insert_link Opinion Pieces Wagner Group is now Africa Corps. What this means for Russia’s operations on the continent By Alessandro Arduino, King's College London In August 2023, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died after his private jet crashed about an hour after taking off in Moscow. He had been Russia’s pointman in Africa since the Wagner Group began operating on the continent in 2017. The group is known for deploying paramilitary forces, running disinformation campaigns and propping up influential political leaders. It has had a […] todayFebruary 16, 2024 7
insert_link South Africa South Africa pursues further legal action to stop Israel South Africa is pursuing further legal action on its genocide case against Israel if it continues its deadly attacks in Gaza. Department of International Relations and Cooperation Director-General Zane Dangor says they are writing to the ICJ to "consider additional provisional measures on Israel". Meanwhile, the United Nations has called for restraint in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city following reports of airstrikes in the area. Rafah is currently home to some […] todayFebruary 13, 2024 20
Uncategorized ‘America is the mother of terrorism’: why the Houthis’ new slogan is important for understanding the Middle East By Sarah G. Phillips, University of Sydney Yemen’s Houthi militants continue to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea, undeterred by the intensifying Western airstrikes or the group’s re-designation as a “global terrorist” organisation. As their attacks have intensified, the group’s slogan (or sarkha, meaning “scream”) has also gained notoriety. Banners bearing the sarkha dot the streets in areas of Yemen under Houthi control and are brandished by supporters at […] todayFebruary 13, 2024 6
insert_link World Moroccan protesters demand end to relations with Israel More pushback for Israel as thousands of Moroccans have taken to the streets of Rabat calling for an end to ties with Israel, over its actions in Gaza. Politicians from across the spectrum are reported to have been among the crowds. According to the BBC, Morocco established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020 under a US-brokered Abraham Accords. todayFebruary 12, 2024 17
insert_link World US says it will “not stop” defending itself in the Middle East The UN Security Council held an urgent meeting Monday afternoon, Russia accused the United States of fanning tensions in the Middle East. But the US says it will not back down from defending itself in the region from attacks. Jody Jacobs reports from the United Nations in New York. todayFebruary 6, 2024 11
insert_link World US raids in Iraq and Syria: How retaliatory airstrikes affect network of Iran-backed militias The headquarters of an Iranian-linked group in Anbar, Iraq was among the sites targeted by U.S. bombers. Hashd al-Shaabi Media Office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images Sara Harmouch, American University and Nakissa Jahanbani, United States Military Academy West Point U.S. bombers struck dozens of sites across Iraq and Syria on Feb. 2, 2024, to avenge a drone attack that killed three American service members just days earlier. The retaliatory strikes were the […] todayFebruary 5, 2024 4
insert_link World Hamas vows retaliation following Israeli military operation Hamas is vowing to respond, after the Israeli military assassinated three Palestinian men in the West Bank early Tuesday morning, accusing them of plotting an imminent terror attack. Security footage is being shared online, appearing to show an undercover special forces team entering a hospital before killing the trio. todayFebruary 1, 2024 36
insert_link World Gaza: high numbers of journalists are being killed but it’s hard to prove they’re being targeted By Colleen Murrell, Dublin City University Wael Dahdouh, one of the most well-known faces of Palestinian journalism in the Gaza conflict, has this week started medical treatment in Qatar. Dahdouh was wounded in December in an Israeli drone strike that killed his camera operator. Al-Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief has also lost his wife, two children and a grandchild in an Israeli raid that hit his home. This was […] todayJanuary 31, 2024 4
insert_link World Iran has so far resisted direct involvement in the Gaza war, but is that changing? By James Devine, Mount Allison University Iran has tried to keep the war in Gaza at arm’s length by providing support for Hamas through armed groups it backs in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. The Islamic Republic has indicated it wants neither to get directly involved in the fighting nor see the conflict escalate across the region. But as illustrated by the recent drone attack by pro-Iranian militias in Jordan […] todayJanuary 31, 2024 6