Venezuela Condemns US Seizure of Oil Tanker as 'International Piracy'

By Al Mayadeen English

Venezuela condemned the US seizure of its oil tanker as an act of "international piracy," vowing to defend its sovereignty and urging the global community to reject Washington’s aggression.

Venezuela has denounced the United States for what it called an act of "international piracy," after Washington seized a Venezuelan oil tanker near the country’s territorial waters. Caracas is now calling on the international community to reject what it described as a blatant act of aggression and theft.

In a strongly worded statement issued by the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, Caracas condemned the US seizure of its vessel, labeling it a "vandalistic, illegal, and unprecedented aggression" designed to normalize looting under the guise of sanctions enforcement.

"The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes a blatant theft and an act of international piracy,” the statement read. “Venezuela calls on all Venezuelans to stand firm in defense of the homeland and urges the international community to reject this aggression that seeks to normalize itself as a tool of pressure and plunder."

Trump boasts of tanker seizure; Bondi cites sanctions

US President Donald Trump confirmed the seizure of the vessel off Venezuela’s coast, claiming it to be the “largest" tanker ever captured, and hinted at further undisclosed developments. US Attorney General Pam Bondi later stated that the operation targeted a vessel allegedly transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.

The mission was carried out by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the US Coast Guard, with backing from the Department of War.

Venezuela vows to defend sovereignty on global stage

Caracas criticized Washington’s move as part of a wider campaign to plunder Venezuela’s natural resources and destabilize its economy through force. It also underscored that Trump had publicly admitted to attacking a Venezuelan tanker in the Caribbean Sea, further validating Venezuela's claims of targeted aggression.

The government pledged to bring the matter before international legal bodies.

"Venezuela will appeal to all existing international institutions to denounce this serious international crime and will defend its sovereignty, natural resources, and national dignity with absolute determination," the Foreign Ministry stated.

Piracy, military buildup at sea

The operation comes as Trump has ordered a significant military build-up in the region, deploying an aircraft carrier, fighter jets, and tens of thousands of troops. Analysts say the tanker seizure could mark a shift toward more aggressive efforts to target Venezuela’s oil sector, the country’s main source of revenue.

Three US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the operation was conducted by the US Coast Guard. They did not identify the vessel, its flag, or the exact location of the interdiction.

Vanguard, a British maritime risk consultancy, said it believed the tanker Skipper was the vessel seized early Wednesday. Washington previously sanctioned the ship, then known as the Adisa, for allegedly participating in Iranian oil trading.

Oil futures rose on news of the seizure. Brent crude finished up 27 cents, or 0.4%, at $62.21 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate rose 21 cents to $58.46.

Ethiopia Embraces Big Projects But Risks Another War by Seeking Access to the Sea

By FRED HARTER

10:45 PM EST, December 9, 2025

Ethiopia ‘s prime minister loves big projects. With a mega-dam completed on the Nile, Abiy Ahmed now plans Africa’s largest airport and a nuclear power plant. But the threat of war is back as the landlocked nation seeks its most audacious feat yet: access to the sea.

The prime minister hailed the country’s transformation in a parliamentary address in late October. The capital, Addis Ababa, has seen a development boom. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam was inaugurated in July. Abiy has called it a “harbinger of tomorrow’s dawn” that will end the reliance on foreign aid for Africa’s second most populous nation. The country has been one of the world’s biggest aid recipients.

But multiple challenges lie ahead that could badly damage the economy, which has seen some of the strongest growth on the continent.

Eritrea

Abiy’s government is determined to regain access to the Red Sea, which Ethiopia lost when Eritrea seceded in 1993 after decades of guerrilla warfare.

The countries made peace in recent years, bringing Abiy a Nobel Peace Prize, then teamed up for a devastating war against Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Now tensions have returned.

In June, Eritrea accused Ethiopia of having a “long-brewing war agenda” aimed at seizing its Red Sea ports. Ethiopia insists it wants to gain sea access peacefully.

Ethiopia recently claimed Eritrea was “actively preparing to wage war against it.” It has also accused Eritrea of supporting Ethiopian rebel groups.

Magus Taylor, deputy Horn of Africa director at the International Crisis Group, described the tensions as concerning.

“There’s a possibility of mistakes or miscalculation,” he said. “And the situation could deteriorate further in the coming months.”

Egypt

Egypt relies on the Nile for nearly all its drinking water and fiercely opposed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, asserting that it would threaten the supply. Egypt and Ethiopia have held several rounds of inconclusive talks to regulate the use of the dam, especially in times of drought.

Since the dam’s inauguration, Cairo has toughened its rhetoric against Ethiopia. In September, it said it reserved “the right to take all necessary measures … to defend the existential interests of its people.”

Ethiopia says the dam is critical for its development as it seeks to lift millions of people out of poverty.

Egypt has also sought to exploit tensions between Ethiopia and its neighbors. It has bolstered security ties with Eritrea and signed a security pact with Somalia, which last year reacted furiously when Ethiopia signed a port deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland, over which Somalia claims sovereignty.

Ethnic conflicts

The war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region ended with a peace deal in late 2022, but the country’s two largest regions — Amhara and Oromia — are wracked by ethnic-based insurgencies that threaten internal security.

Both the group of loosely organized militias called Fano in Amhara, and the Oromo Liberation Army Oromia, claim to represent those oppressed by the federal government.

Witnesses have reported massacres and other extrajudicial killings by all sides. Kidnapping for ransom has become commonplace, and humanitarian aid groups struggle to deliver supplies.

Amnesty International has described the cycle of violence as a “revolving door of injustices.”

Meanwhile, the peace deal for Tigray risks unraveling. Southern areas of Tigray have seen clashes between regional forces and local militias aligned with the federal government. Tigray’s rulers accused the federal government of “openly breaching” the agreement after a drone strike hit its forces.

Abiy’s government now accuses Tigray’s rulers of colluding with Eritrea.

Economic inequality

The insecurity contrasts starkly with the mood in Addis Ababa, where Abiy has spent billions of dollars on a face lift that has included creating bike lanes, a conference center, parks and museums.

The prime minister wants to turn the capital, already home to the African Union continental body and one of Africa’s busiest airports, into a hub for international tourists and investors.

He has floated Ethiopia’s currency, opened the banking sector and launched a stock exchange — all dramatic steps for a country where the economy has long been state-owned and state-managed.

The reforms helped Ethiopia secure a $3.4 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund last year. But investors are wary about Ethiopia’s internal insecurity and tensions with its neighbors.

Poverty, meanwhile, has risen alarmingly. About 43% of Ethiopians now live under the poverty line, up from 33% in 2016, two years before Abiy took power, according to the World Bank. That’s due in part to rising food and fuel prices as well as defense spending taking up more of Ethiopia’s budget.

The sense of prosperity prevailing in Addis Ababa is not shared by Ethiopia’s regions, said Taylor with the International Crisis Group.

“Abiy has a firm grip on the country at the center, but then you have these periphery conflicts partly based on feelings of injustice – that they are poor and the center is rich,” he said. “So we expect this kind of instability to continue in these areas.”

West Africa is in a State of Emergency After Several Coups, Bloc Leader Says

By DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN and WILSON MCMAKIN

7:33 PM EST, December 9, 2025

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Coups and attempted coups in West Africa, along with escalating security challenges, have left the region in a state of emergency, a leader of the regional bloc said Tuesday.

Omar Touray, president of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, spoke to the bloc’s mediation and security council two days after a failed coup attempt in Benin, the latest in a string of military takeovers and attempted takeovers. Last month, a military coup in Guinea-Bissau removed former President Umaro Embalo.

Also on Tuesday, Nigeria’s Senate approved a request from President Bola Tinubu to deploy troops in Benin at its government’s request. Nigeria had carried out airstrikes on armored vehicles during the attempted takeover there, also at the government’s request.

“Events of the last few weeks have shown the imperative of serious introspection on the future of our democracy and the urgent need to invest in the security of our community,” Touray said. “Faced with this situation, Excellencies, it is safe to declare that our community is in a state of emergency.”

It was not immediately clear whether his declaration was a formal one and what it might entail.

The bloc has faced criticism over its uneven response to the coups in recent years.

Touray’s declaration may be an attempt to restore credibility for the bloc following a threatened but never acted-on intervention following a coup in Niger in 2023, said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

“ECOWAS is concerned that coups will become the new mainstream in West Africa,” Laessing said. “Now they try to show they mean business.”

Nigerian Army Denies Alleged Extrajudicial Killing Of Female Protesters in Adamawa

The Nigerian Army denies claims it killed female protesters in Adamawa, blaming misinformation and local militia activity for the confusion.

The Nigerian Army has strongly refuted claims that its personnel were responsible for the extrajudicial killing of female protesters in Adamawa State during a recent communal conflict.

According to the Army, the allegations—circulated by several online media platforms—were deliberately twisted to malign the institution and undermine the efforts of troops working to restore calm between the warring communities.

A statement by Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for Sector 4, Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Olusegun Abidoye, said the report was “baseless, unfounded and intended solely to smear the Brigade, its Commander, and by extension the Nigerian Army”.

He said: “The attention of Headquarters 23 Brigade has been drawn to a baseless report, published on Monday, 8 December 2025, which levelled false and misleading allegations against the Brigade and its Commander.”

To clarify the situation, the Army explained that the Brigade Commander was nowhere near the scene of the alleged shooting, clarifying that at the time of the incident, he was participating virtually in the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly operational briefing.

The Army further detailed that the crisis erupted in the early hours of Monday, 8 December, following renewed tensions over unresolved land disputes and long-standing ethnic grievances between the Bachama and Chobo communities in Lamurde Local Government Area.

“Upon receiving reports of the violence, a combined team of 23 Brigade Garrison troops, the Nigeria Police Force, NSCDC and DSS personnel swiftly deployed to the affected areas of Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku and Lamurde to restore order.

However, as the security forces advanced, they came under attack from a militia group believed to be aligned with one of the communities. The troops who are professional and combat ready responded decisively, neutralising three gunmen and forcing the remainder to retreat.

Subsequent operations along the militia’s withdrawal route led to the discovery of five additional dead fighters and a motorcycle.

The situation escalated further when troops received intelligence that a faction planned to attack the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat. While moving to secure the facility, soldiers encountered a blockade created by women who attempted to prevent their passage. At the same time, suspected Bachama fighters were said to be firing sporadically within the community.

Despite the obstruction, the troops managed to create a safe path and proceeded to secure the Secretariat,” the statement said. 

Captain Abidoye stressed that no troops fired at the women, adding that the ability of the soldiers to pass through the crowd safely was clear evidence that no such shooting took place.

He revealed that while stationed at the Local Government Lodge, two corpses of women were later brought by community members, who claimed the women had been killed by soldiers.

According to the Army, however, the deaths were caused by the “unprofessional handling of automatic weapons” by local militias without proper firearms training.

The Brigade expressed its condolences to the families of the deceased and called on the rival communities to embrace peace to prevent further loss of life and property.

Reaffirming its commitment to its constitutional responsibilities, the Army said it would continue to conduct its operations with diligence to ensure lasting peace and stability in its area of responsibility.

Headquarters 23 Brigade urges the public to kindly disregard the malicious report.

Linus Aleke

8 Unarmed Protesters Dead, 16 Injured in Nigeria’s Adamawa State

Though the Nigerian army denied shooting at unarmed protesters yesterday in Adamawa, northeastern Nigeria, HumAngle counted eight bodies and spoke to injured survivors who insist it was the military who shot at them.

A large crowd gathers near trucks and a billboard on a busy street with an arch in the background.

Summary

The Nigerian military has, on Monday morning, allegedly opened fire on unarmed protesters in Adamawa State, North East Nigeria, killing eight people, seven of them women. 

According to the locals who spoke to HumAngle, the tragedy happened after a 24-hour curfew was imposed by the police in Lamurde to stop a communal clash in the community. Not satisfied with the decision, some women from Lamurde stood on the route to BaShaka, a community around the Lamurde axis, waving their leaves and chanting songs in protest. Hours later, HumAngle learned, members of the Nigerian military deployed to secure the area allegedly opened fire on them.

“When the soldiers came, they met the women standing on the highway, blocking the access road. The soldiers didn’t say anything to the women. They just opened fire. These women had nothing on them but leaves, and who attacks women during battle?” Morison, an eyewitness who also lost his son in a previous episode of the clash, said. 

After the gunshots broke out shortly after the soldiers arrived at the scene, seven women and one man were found dead at the spot. The rest fled with bullet wounds. One of the survivors, who is currently receiving treatment at the Numan General Hospital, recounted the harrowing incident to HumAngle. 

“When the soldiers arrived in their vehicle, they first fired gunshots in the air, and while we began to disperse, one particular officer knelt with a gun in hand and aimed at us, then he opened fire at us. He killed them all,” she said. 

She escaped with a gunshot wound in the hand. The other women are receiving treatment at the female surgical ward in Numan General Hospital, while some have been referred to the Moddibo Adama Teaching Hospital in Yola. A total of 16 people, mostly women, are currently receiving treatment at the Numan General Hospital. 

The soldiers left the scene after the incident, and later that day, locals crept out and carried the bodies, transporting them to the morgue in Numan Local General Hospital. HumAngle saw the bodies at the morgue today. The seven women and one man were wrapped in white clothes and placed on a local mat. They were later placed in a vehicle and conveyed back to their hometown in Lamurde for a mass burial. 

HumAngle gathered that the clash began Sunday night and by Monday morning had intensified. Homes were razed, properties destroyed, and many died, while several others were injured that morning. So far, the cause of the fresh clash is yet to be determined, but locals blame it on past grievances over land.

On Tuesday at dawn, a group of protesters consisting of men and women dressed in black from the Numan community stormed the Numan–Lamurde highway to protest in solidarity over the killing of the women. 

What the military is saying

In a statement issued via X and its other social media handles, the Nigerian Military denied killing the women. 

“While moving to secure the Secretariat, some women blocked the road to deny troops passage to the Secretariat, while armed men suspected to be fighting for Bachama extraction fired indiscriminately within the community. Troops then created a passage and proceeded to the Local Government Secretariat ( LGS) to secure the area. At this point, no woman was shot or injured. Otherwise, troops would not have been allowed to find any passage through the crowd,” a part of the statement read. 

The military further blamed the death of the women on the unprofessional handling of automatic weapons by the local militias, whom they described as ‘not proficiently trained  to handle such automatic weapons.’

Eyewitnesses like Morisson allege the military is shielding itself from accountability, and while the Bachama community in Lamurde and Numan is aggrieved over the killing of the women, Hyginus, the Tshobo community leader, says his people are in a dire situation as the security forces that have been deployed to the local government have camped in Lamurde town, leaving villages vulnerable. 

“We are just here. We don’t know what will happen next,” he said. 

The deceased have been laid to rest in a mass burial in Lamurde amidst hushed discussions of retaliation from their kinsmen. 

In September, HumAngle reported how a land dispute tore apart both communities, who are just a kilometre apart despite sharing the same resources.  In the clash, walls were torn, homes were burnt, valuables like motorcycles were set ablaze, and animals were slaughtered and left to bleed in the compounds where they were found. 

Speaking about the current incident, Hyginus Mangu, the leader of the Tshobo community, says he doesn’t know what caused the incident. 

“We just saw houses being set ablaze in Wammi 2 from Sunday night, and by Monday, it intensified,” he told HumAngle. 

The community leader explained that by Monday, three villages inhabited by Tshobo locals in Lamurde were completely burnt after being looted. The villages are Wammi 2, Bashaka, and Sabon Layi.

In Rigange, a Bachama-dominated community, Morrison Napwatemi, a resident of the area, explained that the clash resulted in the deaths of many natives, including his son.

He explained that despite the intervention of the Adamawa State Governor in the past month, the fresh clash hints that the dispute is far from over. Even though the community is still under curfew, Morrison said there is a lot of tension in the land as locals are aggrieved. 

“It’s a terrible situation. It’s not something one would want to talk about,” he said. 

In Tshobo communities, the community leader explained that locals have currently rallied under a shade for safety, while some have climbed the mountains bordering Gombe. 

“Right now, we have no food, water, or security. We don’t know what will become of us later,” he said. 

While he doesn’t know the exact number of casualties so far, Hyginus said they have recorded many deaths. He fears his tribe might be wiped out as the clash is getting more deadly. 

Saduwo Banyawa

Saduwo Banyawa is a conflict reporter with HumAngle media with a focus on accountability-driven journalism on communal conflicts around Adamawa and Taraba state. Her work focuses on the human cost of ethnic, religious, and land disputes. She is a literature enthusiast and a graduate of Mass Communication from the University of Maiduguri.

Nigerian Soldiers Open Fire on Protesters in the Northeast, Killing 9, Witnesses Say

People help an injured woman that was caught in an army crossfire after a communal clash in Lamurde, northeastern Nigeria, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

By DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN

5:21 PM EST, December 9, 2025

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian Army soldiers opened fire and killed nine women protesting the army’s handling of communal clashes in the northeastern Adamawa state, witnesses and Amnesty International told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The women were protesting on Monday along a major road in Adamawa’s local government Lamurde when the soldiers shot at them after being blocked from passing, witnesses and victims’ relatives told the AP in details first reported on Tuesday. Ten others were injured in the shooting, witnesses said.

The Nigerian Army in a statement denied killing anyone and blamed the deaths on a local militia it said opened fire in the area.

Amnesty International’s Nigeria office said the agency confirmed soldiers killed the nine protesters, citing accounts from witnesses and families of victims.

“It shows that Nigerian military has not changed much because of its past record of human rights violations and disregard for rule of law,” according to Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International in Nigeria.

The Associated Press could not independently verify what happened.

Such killings are common across Nigeria where soldiers often deployed in response to protests and clashes are usually accused of excessive use of force. Protests against police brutality in Nigeria’s economic hub of Lagos in 2020 ended up in what a government-commissioned inquiry described as a massacre after soldiers opened fire at the protest venue.

The latest incident happened amid a curfew that authorities imposed in Lamurde following frequent clashes between Adamawa’s Bachama and Chobo ethnic groups over a prolonged land dispute.

The protesters were aggrieved that security forces, including the soldiers, were not enforcing the curfew in affected areas, thereby allowing the clashes to continue, according to Lawson Ignatius, the councilor representing Lamurde in the local government parliament.

Gyele Kennedy, who said his daughter was among the protesters shot dead, lamented in anguish that “we don’t know what came over them.”

“These soldiers were leaving where the conflict happened and they came to pass through this place. They came and met the women protesting when one of the soldiers shot his gun in the air. After that, they opened fire on the women,” said Kennedy.

The Nigerian Army, however, denied the claims, saying its soldiers only engaged a local militia in a different part of the town.

“Without equivocation, the casualties were caused by the unprofessional handling of automatic weapons by the local militias who are not proficiently trained to handle such automatic weapons,” an army spokesman said.

The reported killings come as the Nigerian military is under scrutiny from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has alleged that Christians are being targeted in Nigeria’s security crises and that the security forces are not doing enough to prevent the killings. Residents have told the AP that both Christians and Muslims are affected in the widespread violence plaguing Nigerian villages.

Amnesty International’s Nigeria office called for the reported killings to be investigated and the perpetrators held accountable.

Military Drone Attack on Sudan Oil Field Kills Dozens and Threatens South Sudan’s Economic Lifeline

This is a locator map for Sudan with its capital, Khartoum. (AP Photo)

By JOSEPH FALZETTA

5:51 AM EST, December 10, 2025

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — Dozens of people were killed Tuesday evening in a drone strike near Sudan’s largest oil processing facility carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces, according to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The RSF, which has been fighting Sudan’s military since 2023, said the oil field in Heglig was attacked a day after the RSF seized the facility near the border with South Sudan.

Both sides told The Associated Press that the exact number of dead and wounded could not immediately be confirmed. Local news outlets reported seven tribal leaders and “dozens” of RSF troopers were killed.

South Sudanese soldiers were among the dead in the attack by a Turkish-made Akinci drone, according to the RSF, which condemned the attack as a violation of international law.

Two Sudanese military officials confirmed the drone strike, which they said targeted RSF fighters.

The government of South Sudan’s Unity State confirmed three South Sudanese soldiers were killed. A South Sudanese solider, who witnessed the strike and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak, estimated 25 people were killed.

South Sudanese commander Johnson Olony said in a statement that South Sudanese forces may have been sent to secure Heglig after its capture. South Sudan’s military spokesperson declined to comment.

South Sudan relies entirely on Sudanese pipelines to export its oil and has seen production repeatedly disrupted by the conflict, worsening its economic crisis.

Sudanese soldiers and oil workers began evacuating Heglig on Monday and the RSF took control of the facility without resistance. By Tuesday, about 3,900 Sudanese soldiers had surrendered their weapons to South Sudanese forces after crossing into Rubkona County, according to Unity State’s information ministry.

Video from South Sudan’s state broadcaster showed tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery among the weapons handed over.

Thousands of civilians from Sudan began crossing the border into South Sudan on Sunday and were still arriving Wednesday, the South Sudan government said, adding that the exact number was not yet known. South Sudan insists it remains neutral in the conflict despite accusations of siding with the RSF.

Heglig’s capture is the latest in a string of RSF territorial gains, including the October fall of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and the Sudanese army’s last stronghold in Darfur. The war, which began in April 2023, has killed an estimated 150,000 people, displaced millions and triggered multiple famines. Both sides face allegations of atrocities.

The capture of Heglig, a vital state asset, could be a significant bargaining chip for the RSF, analysts said. But the opaque nature of oil finances makes it difficult to determine how much the SAF, RSF or South Sudan will be impacted economically over the short term.

___

Sam Magdy contributed from Cairo, Egypt.

Sudanese Military Plane Crashes and Kills All Crew Members in Port Sudan

This is a locator map for Sudan with its capital, Khartoum. (AP Photo)

By SAMY MAGDY

7:37 AM EST, December 10, 2025

CAIRO (AP) — A Sudanese military aircraft crashed while attempting to land in the east of the country and killed all the crew members on board in the latest plane crash in the war-torn African nation, military officials said.

The Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane experienced technical failure while attempting to land Tuesday in the Osman Digna Air Base in the coastal city of Port Sudan, two officials said Wednesday.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief the media, did not disclose how many personnel were on board.

Among the dead was military pilot Omran Mirghani, according to his uncle, prominent Sudanese journalist Osman Mirghani, who mourned his nephew’s death on social media.

The military didn’t comment on the crash.

Plane crashes are not uncommon in Sudan, which has a poor aviation safety record. In February, at least 46 people, including women and children, were killed when a military aircraft crashed in a densely populated area in Omdurman, the sister city of the capital, Khartoum.

The crash came as the miliary has suffered multiple setbacks in its war against a notorious paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The miliary lost el-Fasher, its last stronghold in the sprawling region of Darfur in October, and earlier this week was forced to pull out from the country’s largest oil processing facility in the central region of Kordofan.

The RSF has been accused of committing atrocities in el-Fasher including summary executions, rape and other crimes, according to the United Nations and international rights groups.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said Wednesday that war crimes and “potentially” crimes against humanity were committed in the city, which the RSF seized in late October.

“We are talking about very serious atrocity crimes … war crimes for sure (and) potentially also crimes against humanity,” he told journalists in Geneva. “We have an extremely serious situation.”

Türk warned atrocities also could happen in the central region of Kordofan where the RSF has intensified its attacks in recent months.

“We cannot allow a repeat of this absolutely horrific situation in Kordofan,” he said, calling for a ceasefire in the country.

The war in Sudan began in April 2023 over a power struggle between the miliary and the RSF. The conflict has killed over 40,000 people, a figure rights groups consider a significant undercount.

The fighting has wrecked urban areas and has been marked by atrocities, including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings, that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in the western region of Darfur, according to the United Nations and international rights groups.

The war has also created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and pushed parts of the country into famine.

___

Jamey Keaten contributed from Geneva.

Rwanda-backed M23 Rebels Say They’ve Seized the Strategic City of Uvira in Eastern DR Congo

By WILSON MCMAKIN

4:25 PM EST, December 10, 2025

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 said that it had taken control of the strategic city of Uvira in eastern Congo on Wednesday afternoon, following a rapid offensive since the start of the month and on the heels of a U.S. attempt to quell violence from the conflict.

The announcement, made on social platform X by M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, encouraged citizens who fled to return to their homes. Uvira is an important port city on the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika and is directly across from neighboring Burundi’s largest city, Bujumbura.

M23’s latest offensive comes despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed last week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington. The accord didn’t include the rebel group, which is negotiating separately with Congo and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse the other of violating. However, it obliges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups and work to end hostilities.

Latest offensive

Residents of Uvira reported a chaotic night where Congolese army troops fled, and gunfire was reported throughout the city.

Rumors circulated that the governor of South Kivu, the province where Uvira is located, had fled in the night, which the governor denied.

Congo Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya said in a speech that over one hundred people had died in the latest offensive, while not explicitly acknowledging the rebel takeover of the city.

Congo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23, which had hundreds of members in 2021. Now, according to the U.N., the group has around 6,500 fighters.

While Rwanda denies that claim, it acknowledged last year that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo, allegedly to safeguard its security. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

In a statement Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa urged M23 and Rwandan troops to cease all offensive operations and for the Rwandan Defense Forces to withdraw to Rwanda.

On Wednesday morning, the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs blamed the Congolese armed forces for the recent ceasefire violations in a statement on X.

“The DRC has openly stated that it would not observe any ceasefire, and was fighting to recapture territories lost to AFC/M23, even as the peace process unfolded,” the statement said.

Conflict intensifies

More than 100 armed groups are vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, most prominently the M23 group. The conflict has created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, officials say.

Last week, residents said that the fighting had intensified in South Kivu, despite the deal signed in Washington with U.S. President Donald Trump in attendance.

Local U.N. partners report that more than 200,000 people have been displaced across the province since Dec. 2, with more than 70 killed. Civilians also have crossed into Burundi, and there have been reports of shells falling in the town of Rugombo, on the Burundian side of the border, raising concerns about the conflict spilling over into Burundian territory.

Earlier this year, M23 seized Goma and Bukavu, two key cities in eastern Congo, in a major escalation of the yearslong conflict.

___

Ruth Alonga contributed from Goma, Congo.

2 Buildings Collapse in Moroccan City of Fez, Killing 22 People 

By SAM METZ

8:11 PM EST, December 10, 2025

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Two adjacent four-story buildings collapsed overnight in the Moroccan city of Fez, killing 22 people in the second fatal collapse there this year, authorities said Wednesday.

Morocco’s state news agency, MAP, reported that the two buildings housed eight families. Sixteen people were injured and taken to the hospital. Authorities said the neighborhood had been evacuated and search and rescue efforts continued.

It was unclear what caused the collapse or how many people were unaccounted for. Authorities said an investigation had been opened. MAP reported that the structures were built in 2006 during an initiative called “City Without Slums.”

Fez is Morocco’s third-largest city and one of the hosts of this month’s Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup. It is best known for its walled city packed with medieval souks. It’s also one of the country’s poorest urban centers, where aging infrastructure is common.

Such building collapses are not uncommon in Moroccan cities undergoing rapid population growth. A collapse in May in Fez killed 10 people and injured seven in a building that had been slated for evacuation, according to Moroccan outlet Le360.

Building codes are often not enforced in Morocco, especially in ancient cities where aging, multifamily homes of cinderblock are common. Though the buildings that collapsed Wednesday had been built according to code, the Hespress news outlet reported, additional floors had been added to the structures.

Infrastructure inequality was a focus of protests that swept the country earlier this year, with demonstrators criticizing the government for investing in new stadiums instead of addressing inequality in health care, education and other public services.

___ A previous version of this story called Fez Morocco’s second-largest city. It is Morocco’s third most populous city.

SAM METZ

Metz covers Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and points beyond for The Associated Press.

RSF Advances in Sudan May Trigger Refugee Surge, UNHCR Warns

By Al Mayadeen English

9 Dec 2025

The UN has warned that Sudan's aid is at risk as funding covers only 42% of its response.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have made significant territorial advances amid the ongoing Sudan conflict, raising fears of a fresh wave of displacement, the head of the UN refugee agency warned.

Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said the RSF’s recent takeover of the city of al-Fashir in Darfur and continued expansion east into the Kordofan region could escalate the Sudan crisis, particularly if violence spreads to major cities.

This month, RSF fighters also seized control of Sudan’s largest oil field.

“If that were to be – not necessarily taken – but engulfed by the war, I am pretty sure we would see more exodus,” Grandi told Reuters from Port Sudan.

Strategic cities, oil fields captured

The RSF’s control of El Fashir marked one of the group’s largest victories in the nearly three-year conflict with the Sudanese army. Fighting has since intensified in the Kordofan region, which comprises three states in central and southern Sudan.

Grandi emphasized that while most of the estimated 40,000 newly displaced people in Kordofan have remained within the country, this could change if violence spreads to urban centers like El Obeid.

“We have to remain...very alert in neighbouring countries in case this happens,” he said.

Refugee crisis deepens

Since the outbreak of the Sudan conflict, nearly 12 million people have been forced from their homes. Of those, over 4.3 million have fled Sudan entirely, mostly to Chad, South Sudan, and other neighboring countries, creating the largest displacement crisis in the world.

Some displaced people have returned to Khartoum, which is now under Sudanese army control.

Grandi warned that humanitarian organizations are struggling to respond to the mounting crisis, citing a severely underfunded Sudan response plan. He noted that many Sudanese refugees arriving at the borders have suffered rape, robbery, and the loss of family members.

“We are barely responding,” Grandi said, referring to the limited aid available.

The UNHCR also lacks the resources to relocate refugees away from volatile areas along the Chad-Sudan border.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) stated on Tuesday that the body's humanitarian response in Sudan is severely underfunded, adding that essential services for women and girls can't be sustained without an increase in aid.

"In 2025, only 42% of UNFPA’s humanitarian response was funded," Fabrizia Falcione, UNFPA's country representative in Sudan, told reporters in Geneva online. "That means, safe spaces are shuttered, supplies are cut, and support to reproductive health care is stopped."

The UNFPA is asking for $116 million for 2026 in order to keep maternal health care, reproductive services, and protection programs operational. Falcione states that the international leaders need to act immediately "to prevent further atrocities."

Falcione said that the civil war continues to put millions in danger, stating, "The war is an assault on the rights, health, and dignity of women and girls, with 12.1 million people at risk of gender-based violence."

Survivors describe violence, family separation

During a recent visit to the Al Dabba camp on the Nile, north of Khartoum, Grandi met with Sudanese refugees, most of whom are women and children. Many had fled on foot from El Fashir and Kordofan, walking hundreds of kilometers.

Survivors shared harrowing stories of families torn apart. Some women said their sons were either killed or forcibly conscripted. Others revealed they disguised their boys as girls to prevent their abduction by fighters.

“Even fleeing is difficult because people are continuously stopped by the militias,” Grandi added.

US sanctions network fueling conflict

On Tuesday, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on four individuals and four entities it claimed are part of a network recruiting fighters, including children, to be deployed to Sudan.

The US government agency stated that the network, mostly made up of Colombian nationals and companies, "recruits former Colombian military personnel and trains soldiers, including children," in order to fight for the RSF paramilitary.

"The RSF has shown again and again that it is willing to target civilians—including infants and young children. Its brutality has deepened the conflict and destabilized the region, creating the conditions for terrorist groups to grow," said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John Hurley.

AES Threatens to Neutralize All Aircraft Violating Airspace

By Al Mayadeen English

9 Dec 2025 20:17

A Nigerian military aircraft made an alleged emergency landing in Burkina Faso, sparking tensions with the AES over airspace violation.

A Nigerian Air Force transport aircraft made an unscheduled landing in Burkina Faso due to technical concerns, Nigerian officials said on Tuesday, after the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) warned it would neutralize any aircraft violating its airspace.

The AES had announced on Monday that it viewed the landing of the Nigerian Air Force C-130 as an airspace violation and vowed to take action against unauthorized aircraft. Burkinabe authorities launched an investigation after the incident, concluding the aircraft had landed without prior clearance.

On December 8, 2025, a Nigerian Air Force C-130 transport aircraft made an unscheduled landing at Bobo-Dioulasso airport in Burkina Faso.

Nigeria, however, said the crew was forced to make a precautionary landing shortly after take-off while ferrying the aircraft to Portugal. According to an Air Force statement carried by the Nigerian daily Sun, the crew detected a technical issue and chose to land at the nearest available airfield, which was in Burkina Faso.

Despite the AES’ condemnation of the incident as an “unfriendly act” and a breach of international aviation rules, Nigeria emphasized that the crew had been treated respectfully. The statement noted that all personnel were “safe and have received cordial treatment from the host authorities.”

74 Killed, 200,000+ Displaced in Recent Clashes in Eastern DRC: UN

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: News websites

9 Dec 2025 20:01

UN reports 74 deaths, 83 wounded, and 200,000 displaced in South Kivu amid deadly clashes between Congolese forces and M23 militants.

At least 74 people, mostly civilians, have been killed and 83 others have been wounded in clashes between Congolese forces and M23 militants in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations said Monday.

The fighting, which took place between Dec. 2 and 7, involved heavy weapons and shelling in populated areas across the South Kivu province, including the territories of Uvira, Walungu, Mwenga, Shabunda, Kabare, Fizi, and Kalehe.

New UN data indicate that the violence has displaced more than 200,000 people since Dec. 2, with thousands more fleeing across borders into neighboring Burundi and Rwanda. The province already hosted 1.2 million internally displaced people prior to the latest escalation.

Bruno Lemarquis, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Congo, called for immediate protection of civilians, condemning the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and attacks on schools. He said the fighting has also hampered medical evacuations.

“They must ensure the protection of civilians, respect their distinction in military operations, and ensure safe, rapid, and unhindered access for humanitarian actors to deliver life-saving assistance, including care for the wounded,” Lemarquis said, urging all parties to respect international humanitarian law.

Trump's ceasefires imitate his business ventures

Late last week, on Dec. 4, 2025, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and M23, via a broader agreement with Rwanda, ratified a new ceasefire pact in Washington under US mediation. The accord was meant to stabilize the conflict-torn eastern provinces, force withdrawals, and end hostilities following a peace agreement signed in June earlier in 2025.

Yet almost immediately, the ceasefire unraveled. On Dec. 5, 2025, violence flared, with heavy weapons reportedly used, civilian casualties mounting, and fresh displacement as towns in South Kivu came under attack. Within 24 hours, the government accused Rwanda of violating the deal, claiming Rwandan forces fired heavy weapons from across the border.

This fiasco adds to a string of ceasefires brokered under Trump’s watch that have repeatedly collapsed. Even the earlier truce reached in October 2025 during talks in Doha, hailed as a hopeful step, failed to prevent subsequent escalation. What remains clear is that agreements signed in high-profile ceremonies do little when armed groups on the ground continue fighting and commit ceasefire violations.

In the end, the new ceasefire, like its predecessors, shows that without robust enforcement, real political will, and on-the-ground oversight, these deals risk becoming symbolic. For civilians in eastern Congo, that means renewed suffering, displacement, and uncertainty all over again.

Lasting Peace Contingent on Palestine's Self-determination: Ramaphosa

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: News websites

9 Dec 2025 19:23

South Africa's president calls for Palestinian statehood and condemns "Israel’s" violations, urging action at the International Court of Justice.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed his country's unwavering solidarity with Palestine, stating that only Palestinian self-determination and the recognition of fundamental human rights can bring lasting peace to the region.

Speaking at the 5th National General Council of the African National Congress (ANC), Ramaphosa said, “Anything short of self-determination and the recognition of the fundamental human rights of the Palestinian people will not be acceptable and will not bring a just and lasting peace in that region.”

The president expressed concern over ongoing violations by "Israel" of a ceasefire deal with the Palestinian Resistance, which came into effect on October 10.

“South Africa welcomed the agreement on a ceasefire that resulted in the return of hostages and the release of many Palestinian political prisoners. However, there is a matter of greater concern that Israel is breaking the ceasefire almost on a daily basis,” Ramaphosa told ANC delegates in Ekurhuleni, near Johannesburg.

Ramaphosa condemned the atrocities committed by "Israel" in Gaza, which prompted South Africa to take legal action before the International Court of Justice.

“Since the onslaught began on Oct. 7, 2023, more than 70,000 people are known to have been killed in Gaza, most of whom are women and children,” he stated.

South Africa takes legal action at ICJ

In December 2023, South Africa filed a case against "Israel" at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), citing violations of obligations under the Genocide Convention. Since then, the ICJ has issued provisional measures requiring "Israel" to take steps to prevent acts of genocide.

Ramaphosa reiterated his government’s call for an immediate ceasefire and the start of meaningful negotiations aimed at establishing a sovereign Palestinian state.

“South Africa continues to call for an immediate ceasefire and for meaningful negotiations to commence towards the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state existing in peace alongside the state of Israel,” he said.

South Africa engaged in other global peace initiatives

The South African president also addressed other global conflicts, including the civil war in Sudan, where more than 150,000 people have reportedly died, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Ramaphosa highlighted South Africa’s continued involvement in peace efforts, including the African-led initiative to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.

Two years ago, he led a delegation of African leaders to both Kiev and Saint Petersburg in a bid to push for dialogue. The mission involved meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

‘The Struggle Is One’: Palestinians in Venezuela Oppose US Aggression

December 2, 2025

President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro. (Photo: Kremlin, via Wikimedia Commons)

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By Louis Brehony

Venezuela has strongly opposed the genocide since October 2023, with Maduro labeling Palestinian resistance a “critical battle against fascism and colonialism.”

The November 29 statement by US President Donald Trump that Venezuelan airspace would be “closed in its entirety” was the latest shot in a war against the socialist government of Nicolás Maduro.

Having made spurious claims of bringing “peace” to the Middle East, leaving Gaza’s Palestinians displaced, blockaded and continually massacred, US imperialism is driving an increasingly bloody campaign for war on Venezuela. Despite its distance, Palestine looms large in Latin America, with Palestinian activists among the most prescient voices against US-led aggression.

A Warmongering Narrative

Like many other young Palestinians, Fares Matar received a scholarship to study at Cuba’s Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM). Involved in solidarity organizing, which in socialist Cuba has state backing, Matar spoke to the Palestine Chronicle from Caracas, Venezuela.

Keen to point out that US aggression on Venezuela represents “not an isolated event” nor an “internal crisis,” Matar points to a wider context:

“This recurring policy reveals the essence of the imperialist project: to punish any country that chooses to be sovereign and stable, whether in the Arab world, Latin America, or Africa. Venezuela—just like Palestine—faces the tools of the same project: economic sanctions, media warfare, political distortion, and military or intelligence pressure—all means used to subjugate peoples.”

The Trump administration accuses the Maduro government of running a drug-trafficking Cartel of the Suns, outrageously placing a $50m bounty on the socialist president’s “arrest and/or conviction.” A record warrant, this greatly increases the $ 15m reward set by the first Trump government in 2020, claiming Venezuelan coordination with Colombian FARC leftists in military and narcotics smuggling.

Aimed at Venezuela and its allies, the Caribbean is witnessing the most significant US naval deployment since its invasion of Panama in 1989, utilizing the navy’s newest and largest aircraft carrier, the Gerald R Ford. Claiming to be targeting Venezuela-backed drug trafficking maneuvers, US warships carried out 78 recorded strikes on Caribbean vessels between September 2 and November 16, killing over 80 people by December 1.

Alongside these operations, former UN Special Rapporteur Alfred De Zayas estimates that 100,000 Venezuelans have died as a result of US, EU, and British sanctions.

War on a Political Alternative

While the threat of an all-out invasion is higher than ever, Matar points out that the narratives, pretexts and “fierce political, media and economic attacks” faced by Venezuela echo previous imperialist interventions.

Visiting US-occupied Puerto Rico on November 25, Chief Military Adviser and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine told marines that they were “on the front lines of defending the American homeland.”

Mirroring the disregard for human life seen in the Zionist genocide on Gaza, The Washington Post reported on September 2 that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had told troops to “kill everybody” on Venezuelan boats. Despite the call of UN human rights chief Volker Türk for an investigation into the attacks as extrajudicial killings, on November 30, Trump doubled down on supporting repeated strikes against survivors of initial missile attacks.

Referring to SOUTHCOM troops as “warriors,” Hegseth claimed on November 28 that these were “lethal, kinetic” and “legal” strikes, designed to “kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization.”

Despite classifying Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist group, even anti-Maduro academics like Pérez Guadalupe admit that the cartel does not exist, let alone ship from Venezuela to the US.

Referencing Iraq, Matar told the Palestine Chronicle:

“Yesterday it was the alleged weapons of mass destruction; today it is drug trafficking and human trafficking, allegations refuted by official international bodies, specifically designed to demonize and besiege Caracas.”

Venezuela possesses the world’s largest oil reserves, rivaling Western-allied Arab Gulf states. Since the electoral victory of Hugo Chávez in 1998 and the launching of the Bolivarian project for socialism, Venezuela has reoriented its foreign relations from an authoritarian history of loyal dependence on imperialism to channeling funds into social provision.

Writing in Al-Hadaf magazine, Palestinian analyst Mohammed Abdel Qader shows that Venezuela’s commitment to socialist transformation “generated resentment, anger and animosity from the US and the West towards the political system led by Chávez.” Imperialism cannot tolerate “a system that prioritizes the interests of the people and the country.” Abdel Qader continues:

“This is the root of the US’s hostile stance towards Venezuela, its national governments and its people, who support the leadership, whether under Chávez or his successor, Maduro.”

Venezuela Stands for Palestinian Liberation

With the development of revolutionary politics on the national level, Chávez heralded a sea-change in Venezuelan policy. The capitalist regimes of Venezuela’s past had promoted normalized relations with the Zionist state, but this was challenged by a leftist government promoting progressive causes internationally.

Opposing the war on the Middle East, the Chávez government broke off all ties with Israel during its murderous invasion of Gaza in January 2009, calling for premier Shimon Peres to be stripped of his Nobel Peace Prize; Peres had been given a lavish two-day reception under the Caldera government in 1995.

In a letter he delivered to the UN in 2011, Chávez recognized an independent Palestine and declared: “Let us be unequivocal: Zionism, as a worldview, is fundamentally racist.”

Offering a sharp critique of the forces preventing Palestinian liberation, Chávez exposed imperialist “double standards” in the Arab region, with NATO “violating international law in Libya while letting Israel act with impunity, making the US the chief accomplice to the Palestinian genocide by Zionist barbarity.”

This socialist position found continuation in Maduro, elected as Chávez’s successor in 2013. US destabilization campaigns in Venezuela have since enjoyed Israeli support, including Netanyahu’s preposterous recognition of opposition figure and attempted coup leader Juan Guaidó as “president” in 2019. Matar explains:

“For many years, Venezuela has stood by the justice of the Palestinian cause, defending its people’s right to liberation from the Zionist occupation. In return, Palestinians see Venezuela as a model of a country paying the price for its sovereignty, just as Palestinians pay the price for their right to exist on their land.”

Venezuela has strongly opposed the genocide since October 2023, with Maduro labeling Palestinian resistance a “critical battle against fascism and colonialism.” As in Cuba, Palestinians have been platformed at rallies and international events in Caracas, including Leila Khaled’s invitation to the International Conference of Solidarity with Palestine in December 2024. She told attendees:

“When we come to Venezuela, we are in our second homeland, where our dignity is, with a people who have chosen a President with a lot of dignity, Nicolás Maduro. When we come here, we speak from heart to heart because we know the meaning of the freedom that you enjoy today and we aspire to live the same freedom that you have.”

This battle has raged in the Venezuelan context, too. In October 2025, Venezuelan reactionary Maria Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Alongside her support for US military intervention and oil privatization in Venezuela, she declared “The struggle of Venezuela is the struggle of Israel,” signing cooperation agreements with Netanyahu’s Likud party and promising friendly relations with the occupation if her counterrevolution was victorious. Machado has also cozied up to European racists and called for the ‘reconquest’ of Europe from a supposed Muslim takeover.

‘Those Who Resist’

“Defending Venezuela today means defending Palestine, just as defending Palestine is defending every people facing the imperialist-Zionist machinery of oppression. The struggle is one, regardless of geography,” Matar said.

Trump’s call for the closure of Venezuelan airspace has a recent precedent. So-called no-fly zones were imposed by the US, Britain and France upon Iraq in 1991, by NATO allies in the 2011 invasion and destruction of Libya, and called for in Syria by US presidential candidate Hilary Clinton in 2016.

Venezuela’s foreign ministry responded to the November threats:

“Venezuela denounces and condemns the colonialist threat that seeks to affect the sovereignty of its airspace, constituting yet another extravagant, illegal and unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people.”

Venezuelans are organizing to defend the country against foreign intervention and over 8 million volunteers have joined the Bolivarian militia. Communal councils and mass organizations that stood with Palestine are now preparing to repel the invasion of their own lands. Matar told us:

“What is happening in Gaza—genocide, siege, and starvation—is similar to what is being perpetrated against Venezuela: a siege, economic starvation, attempts to overthrow the state, and the punishment of its people for choosing the path of sovereignty.”

The battle ahead, Leila Khaled told Venezuelan commune organizers, “is the fight for future generations to come.” Palestinians and Venezuelans are walking this path of resistance together.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

‘The Massacre that Never Was’: Exposing Nakba Denial in Zionist History

December 8, 2025

The Deir Yassin massacre, which took place on April 9, 1948. (Photo: via MEMO)

By Peren Birsaygılı Mut

After October 7, 2023, Israel did not conduct merely a military operation; just as in the Deir Yassin Massacre, it launched a large-scale digital narrative war to conceal the truth.

Jewish professor Eliezer Tauber is widely known for his books on the rise of Arab nationalist movements and the formation of modern Arab states. His works are frequently referenced in studies on these subjects. He is also the founder of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at Bar-Ilan University. What makes Tauber even more striking is his book Deir Yassin: The Massacre That Never Was, written about the Deir Yassin massacre, the last major massacre before the Nakba, which took place on April 9, 1948.

Tauber’s book was first published in Hebrew in 2017 and later in English in 2021. As the title suggests, Tauber claims that the Deir Yassin Massacre never happened and that there are different motives behind this so-called Palestinian myth. According to him, Deir Yassin — a village consisting of about 150 houses and covering 2,700 dunams, more than half of which were cultivated — was not a civilian settlement at all, but one of the places where Palestinian fighters stored weapons.

He even argues that the villagers themselves were armed. Tauber states that the massacre narrative has long been a driving force of anti-Zionist sentiment, while insisting that there was no brutality committed against women or children as widely evidenced.

Tauber’s main thesis is that this event was not a massacre but a mutual clash, deliberately portrayed as a massacre by Palestinian leaders. He claims that the aim of these leaders was to instill fear among Palestinians and force them to flee their lands. He argues that the Arab Higher Committee orchestrated this narrative, pointing specifically to Hussein Fakhri al-Khalidi, a committee member who served as Mayor of Jerusalem between 1934–1937 and was later exiled to the Seychelles by the British during the Great Revolt.

Zionist Historiography: The “Ministry of Truth”

Eliezer Tauber reminds me of the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s famous novel 1984. Just like that ministry, he takes on the mission of completely altering the truth. And by doing the exact opposite of what he claims to represent, he becomes responsible for the distortion of historical events. Orwell’s Ministry of Truth lives on today within the Zionist academic sphere. If one were to define Zionism in a single sentence, the answer would come instantly: a chain of lies designed to bury the truth. And the strongest links of that chain are found in academia and culture.

We all know very well what truly happened and possess a wealth of historical data and documentation that completely refutes Tauber’s claims. We know, for example, that Zionist terrorist organizations drafted Plan Dalet to make their brutality against Palestinians more systematic: to expel them from their land. We know that they continuously launched mortar and rocket attacks on civilians, carried out surprise raids, abducted Palestinian Arabs, and captured towns and villages in order to expand the borders of the state of Israel on the eve of its establishment.

We also know that following the official end of the British Mandate, military rivalry within the Zionist movement reached its peak: on one side, Haganah, and on the other, Irgun and the Stern Gang – all operating intensely in competition, manifesting itself in terror operations targeting Palestinians. Considering the symbolic, historical, religious, political, and strategic significance of Jerusalem, we know that conquering the city was one of their greatest objectives. And because Deir Yassin was a prosperous Palestinian village in close proximity to Jerusalem, it became a perfect target for Zionist terror organizations.

Real Stories from the Deir Yassin Massacre

We also have dozens of real stories that recount the Deir Yassin Massacre. For example, the story of Hind al-Husseini, who became a mother to the orphans of Deir Yassin.

Or the story of Hayat al-Balbisi, born in al-Bireh village. Ever since childhood, her greatest dream has been to become a teacher. But her father had died, her mother was paralyzed and bedridden, and her sister was visually impaired. Her family’s situation was extremely difficult. As a student at the Teacher Training College in Jerusalem, she decided to search for work to both support her family and continue her education.

Fortunately, Hayat found a job at Palestine Radio in Jerusalem. She worked and taught at the same time. When she heard that the village school in Deir Yassin needed a teacher, she set out with no hesitation, even though she knew the village was surrounded by six Zionist colonies. After the attack, she refused to flee and stayed with the children, helping the wounded. Seeing this, the Zionist militants deliberately targeted her, and she was martyred.

We know that, because the massacre took place on Ghassan Kanafani’s 12th birthday, he never celebrated another birthday again, until he was assassinated in Beirut at the age of 36.

They Want to Erase the Gaza Massacre Using the Same Method

After October 7, 2023, Israel did not conduct merely a military operation; just as in the Deir Yassin Massacre, it launched a large-scale digital narrative war to conceal the truth. To reinforce this framework, a significant amount of dramatic and cinematic content was produced. The most well-known examples were the productions circulated under the title “The October 7 Films.”

Soon after, these films were distributed to global media outlets; private screenings were organized for international journalists, diplomats, politicians, and even groups specially invited from Hollywood circles. After each screening, statements were delivered to make Israel’s narrative be accepted as the unquestionable truth.

This method appeared as a modern version of classical propaganda tools. This time, propaganda was not carried out merely through newspaper headlines or academic publications but through professionally crafted videos, viral social media content, and emotional manipulation strategies. All of this had a single purpose: to erase the traces of genocide in Gaza, divert the world’s attention from the real destruction on the ground, and distort the truth. Israel conducted a multi-layered strategy of control, acting simultaneously on both the military and digital fronts.

This propaganda circulated not what was happening in Gaza, but the image it wanted the world to see. The dramatic visuals, staged videos, and selective testimonies produced by Israel were served as the only valid narrative.

The Greatest Heroes of Our Time: Palestinian Journalists

The Palestinian journalists who have fought against this Zionist war of perception have, without a doubt, become the greatest heroes of our time. With immense courage, they shattered the entire narrative that Zionism sought to construct by bringing us real images from the ground. Risking death, they told the truth to the whole world.

In every frame they captured, in every second of video they released, there was the naked reality that was meant to be hidden from the world: the ongoing human tragedy in Gaza, the destruction of homes, the breaking apart of families, the screams of children…

They showed us how a perception strategy, built over many years and backed by immense financial power, could be destroyed by nothing more than faith and courage. Many of them were killed by Israel, but the images they left behind created an indelible memory in the minds of millions. They became the modern continuation of the testimony that Zionism had tried to silence in Deir Yassin. Every frame bore witness to the present while also carrying the cries of those silenced in the past into the future. They proved that the truth, which has been suppressed since Deir Yassin, can in fact never be completely erased.

So, shall we ask again now: Did the Deir Yassin massacre really never happen?

Western Media Mourns Abu Shabab, Its Favourite ISIS-Linked Militia Leader in Gaza

December 6, 2025

Yasser Abu Shabab. (Photo: via QNN)

By Robert Inlakesh

Among the Palestinian people, regardless of political affiliation, Yasser Abu Shabab was known for who he truly was: a traitor and criminal who committed heinous crimes against his own people.

This Thursday, Yasser Abu Shabab, the leader of Israel’s ISIS-linked proxy gangs in the Gaza Strip, was killed. The announcement triggered celebrations throughout the besieged coastal enclave, while the Western corporate media quickly worked to whitewash the image of the death squad leader.

The death of Yasser Abu Shabab, a convicted drug trafficker and criminal who is infamous among Palestinians for collaborating with the Israeli military against them, has provided a clear example of corporate media double standards and just how far Western media will go to distort realities on the ground inside Gaza.

Upon the announcement of the gang leader’s demise, the popular response among Palestinians was one of both relief and a sense that justice had been served. Many even handed out sweets to mark the occasion.

Among the Palestinian people, regardless of political affiliation, Yasser Abu Shabab was known for who he truly was: a traitor and criminal who committed heinous crimes against his own people.

In stark contrast to the kinds of descriptions you will hear of Abu Shabab from Palestinians, the Western media presented the Israeli-backed criminal as a martyr and whitewashed his crimes. CNN described him as “the leader of an anti-Hamas group,” while Reuters characterized the gangster as “the head of an armed Palestinian faction that opposes Hamas in Gaza.”

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published an article entitled “A Hamas Rival Falls in Gaza.” “Yasser Abu Shabab defied the terrorists in these pages in July,” wrote the Editorial Board of the WSJ, referring to an op-ed they published in his name earlier this year. The op-ed was called “Gazans Are Finished With Hamas,” yet it was later pointed out by local sources that Abu Shabab not only could not speak English but is said to be illiterate in Arabic too.

The BBC and various other media outlets also adopted the narrative that Abu Shabab was the leader of an “anti-Hamas” group, which in and of itself totally whitewashes the nature of the five death squads that have been set up by Israel in Gaza and are actively being used to create a “Second” or “New Gaza” inside the 58% of the territory it currently occupies—during the ceasefire.

Whitewashing a Genocide-Aiding War Criminal

Back in October 2023, the Israeli military began strategically bombing the Gaza Strip’s prison facilities, enabling convicted criminals to roam free. Abu Shabab was one such criminal who had been convicted of drug trafficking. His role in the Gaza genocide began when he organized groups of armed outlaws to begin the looting of humanitarian aid trucks entering the besieged territory.

On May 6, 2024, the Israeli military launched its invasion of Rafah. The first priority in this operation was seizing the border crossing with Egypt, enabling their forces to fully control what enters and leaves Gaza. It was not long before Abu Shabab’s name would become infamous across Palestine and the wider region.

Israel provided air support and backing to Yasser Abu Shabab’s band of gangsters, composed of hardline ISIS-linked Salafist militants and criminals, to begin looting aid trucks. A specific designated route in eastern Rafah was set up for the entry of such aid, which is where the Abu Shabab gang would assault the trucks, stealing the desperately needed supplies and demanding a bribe to allow the vehicles to pass. All of this is well documented by the UN and international aid agencies.

As the majority child population of Gaza sank further and further into food insecurity, Abu Shabab’s gangsters were living a life of relative luxury in compounds monitored by the Israeli military and where the stolen aid was hoarded. What then developed was a thriving black market inside Gaza, where the looted goods were strategically drip-fed to the population and sold at exorbitant rates that only the wealthy could afford.

Setting aside the kidnappings, murder of civilians, and armed robberies, it is important to understand what the looting of aid truly meant. For the Israelis, they were able to claim that they were letting in humanitarian aid and use the excuse that Hamas fighters were the ones stealing it, knowing full well where it truly was. Abu Shabab reaped the benefits of becoming a mafia-style king among his armed thugs.

The aid that was being looted meant that children in Gaza were starved, the elderly wasted away, and pregnant women could not sustain themselves. Aid meant for the sick and to be used in hospitals was deprived of the people—all as Abu Shabab and his traitorous thugs lived secure existences under the watchful eye of the Israeli military.

In late 2024, the Washington Post and others began working to whitewash the nature of the group and prepare the propaganda script that Abu Shabab’s militiamen were a grassroots group of disillusioned Palestinians seeking to overthrow Hamas. They worked to present Abu Shabab as the victim and a criminal out of necessity, not by choice.

Then came the Gaza ceasefire in January 2025, during which the Israelis worked to complete the transition from an aid-looting band of criminals into a “grassroots anti-Hamas resistance.” Israel armed, trained, and coordinated with these thugs, providing them with Israeli military helmets, vests, and Palestinian flag patches to make them appear like a professional and organic force.

When Israel violated and collapsed the ceasefire in March, Yasser Abu Shabab appeared in videos and photos brandishing a rifle and wearing patches bearing the name that the group would then adopt, the “Popular Forces.”

The Israeli military and Shin Bet gave the so-called “Popular Forces” direct orders and used them to carry out missions on their behalf against Hamas and to aid their genocidal project targeting civilians. Theft, kidnappings, beatings, hospital raids, and assassinations were carried out by these criminals.

The Israelis openly admitted to backing them, knowing full well of their links to ISIS and other hardline Salafist takfiri groups. They liked this model so much that they began recruiting new collaborators to form three other groups, with a fifth having been created since the ceasefire began.

Abu Shabab still managed the transfer of aid and was implicated in coordinating with the so-called “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” privatized aid scheme. This aid program was later dubbed a “death trap” by Palestinians and resulted in the murder of up to 2,600 starving civilians by both Israeli forces and American private military contractors.

The ridiculously named “Popular Forces,” perhaps the most unpopular Palestinian armed force to have ever existed, were also intended to be used by Israel to rule over a concentration camp being constructed in western Rafah.

Since the ceasefire, Abu Shabab’s men have hidden under Israeli protection from the far mightier forces of Hamas, who received broad popular support in cracking down on the Israeli-backed death squads at the beginning of the ceasefire. In violation of the ceasefire, these groups have continued to work on behalf of their Israeli paymasters to carry out missions against Hamas and the other Palestinian groups.

Yasser Abu Shabab’s murder served as a major blow to Israel’s project inside Gaza, which aims to use these criminal collaborators to rule over a portion of the territory. The UAE has also thrown its weight behind these collaborator death squads. This is why there has been major damage control in the media and an attempt to shape the narrative surrounding his death.

Initially the Israeli Hebrew media appeared to indicate that Abu Shabab was assassinated, before the Israeli Army Radio asserted that his death had come as a result of a tribal dispute. Yediot Aharonot went on to publish a piece after this, claiming that the collaborator leader was beaten to death and not shot, seemingly contradicting previous narratives that had asserted he died due to gunshot wounds.

ùhttps://www.palestinechronicle.com/a-new-low-western-media-promotes-isis-linked-gangsters-in-gaza/

Hamas, for its part, published a graphic asserting that Israel will not protect such collaborators, but did not directly claim to have carried it out; yet it was interpreted by many that this was insinuated.

The Bedouin Tarabin Clan, from which Abu Shabab comes, stated that resistance fighters killed the gang leader. As the “Popular Forces,” now led by takfiri collaborator Ghassan Duhine, announced that Abu Shabab was shot dead while attempting to solve a dispute with the Abu Seneima family.

As expected, a range of different stories have spread on social media, claiming everything from an infiltration operation carried out by the “Arrow Forces,” tasked with combating collaborator gangs, to naming specific fighters who allegedly died during a clash.

What appears to be the case is that both the “Popular Forces” and Israeli media are lying to cover up what represents a major blow to their project; however, the details of what truly transpired are currently unclear.

The reason they are compelled to lie and brush this killing off as a simple mistake, as unlikely as that possibility appears, is so that it does not lead to mass defections among the militia members. The Palestinian tribal leaderships put out a joint statement affirming their solidarity with the ruling forces of Hamas and against the collaborators. This comes as the Palestinian security forces in Gaza have now put forth a 10-day amnesty offer to those who choose to surrender themselves.

Already, many of these gangsters have been killed, captured, or handed themselves over to the Hamas-led authorities during the past few months. The killing of Yasser Abu Shabab is a major development in that it demonstrates Israel’s inability to protect its collaborators. In addition, the Israelis view them all as disposable proxies and did not bother even eulogizing the disgraced criminal leader.

It was only truly the Western corporate media that bothered to whitewash Abu Shabab’s unforgivable crimes against humanity and to turn him into a martyr. The Western media are truly shameless and lie as easily as they breathe when it comes to reporting on Palestine, only occasionally producing grains of truth among a sea of ridiculous propaganda.

Unlike the five ISIS-linked collaborator gangs, there are, in fact, Palestinians who are opposed to Hamas; they are primarily those affiliated with the Palestinian Authority (PA) based in Ramallah. As unpopular as the PA currently is, it does actually enjoy enough support and possesses the means to potentially serve as a future governing force inside Gaza.

The lesson that should be learned from the dreadful gutter journalism surrounding this issue is that, in order to understand what is happening in Palestine, you do not need the Western media at all.

Israeli reporting, while evidently biased, is, in all honesty, a better tool than the media of the West. It at least gives you a glimpse into the thinking of Israeli society and its leadership, especially when you take the time to translate and read the Hebrew-language media. If you then pair this with independent on-the-ground reports, in addition to Palestinian and/or Arabic-language media sources like Al Jazeera and Al Mayadeen, you will get a well-rounded understanding of what is going on.

The English-language mainstream media, on the other hand, does not present an Israeli nor a Palestinian perspective; it invents an entirely parallel universe. It designs a fictional framing of reality and then attempts to police the boundaries of all discussions about it. This is done for the sole purpose of tailoring an artificially manufactured Zionist narrative, curated to convince a Western audience that Israel is good and the Palestinians are guilty for resisting.

Even when it comes to discussions of Israeli rights abuses, the confines of the discussion on such issues are strictly policed across Western media in order to ensure that Palestinians cannot speak their minds freely and explain their predicament. At best, all Palestinians are allowed to be victims—but not regular victims—victims who are forced to publicly accept that their oppressors are also victims, and to denounce their own people for fighting back.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

Storm Byron Threatens Gaza as Israeli Attacks Continue Across the Strip

December 10, 2025

Freezing temperatures and heavy rainfall are worsening already dire living conditions for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians across the Strip. (Photo: via QNN)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Gaza faces the compounded dangers of an approaching winter storm and expanding Israeli attacks, with hospitals reporting new casualties and authorities warning of a looming humanitarian catastrophe for displaced families.

Gaza is bracing for the arrival of Storm Byron, which officials warn could unleash a new humanitarian catastrophe for hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced families living in fragile shelters.

The Gaza Government Media Office said the storm is expected between Wednesday and Friday evening, bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds, high sea waves, and thunderstorms to a population already enduring extreme hardship.

In a press release, the office cautioned that flooding, collapses of makeshift structures, and the inundation of displacement camps are likely, placing more than 1.5 million people at severe risk.

Many have spent over a year in worn-down tents with no long-term alternatives due to Israeli restrictions that continue to block the entry of relief and shelter materials, including 300,000 tents and mobile homes.

The office held the Israeli occupation responsible for exposing civilians to climate dangers and violating their right to safe housing, urging the United Nations, international organizations, US President Donald Trump, mediators, and donor states to act immediately to prevent further catastrophe.

As Gaza prepares for the storm, hospitals recorded one fatality and six injuries over the past 24 hours amid continued Israeli aggression, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported. Emergency and civil defense crews remain unable to reach multiple areas where victims are believed to be trapped beneath rubble due to the intensity of ongoing strikes.

Since the ceasefire announced on October 11, 2025, the Ministry noted that 377 Palestinians have been killed and 987 injured. Additionally, 626 bodies have been retrieved from destroyed neighborhoods during recovery efforts.

Israeli Attacks Hit All Gaza Areas

Meanwhile, a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli sniper fire in the al-‘Attatra area of Beit Lahia in the north, according to the Lebanese news network Al Mayadeen.

The report added that Israeli forces targeted homes in the Old City near Deir al-Latin in Gaza City and shelled the al-Shejaiya neighborhood, demolishing residential buildings and displacing families under heavy fire.

Residents expressed deep concern about the approaching storm, fearing that thousands of displaced families living in tents could face flooding while still under blockade. Extensive demolition operations in the al-Shejaiya junction have forced additional displacement, with similar scenes unfolding in Khan Yunis amid artillery fire and drone strikes.

According to Al Mayadeen, Israeli attacks now extend across all areas of Gaza, not only the so-called yellow zone, and have intensified particularly in the eastern part of the enclave.

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, warned on Tuesday that many families are unable to afford essential items for their children, including glasses, warm clothing, and school supplies. The agency said its emergency cash assistance programs remain the only means for many parents to meet these needs under worsening humanitarian conditions.

UNRWA called on the international community and donors to provide urgent support to help vulnerable children and families access basic necessities.

(PC, Al Mayadeen)