Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] The situation in the border areas between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso remains extremely difficult.
The militants of the "Islamic State" and "al-Qaeda" are fighting for influence in the area of the so-called Three Frontiers.
The terrorists expect to gain control ( https://t.me/rybar/23663 ) over the smuggling of gold and weapons, as well as expand their expansion towards the Gulf of Guinea.
In early December, footage (https://twitter.com/Milatrud11/status/1603512009592635393) of the Islamic State in the Great Sahara swearing an oath to the new ISIS leader spread around the world.
MALI
Fighting continues between the "Islamic State in the Great Sahara" and "Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin"
...JNIM for short in Arabic, in English the Support Group for Islam and Moslems (GSIM)...
(affiliated with "al-Qaeda") in the border area with Burkina Faso and Niger.
▪️After the recent clashes (https://t.me/rybar/42031) in the Gao region, IS declared the destruction of more than 100 al-Qaeda militants. The other side denies everything and declares its own victory, publishing footage with captured weapons and equipment as evidence.
During the battle between the Mali Air Force groups, they attacked the positions of the militants, destroying some of them.
▪️On the eve of the renewal of the mandate of the UN mission in Mali, the head of peacekeeping operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, arrived in Bamako to meet with the president of the transitional period of Mali, Colonel Assimi Goita.
However, they failed to come to concrete solutions.
The Malian leader stressed ( https://t.me/africaintel/559) that the future of the mission will depend on a review of strategy and improved coordination with the national army.
In turn, the UN is looking for replacements for the contingents that left the country (https://t.me/rybar/41509).
▪️Germany will maintain its military presence in Mali until the end of the transition period in 2024. This was stated by Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht after a meeting with her Malian counterpart, Colonel Sadio Camara.
At the moment, about 1,100 German soldiers are in the country as part of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.
BURKINA FASO
Terrorists continue to carry out regular attacks in various parts of the country. In the past two weeks, 37 civilians, two soldiers and two policemen, have been killed.
According to a statement by the armed forces of Burkina Faso, as a result of a 10-day operation in the border region of Banwa in the northwest, 39 militants were eliminated. One soldier was killed.
▪️In an attempt to enlist Russia's support in the fight against terrorists, the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, Apollinaire Joachim Kiel de Tambela, paid a secret visit to Moscow.
The trip even caused a diplomatic scandal, when the President of Ghana at the US-Africa summit in Washington accused the authorities of Burkina Faso of collaborating with the Russian PMC Wagner.
Burkina Faso summoned the Ghanaian ambassador for "explanations" and also recalled its ambassador from Ghana for "consultations".
▪️Rybar's team succeeded (https://t.me/rybar/42109) to confirm that Wagner PMC employees are indeed on the territory of Burkina Faso, and negotiations are close to completion.
Later, an interview was published ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVF20CmxCj8 ) in which the prime minister said that he had come to Moscow to negotiate on strengthening cooperation between the countries.
NIGER
Despite international support, primarily French troops, groups are moving inland. Local forces were unable to withstand the growing threat.
▪️The activity of the militants forced the authorities to impose a curfew in the Tillabéri region. The government fears that terrorists are approaching the capital of a country located in the same region.
▪️Last week, the EU announced the deployment of a military mission to Niger early next year. The focus will be on training and logistics.
Germany has already announced its participation: they plan to send 200-250 of their troops to Berlin. German instructors have been training special forces in Niger since 2018.
[Aljazeera] The number of Israelis who openly refuse military service due to the occupation is low; earlier this year, four teenagers refusing together was notable. The low numbers persist despite multiple international human rights groups recognising Israel’s treatment of Palestinians as apartheid. Now, army violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank is at a high not seen in years, Israel’s most far-right government yet is on the verge of taking power, and draft refuser organisations say there has been increased interest in what is seen by most Israelis as a radical step. We hear from two men about why they did it, and why their decision is so rare.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Aljazeera] The number of Israelis who openly refuse military service due to the occupation is low; earlier this year, four teenagers refusing together was notable. The low numbers persist despite multiple international human rights groups recognising Israel’s treatment of Palestinians as apartheid. Now, army violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank is at a high not seen in years, Israel’s most far-right government yet is on the verge of taking power, and draft refuser organisations say there has been increased interest in what is seen by most Israelis as a radical step. We hear from two men about why they did it, and why their decision is so rare.
