCool Organizations: General Assembly, REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, Kenyan, United Nations Security, General, Peacekeeping, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Haiti, Kenya, Caribbean, Ukraine, Libya, Morocco, Hawaii, Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua, Barbuda, Americas

☆ Congo president asks UN peacekeepers to start packing up this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Ange Adihe Kasongo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 20, 2023. But its presence has become increasingly unpopular in recent years for what critics say is a failure to protect civilians against militia groups, sparking deadly protests. "It is to be deplored that peacekeeping missions deployed for 25 years... have failed to cope with the rebellions and armed conflicts," Tshisekedi told the assembly in a speech. More than 40 people were killed and dozens wounded in an army crackdown on violent anti-U.N. demonstrations in the eastern city of Goma last month. Another protest in July 2022 resulted in more than 15 deaths, including three peacekeepers in Goma and the city of Butembo.

Persons: Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, Eduardo Munoz, Felix Tshisekedi, Tshisekedi, Ange Kasongo, Edward McAllister, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Democratic, General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, General, Central, of, Thomson Locations: Democratic Republic of Congo, New York City, U.S, Rights KINSHASA, Republic, Goma, Butembo

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Congo’s president wants the world’s second largest United Nations peacekeeping force to move up its departure from the country, starting this December, saying it has failed to rein in conflicts in the country's east. After a quarter-century of peacekeeping efforts, “it’s time for our country to take its destiny fully in hand” and become the leading security force in Congo, he said. Eastern Congo, far from the capital, has long been overrun by dozens of armed groups seeking a share of the region’s gold and other resources. A separate East African regional force is also present in eastern Congo but has seen protests as well. A visit by Pope Francis to eastern Congo planned for early this year was cancelled because of the worsening security situation there.

Persons: —, Felix, Antoine Tshisekedi, “, Pope Francis Organizations: United Nations, Wednesday Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, Congo, Eastern Congo, Congolese, Goma

☆ Azerbaijan-Armenia: The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh explained
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Armenia and Azerbaijan have already fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh to Armenians, is a landlocked region in the Caucasus Mountains and lies within Azerbaijan’s borders. Under the Soviet Union, of which Azerbaijan and Armenia are both former members, Nagorno-Karabakh became an autonomous region within the republic of Azerbaijan in 1923. After years of sporadic clashes between the two sides, the Second Karabakh War began in 2020. The news of fresh strikes on Nagorno-Karabakh sparked cryptic reactions from prominent Russian figures showing little sympathy for Armenia.

Persons: –, Tofik Babayev, “, Siranush Sargsyan, Nikol Pashinyan, Ilham Aliyev, Aliyev, ”, Armenia’s, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Dmitry Peskov, Karen Minasyan, Vladimir Putin, Pashinyan, haven’t, Armenpress, Margarita Simonyan, Judas Organizations: CNN, Soviet Union, Karabakh, Artsakh Defense Army, Armenian Soviet, United Nations General Assembly, Kremlin, ” Analysts, Getty, Collective Security, Organization, US Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Soviet, Artsakh, Azerbaijan’s, Soviet Union, Turkey, Russia, Moscow, AFP, Azerbaijani, Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Turkish, Ottoman, Baku, Ukraine, Rome

CNN —Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh accepted a ceasefire proposal made by Russian peacekeepers Wednesday, a day after Azerbaijan launched a military operation in the disputed territory. Azerbaijan on Tuesday began what it called an “anti-terrorist” campaign against separatist forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, which Karabakh officials said killed dozens and wounded hundreds more. Azerbaijan’s defense ministry said it had agreed to suspend its operation, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported. Taking this into consideration, the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh accept the proposal of the Russian peacekeeping contingent’s command regarding a ceasefire,” the Nagorno-Karabakh Presidential Office said, according to Armenpress. Russia’s defense ministry said it had evacuated around 2,000 civilians from Nagorno-Karabakh overnight Tuesday.

Persons: “, “ Regrettably, Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, ” Pashinyan, Baku’s, Siranush Sargsyan, Armen Grigoryan, Dmitry Peskov, ” Peskov, Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Ilham Aliyev Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Russian, RIA Novosti, Karabakh, Defense Army, Army, Office, Armenian Armed Forces, Armenia doesn’t, Criminal Court, Azerbaijan, Armenia’s Security, Armenian Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan’s, Armenia, Russian, Yevlakh, ”, Republic, Artsakh, Armenpress, Moscow, Russia, Karabkh, Baku, Yerevan

☆ Who is Nikol Pashinyan, embattled prime minister of Armenia?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addresses parliament following an escalation in hostilities over the Nagorno-Karabakh region along the border of Armenia with Azerbaijan, in Yerevan, Armenia, September 13, 2022. Tigran Mehrabyan/PAN Photo via REUTERS /File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsYEREVAN, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Here are some key facts about Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who finds himself at the centre of a new crisis after Azerbaijan launched an offensive this week in the breakaway Armenian-populated territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. - Pashinyan, 48, is a former journalist who became prime minister after a wave of street protests, sometimes referred to as Armenia's Velvet Revolution, toppled his predecessor in 2018. - Pashinyan has engaged in successive rounds of talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in search of a peace agreement between two countries. - Pashinyan is likely to come under fierce domestic pressure again if Azerbaijan takes back control of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Tigran Mehrabyan, Pashinyan, Ilham Aliyev, Vladimir Putin, Mark Trevelyan, William Maclean Organizations: Armenian, Rights, Criminal, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Yerevan, Rights YEREVAN, Russian, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine

Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh by Armenians, is a mountainous region within Azerbaijan that is internationally recognised as part of that country. But its 120,000 inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Armenians who broke away during a first war in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In a 44-day war in 2020, Azerbaijan recaptured seven surrounding districts and took back about a third of Nagorno-Karabakh itself. Azerbaijan has been tightening pressure on Nagorno-Karabakh for months, effectively blocking its lifeline road connection with Armenia - the "Lachin corridor". Such a deal would put Azerbaijan close to achieving all its objectives, while any further fighting could increase the risk of a bigger war between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Persons: Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan's, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, Reuters, Russian, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Thomson Locations: Askeran, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Armenia, KARABAKH, Artsakh, Soviet Union, AZERBAIJAN, Moscow, Ukraine, Aghdam, Turkey, Russia, Iran, South Caucasus, Baku, United States, EU

☆ Nagorno-Karabakh crisis lays bare deteriorating Armenian relationship with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Clare Sebastian Anna Chernova Katharina Krebs Tim Lister Christian Edwards | Clare Sebastian | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh has come amid a sharp deterioration in the relationship between historic allies Armenia and Russia, and has been amplified by sometimes incendiary commentary from prominent individuals in Moscow. Armenia’s Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan accused Russian peacekeepers of failing to protect Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijani aggression, according to state media Armenpress. The prominent Russian military blogger Rybar said Armenia was over reliant on Russia to provide security for Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia purports to provide security to Armenia through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance of post-Soviet states that includes Armenia but excludes Azerbaijan. The Armenian authorities handed over the Armenian shrine with their own hands… The fate of Judas is unenviable.”Simonyan also wrote on Telegram about protests in Yerevan.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Armenia’s, Armen Grigoryan, Dmitry Peskov, Pashinyan’s, Anna Hakobyan, ” Pashinyan, Dmitry Medvedev, “, ”, ” Medvedev, Rybar, –, ” Rybar, Margarita Simonyan, Judas, ” Simonyan, ’ They’ve, Vladimir Solovyov, Lavrov, Putin, Ivan, ” Solovyov, Meduza Organizations: CNN, Armenian, Armenia’s Security, Kremlin, CNN Prima News, Russia, NATO, Collective Security, Organization, Twitter Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Russia, Moscow, Yerevan, United States, Ukraine, Kyiv, “, Azerbaijan, Russian, Soviet

☆ Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan launches operation against Armenian forces in disputed region
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Tim Lister Gianluca Mezzofiore Christian Edwards Anna Chernova Nick Paton Walsh | Tim Lister | Gianluca Mezzofiore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Azerbaijan’s defense ministry said Tuesday it had begun an “anti-terrorist” campaign in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, as Armenian media and local authorities reported heavy bombardment of the regional capital of Stepanakert. At least five people were killed, including a child, and 80 people were injured, amid artillery, missile and drone strikes by the Azerbaijan military, according to Armenian state news. But Armenia’s foreign ministry rejected claims that the Armenian army was in Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia’s defense ministry wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, to deny Azerbaijan’s claims that Armenian forces had opened fire on Azeri combat outposts. People run as gunfire and explosions are heard in Stepanakert, in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video.

Persons: CNN —, ”, “, Armenpress, Nikol Pashinyan, Karabakh –, Pashinyan, ” Pashinyan, Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, ” Pashinyan’s, Antony Blinken, Emmanuel Macron, Maria Zakharova, Dmitry Peskov, haven’t Organizations: CNN, Azerbaijan Army, Armenian Security Council, Foreign Ministry, Union’s, Foreign Affairs, French Foreign Ministry, UN Security, Russian Foreign Ministry, UN Security Council Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Stepanakert, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russian, Moscow, Republic of Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Russia

☆ Factbox-Azerbaijan Launches 'Anti-Terrorist Operation' in Karabakh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Felix LightTBILISI (Reuters) - Ethnic Armenian separatist authorities on Tuesday reported a major escalation of hostilities in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region, as Azerbaijan launched an offensive. It said it was attacking Armenian military units in response to what it called "terrorist provocations", and that it would provide "humanitarian corridors" for civilians. Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said peace in the breakaway region could only be achieved once Armenian troops left and the separatist local authority was dissolved. Its foreign ministry urged Russian peacekeeping troops to stop Azerbaijan's "full-scale aggression". "We are deeply concerned about the sharp escalation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Persons: Felix, Maria Zakharova, Felix Light Organizations: Felix Light TBILISI, Armenian, Foreign, Russian Locations: Azerbaijan's Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, AZERBAIJAN, Nagorno, Armenia, Russian, Russia, Moscow

☆ Azerbaijan launches military action in Karabakh to disarm Armenians
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Azerbaijan launched "anti-terrorist activities" in the Nagorno-Karabakh region to restore constitutional order and drive out what it called Armenian military formations there, a move that could foreshadow a new war in the region. Loud shelling was audible from unverified social media footage filmed in Stepanakert, the capital of Karabakh, called Khankendi by Azerbaijan, on Tuesday. Internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, Karabakh has an overwhelmingly ethnic Armenian population and broke from Baku's control in the early 1990s after a war. Armenia had said that Baku's actions, which is said had caused a humanitarian catastrophe, something Azerbaijan denied, were illegal. Armenia's foreign ministry had said on Monday that Azerbaijan's diplomatic stance looked like it was preparing the ground for some kind of military action.

Persons: Ruben Vardanyan Organizations: Russian, Nagorno, Reuters, Baku Locations: Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Stepanakert, Khankendi, Republic of Azerbaijan, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, Baku, Turkish, Russian

☆ Ethiopian forces clash with al Shabaab in western Somalia, residents say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOGADISHU, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Ethiopian forces engaged in fierce clashes with al Shabaab fighters near the town of Rab Dhuure in western Somalia on Sunday morning, local residents said. At around 9 a.m. (0600 GMT) local residents heard large explosions followed by a heavy near the town of Rab Dhuure in Bakool region, around 20 km (12 miles) from the Ethiopia border. Al Shabaab claimed to have ambushed a large convoy of Ethiopian troops, who are operating in the area as part of regional efforts to wipe out the al Qaeda-affiliated group. "We heard about three huge explosions and then an exchange of heavy guns followed," said local resident Hassan Abdulle. In February Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya agreed to begin what they described as "search and destroy" operations against al Shabaab, in addition to the African Union-mandated peacekeeping force, which is expected to leave Somalia by the end of next year.

Persons: al, Rab Dhuure, Al Shabaab, Hassan Abdulle, Fatuma Ali, Abdi Sheikh, Hereward Holland, Susan Fenton Organizations: African Union, Thomson Locations: MOGADISHU, al Shabaab, Rab, Somalia, Bakool, Ethiopia, Al, Qaeda, Djibouti, Kenya

☆ Mali's Tuareg Rebels Claim Capture of More Military Bases
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Fresh fighting broke out between Mali's army and northern Tuareg rebels on Sunday, with the rebels claiming to have taken control of two army bases in the central town of Lere. Last week, CMA, formed by semi-nomadic Tuareg people, said it had attacked four army positions around the town of Bourem and made away with vehicles, weapons and ammunition. "CMA took control of the two camps in Lere," said CMA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane. A Tuareg uprising in 2012 was taken over by Islamist groups that continue to attack civilians and the army. But tensions have resurfaced since the military consolidated power in two coups in 2020 and 2021, teamed up with Russian military contractor Wagner Group, and kicked out French forces and U.N. peacekeepers.

Persons: Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, Wagner, Tiemoko Diallo, Edward McAllister, Sandra Maler Organizations: United Nations, CMA, Wagner Group Locations: BAMAKO, Lere, West, Bourem

☆ Mali's Tuareg rebels claim capture of more military bases
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BAMAKO, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Fresh fighting broke out between Mali's army and northern Tuareg rebels on Sunday, with the rebels claiming to have taken control of two army bases in the central town of Lere. Last week, CMA, formed by semi-nomadic Tuareg people, said it had attacked four army positions around the town of Bourem and made away with vehicles, weapons and ammunition. "CMA took control of the two camps in Lere," said CMA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane. A Tuareg uprising in 2012 was taken over by Islamist groups that continue to attack civilians and the army. But tensions have resurfaced since the military consolidated power in two coups in 2020 and 2021, teamed up with Russian military contractor Wagner Group, and kicked out French forces and U.N. peacekeepers.

Persons: Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, Wagner, Tiemoko Diallo, Edward McAllister, Sandra Maler Organizations: United Nations, CMA, Wagner Group, Thomson Locations: BAMAKO, Lere, West, Bourem

☆ Is one of Russia’s oldest allies slipping from the Kremlin’s orbit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“Armenia’s security architecture 99.999% was linked to Russia,” he told Italian newspaper La Repubblica earlier this month. Analysts said the effectiveness of Russia's peacekeeping presence, which began after the war in 2020, has diminished over time. “Russia failed to deliver on its promises to secure the Lachin corridor… Russia failed to deliver weapons that Armenia purchased from Russia, Russia failed to curtail Azerbaijan’s expansionist and aggressive behavior against Armenia,” said Ter-Matevosyan. But in trying to shore up its security vis-a-vis Azerbaijan, Armenia has inadvertently delivered a stinging snub to Russia. “We have to remember that Russia has a huge destructive potential in the region,” said Ter-Matevosyan, referring to Russia’s sizable military base north of Yerevan.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Nikol Pashinyan, ”, Pashinyan, Armenia’s, Tofik Babayev, Azerbaijain, Vahram, Matevosyan, Karen Minasyan, Ter, Marie Dumoulin, Azerbaijan’s, ” Dumoulin, “, Putin, Ilham Aliyev –, He’s, Aliyev, Dumoulin, Dmitry Peskov, ’ ”, Anna Ohanyan, Ohanyan, –, Will Organizations: CNN, La Repubblica, Russian Federation, Getty, American University of Armenia, Collective Security, Organization, European Council, Foreign Relations, ICC, Politico, NATO, Stonehill College, Kremlin Locations: Armenia, Soviet, Ukraine, Rome, Russia, Azerbaijan, Italian, Russian, Nagorno, Karabakh, AFP, Turkey, Yerevan, “ Armenia, Moscow, “ Russia, Baku, Pashinyan, Massachusetts, “, Belarus, Repubblica, Western

☆ EU Troops Confront Would-Be Rioters in Exercise Echoing Bosnia Political Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - As a group of would-be protesters grows, shouting and blowing their whistles at the EU force's camp in Sarajevo, a military aircraft flies low and helicopters take off, all as part of a EUFOR exercise echoing the current political crisis in Bosnia. Dodik, a pro-Russian nationalist, has long sought to separate the Serb-dominated part of Bosnia from the rest of it. EUFOR replaced NATO troops in Bosnia in 2004 with a mandate to stabilise the ethnically divided country. Last year, days after Russia invaded Ukraine, the EU decided to almost double the size of its peacekeeping force from 600 troops by sending in reserves to ward off any potential instability. NATO and senior EU officials have warned that instability from the war in Ukraine could spread to the Western Balkans.

Persons: Milorad Dodik, Vladimir Putin, Helmut Habermayer, Habermayer, EUFOR, Daria Sito, Hugh Lawson Organizations: EU, Bosnian, NATO Locations: SARAJEVO, Sarajevo, Bosnia, Bosnian Serbs, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Balkans

☆ Russia Voices Annoyance With Both Armenia and Azerbaijan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia has protested to Azerbaijan over comments it made about weekend regional elections in areas of Ukraine claimed by Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday. She also accused Armenia of making "unacceptable and harmful" statements that were damaging to the prospects for a peace settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan have risen in the past week, with each side accusing the other of building up troop concentrations near their borders. Armenia has accused Russia, which has maintained a peacekeeping force in the region since the last war in 2020, of failing to protect it against what it calls Azerbaijani aggression. The territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but is mostly populated by ethnic Armenians who broke away from Baku in a war in the 1990s.

Persons: Maria Zakharova, Zakharova, Filipp Lebedev, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, Foreign, Russia Locations: Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Moscow, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Soviet Union, Baku

☆ Armenia-U.S. military exercise kicks off near Yerevan - U.S. spokesperson
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Sept 11 (Reuters) - Armenia and the United States began a joint military training exercise on Monday, a U.S. army spokesperson said, at a time of high tension in Armenian relations with neighbouring Azerbaijan. The 10-day "Eagle Partner" exercise involves 85 U.S. and 175 Armenian soldiers and is designed to prepare the Armenians to take part in international peacekeeping missions. It is taking place at two training grounds near the capital Yerevan. Though small in scale, the drill has irked Russia, which has a military base in Armenia and regards itself as the prime security guarantor in the region. Armenia and neighbouring Azerbaijan have fought two wars in the three decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and each side has accused the other within the past week of building up troops near the border.

Organizations: United States, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Armenia, U.S, Azerbaijan, Yerevan, Russia, Soviet Union

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Lawmakers in Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan, voted to elect a new separatist president on Saturday in a move that was strongly condemned by the Azerbaijani authorities. Samvel Shakhramanyan's election as the new president of Nagorno-Karabakh follows the resignation of Arayik Harutyunyan, who stepped down on Sept. 1 as president of the region — which the Armenians call Artsakh. Nagorno-Karabakh is a region within Azerbaijan that came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian military after a six-year separatist war that ended in 1994. Armenian forces also took control of substantial territory around the region. Political Cartoons View All 1148 ImagesAzerbaijan regained control of the surrounding territory in a six-week war with Armenia in 2020.

Persons: Samvel, Arayik Harutyunyan, Nikol Pashinyan, Vladimir Putin, ” Organizations: —, Azerbaijan's, Ministry, Azerbaijan, Russian, Security, Organization, United States, Criminal Court, Russian Foreign Ministry Locations: YEREVAN, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Russia, Stepanakert, Moscow, Yerevan, Russian, Soviet, Ukraine

The Russian foreign ministry on Friday summoned the ambassador from longtime ally Armenia to protest upcoming joint military exercises with the United States and other complaints, highlighting growing tensions that are straining traditionally close relations. About 175 Armenian troops and 85 from the United States will start exercises on Monday focusing on peacekeeping operations. Landlocked Armenia has close military ties with Russia, including hosting a Russian military base and participating in the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization alliance. Political Cartoons View All 1148 ImagesHowever, Armenia has become increasingly disillusioned with Russia since the 2020 war with Azerbaijan. Armenia this year refused to allow CSTO exercises on its territory and it declined to send troops to bloc exercises in Belarus.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Maria Zakharova Organizations: Criminal Court, Russian, Security, Organization Locations: Armenia, United States, Ukraine, Rome, Russia, Moscow, Azerbaijan, Russian, Karabakh, Nagorno, Belarus

The visit was Staffan de Mistura’s first to the Western Sahara since he was appointed in 2021 to oversee U.N. efforts to guide negotiations that date back more than three decades. Morocco annexed Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony in 1975, sparking a conflict with the pro-independence Polisario Front. The region is believed to have considerable offshore oil deposits and mineral resources and is slightly larger than the United Kingdom. The United Nations said in a statement leading up to the trip that he “looked forward to further deepening consultations with all concerned on the prospects of constructively advancing the political process on Western Sahara,” and noted that the visit would precede the publication of a Western Sahara report to the Security Council next month. Morocco referenced its preferred plan to grant the region a form of self-governance that falls short of independence.

Persons: De Mistura, “, Joe Biden hasn't, Mistura's, Joshua Harris, Washington's, Harris, Lounès, ” Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Polisario Front, Security, Trump, U.S, Embassy, APS, “, Moroccan Autonomy Initiative Locations: Western, Morocco, Western Sahara, Spanish, Polisario, United Kingdom, United States, Israel, ”, North Africa, Rabat, Algiers, Algeria, Sahara, “ Morocco, Moroccan

After the coup, the United States paused certain foreign assistance programs for Niger and military training has been on hold. "The leaders of this attempted coup are putting Niger's security at risk, creating a potential vacuum that terrorist groups or other malign groups may exploit," the official said. The United States has been pressing for a diplomatic resolution of the crisis that erupted on July 26 when Niger military officers seized power, deposed President Mohamed Bazoum and placed him under house arrest. Military juntas have come to power through coups in Mali and Burkina Faso - both neighbors of Niger - in recent years. But so far, Paris has rejected calls by the coup leaders to withdraw their 1,500 troops.

Persons: Joe Biden, Mohamed Bazoum, Kathleen FitzGibbon, Nusrat al, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Jonathan Oatis, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Pentagon, Reuters, American, Air Base, Islamic State, Troops, United, Niger, Thomson Locations: Niger, U.S, Niamey, Agadez, West, al Qaeda, United, Washington, United States, State, Mali, Burkina Faso, France, Paris

☆ A close Russian ally snubbed Putin by announcing military exercises with the US — the latest in a series of embarrassments for the president
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Armenia will host a joint military exercise with the US later this month. The country is a longtime Russian ally but has repeatedly expressed its frustration with it. This includes threatening to leave the Russia-led CSTO and refusing to host its military drills. A US military spokesperson told Reuters that 85 US soldiers and 175 Armenian soldiers will take part in the exercise. Armenia also hosts a Russian military base.

Persons: CSTO, Vladimir Putin, didn't, Nikol, Pashinyan, Putin, Thomas Graham, Jaroslava Barbieri, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Service, Reuters, NATO, Soviet, Yale, University of Birmingham Locations: Armenia, Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, East, tatters .

With Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince largely controlled by gangs infamous for kidnapping and murder, experts warn that the deportations could amount to death sentences. Migrants, mostly from Haiti, collect clothes donated by a group of volunteers, at the Giordano Bruno in Mexico City, Mexico, April 6, 2023. Blinken added he looks forward to advancing the process of Kenya’s involvement through a UN Security Council resolution authorizing a multinational force in Haiti. Migrants, mostly from Haiti, take part in a protest with a banner that reads "Mexicans and Haitians are brothers" in Mexico City, Mexico May 29, 2023. From October 2022 to July 2023, more than 5,000 Haitians were interdicted at sea by the US Coast Guard.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, ” Guerline Jozef, “, Harris, Mayorkas, Jovenel Moise, Ariel Henry, ”, Giordano Bruno, Henry Romero, Henry, Antonio Guterres, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Jake Sullivan, wouldn’t, ’, ” “ Organizations: CNN, United, Customs Enforcement, Haitian Bridge Alliance, UN, Biden, White, National Security, of State, Homeland Security, Migrants, Reuters, United Nations, House, Haitian National Police, Kenyan, US Department of State, National Security Council, UN Security, US Coast Guard Locations: Haiti, Caribbean, United Nations, American, Port, United States, Mexico City, Mexico, Kenya, States, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, Panama, Colombia, Darien

☆ Armenia to exercise with US troops next week, Russia voices concern
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 6 (Reuters) - Armenia said on Wednesday it would host a joint military exercise with the United States next week, a development that Russia said was cause for concern. The Armenian Defence Ministry said the purpose of the Sept. 11-20 "Eagle Partner 2023" exercise was to prepare its forces to take part in international peacekeeping missions. Russia has a military base in Armenia and sees itself as the pre-eminent power in the South Caucasus region, which until 1991 was part of the Soviet Union. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a weekend interview with an Italian newspaper that Russia had failed to protect Armenia against what he called continuing aggression from Azerbaijan. "Russia plays a consistent, very important role in stabilising the situation in this region ... and we will continue to play this role."

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Nikol Pashinyan, Peskov, Pashinyan's, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Osborn, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: United, Armenian Defence Ministry, Eagle, Kansas National Guard, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Armenia, United States, Russia, U.S, South Caucasus, Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Soviet, Italian, Ukraine

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