At a meeting with leaders of five West African nations, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to send 220 more troops to fight growing militancy in the Sahel. The increase is unlikely to be welcomed by aid groups, which have called for civilians to be prioritized in responses, and criticized the region's growing militarization. Meeting in the southern French city of Pau, the leaders of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger agreed to step up military cooperation, combining their respective forces under a single command structure, to be called the Coalition for the Sahel. (Photo: Wikipedia)

At least 65 soldiers—including three senior officers—have been killed in jihadist raids on military garrisons in Nigeria's northeast this month. Five bases were overrun by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)—four of them in a single night, showing a notable level of coordination. Military equipment was also torched or captured, including armored vehicles. ISWAP's "Burn the Camps" offensive began last year, and is accelerating against an overstretched military. (Photo via TNH) 

Amnesty International called on Kazakhstan to immediately drop criminal charges against 19 activists affiliated the local Atajurt human rights movement who face up to 10 years in prison for participating in a peaceful protest near the nation's border with China. The demonstrators, many of whom are ethnic Kazakhs originally from China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, had gathered to demand the release of Alimnur Turganbay, a Kazakhstan citizen detained in China since July under unclear circumstances. Authorities initially pursued administrative charges, including "hooliganism," imposing fines and short-term detention of up to 15 days. Reportedly, following a diplomatic note from Chinese authorities, prosecutors escalated the case with criminal charges. (Map: Perry-Castañeda Library)

In Episode 300 of the CounterVortex podcast (which coincidentally marks 24 years since the launch of his news blog in the immediate aftermath of 9-11), Bill Weinberg takes stock of the CounterVortex mission in light of the now urgently dire world situation—and makes an appeal for support from the listeners. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon.

by L. Ali Khan, Jurist In the first week of August 2019, the Indian Parliament passed, and the president signed, legislation to remove Articles 370 and 35A of the India Constitution. Article 370 preserved the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), a… Read moreHOW INDIA COMPLICATED KASHMIR DISPUTE

Escalating violence in Indonesia's West Papua region is threatening the security of the largely indigenous population amid intensified clashes between Indonesian security forces and separatist rebels, Human Rights Watch warned. Military operations in the densely forested Central Highlands have resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of civilians due to drone strikes and the indiscriminate use of explosive munitions, forcing thousands of indigenous Papuans to flee their homes. (Photo: TPNPB-OPM via Tempo)

During his first days back in office, Donald Trump rapidly started implementing his hardline migration agenda, including by declaring a state of emergency at the US southern border. The move allows his administration to access billions of dollars to expand the building of a border wall and to deploy the military and national guard to the area. Around 1,500 active duty soldiers are already being deployed. Trump also reinstated the controversial "Remain in Mexico" program from his first administration. This policy, which requires people to wait for asylum appointments in Mexico, helped to create a now-perennial humanitarian crisis in northern Mexico. The Trump administration has also shut down CBP One—a cell phone app for scheduling asylum appointments—leaving thousands of people stranded in Mexico, and suspended the US refugee resettlement program, as well as cancelling travel plans for refugees who had already been approved to enter the country. Trump's promised mass deportation of millions of undocumented people has yet to get underway, but his administration has begun laying the groundwork for expanded immigration raids—potentially including on schools, churches, and hospitals—and has threatened to prosecute any local officials who don't comply. (Image: White House)

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi signed an agreement to integrate the Kurdish-led SDF into Syria's state institutions. A statement by the Syrian Presidency said a pact was reached to "integrate all civil and military institutions in northeast Syria [Rojava] under the administration of the Syrian state, including border crossings, the [Qamishli] Airport, and oil and gas fields." The statement emphasized that "the Kurdish community is indigenous to the Syrian state, which ensures this community's right to citizenship and all of its constitutional rights." (Image: Rudaw)

The US Department of Defense announced the transfer of Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Bin Amin and bin Lep arrived at Guantanamo in September 2006. The US accused the men of planning attacks in California and facilitating terrorist operations in Indonesia. Both men pled guilty to several offenses, and are to serve the remainder of their terms in Malaysia. Days earlier, Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu, accused in a 2007 attack in Mombasa, was turned over to Kenya. With the transfer of the three men, 27 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay—down from a maximum of 780. However, President Biden has failed to live up to his pledge to close the facility by the end of his term. (Photo: Pixabay via Jurist)

Tensions are ratcheting up in the Horn of Africa over the deployment of Egyptian troops to Somalia. Ethiopia, Somalia's neighbor, isn’t happy. It has soldiers in Somalia acting as a buffer against al-Shabab insurgents, but now Mogadishu has asked them to withdraw. High-stakes strategic interests are at play. Ethiopia and Egypt have been locked in a long-standing dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Egypt regards as an existential threat. Meanwhile, landlocked Ethiopia has also enraged Somalia over its determination to find a port to lease. It has turned to the breakaway region of Somaliland, dangling the prospect of recognizing its independence—an absolute red line for Mogadishu. The new defense agreement between Egypt and Somalia has underlined just how serious the tensions are. Egypt is planning to send 5,000 soldiers to Somalia to join a new-look African Union force, with a separate 5,000 stationed on the Ethiopian border. (Map: PCL)