In his The Dark Sahara (2009) and The Dying Sahara (2012), Jeremy Keenan argues that there is a danger of proxy hitmen in Mali, writes Abdelkader Filali. Keenan is an anthropologist and an associate professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London who works as a consultant on the Sahara and the Sahel for many international…
Polish ECR MEPs Anna Fotyga and Witold Waszczykowski have labelled recent joint Belarusian and Russian activities around the EU-Belarus border as “hybrid warfare”, also warning against a further worsening of the situation. During a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, MEP Anna Fotyga stated that the situation caused by Belarusian attempts…
German Green MEP Reinhard Bütikofer has voiced concern at the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan. The MEP, foreign policy coordinator of the Greens/EFA group, was speaking in the context of frantic international efforts to airlift as many endangered individuals as possible out of Afghanistan before August 31. Said Bütikofer “President Biden is not only encountering severe domestic criticism over his…
The head of a leading NGO has voiced concern at the unfolding situation in Afghanistan. Alva Finn, Director of Social Platform told this website, “As the world watches helplessly as the horrifying situation in Afghanistan unfolds, the EU must do whatever it can to protect those fleeing the Taliban – especially women and children.” This includes:…
Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg has voiced concern at the current situation in Afghanistan. On Monday, he said, “NATO Allies met in the North Atlantic Council today to consult on the situation in Afghanistan. We continue to assess the developments on the ground, and we are in constant contact with the Afghan authorities and the…
German Greens MEP Sven Giegold has called on the EU to offer protection for locally employed civilians in Afghanistan. He said, “The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has also put the local personnel of EU missions in the country at imminent risk. At least 600 local staff and their close family members of the EU Police…
The hottest topic in the Central African Republic (CAR) with local residents and the concerned international community alike is the continued need for the presence of UN troops in the CAR. Pundits have slammed the inefficiency of UN peacekeeping missions, since those deployed to conflict-torn countries generally fail to deliver on the main aim of…
Tomorrow, 8 June, the European Parliament will strongly condemn systematic repression in Belarus and the consequences for European security and freedom following the abduction of Roman Protasevitch and Sofia Sapega from a hijacked EU Rynair flight. “If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. Nearly all men can stand adversity,…
The security forces of the Central African Republic (CAR) detained a French citizen this week and seized an impressive cache of weapons and intelligence equipment. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the suspect Mr. Quignolot had been in the CAR since 2013. He took part in the organisation of a coup in the CAR…
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) welcomes the proposed new package of EU cybersecurity measures but points to weaknesses in addressing Europe’s huge cyber skills gap. Critical entities also need streamlining, simplification and clearer application guidelines, in the EESC’s view. Overall, the EESC hails the new EU cybersecurity strategy as a positive step towards…
