Tensions Between South Africa and US Rise Over Detention of US Officials

The United States has warned of "severe consequences" should South Africa not take action after briefly detaining "two US officials", who were providing support to the Afrikaner minority group according to Washington, on Tuesday.

It's yet another row in the series of events increasing tensions between Washington and Pretoria this year.

The United States has reacted to South Africa's brief arrest of two reportedly American officials on Tuesday, condemning the event and saying that passport information from the individuals in question had been released publicly.

According to Washington, the two officials were providing humanitarian assistance to the minority Afrikaner group. Washington has accused South Africa of discriminating against the white Afrikaner minority on several occasions without providing specific proof, and this topic has considerably contributed to rising tensions between the two countries this year.

"This can only be seen as an attempt to intimidate U.S. government personnel in South Africa on official business. The United States will not tolerate such behavior toward its government’s officials – or toward any of its citizens – who are legally and peacefully operating abroad. The public release of personal identifying information puts the official in harm’s way," read a statement by the US government.

South Africa has denied having arrested any US officials, saying on Wednesday that it had proceeded to arrest seven Kenyan citizens who were illegally working to process immigration applications for the US government.

Egypt, Sudan Presidents Meet in Cairo, Warn of ‘Red Lines’

18 December 2025

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi receives Sudan's Sovereign Council Chairman ABdel Fattah al-Burhan at Cairo Airport on Dec 18, 2025

December 18, 2025 (CAIRO) – Egypt warned on Thursday it would not allow “red lines” to be crossed in neighbouring Sudan, stating it is prepared to take necessary measures to protect its national security.

The warning followed talks in Cairo between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

A statement from the Egyptian presidency expressed “grave concern” over escalating violence and “horrific massacres” against civilians, specifically highlighting the situation in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

“Egypt affirms there are red lines that cannot be crossed or compromised, as they directly affect Egyptian national security,” the statement said. It defined these boundaries as the preservation of Sudan’s territorial integrity, the prevention of secession, and the protection of state institutions.

Historical military ties

Cairo invoked its right to take all measures guaranteed by international law and the 1976 Joint Defence Agreement to ensure these limits are respected.

The 1976 agreement, signed on July 15, remains a cornerstone of the bilateral security architecture. Designed to facilitate security coordination and protect the territorial integrity of both nations, it aligns with the Arab League’s 1950 defence treaty. While the Sudanese People’s Assembly ratified the pact in August 1976, its effectiveness remained contingent on the official exchange of ratification documents.

In March 2021, the two nations further deepened these ties when the Sudanese army and its Egyptian counterpart signed a military agreement aimed at modernizing their joint approach to national security.

Diplomatic push for ceasefire

The meeting in Cairo coincides with intensified U.S. diplomatic efforts. On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss the urgent need for a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan.

Egypt signaled its alignment with these efforts and the broader peace initiatives of U.S. President Donald Trump. Cairo expressed support for the “international Quad”—which includes the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE—to broker a humanitarian truce and establish safe corridors for aid.

However, the peace process remains strained. The Sudanese army has long opposed the UAE’s involvement in the Quad, accusing it of supplying the RSF. While the RSF declared a unilateral three-month truce in late November, fighting has persisted.

The push for a settlement gained momentum last month after President Trump announced an immediate effort to end the conflict at the request of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Egyptian presidency reiterated its “categorical rejection” of parallel government entities. This follows the formation of a rival administration in Nyala, South Darfur, by the “Tasis” alliance, which is dominated by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In a separate statement, the Sudanese Sovereign Council said the leaders also discussed Nile Basin water security. Both sides rejected “unilateral actions” in the Blue Nile—a reference to long-standing disputes over Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam.

SPLM-N Accuses Sudanese Army of Killing Seven Civilians in South Kordofan

19 December 2025

SPLM-N fighters shell the besieged Kadugli on August 3, 2025

December 18, 2025 (DILLING) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) accused the Sudanese army on Thursday of killing seven civilians in a drone strike, as fighting intensified across South Kordofan state.

The SPLM-N, led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, said the strike targeted Al-Natel village in Dilling county on Wednesday, mainly killing children and wounding two other people.

The allegation follows an SPLM-N heavy artillery attack on residential neighbourhoods in Dilling, the state’s second-largest city. Local sources said that shelling killed nine people and destroyed or damaged more than 10 homes, primarily in the city’s western districts.

South Kordofan has seen a sharp escalation in violence as the SPLM-N and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) coordinate attacks on government-held cities, including the state capital Kadugli, Dilling, and Al-Liri. Recent strikes have hit civilian shelters and United Nations facilities.

The Sudanese army has responded with periodic airstrikes on rebel and RSF positions across the state.

Intelligence sources say the SPLM-N is mobilizing near Al-Samasim and Al-Karakil to cut the strategic road linking Kadugli and Dilling. The army reopened the route in February, and its closure would effectively besiege both cities ahead of a potential ground assault.

Sudan Police Disperse Omdurman Protest Marking Revolution Anniversary

20 December 2025

Sudanese demonstrate in Omdurman to commemorate the 7th anniversary of December Revolution on Dec 19, 2025

December 19, 2025 (OMDURMAN) — Sudanese police in Omdurman dispersed a march on Friday organized by the “Angry Without Borders” group to commemorate the anniversary of the Dec. 19, 2018, revolution.

The attempt to mark the anniversary in the streets is the first of its kind since war broke out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023.

Dozens of the group’s supporters gathered at Al-Khalifa Square in Omdurman before police intervened and dispersed the gathering as protesters attempted to take to the streets. The intervention led to clashes and chases in which police used tear gas.

The procession reached the Al-Shuhada transport hub and several main streets in Omdurman. Supporters also organized vigils in Port Sudan and Wad Madani, chanting slogans calling for peace.

In a joint statement marking the seventh anniversary of the revolution, the Khartoum State Resistance Committees Coordination reaffirmed its commitment to Sudan’s unity and called for a fully sovereign civilian democratic government.

“On this glorious day, Sudanese people gathered from the far north to the far south,” the statement said. “December became a beacon of unity, a lamp of freedom, and a voice of justice.”

The coordination added that the revolution was forged by the people’s will and warned that “enemies of December” have sought to extinguish its light.

The statement argued that the solution to the Sudanese crisis lies in achieving civilian rule, ensuring justice, and forming a single national army to protect the country’s territorial integrity and end armed chaos. It also stressed the need for transitional justice and accountability for those involved in the loss of life.

Separately, the Unionist Gathering stated that the revolution remains an “open battle against totalitarianism and corruption.” It added that the current war is an extension of attempts by “counter-revolutionary forces” to stage a coup against the revolution’s gains.

The Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) accused the dissolved National Congress Party (NCP) of undermining the transition, leading the country into a war that has created a massive humanitarian disaster.

The party said the revolution’s demands for peace and civilian rule remain present, noting that Sudan has become “teeming with armed militias” affiliated with the former regime’s Islamic Movement.

Two Civil Defense Members Killed in Drone Attack on Atbara Power Station

18 December 2025

Smoke rises from the Atbara power substation for the 4th time following an alleged drone strike by the RSF on April 25, 2025.

December 18, 2025 (ATBARA) – A drone attack on a central electricity transformer station in Atbara killed two civil defence personnel on Thursday, causing widespread power outages across several Sudanese states.

The facility, located in River Nile State, has come under repeated drone attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The strikes are part of a broader pattern of attacks targeting civilian infrastructure in government-controlled regions across northern, southern, and central Sudan.

The Media Coordination Council of the Sudanese Electricity Company confirmed the fatalities in a statement, identifying the victims as members of a civil defence team stationed at the Al-Mogran transformer station.

“The attack caused direct damage to the station’s transformers, resulting in the suspension of electricity supplies to multiple states,” the council said.

Civil defence teams were deployed to extinguish fires at the site following the strike. Technical crews are expected to conduct a full assessment of the damage before beginning repairs to restore the grid.

South Sudanese Army Officer and Soldiers Arrested Over Death of UN Staff Member

By JOSEPH FALZETTA

11:40 AM EST, December 19, 2025

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A United Nations staff member was found dead in South Sudan days after being taken into custody by security personnel, the world body said in a statement.

Army Lt. Lino Mariak Chol and two other soldiers were arrested after admitting to the killing and disclosing the whereabouts of the body, said Saninto Udol, a police spokesman. The body was found in a residential area on Thursday.

Bol Roch Mayol, a South Sudanese national, was taken from a U.N. vehicle by five South Sudanese soldiers Monday following a routine patrol to a displacement camp on the outskirts of the northern town of Wau. Mayol’s U.N. vehicle had stopped on the side of a road after getting a flat tire, Udol said.

“We are devastated by the loss of our colleague,” Anita Kiki Gbeho, the deputy head of the U.N. mission in South Sudan, said in a statement Friday.

Mayol was a language assistant who had worked with the U.N mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, since its inception in 2011.

UNMISS spokesperson Priyanka Chowdhury said authorities and the U.N. mission are trying to establish the exact manner of death.

Chowdhury said that UNMISS does not have any indication the killing was ordered or orchestrated.

Following his arrest Monday, the U.N. contacted army commanders about Mayol’s whereabouts and U.N. officials were invited to tour the army’s detention facilities in Wau.

Gbeho said the killing was “unacceptable” and called for an immediate and thorough investigation to ensure the responsible parties are held to account.

The South Sudanese army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A motive has not been established.

South Sudan has long been one of the most dangerous countries in the world for aid workers and attacks and abductions increased in 2025. In the first half of the year, 25 aid workers or contractors were killed or injured, up from 15 over the same period the previous year. The vast majority of aid workers who fall victim to violence were South Sudanese, the U.N. reported.

The United States warned earlier this month that it may cut foreign aid to South Sudan, accusing the government of imposing exorbitant fees on aid groups and obstructing operations.

UNMISS is scaling down following a 15% budget cut. The reduction comes amid a sharp resurgence in fighting that left more than 1,000 civilians dead, some in indiscriminate bombings or extrajudicial killings by security personnel, the U.N. Human Rights Office said.

US Awards No-bid Contract to Denmark Scientists Studying Hepatitis B Vaccine in African Babies

This 1981 electron microscope image made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows hepatitis B virus particles, indicated in orange. (Dr. Erskine Palmer/CDC via AP, File)

By MIKE STOBBE

4:54 PM EST, December 19, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration has awarded a $1.6 million, no-bid contract to a Danish university to study hepatitis B vaccinations on newborns in Africa that is raising ethical concerns.

The unusual contract was awarded to scientists who have been cited by anti-vaccine activists and whose work has been questioned by leading public health experts. Some experts have suggested the research plan is unethical, because it will withhold vaccines that work from newborns at significant risk of infection.

The contract did not undergo a customary ethics review, The Associated Press has learned.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded the grant to a research team at the University of Southern Denmark that has been lauded by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to a federal notice posted this week.

One of the team’s leaders is Christine Stabell Benn, a consultant for a Kennedy-appointed committee that recently voted to stop recommending a dose of hepatitis B vaccine for all U.S. newborns.

The study is to begin early next year in Guinea-Bissau, an impoverished West African nation where hepatitis B infection is common. The researchers are funded for five years to study 14,000 newborns.

It’s to be a randomized controlled trial, with some infants given the hepatitis B vaccine at birth and some not. Children will be tracked for death, illness and long-term developmental outcomes.

Most of the children will be followed for less than two years to look for side effects, but the first 500 enrolled will be followed for five years to look for behavior and brain development problems. There is no placebo involved, according to a copy of the study protocol prepared earlier this year that was obtained by the AP.

Hepatitis B can be passed from an infected mother to a baby. It also can be spread by other infected people a baby comes in contact with.

Research and widespread medical consensus holds that the hepatitis B vaccine protects newborns, so withholding it from some babies — in this case, Black babies — has raised ethical alarms.

Medical evidence is clear that the vaccine protects infants from developing liver disease and an early death. The well-documented infection risk far outweighs hypothetical concerns about side effects, said Dr. Boghuma K. Titanji, an Emory University infectious diseases doctor.

She called the study “unconscionable,” and said it likely will exacerbate existing vaccine hesitancy in Africa and elsewhere.

“There’s so much potential for this to be a harmful study,” said Titanji, who is from Cameroon.

Benn did not respond to an email seeking comment about the proposal. An automatic response said she is out of the office until early January.

But, in a statement, the research team said the study “will be the first and likely the only one of its kind.”

They said it takes advantage of an unusual window of opportunity: Guinea-Bissau doesn’t currently recommended a birth dose of the hep B vaccine, but the nation will be implementing universal vaccination of newborns in 2027.

Vaccine skeptics and opponents have suggested that all the vaccine’s possible side effects were inadequately studied before the CDC began recommending it for newborns in 1991. Public health experts counter that over more than three decades no serious side effect has been documented.

The award is highly unusual. The CDC did not announce a research funding opportunity and invite proposals.

The proposal was unsolicited and the award did not go through customary review, said a CDC official with knowledge of the decision. Department of Health and Human Services officials told CDC officials to approve it and said HHS would provide special funding for it, the CDC official said.

In private communications channels, CDC staffers were expressing outrage about the award, said the official, who is not authorized to talk about it and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Some of those CDC scientists have compared the work to the infamous Tuskegee Study, which the agency oversaw in its later stages. In that decades-long study, health workers withheld treatment from unsuspecting Black men infected with syphilis so doctors could track the horrible ravages of the disease.

Like Tuskegee, this study involves the prospect of researchers watching people grow ill when a medical intervention could have kept them healthy, Titanji echoed.

“It is an apt comparison,” she said.

The new study’s researchers say the trial was approved by a national ethics committee in Guinea-Bissau. But it did not undergo a customary ethics review within the CDC, the agency official told the AP.

In a statement, HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said “we will ensure the highest scientific and ethical standards are met.”

Public health scientists noted questions have been raised in the past about research led by Benn and her husband, Peter Aaby, in their Bandim Health Project.

Other Danish researchers who reviewed Aaby and Benn’s work have described questionable research practices. Earlier this year, former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden wrote an editorial calling a 2017 study co-authored by Aaby and Benn “fundamentally flawed.”

Several researchers had harsh words about the latest award.

“Aaby and Benn are doing the Guinea-Bissau HBV vaccine depravation trial,” Carl Bergstrom, a University of Washington evolutionary biologist, wrote in a post on Bluesky. “Did RFK Jr. just call up the first name in the antivax yellow pages?”

Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virus expert at the University of Saskatchewan, said Kennedy was giving taxpayers’ money to his “cronies” for a “grossly unethical study that will expose African babies to hep B for no reason.”

UN’s Grim Week: 6 Peacekeepers and an Interpreter Killed, While 10 More Staffers Detained in Yemen

United National Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during an event to mark the end of the U.N. political mission, in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

By EDITH M. LEDERER

4:50 PM EST, December 19, 2025

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — It’s been a grim week at the end of a tough year for the United Nations: Six U.N. peacekeepers were killed in a drone attack in Sudan. A U.N. interpreter died while in the custody of South Sudan’s security personnel. And 10 more U.N. staff were detained by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

“It’s a very worrying trend,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Friday. “We see all too often that the U.N. flag — the U.N. emblem — no longer offers the protection that it should to our colleagues.”

As examples, he pointed to more than 300 U.N. staff members killed during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, almost all of them Palestinians, and over 300 personnel killed during the 10-year U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali. The deadliest in the world, that mission ended in December 2023.

“U.N. personnel, whether they are humanitarian, whether they are peacekeepers, whether they’re political envoys, are there for peace,” Dujarric said. “They are there for the people. They need to be respected.”

The U.N. Security Council on Friday condemned “the heinous and deliberate” drone attack on a U.N. logistics base in war-torn Sudan’s South Kordofan region on Dec. 13 that killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers and injured nine others.

The U.N.’s most powerful body said the attack represents “an egregious disregard for international law.” It called for a swift investigation and for those responsible to be brought to justice, reiterating that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes.

In what Dujarric called another shocking development, the spokesman said the United Nations condemned the killing of an interpreter working for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in South Sudan who was taken from a U.N. vehicle on Monday by local security forces.

The U.N. mission was engaging with South Sudanese authorities to gain his release when it was informed that he died in custody, Dujarric said.

Saninto Udol, a South Sudanese police spokesman, said Army Lt. Lino Mariak Chol and two other soldiers were arrested after admitting to the killing of Bol Roch Mayol and disclosing the whereabouts of his body. It was found in a residential area Thursday, Udol said.

Mayol, a South Sudanese national who had worked for the U.N. mission since its inception in 2011, was taken from a U.N. vehicle by five South Sudanese soldiers following a routine patrol to a displacement camp on the outskirts of the northern town of Wau. Mayol’s U.N. vehicle had stopped on the side of a road after getting a flat tire, Udol said.

The U.N. called for those responsible to be held accountable, Dujarric said.

The United Nations also had another piece of “untenable” news: Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who control the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north, detained 10 more U.N. staffers Thursday, bringing the total number being held to 69.

“Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns their arbitrary detention, calls for their immediate and unconditional release along with dozens of other detainees from nongovernmental organizations, civil society and diplomatic missions,” Dujarric said.

Guterres also demanded that charges against three U.N. staffers who were recently referred to a Houthi special criminal court be dropped.

The court in late November convicted 17 people of spying for foreign governments, part of a yearslong Houthi crackdown on Yemeni staffers working for foreign organizations.

___

Associated Press writer Joseph Falzetta in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this report.

Military Coups and Neo-Colonial Threats in West Africa

Guinea-Bissau and Benin are latest states to experience military interventions

By Abayomi Azikiwe

Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Thursday December 18, 2025

Geopolitical Analysis

There have been two incidents which are said to have been military coups in Guinea-Bissau and yet another failed putsch in Benin. 

Both military interventions have been linked to an ongoing electoral process in Guinea-Bissau and an upcoming vote for the presidency of Benin in 2026.

In regard to Guinea-Bissau, the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had condemned the military takeover and is demanding the immediate return to civilian rule inside the country. This military arrangement has been rejected by the opposition parties in Guinea-Bissau who were contesting the elections for the presidency when a change of government was announced on November 26. 

The incumbent president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, was said to have fled Bissau in the aftermath of the announcement of a seizure of power by General Horta N’Tam the head of the presidential protection unit who announced that there was a transitional program adopted by the coup makers which would last for one year. Initially, the president went to neighboring Senegal where Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko publicly doubted the veracity of the political narrative of the ousted head-of-state.

Later it was reported that Umaro Sissoco Embalo had left Senegal for Congo-Brazzaville. Nonetheless, opposition forces in Guinea-Bissau and throughout the region have accused the authorities in the country of “staging a coup” in order to prevent the Madem G15 party administration from facing electoral defeat.

Leading up to the elections, former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, was banned from standing for the presidential elections on behalf of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). The PAIGC is the party of Amilcar Cabral, the political and military architect of the liberation struggle during the 1950s through the 1970s. 

The PAIGC candidate was detained after the coup along with Fernando Dias da Costa of the Party for Social Renewal. This candidate was endorsed by the PAIGC after its organization was banned. 

Several days after control of the government was taken over by what was described as the High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order, it was reported in several news sources that the ballots from the national elections had been stolen by armed individuals. These events have raised serious questions about the character of the new government and its relationship to the former president. Guinea-Bissau for many years has been an alleged transit point for narcotics trafficking from South America into Western Europe. Obviously, the civilian government and allied military forces were committed to preventing the opposition parties from taking control of the state.

Coup Opposed by African Union (AU)

A declaration issued by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia called for the resumption of what they described as democratic control in Guinea Bissau. The actions of the military rebels were in defiance of the AU charter along with that of ECOWAS.

This statement by the AU-PSC stressed that the body;

“Directs the AU Commission, in close cooperation with ECOWAS, the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) and all other international development partners to provide the requisite support to Guinea-Bissau to ensure a swift return to constitutional order, including national dialogues and reform of government institutions towards establishing national unity for peaceful resolution of the crisis in the country. Calls on the leaders of the coup to guarantee the safety and facilitate the evacuation and safe passage of all AU Election Observers and all other international election observers. Supports the strengthening of the ECOWAS Stabilization Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau to continue to protect state institutions and prevent further violence. Requests the AU Post-Conflict, Reconstruction and Development Center in Cairo in collaboration with the UN peacebuilding institutions to engage with the relevant institutions in Guinea-Bissau to provide support on development activities in order to prevent the country from further relapses into political crises.” (https://www.peaceau.org/en/article/communique-of-the-1315th-meeting-emergency-of-the-peace-and-security-council-held-on-28-november-2025-on-the-consideration-of-the-emergency-situation-in-guinea-bissau)

Yet, the government in Senegal, also a member of the AU and ECOWAS as is Guinea-Bissau, seems to be taking a more nuanced approach to the military coup. Senegal elected a new youthful government during 2024 and since that time period has been attempting to reshape its domestic and international image. 

Senegal did not join the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) which has broken military and economic ties with France. In the case of Niger, a thousand Pentagon troops were forced to leave their posts and to dismantle the drone stations operating inside the uranium-rich state in West Africa. 

In a report published by the African Press Agency (APA) it says of the Senegalese position:

“Senegal is adopting a ‘realistic and moderate’ approach to the ongoing crisis in Guinea-Bissau, even as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) maintains a firmer demand for an immediate return to constitutional order. Speaking on TFM radio on Tuesday, Senegalese Minister of African Integration and Foreign Affairs, Cheikh Niang, outlined Dakar’s strategy. While condemning the recent coup and calling for the restoration of the electoral process, Niang emphasized that Senegal is willing to work within the reality of the military’s proposed timeline.” (https://apanews.net/dakar-prioritizes-pragmatism-flexibility-in-guinea-bissau-crisis/)

In taking what appears to be contradictory positions on the Guinea-Bissau political crisis does not bode well for the imperatives of developing a coherent path from military to civilian rule in West Africa. Although the ideal enunciated by the AU and ECOWAS often evokes the upholding of democratic processes, in many cases those administrations which are elected violate their own constitutions and democratic norms to remain in power. 

Benin Coup Reversed with Nigeria, ECOWAS and French Assistance

On Sunday December 7, there was an attempted coup in the Republic of Benin. The military intervention was announced by the coup makers over national television.

This coup was led by a high-ranking military officer Lt.-Col. Pascal Tigri of the protection forces close to President Patrice Talon. After going on national television to announce the coup, Nigerian Air Force jets carried out strikes against the positions of the coup makers as well as a leading military base near the commercial center of Cotonou. 

There were also reports of the involvement of Ivory Coast and French special forces in the operation which reimposed President Talon. This military action was carried out under the rubric of the ECOWAS Standby Forces. The plan which was enacted in Benin was similar to what had been projected after the CNSP Revolution in neighboring Niger during July-August 2023. 

During that period, the Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, the then chair of ECOWAS, was not able to gain consensus from his ruling party, the All-Progressives Congress (APC) which controlled the Senate. Other political forces were mobilized against a prospective ECOWAS intervention inside of Nigeria and other regional states.

However, during the immediate aftermath of the seizure of power by Lt.-Col. Tigri, it appears as if no public discussions were held over the veracity of a military operation to reinstall Talon with the assistance of other ECOWAS states along with the former colonial power of France, which has come under severe criticism in recent years. ECOWAS within its charter does have provisions for the restoration of civilian governments within its member-states. This has been done in past decades in Gambia, Sierra Leone and Liberia. 

The Communist Party of Benin (PCB) issued a statement after the attempted coup which denounced the military usurpation of political power while questioning the intervention of Nigeria, the ECOWAS forces which bolstered the French military troops already occupying the country. This opposition party pointed to the conditions inside Benin which underline the discontent among elements within the military.

An article published by Sahara Reports says of the position of the PCB:

“The PCB sharply criticized the reported involvement of French forces and Nigerian military assets in neutralizing the coup attempt. Citing unverified information, the party claimed that French President, Emmanuel Macron, requested Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to intervene under the banner of ECOWAS, with Nigerian fighter jets supporting French troops on the ground. The party alleged that additional Nigerian ground forces entered through the Sèmè border to reinforce the operation. ‘This event is extremely serious. It is an insult and humiliation to the political and military institutions of our country, the PCB said. It represents the placement of our country under supervision, a pure and simple transformation of Benin into a French colony. The PCB reiterated its longstanding stance that Benin’s internal issues should be resolved domestically without foreign interference.’” (https://saharareporters.com/2025/12/08/coup-plot-communist-party-benin-condemns-nigeria-frances-military-intervention-blames)

These instances of military interventions must be analyzed from an anti-imperialist and proletarian internationalist perspective related to the character of both the civilian and defense interests within these respective states. The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) consisting of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger is led by military administrations. 

Yet, these governments have signed the Liptako-Gourma Charter which units the three states economically, politically and militarily. Whether African governments are purportedly civilian, military or a combination of both, the focus should be on building genuine independence through the empowerment of the workers, farmers and youth. 

Burkina Faso Releases Nigerian Air Force Crew Detained After Emergency Landing

By DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN

10:00 AM EST, December 18, 2025

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Burkina Faso on Wednesday released 11 Nigerian Air Force personnel who were detained more than a week ago after their aircraft made an emergency landing, Nigeria’s foreign minister said.

“Through sustained dialogue, we also resolved the matter concerning Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew, reaffirming the effectiveness of diplomacy in addressing sensitive issues,” Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar said Thursday in a statement on X.

Burkina Faso’s military junta, led by Ibrahim Traoré, released the personnel after meetings with a Nigerian delegation led by Tuggar, the statement said.

The personnel detained on Dec. 8 included two flight crew members and nine passengers, officials said.

“Matters have been resolved,” Alkasim Abdulkadir, a spokesperson for Tuggar, told The Associated Press. “They are no longer detained.”

Nigeria and Burkina Faso agreed to hold regular consultations and pursue steps to deepen bilateral cooperation and regional integration, Abdulkadir said.

The Nigerian Air Force said last week that the aircraft was headed to Portugal for scheduled maintenance when it made the emergency landing in western Burkina Faso. The air force said the landing was done in accordance with international guidelines and standard safety procedures.

But Foreign Minister Tuggar said Wednesday in a televised speech on Burkina Faso’s state broadcaster that there were “irregularities concerning the overflight authorizations” and apologized for the incident.

The emergency landing had prompted the Alliance of Sahel States to place its air and anti-air defenses on maximum alert with authorization “to neutralize any aircraft that violates the confederation’s airspace,” according to a statement by Gen. Assimi Goita, leader of Mali’s military junta. The alliance includes Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

The crew will now fly the aircraft to Portugal for the scheduled maintenance, Nigerian foreign ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa said Thursday.

The emergency landing occurred at a time of fractured relations between the Alliance of Sahel States and Nigeria, which was involved in intervention efforts that helped reverse a short-lived coup earlier this month in Benin, where the Nigerian Air Force conducted airstrikes targeting the coup plotters. Burkina Faso is on the northwest border of Benin, and Nigeria is on Benin’s eastern border.

Nigeria is among 15 members of West Africa’s regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formed the Sahel alliance after withdrawing from ECOWAS, which the alliance accuses of inhumane, coup-related sanctions and working against the interests of citizens in alliance countries.

Sudanese Paramilitary Group RSF Killed More Than 1,000 Civilians in Zamzam Camp in April, UN Says

By FAY ABUELGASIM

10:35 AM EST, December 18, 2025

CAIRO (AP) — More than 1,000 civilians were killed in a three-day attack by the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group earlier this year on the largest displacement camp in western Sudan, the U.N. Human Rights Office said in a report released Thursday.

RSF stormed Zamzam camp in April as part of its siege of the city of el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur province.

In the attack, hundreds of people were summarily executed, according to the report. People were killed in house-to-house raids and the main market, as well as in schools and health facilities. The report detailed patterns of sexual violence, “including rape and gang rape, and sexual slavery.”

The report called it “a consistent pattern of serious violations of international humanitarian law and gross abuses of international human rights law.” It comes a few weeks after Amnesty International accused the RSF of committing war crimes in their attack of the camp.

Zamzam was the largest displacement camp in Sudan with more than 500,000 people there prior to the April attacks. RSF blocked entry of food and other essential goods to the Zamzam camp for months prior to the attack, the U.N. report says.

Zamzam camp was established in 2004 to house people driven from their homes by attacks by the Sudanese Janjaweed militia. Located just south of el-Fasher, it swelled over the years to cover an area 8 kilometers (5 miles) long by about 3 kilometers (2 miles) wide.

RSF has been at war with the Sudanese military since April 2023. The conflict has killed 40,000 people — though some rights groups say the death toll is significantly higher — and has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis with more than 14 million people displaced. Many areas have experienced famine, including at the Zamzam camp.

“The findings contained in this report are yet another stark reminder of the need for prompt action to end the cycles of atrocities and violence, and to ensure accountability and reparations for victims,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said.

Türk warned that the patterns of violence in Zamzam are now being repeated in el-Fasher as RSF took over the city.

“These horrific patterns of violations — committed with impunity — are consistent with what my office has repeatedly documented, including during the RSF takeover of el-Fasher in late October,” Türk said.

Separately, Sudan’s top general met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo Thursday amid growing pressure to resolve the war in Sudan.

Burhan’s meeting with el-Sissi came after the Sudanese general held talks with Saudi officials in Riyadh earlier this week. U.S. envoy Massad Boulos was also in Riyadh at the same time and met with Saudi officials. There was no public announcement that Burhan met with the American official.

Boulos said on X Wednesday after meeting with Saudi officials, including Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, there was an agreement with Saudi Arabia on practical steps “toward a humanitarian truce, durable stability, and expanded humanitarian access and assistance for the Sudanese people.”

Both the United States and Saudi Arabia are mediators, part of a group known as the Quad along with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Burhan had previously rejected a ceasefire proposal in November, calling it unacceptable and “the worst yet” — and accused the mediators of being “biased” in their efforts to end the war.

In a statement after the meeting, the Egyptian presidency affirmed its support for Sudan, but also rejected “the establishment of any parallel entities or their recognition, considering this a violation of Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity,” adding that there are “red lines” that can’t be crossed. RSF announced a parallel government in July called the Tasis Alliance.

The statement also said that Egypt affirms “its full right to take all necessary measures and actions guaranteed by international law and the Joint Defense Agreement between the two brotherly countries to ensure that these red lines are not violated or crossed.”

The fighting is now concentrated in the south, mostly in the oil-rich Kordofan states. The Sudan Doctors’ Network, a group of medical professionals tracking the war, said Thursday that 16 people have been killed in the last 48 hours by artillery shelling of the besieged town of Dilling, South Kordofan, where there is now risk of famine. The group blames RSF and allied groups for the attack, calling it a flagrant violation of international law and called for international on the group to stop the attacks.

Kenya’s Environment Court to Consider a Claim that a Lux Safari Camp Was Harming Wildebeests Routes

Umbrella acacia trees, one of the most recognizable trees of the African Savanna, appear in the Masai Mara national reserve in southern Kenya, May 27, 2025. (John Dowling via AP)

Umbrella acacia trees, one of the most recognizable trees of the African Savanna, appear in the Masai Mara national reserve in southern Kenya, May 27, 2025. (John Dowling via AP)

11:55 AM EST, December 18, 2025

NAROK, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s environment court said Thursday it will consider a case challenging the operations of a luxury safari camp in the Maasai Mara reserve amid claims it was infringing on the annual wildebeest migration corridor.

The decision came after a local conservationist, who had initially filed the suit, moved to withdraw it. The court dismissed the motion for withdrawal said it would take up the case again on Feb. 10 and decide how to proceed.

The case was filed in August following local and international condemnation over claims the location of the Ritz-Carlton Maasai Mara Camp was blocking the annual wildebeest migration, which draws thousands of tourists from around the world.

The luxury camp, operated by Marriott International, is expected to be among Kenya’s most expensive destinations, charging guests up to $3,500 per night.

The Maasai Mara National Reserve is home to several other luxury camps that provide tourists with an opportunity to be up close with wildebeests during their annual migration to the neighboring Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

Judge Lucy Gacheru of the Environment and Land Court said that although the law allows a petitioner to withdraw a case, it is at the judiciary’s discretion whether the case should be thrown out and that, in this instance, the serious environmental impact issues raised were of significant public interest.

The Kenyan conservationist, Joel Meitamei Olol Dapash, filed the withdrawal motion on Wednesday, stating that his concerns had been addressed after consultation with the parties involved.

However, the project developers, Lazizi Mara Limited, asked the court to reject the withdrawal, stating that despite their compliance with all regulatory and statutory requirements, the developer had been portrayed negatively and should be allowed a fair hearing in a court of law.

Maryland to Consider Slavery Reparations After Gov. Wes Moore’s Veto is Overridden

By BRIAN WITTE

5:32 PM EST, December 16, 2025

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland will create a commission to study potential reparations for slavery after lawmakers voted Tuesday to override a veto by Gov. Wes Moore — currently the nation’s only Black governor — that disappointed many fellow Democrats.

Moore said in his veto letter in May that it was a difficult decision to veto the bill, which was a priority of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. But he wrote there has been enough study of the legacy of slavery, and it was now time to “focus on the work itself” to address it.

But Democrats who control both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly decided the commission was needed to better examine how to do that.

“This topic isn’t easy, but, again, without formal study, reparations risk being dismissed as symbolic or unconstitutional, regardless of moral merit,” said Sen. Charles Sydnor, a Democrat.

After his veto was overridden, Moore said that while he disagrees with the legislature’s decision, “I am eager to move forward in partnership on the work of repair that we all agree is an urgent and pressing need.”

“I believe the time for action is now -– and we must continue moving forward with the work of repair immediately,” Moore said in a statement. “That mission is especially vital given the immediate and ongoing effects of this federal administration on our constituents, including communities that have been historically left behind.”

Potential reparations outlined in the bill include official statements of apology, monetary compensation, property tax rebates, social service assistance, as well as licensing and permit fee waivers and reimbursement. Reparations also could include assistance with making a down payment on a home, business incentives, childcare, debt forgiveness and tuition payment waivers for higher education.

Maryland’s Black population is about 30%, the highest percentage of any state outside of the Deep South.

Support for reparations gained momentum in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. However, the issue has been a difficult one, particularly for high-profile Democrats, and comes amid a broader conservative backlash over how race, history and inequality are handled in public institutions.

“At a time of growing attacks on diversity and equity, today’s action reaffirms our shared commitment to truth-telling, accountability, and meaningful progress for Black Marylanders,” the state’s Legislative Black Caucus said in a statement.

In October, California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered a mixed bag for proponents of bills aimed at addressing racist and discriminatory policies against African Americans. He signed a law authorizing $6 million for California State University to study how to confirm an individual’s status as a descendant of an enslaved person. But he vetoed other bills the California Legislative Black Caucus championed as tools to atone for the state’s history.

Newsom, who is considering running for president in 2028, signed a law last year to formally apologize for slavery and its lingering effects on Black Californians.

Moore has said he is not planning to run for president in 2028, but he has continued to cultivate a national profile that has drawn pundits’ attention as a potential White House contender.

New York City lawmakers approved legislation last year to study the city’s significant role in slavery and consider reparations to descendants of enslaved people.

In 2021, Evanston, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, became the first U.S. city to create a reparations plan for its Black residents, using tax revenue from the sale of recreational marijuana.

As recently as a few years ago, Americans viewed the prospect of reparations mostly negatively. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2021 found that only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults said descendants of people enslaved in the U.S. should be repaid in some way, such as given land or money. About 7 in 10 said these descendants should not be repaid.

Maryland lawmakers did not take up congressional redistricting in their one-day special session. Moore has expressed interest in pursuing a new map, which could come up when lawmakers convene in January for their annual 90-day session. However, the state Senate president has said he doesn’t support moving forward with a new map. Democrats hold a 7-1 advantage over Republicans in the state’s eight congressional districts.

Western Military Presence in Ukraine in Any Format Unacceptable for Russia — MFA

Maria Zakharova stated that such pseudo-peacekeepers would become legitimate targets for the Russian army

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

© Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. The deployment of Western military personnel in Ukraine "under any guise and in any format" is unacceptable for Russia, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated at a briefing.

Earlier, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the so-called coalition of the willing has completed preparations for plans to deploy troops in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

"The deployment of Western troops on Ukrainian territory under any guise and in any format remains unacceptable for us. We have repeatedly stated that such pseudo-peacekeepers will become legitimate targets for the Russian army," the diplomat noted.

Zakharova referred to the corresponding group of individuals as a "coalition of warmongers," whose activities only cause bewilderment. "Instead of focusing on finding options for settling the crisis, given that they were all talking about peace, and doing so while taking into account the interests of all parties involved in the conflict, the countries belonging to this very coalition are essentially developing plans for the occupation of Ukraine," she concluded.

Russian Troops Strike Ukrainian Army’s Energy Infrastructure Over Past Day

According to the latest figures, Kiev loses 1,405 troops along engagement line in past day

© Alexander Reka/TASS

MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Russian troops struck energy infrastructure used by the Ukrainian army and enemy deployment areas over the past 24 hours in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.

"Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck energy infrastructure facilities used to support the Ukrainian army’s operations, workshops for the assembly of long-range attack unmanned aerial vehicles and their storage sites, and also temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 149 locations," the ministry said in a statement.

Kiev loses 1,405 troops along engagement line in past day - latest figures

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,405 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours, according to the latest data on the special military operation in Ukraine released by Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The latest figures show that the Ukrainian army lost roughly 150 troops and an armored combat vehicle in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup North, about 200 troops, a US-made armored personnel carrier and two Turkish-made armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup West and over 195 troops and four armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup South.

During the last 24-hour period, the Ukrainian army also lost over 545 troops and five armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup Center, roughly 245 troops and four armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup East and about 70 troops and two artillery systems in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup Dnepr, the latest figures show.

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicts 150 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted roughly 150 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy armored combat vehicle in its areas of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup North units inflicted losses on formations of a jaeger brigade of the Ukrainian army and a National Guard regiment in areas near the settlements of Alekseyevka, Ryzhevka, Varachino and Shostka in the Sumy Region," the ministry said.

In the Kharkov direction, Battlegroup North units inflicted losses on formations of two mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Prilipka, Vilcha, Stary Saltov, Veliky Burluk and Volchanskiye Khutora in the Kharkov Region, the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 150 personnel, an armored combat vehicle, eight motor vehicles, two artillery guns, two electronic warfare stations and an Israeli-made RADA radar station in those frontline areas over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts 200 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 200 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed a US-made armored personnel carrier and two Turkish-made armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup West units inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of a mechanized brigade, an assault brigade of the Ukrainian army and a National Guard brigade in areas near the settlements of Blagodatovka, Podoly, Kovsharovka, Boguslavka, Kupyansk-Uzlovoi and Nechvolodovka in the Kharkov Region and Krasny Liman in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 200 personnel, a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, two Turkish-made Cobra armored combat vehicles, 13 motor vehicles and two electronic warfare stations in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed two ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicts over 195 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted more than 195 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup South units gained better lines and positions and inflicted losses on formations of two mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade, two mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade and a National Guard brigade in areas near the settlements of Reznikovka, Zakotnoye, Kirovo, Minkovka, Konstantinovka and Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 195 personnel, four armored combat vehicles, 14 motor vehicles, three field artillery guns, among them two US-made 155mm M777 howitzers and two electronic warfare stations in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed three ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.

Battlegroup Center units thwart Ukrainian army’s attempt to break through to Krasnoarmeysk

Russia’s Battlegroup Center units thwarted the Ukrainian army’s attempt to break through towards Krasnoarmeysk and continued destroying enemy forces in Dimitrov in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Center units continued destroying the surrounded enemy in the neighborhoods Vostochny and Zapadny in the city of Dimitrov in the Donetsk People’s Republic. They kept mopping up the settlements of Rodinskoye and Svetloye in the Donetsk People’s Republic of scattered Ukrainian army groups," the ministry said.

During the last 24-hour period, Battlegroup Center units "thwarted attempts by Ukrainian assault groups to break through to the northern outskirts of the industrial zone of Krasnoarmeysk in the Donetsk People’s Republic from Shevchenko across forest belts. A total of 42 militants and 14 items of military equipment were destroyed," the ministry reported.

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicts over 545 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted more than 545 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed five enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Center units inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of a mechanized brigade, an airmobile brigade, an infantry brigade, an air assault brigade, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade, two National Guard brigades and the Azov special operations brigade [outlawed as a terrorist group in Russia] in areas near the settlements of Kutuzovka, Sergeyevka, Grishino, Volnoye, Toretskoye and Belitskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Novopavlovka and Novopodgorodnoye in the Dnepropetrovsk Region," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 545 personnel, five armored combat vehicles, 10 motor vehicles and two artillery guns in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicts 245 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted roughly 245 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup East units kept advancing deep into the enemy’s defenses and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of an assault brigade, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Andreyevka and Gavrilovka in the Dnepropetrovsk Region, Gulyaipole and Kosovtsevo in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 245 personnel, four armored combat vehicles, 12 motor vehicles and three materiel depots in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr eliminates 70 Ukrainian troops in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr eliminated roughly 70 Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy artillery systems in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Dnepr units inflicted losses on formations of a mountain assault brigade and a coastal defense brigade of the Ukrainian army in areas near the settlements of Tyaginka, Nikolskoye and Dneprovskoye in the Kherson Region," the ministry said.

"Up to 70 Ukrainian military personnel, 21 motor vehicles, two field artillery guns, including a US-made 155mm M777 howitzer and two materiel depots were destroyed," the ministry said.

Russian air defenses intercept 216 Ukrainian UAVs over past day

Russian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 216 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

"Air defense capabilities shot down 216 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said.

Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 669 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 283 helicopters, 103,758 unmanned aerial vehicles, 640 surface-to-air missile systems, 26,591 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,633 multiple rocket launchers, 31,994 field artillery guns and mortars and 49,358 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.

Euro Democracy in US Crosshairs, Meddling Threat in Russian Elections: Lavrov Statements

The Russian foreign minister said that the US had sent a strong signal to Europe criticizing the democracy "that is practiced in Europe"

© Sergey Karpukhin/TASS

MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. The West may try to influence the 2026 elections to the State Duma, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a meeting of the United Russia general council commission on international cooperation, according to the speech published on the Foreign Ministry’s website.

He also said that the US had sent a strong signal to Europe criticizing the democracy "that is practiced in Europe."

TASS collected the main statements of the foreign Minister.

On possible elections in Ukraine

The statement by American leader Donald Trump about the need for presidential elections in Ukraine raises the question of how the West will "orchestrate" them: "Just a a reminder: the people have already elected you for a certain term, don’t overstay your welcome, it’s the people who should decide on this via election."

On democracy as it exists in Europe

The fact that the United States is no longer on board with democracy "as it is understood in Europe" is a "strong signal."

The statements by chief of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas that the EU will help Armenia in the same way "it did in Moldova" are a "confession": "A sincere confession, full confession."

The "directness" of the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who called on the United States not to interfere in "European democracy" is striking, especially against the background of what is happening in Romania and Moldova.

On the threat of meddling in the elections to the State Duma

The West may try to influence the 2026 elections to the State Duma: "We should have no illusions, and we must be prepared for this. And, of course, we will be ready."

Russia is "the special target" of Western geopolitical "engineers" wanting to sway the electoral process.

The West used artificial intelligence against Russia in the presidential elections: "Since they're not so smart themselves, they probably have to rely on the achievements of modern technology in such matters."

Resuming Nuclear Tests, NATO Threat: What Russia's Military Chief of Staff Said

The North Atlantic Alliance, under the pretext of a so-called Russian military threat, has "significantly increased" its military presence near Russia’s borders

Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Russia’s First Deputy Defence Minister Valery Gerasimov Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

© Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Russia strictly adheres to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, but it will take appropriate action if the United States resumes testing, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Army General Valery Gerasimov told a briefing for foreign military attaches.

He also said that the North Atlantic Alliance, under the pretext of the so-called Russian military threat, has "significantly increased" its military presence near Russian borders.

TASS has compiled the key statements by the head of the General Staff.

On the situation in the free zone

The Russian army "has seized and firmly holds the strategic initiative."

The Russian army in Ukraine is "up against the economic and military might of the collective West."

On the NATO threat

The North Atlantic Alliance, under the pretext of a so-called Russian military threat, has "significantly increased" its military presence near Russia’s borders.

During the Defender Europe military exercises, NATO deployed "significant contingents of troops" to the Russian frontier.

It’s the collective West which is taking a threatening position, as it keeps on with its goal of "inflicting strategic defeat on Russia during its special military operation through comprehensive support for Ukraine's military potential."

The growing NATO military potential and its activity near Russian borders poses a "long-term challenge" to the interests of the country.

On the nuclear sphere

The share of modern weapons in the strategic nuclear forces currently stands at 92%.

Russia strictly adheres to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, but if the United States resumes testing, "appropriate retaliatory measures will follow."

On global security

The "complete collapse of the arms control system" would certainly have an impact on global security.

The United States has not yet responded to Russia's initiative to adhere to the limitations of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START Treaty) for a year after its completion.

The New START Treaty is nominally in effect, and after its expiration in February "there will be no restrictions in this area."

On the failure of attempts to make Russia a pariah

The West has again failed to isolate Russia: "More and more states share Russia's views on the formation of a multipolar architecture of international relations, and they also understand the true causes and goals of the special military operation.".

Intelligence Services Remain ‘Almost Sole’ Link Between Russia, Europe — SVR

Responding to a question about whether the Russian side observes more common sense in the approaches of European countries’ intelligence services than in the activities of their politicians, Sergey Naryshkin noted that "the approaches of intelligence services generally align with the policies of their states"

Director of Russian Foreign Intelligence Service of Sergey Naryshkin Valeria Kalugina/TASS

© Valeria Kalugina/TASS

MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. These days, nearly the only communication Russia and Europe have is between intelligence services, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergey Naryshkin said in an interview with TASS.

Responding to a question about whether the Russian side observes more common sense in the approaches of European countries’ intelligence services than in the activities of their politicians, Naryshkin noted that "the approaches of intelligence services generally align with the policies of their states."

"But given the non-existent state of diplomatic relations due to current circumstances, the partner channel is almost the sole link of interaction between states," he emphasized.

Naryshkin added that the corresponding channel "operates with different countries, with different intelligence services, to varying extents, depending on the level of interstate relations, depending on the tasks facing each special service.".

Kremlin Warns About Consequences for Masterminds, Perpetrators of Russian Asset Seizure

"Those who made decisions collectively, those who made decisions individually and those who put them into practice will all bear responsibility," Dmitry Peskov said

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS

© Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS

MOSCOW, November 19. /TASS/. Expropriation of Russian assets will not be left unpunished for its masterminds and perpetrators, and Moscow will use all the available international law mechanisms to punish them, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

"We have repeatedly said that all actions, related to expropriations of Russian assets, will not be left unanswered. Those who made decisions collectively, those who made decisions individually and those who put them into practice will all bear responsibility," he said.

"To that end, all possible legal mechanisms will be used," the Kremlin spokesman added.

Seven Killed in SPLM-N Shelling on Dilling, South Kordofan

17 December 2025

A building destroyed by shelling in Dilling, South Kordofan, Sudan, October 11, 2025.

December 17, 2025 (DILLING) – At least seven people were killed and dozens injured on Wednesday when the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) launched heavy artillery fire at Dilling in South Kordofan state, local sources said.

The shelling, described as the most intense in recent months, targeted western neighbourhoods of South Kordofan’s second-largest city, sparking widespread panic. In response, local authorities closed the main market, schools, and government offices, and banned public gatherings until further notice.

Dilling has been under a dual siege since the early stages of Sudan’s conflict. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) control access from the north and east, blocking aid and trade convoys. To the west and south, the Abdel Aziz al-Hilu-led SPLM-N enforces a blockade, restricting the movement of essential goods such as maize and flour, which it classifies as strategic materials.

The escalation follows a pattern of increased artillery and drone strikes by both the RSF and SPLM-N against the city, worsening a precarious humanitarian situation.

In a separate incident on Tuesday, an RSF drone strike killed at least six displaced people on the outskirts of al-Kargal, a source said. The victims were part of a group travelling from the state capital, Kadugli, toward Dilling.

Intelligence reports suggest the SPLM-N is mobilizing fighters near the towns of Al-Samasim and Al-Kargal. The movements indicate an attempt to sever the road connecting Kadugli and Dilling, which the Sudanese army had reopened in February. Such a move would further isolate the state’s main urban centres.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported a new wave of displacement across South Kordofan due to the fighting. According to the IOM, 825 people have fled Gadeer, 455 have left Dilling, and hundreds more have escaped Kadugli and Al-Kuweik. Many of the displaced are heading toward North Kordofan, White Nile state, and Khartoum.

Sudan Political Groups, Rebel Faction Sign Anti-war Declaration in Nairobi

17 December 2025

The signatories of the anti-war declaration hold a press conference in Nairobi on Dec 16, 2025

December 16, 2025 (NAIROBI) – Sudanese political groups and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur signed a declaration in Nairobi on Tuesday outlining shared principles to end the war and rebuild the country, organisers said.

The document, titled the Declaration of Principles for Building a New Homeland, also aligns the signatories behind a separate memorandum calling for the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Islamic Movement to be designated as terrorist organisations.

Signatories to the declaration include the Sudan Liberation Movement, the Sudanese Congress Party, the Federal Gathering, the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party (Original), the National Umma Party, the SPLM – Democratic Revolutionary Current, the National Ba’ath Party, the Sudanese Alliance and the Republican Party.

Several civilian groups also signed the declaration and memorandum, including the Coordination of the Displaced and Refugees, the Darfur Bar Association, the Alliance of Civilian Forces for Eastern Sudan, and the Coordination of Professionals and Trade Unions. Former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and journalist al-Haj Warraq were among the prominent individuals who endorsed the documents.

The declaration stresses Sudan’s unity and sovereignty, rejects a military solution to the conflict and calls for an immediate three-month ceasefire linked to humanitarian and political tracks. It also calls for excluding the Islamic Movement and its allies from the political process, rebuilding state institutions and establishing a single professional national army.

The document further calls for Sudan to contribute to regional security, ensure the safety of the Red Sea and combat terrorism.

Wagdi Salih, a senior figure in the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, said at a press conference that the declaration and the memorandum were intended to unify civil and political forces behind demands for a ceasefire and an end to the war.

Asked why the memorandum did not call for designating the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a terrorist organisation, Salih told Al Jazeera TV that the RSF was not a political party, while the NCP bore responsibility for decades of abuses during its rule.

Mohamed al-Nayer, a spokesman for the SLM, said the declaration was an important step at a critical moment for the country. He told Sudan Tribune that the move could help unify anti-war civilian forces and mobilise pressure at local, regional and international levels against the NCP and the Islamic Movement.

He said the Islamic Movement should be designated a terrorist organisation based on what he described as decades of criminal practices, adding that such a designation could help end the war by weakening its influence.

NCP reaction

The National Congress Party dismissed the Nairobi declaration.

In comments to Al Jazeera Mubasher, the party’s political secretary, al-Nu’man Abd al-Halim, said the NCP did not attach importance to the signatories, accusing them of supporting the RSF. He said the party stood with Sudan’s armed forces and alleged that the United Arab Emirates influenced the signatories’ positions.

Sudan Teachers Demand Probe After Two Colleagues ‘Tortured to Death’ in Army Cell

17 December 2025

Sudanese soldiers hold a drone captured in Dilling on June 25, 2025

December 17, 2025 (DILLING) – The Sudanese Teachers’ Committee called on Wednesday for an investigation into the deaths of two teachers allegedly tortured to death at a military base in Dilling, South Kordofan.

Emergency laws in most Sudanese states have granted the military broad powers to detain and interrogate civilians. Human rights groups have reported several instances of detainees dying under torture within these military facilities.

The committee identified the deceased as Al-Imam Al-Daye, a primary school teacher from Al-Farshaya village, and his cousin and colleague, Tartur Al-Daye.

“Al-Imam Al-Daye died on Monday from injuries sustained during torture at the 54th Brigade Military Intelligence detention center in Dilling,” the committee said in a statement. “Tartur Al-Daye died in November following similar brutal treatment.”

The group demanded a criminal inquiry supervised by neutral judicial authorities to identify those responsible, including those who issued the orders. They also called for the immediate release of all teachers currently held in arbitrary detention.

According to family testimonies cited by the committee, the two men were summoned to the Dilling Education Department under the guise of collecting their salaries. They were arrested by Military Intelligence upon arrival.

The committee stated the men were held for months without judicial warrants or formal charges. It held the Military Intelligence in Dilling legally responsible for what it described as a “complete crime” and a grave violation of the right to life.

Sudanese authorities have detained thousands of individuals on suspicion of collaborating with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). While some have been acquitted, others have faced trial, resulting in prison sentences or the death penalty.

Three Million Sudanese Return Home, Cutting Displaced Total by a Fifth – IOM

18 December 2025

Sudanese returning to Sudan before taking the train in Cairo, heading to the border area, in April 2025

December 17, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – The number of people returning to their homes in Sudan has surpassed three million, leading to a 19% decline in the country’s total displaced population, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday.

In its latest Sudan Displacement and Return Overview, which surveyed over 12,000 locations across all 18 states, the IOM reported that the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has fallen to 9.33 million from a peak of 11.5 million.

Of the 3,027,446 total returnees, 81% returned from internal displacement, while 19% returned from abroad. The agency noted that returnee numbers surged by 16% over the past month alone, driven largely by the military regaining control of key areas in Sennar, Aj Jazirah, and Khartoum.

Despite the rising return rate, the IOM warned that many are moving back out of necessity due to a lack of jobs and poor conditions in displacement sites, rather than a sustainable improvement in security or services at home. A significant percentage of returning families reported going home despite ongoing security and service challenges, and the report noted that children under 18 make up over half of both the displaced and returnee populations.

The report highlighted severe humanitarian gaps and a lack of access to basic necessities. Regarding food security, 32% of displaced households and 20% of returnee households reported going a full day and night without eating in the last month.

Healthcare remains a major challenge, with 46% of displaced families and 20% of returnees unable to access necessary medical care. Additionally, sanitation problems were reported by 87% of displaced households and 36% of returnees.

While displacement decreased in 12 states, it continued to rise in North, West, East, and Central Darfur, as well as parts of Kordofan. Khartoum saw the highest influx of returnees, with over 1.09 million recorded.

Since the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023, more than 4.3 million people have fled to neighbouring countries. However, the IOM observed that cross-border movement slowed in the second half of 2025 as neighbouring nations tightened entry restrictions and economic conditions for refugees deteriorated.

The report concluded that while 89% of returnees intend to stay in their current locations, the humanitarian situation remains fragile, with high risks of gender-based violence and child labor persisting in informal settlements and camps.