Somalia: UAE Backing Armed Opposition, Fueling Unrest

By Al Mayadeen English

13 Oct 2026 18:01

Somalia's defense minister accuses the UAE of backing opposition forces as tensions rise over armed groups in Mogadishu and the country's political future.

Somali Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of interfering in Somalia’s internal affairs, fueling political divisions, and supporting opposition figures challenging the federal government, amid warnings over armed mobilization threatening security in the capital, Mogadishu.

Fiqi accused foreign actors of providing money and weapons to opposition forces to weaken President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration and obstruct its efforts to consolidate federal authority. He said some opposition figures were mobilizing armed groups and stockpiling weapons in the capital, warning that the government would not tolerate the use of force to pursue political objectives or undermine stability.

The defense minister said armed men had entered the home of former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, accusing them of gathering there to carry out provocative activities.

“Sharif’s house has become a haven for chaos, and armed militias have been assembled there to engage in provocations,” Fiqi said.

Somalia warns against armed mobilization in Mogadishu

Speaking on Tuesday, Fiqi stressed that Mogadishu would not become a gathering point for armed militias, emphasizing the responsibility of security institutions to protect civilians and prevent movements threatening the capital’s security.

He said government forces had removed a group of 260 armed men from a location in Mogadishu. He also accused opposition figures of attempting to organize armed formations and transfer personnel from some federal member states to the capital.

Fiqi added that the government would confront attempts to stockpile weapons or establish armed formations outside legal frameworks, stressing that security agencies would continue carrying out their duties.

The accusations come amid a wider political dispute over constitutional amendments, elections, and the tenure of federal institutions, with the government and opposition exchanging warnings as tensions over the country’s political future intensify.

Opposition met with RSF in Abu Dhabi

Earlier in October, Fiqi accused opposition figures of holding meetings in Abu Dhabi with parties he said were linked to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The defense minister said that the meetings were intended to draw on methods used to organize armed militias, warning against efforts that could return Somalia to an era of conflict between rival armed factions.

Sharif Sheikh Ahmed rejected the accusations, claiming his visit to the UAE was for family reasons. He accused the federal government of exploiting its political disagreements with the opposition to justify security measures against its rivals.

The former president called for political disputes to be resolved through dialogue, warning that using security forces in political conflicts could push the country toward another internal confrontation.

Deterioration of Somalia-UAE relations 

The latest accusations come against the backdrop of a sharp deterioration in relations between Mogadishu and Abu Dhabi. In January 2026, Somalia’s Council of Ministers terminated agreements with the UAE covering government agencies, affiliated entities, and regional administrations. The decision extended to cooperation involving the ports of Berbera, Bosaso, and Kismayo, as well as existing bilateral security and defense arrangements.

The Somali government said the move followed evidence of actions undermining the country’s sovereignty, national unity, and political independence. The foreign ministry was instructed to formally notify the UAE and coordinate the implementation of the cancellations, while informing international and regional partners, including the African Union and the United Nations.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has also accused the UAE of encouraging the Somaliland administration to secede from Somalia, in what represents a major source of tension between Mogadishu and Abu Dhabi. He said the UAE had previously been an important partner, particularly in security cooperation, but relations deteriorated over what he described as Abu Dhabi’s bias toward Somaliland and its dealings with the administration separately from the federal government.

According to the Somali president, his government repeatedly raised concerns with Emirati officials and presented evidence of practices it considered detrimental to Somalia’s unity and sovereignty, but did not receive the response it expected.

Tensions have also been compounded by allegations concerning Emirati military activity in Somalia. Puntland security officials accused the UAE of carrying out a drone strike on January 26, 2025, in the Togga Kharaago area of the Al-Miskaad mountains in the Bari region.

The strike, which reportedly took place during military operations against ISIS, killed four members of a family and wounded five others, according to an investigation published by Drop Site and cited by Somalia Now. 

Al-Mashat: Yemen to Confront Saudi Arabia Until War and Blockade End

By Al Mayadeen English

13 Oct 2026 22:36

Supreme Political Council President Mahdi al-Mashat says strikes on Saudi Arabia aim to end the 12-year war and blockade on Yemen, reclaim national resources, expel occupiers, and safeguard holy sites and maritime security.

Sanaa's military operations against Saudi Arabia are justified and aim to force Riyadh to end its longstanding aggression and blockade of Yemen, Mahdi al-Mashat, the president of the Supreme Political Council, said on Tuesday.

In remarks to SABA News Agency, al-Mashat said the most immediate path to a solution lies in ending the Saudi war and blockade against Yemen. He emphasized that the battle is now aimed at bringing an end to 12 years of continued aggression and siege, reclaiming the country’s national wealth and resources, and expelling every occupier from Yemeni territory.

He reaffirmed Yemen’s determination to confront Saudi Arabia until its war and blockade are brought to an end, including by striking its military build-ups to thwart its objective of occupying the country.

Addressing Saudi Arabia directly, al-Mashat stated that “the sensible one among those involved in the invasion of Yemen is the one who takes the initiative to leave it before it is too late.”

Al-Mashat further noted that Saudi policies had repeatedly obstructed major national milestones, weakened the Yemeni state, and prevented the country from harnessing its resources and wealth. Yemenis, he maintained, now face a historic opportunity to consolidate their national project and build a strong and just state, free from subservience to foreign powers or external dependency.

Holy sites are a red line, international navigation is safe

Al-Mashat held KSA fully responsible for any attack on holy sites or any attempt to implicate the Yemeni people in such acts. Emphasizing that holy sites constitute a red line, he warned that Sanaa would not remain silent in the face of any reckless act.

He argued that Saudi Arabia's repeated allegations that Yemen had targeted Medina exposed its state of helplessness and failure, while reflecting its actions in accordance with Zionist plans. Al-Mashat also renewed his call for countries and entities endorsing these accusations to reconsider their positions and verify the claims.

In a separate statement, al-Mashat condemned “the crimes of Saudi aggression and the targeting of civilians,” saying they laid bare Riyadh's "brutality" and affirming Yemen’s right to respond.

Concluding his remarks, he stressed that international navigation remains safe and that Yemen is committed to fulfilling its international obligations concerning maritime navigation.

He warned, however, that the threat to maritime security stems from Saudi Arabia turning the Bab al-Mandab Strait into a war zone, and called on the international community to condemn this course of action.

Saudi aggression against Yemen in numbers

According to SABA, Saudi strikes over the years of aggression have destroyed more than 571 fuel stations across the country, along with 644 fuel tankers.

The agency added that the aggression has involved 300,000 Saudi airstrikes, which have hit homes, residential neighborhoods, markets, hospitals, and schools. It said the raids have also struck funeral gatherings, weddings, roads, bridges, displacement camps, airports, ports, and factories.

On Tuesday, Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that Saudi warplanes carried out 104 airstrikes across Yemen over the past 24 hours.

Saree said the raids bombed the governorates of Sanaa, Dhamar, Taiz, Amran, Lahj, al-Jawf, Marib, Saada, and Hodeidah.

Two civilians were martyred, and two others were wounded when a Saudi attack hit the Yemeni Oil Company in the Ras Isa area of Hodeidah, according to Yemen’s Health Ministry.

In a separate incident, three citizens were martyred after an unexploded remnant of the Saudi aggression detonated in the Hays district, south of Hodeidah, Saba News Agency reported.

104 Saudi Airstrikes Hit Nine Yemeni Governorates in 24 Hours

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: Yemeni Military Media

13 Oct 2026 21:20

Brigadier General Saree says Saudi Arabia bombed the governorates of Sanaa, Dhamar, Taiz, Amran, Lahj, al-Jawf, Marib, Saada, and Hodeidah.

Saudi warplanes carried out 104 airstrikes across Yemen over the past 24 hours, Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced on Tuesday.

Saree said the raids bombed the governorates of Sanaa, Dhamar, Taiz, Amran, Lahj, al-Jawf, Marib, Saada, and Hodeidah.

Two civilians were martyred, and two others were wounded when a Saudi attack hit the Yemeni Oil Company in the Ras Isa area of Hodeidah, according to Yemen’s Health Ministry.

In a separate incident, three citizens were martyred after an unexploded remnant of the Saudi aggression detonated in the Hays district, south of Hodeidah, Saba News Agency reported.

Aggression by the numbers

According to Yemen's SABA news agency, Saudi strikes over the years of aggression have destroyed more than 571 fuel stations across the country, along with 644 fuel tankers.

The agency added that the aggression has involved 300,000 Saudi airstrikes, which have hit homes, residential neighborhoods, markets, hospitals, and schools.

It said the raids have also struck funeral gatherings, weddings, roads, bridges, displacement camps, airports, ports, and factories.

Earlier on Tuesday, Saudi aircraft targeted the Yemeni Oil Company facility in the al-Sabaha area of Bani Matar district, west of the capital Sanaa.

Sabaha facility has no military value

Earlier on Tuesday, Saudi aircraft bombed the Yemen Petroleum Company facility in the al-Sabaha area of Bani Matar district, west of the capital Sanaa. The attack followed Saudi threats to hit the company and its central al-Sabaha station in Sanaa.

Citing a company source, Saree stressed that the al-Sabaha facility holds no petroleum products and has no military value. 

Sanaa government spokesperson Omar al-Bukhaiti added that the Saudi strike on the facility amounts to a clear war crime. He pointed out that the targeted site was empty, adding that supplies of petroleum products remain stable and sufficient to meet citizens’ needs for an extended period.

Saree later announced that the Yemeni Armed Forces had confronted Saudi-backed combat formations targeting Sanaa.

Warning to evacuate Aramco facility

The Yemeni Armed Forces had earlier warned Saudi Arabia that any attack on the capital Sanaa will draw a "harsh and painful response" in Riyadh. They also urged all employees and civilians near any facility belonging to Saudi Aramco to evacuate and keep their distance, declaring that “these sites are legitimate targets for our forces.”

The warning specifically covered the Aramco facility in Dammam and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The forces called on all citizens to leave their vicinity immediately, cautioning that they would "target these facilities if Saudi Arabia goes ahead with targeting what it announced in the capital Sanaa."

The Yemeni Armed Forces reiterated that any Saudi attack on the capital would trigger a retaliatory strike on Riyadh, in line with the "escalation for escalation" equation.

Russian Forces Destroy Over 260,000 Military Drones in Ukraine Operation — Top Brass

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,285 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours

© Alexander Polegenko/TASS

MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/. Russian forces have destroyed over 260,000 Ukrainian military drones since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, according to the latest report released by Russia’s Defense Ministry.

"In all, the following targets have been destroyed since the start of the special military operation: 674 aircraft, 284 helicopters, 260,703 unmanned aerial vehicles, 672 surface-to-air missile systems, 31,216 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,787 multiple rocket launchers, 36,713 field artillery guns and mortars and 74,402 special military motor vehicles," the ministry said in a statement.

Kiev loses 1,285 troops along engagement line in past day - latest figures

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,285 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 over 270 troops, a tank and a field artillery gun in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup North, roughly 230 troops and an armored combat vehicle in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup West and about 160 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 roughly 345 troops and seven armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup Center, over 240 troops and an armored combat vehicle in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup East and about 40 troops and two field artillery guns in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup Dnepr, the latest figures show.

Russia’s Battlegroup North fighting for three communities in pocket of encirclement in Kharkov area

Russia’s Battlegroup North forces are fighting for the liberation of three communities in the Kharkov Region and tightening the ring of encirclement of Ukrainian troops in that area, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup North units are tightening the ring of encirclement in the Kharkov Region and expanding the outer area of control. In the pocket of encirclement, they are fighting for the liberation of the communities of Nikolayevka, Varvarovka and Nefyodovka in the Kharkov Region," the ministry said.

During the last 24-hour period, the Ukrainian army lost roughly 60 troops, a motor vehicle and five ground robotic platforms in the pocket of encirclement, it specified.

Battlegroup North forces are expanding the outer area of control and continue battles for taking control of the settlements of Prikolotnoye, Kotovka and Gogino in the Kharkov Region, the ministry said.

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicts over 270 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup North forces inflicted more than 270 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy tank and a field artillery gun in its areas of responsibility over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

In the Kharkov direction, Battlegroup North units "inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of two mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Velikiye Prokhody, Khotomlya, Pogoreloye, Russkaya Lozovaya, Tsirkuny and Veliky Burluk in the Kharkov Region," the ministry said.

In the Sumy direction, Battlegroup North units struck formations of two mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian army and two territorial defense brigades in areas near the settlements of Glukhov, Yuryevo, Barilovka, Maryino, Konotop and Nikolskoye in the Sumy Region and the city of Sumy, it said.

Overall, the Ukrainian army lost more than 270 personnel, a tank, eight motor vehicles, a field artillery gun and an electronic warfare station in the areas of responsibility of Russia’s Battlegroup North over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts 230 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 230 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy armored combat vehicle in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup West units improved their forward positions and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of two mechanized brigades, an assault brigade of the Ukrainian army and two territorial defense brigades in areas near the settlements of Grushevka, Blagodatovka, Berezovka, Maliyevka and Osinovo in the Kharkov Region and Volchy Yar in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 230 personnel, an armored combat vehicle, 17 motor vehicles, three artillery guns and four electronic warfare stations in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it said.

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicts 160 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted roughly 160 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 of the Ukrainian army and a marine infantry brigade in areas near the settlements of Kramatorsk, Semyonovka, Slavyansk and Nikolayevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 160 personnel, four armored combat vehicles, 31 motor vehicles and an artillery gun in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup Center forces liberate 286 buildings in Dobropolye over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Center forces liberated 286 buildings in Dobropolye in the Donetsk People’s Republic and destroyed roughly 65 Ukrainian troops over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

"In Dobropolye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, assault groups of the 51st Army advanced in the town’s central and northwestern parts. Some forces jointly with marine infantry formations continued mopping up the town’s quarters they had seized and the territory of the Dobropolskaya coalmine," the ministry said.

During the last 24-hour period, Battlegroup Center units liberated 286 buildings, including three production structures and eliminated roughly 65 Ukrainian troops in Dobropolye, it said.

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicts 345 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted roughly 345 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed seven 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 two mechanized brigades, an airborne brigade of the Ukrainian army and two National Guard brigades in areas near the settlements of Liman, Verovka, Belozerskoye, Svyatogorovka, Vesyolaya Gora, Maryevka and Novoyavlenka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 345 personnel, seven armored combat vehicles, eight motor vehicles, three field artillery guns and a Grad multiple rocket launcher in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup Center over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicts over 240 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted more than 240 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy armored combat vehicle in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup East units continued their advance deep into the enemy’s defenses and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of a mechanized brigade, an air assault brigade, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian army and a marine infantry brigade in areas near the settlements of Gavrilovka and Tarasovka in the Dnepropetrovsk Region, Dudnikovo, Zalivnoye, Blakitnoye and Volnyanka in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 240 personnel, an armored combat vehicle, eight motor vehicles and an artillery gun in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr eliminates 40 Ukrainian troops in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr eliminated roughly 40 Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy field artillery guns in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Dnepr units gained better lines and positions and inflicted losses on formations of a mechanized brigade and a mountain assault brigade of the Ukrainian army in areas near the settlements of Orekhov and Kushugum in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said.

"Up to 40 Ukrainian military personnel, 20 motor vehicles, two field artillery guns and two electronic warfare stations were destroyed," it said.

Russian forces strike Ukrainian military-industrial, transport sites in past day

Russian forces struck Ukrainian military-industrial sites, transport infrastructure facilities and enemy deployment areas over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

"Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck Ukraine’s military-industrial and transport infrastructure facilities used by the Ukrainian army, workshops producing unmanned aerial vehicles and their storage sites, and also temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 142 locations," the ministry said.

Russian air defenses intercept 883 Ukrainian UAVs over past day

Russian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 883 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

"Air defense capabilities shot down 883 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said.

Ukrainian Army Attacks DPR Settlements Eight Times in 24 Hours, Wounding Two People

Strikes damaged a truck and one civil infrastructure facility

DONETSK, October 14. /TASS/. The Ukrainian army attacked settlements in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) eight times over the past 24 hours, leaving two people wounded, the DPR department for documenting Ukraine’s war crimes reported.

"Eight attacks by Ukrainian armed formations were recorded, including five [attacks] in the Gorlovka and one [attack] each in the Volodarsky, Telmanovo, and Yasinovataya directions. Reports indicate that two civilians were wounded. Ten rounds of various types of ammunition were fired," the report said.

Strikes damaged a truck and one civil infrastructure facility, according to the department.

Tokyo Uses Reporters to Gather Data to Undermine Russia’s Security — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova noted that today’s event is not an isolated case

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

© Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/. Japan relies on journalists working in Russia to collect information intended to weaken Russia’s security, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"Tokyo’s attempts to use its correspondents who are in Russia and have the status of foreign journalists to gather information with the aim of undermining the security of our state are regrettable. We cannot fail to point out that today’s event is not an isolated case," she said on the ministry’s website.

Hokkaido Shimbun Reporter Arrested on Espionage Charges, Taken to Moscow

The Investigative Directorate of the Russian Federal Security Service has initiated a criminal case against the Japanese citizen

© Russian Federal Security Service/TASS

MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/. A correspondent for the Japanese newspaper Hokkaido Shimbun in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in Russia’s Far East has been detained on suspicion of espionage, transported to Moscow and placed in custody, the FSB said.

"On the eve of his departure from our country, the foreign national was detained in the Sakhalin Region and then taken to Moscow. The Investigative Directorate of the FSB of Russia has initiated a criminal case against the Japanese citizen under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (espionage)," it said.

"By a decision of the Lefortovsky District Court of Moscow, he has been placed under arrest. Further investigative and operational activities are being carried out."

Number of Drones Downed on Approach to Moscow Since Start of Say Reaches 96

Emergency services’ specialists are working at the sites where debris fell, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported

© Aleksey Konovalov/TASS

MOSCOW, October 14. /TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry’s air defenses have shot down another 21 UAVs heading to Moscow, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on his Max channel.

"An attack by 21 more UAVs has been repelled by the Defense Ministry’s air defenses. Emergency services are working at the scene of the fall of debris," he wrote.

This brings the number of UAVs downed by air defense systems while approaching Moscow since the start of the day to 96, according to TASS calculations.

French Government Closes Hundreds of Schools Amid Protests Against Austerity 

Thousands of high school students have been arrested as many schools have been vandalized

By Abayomi Azikiwe

Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Monday October 12, 2026

Political Review

High school students in France have engaged in strikes and mass demonstrations as funding cuts and lay-offs have created intolerable conditions in the education sector.

On October 12, the government shutdown schools across the country in an effort to curb discontent among the youth, many of whom have suffered injuries from the police crackdown on unrest. 

One student suffered serious hand injuries when he picked up a teargas grenade that soon exploded. Many people within civil society have criticized the harsh measures utilized by the French police to disperse the demonstrations.

Media reports on the situation in France emphasized the tumultuous character of the struggle being waged by high school students and their supporters. Rather than making decisions which would improve the educational outcomes in France, the government has responded with school closures and the intensification of police repression.

Hundreds of thousands of high school students reached the breaking point having to accept staff shortages and dilapidated buildings. There are videos posted on social media of rats running through the corridors of schools, broken toilets, mold and holes in the walls of buildings.

It was not only the 500,000 students who marched around the country on October 6 many of their teachers joined in with them. The class sizes of 35 pupils are making effective instruction almost impossible. 

Since early October, approximately 7,000 people have been arrested, most of whom some 85% are children. These figures were provided by the French Interior Ministry.

These demonstrations are taking place ahead of the planned 2027 national elections. The French political landscape is sharply divided between the far-right National Rally party and the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) which is headed by Jean-Luc Melenchon. 

Two-term President Emmanuel Macron cannot run again. Many believe that the upcoming elections will represent a turning-point in French politics.

Over the last eight years there have been periodic protests in the European state. The Yellow Jackets campaigns were centered around the costs of transportation. 

Several years later during 2023, millions engaged in several general strikes over proposed changes in the national pension system. The government policy was centered around raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. There was mass support for the demonstrations and strikes. However, the administration in France imposed the new policy absent a vote within the national assembly.

During that same year, 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk, who was of North African descent, was shot dead by the French police. Days of unrest followed bringing international attention to the problems of police brutality within France.

The following year in 2024, mass protests and strikes arose just days prior to the Olympic games held in Paris. Garbage was piled up in the streets while there were severe disruptions in the public transportation system.

Political Impact of the Student Strikes and Demonstrations

According to opinion polls in France regarding the most recent unrest among the youth, the majority of people are in support of the students. The far-right National Rally has condemned the student demonstrations calling for the parents of students to be charged for the property damage done during the unrest.

In response to the strikes and demonstrations, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that by the end of October 3,000 substitute teachers will be brought into the system. Nonetheless, despite this promise of hiring extra teachers, students have continued their protest actions. 

One press source has noted:

“Protesting teenagers at French upper secondary schools, known as lycees, have complained about high teacher absenteeism, school days they say are too long and buildings in poor condition. They have also called attention to inadequate cooling during hot summer days.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu urged local authorities on Sunday to prioritize filling gaps caused by long-term absences and unfilled posts. He also called a meeting for Tuesday with regional presidents to discuss renovating school buildings. The closures affect teaching and leave families and students facing uncertainty over when lessons can resume. The education minister said the shutdowns were mainly a precaution, while officials weighed school safety against plans for a gradual return to classes. Geffray said the number of schools closed on Monday would be similar to Friday’s, even as authorities planned a partial return to lessons. Organizers, however, called for protests to continue on Tuesday.” (https://journalarta.com/en/2026/10/12/schools-closed-france-student-protests/)

After the school closures on October 12, the following day more demonstrations were planned to keep the issue before the public. The LFI leader Jean-Luc Melenchon has been present alongside the students in the mass demonstrations.

The French political divide has hampered the capacity of the present government to resolve the crisis. Conditions within the school system are so dire that the students are demanding immediate actions which will have long-term implications for youth.

As it relates to the reforms announced by the French government, Le Monde noted in a report that:

“The student organizations behind the protests are yet to be convinced, however. The Union of High School students described the initial announcements last week as ‘crumbs.’ They are maintaining their demand for an extra €10 million to be invested in the country's high schools.

France's 10,000 medical students are meanwhile beginning to express concern at the effect any continued school blockades could have on exams that start on Monday, which help determine their eventual speciality. They do not want to see the students' action disrupt such a crucial stage of their education.” (https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2026/10/12/french-high-school-students-plan-fresh-protests_6758502_7.html)

Education, Public Sector Cuts and the Capitalist Crisis

The problems which have come to the fore are part and parcel of a broader crisis within the French economy. The labor and student unrest over the last several years represents the failing capitalist system in Europe.

There is additional pressure being placed on European economies of those states which are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The administration of President Donald Trump in the United States has demanded that the United Kingdom and other European continental states raise the level of military expenditures to 5% of their national budgets.

During the beginning of the unprovoked war by the US and Israel, Trump demanded that other NATO states enter directly in the bombing of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Although the UK does allow Pentagon warplanes to utilize and refuel at their bases, they have refrained from joining the efforts to destroy Iran and occupy the Strait of Hormuz. 

The war with Iran has become a major factor in the global economic downturn. Fuel prices have skyrocketed, prompting inflation in areas of food, fertilizer and other essential commodities.

In the German newspaper Deutsche Welle, it says of the status of the French education system:

“The latest scores for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) program for international student assessment (Pisa), which were published in September, illustrate the scale of the problems in the education system. According to the results, more than one in three 15-year-olds in France no longer achieve a basic level of competence in mathematics, for example. Macron's reform of the upper secondary education system has also been criticized. The abolition of academic streaming in favor of specialist subjects selected by the individual was meant to give pupils greater freedom of choice. However, the large number of possible subject combinations make it difficult to timetable lessons. Students complain that they have too many free periods and longer school days. The problems also extend to universities. A lecturer at a Paris university described a seminar attended by 50 students — so many that they have to fetch chairs from other rooms or sit on the floor. So far, she said, the university administration had done nothing about it.” (https://www.dw.com/en/schools-crisis-in-france-investment-fails-to-inspire-confidence/a-79621916)

The demonstrations in France are reflective of a broader European social discontent. In Belgium there was the beginning of a national walkout on October 9 when air flights were cancelled due to work stoppages. (https://www.reuters.com/world/belgium-strike-partly-shuts-public-sector-budget-deal-delayed-2026-10-12/)

Both workers and students held mass demonstrations, some of which turned violent. On October 12 the national strike impacted transportation and other areas within the public sector.

Belgian right-wing Prime Minister Bart De Wever admitted that the failure of the government to reach agreement on a national budget has created unease and anger throughout broad segments of the population. De Wever noted that large-scale budget cuts were inevitable which will undoubtedly impact workers and youth inside the country.

All of these events in France and Belgium are a direct result of the international situation prompted by the economic and military policies of the US. Facing a midterm election as the approval rating of the Trump administration has reached unprecedented lows, the White House is striking out against its perceived political enemies. Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar had her Washington, D.C. residence raided by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on October 12 under an obvious politically motivated attempt to deflect attention away from the deteriorating social conditions in the US. 

Many believe that the situation in Western Europe and the US will only worsen in the coming weeks and months. The outcomes of these struggles will have a tremendous impact on the status of working people and the nationally oppressed in North America and Europe.

YAF Strike Riyadh Airport, Khamis Mushait Air Base With Precision

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: Yemeni Military Media + Al Mayadeen

12 Oct 2026 23:34

The Yemeni Armed Forces targeted King Khalid Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile and Khamis Mushait Air Base with a drone, warning airlines against using Saudi airports.

The Yemeni Armed Forces targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with a ballistic missile, YAF spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced, confirming that the strike achieved a direct hit.

The Armed Forces also carried out another operation targeting Khamis Mushait Air Base with a drone, saying the attack also achieved a direct hit, according to Saree.

The Yemeni Armed Forces renewed their warning to international airlines, experts, employees, workers, and travelers against operating flights to Saudi airports, stressing that they are "unsafe", with the exception of airports and airspace serving the holy areas in Mecca and Medina.

With four top-tier ops., YAF strike Saudi airports, Aramco facilities

Yesterday, the Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Yahya Saree announced that the YAF carried out four top-tier military operations targeting two Saudi airports and two Aramco energy facilities in retaliation for continued Saudi aggression against Yemen.

In a statement issued October 11, Saree detailed that the four operations were carried out with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.

The first operation targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in three stages, disrupting air traffic and forcing the airport to a complete halt, according to the spokesperson.

The second operation targeted Aramco’s Shedgum gas facility in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. Saree said the strike hit its target accurately and caused large fires.

The third operation struck Aramco’s Tanajib gas facility, also in the Eastern Province, according to Saree, who described the strike as "precise" and said it sparked fires at the site.

The fourth targeted King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, where Saree said a direct hit disrupted air traffic.

Missile and drone attack on Saudi troop concentrations

In a separate operation, the Yemeni Armed Forces targeted Saudi troop build-ups in Ras al-'Ara and al-Saqiya areas with six ballistic missiles and two drones, Saree said.

He reported that the attack killed and wounded dozens of personnel.

Saree also said Yemeni air defenses confronted Saudi aircraft with a large number of locally manufactured surface-to-air missiles, forcing them to retreat.

Saree renewed a warning to international companies, experts, employees, workers, and travelers against operating or taking flights to Saudi airports, which he described as unsafe.

He explicitly exempted the airports and airspace of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

IRGC Targets 3rd Tanker Violating Hormuz Restrictions, Warns US Allies

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: IRGC Public Relations Office

12 Oct 2026 20:39

Iran’s IRGC Navy warns against cooperation with US forces as Tehran strengthens its naval deterrence capabilities.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Navy (IRGC-N) announced that its forces targeted a third supertanker in the Strait of Hormuz after the vessel defied Iranian navigation restrictions, reaffirming its determination to enforce security measures in the strategic waterway and warning against cooperation with US forces.

In a statement, the IRGC Navy’s Public Relations Office said the tanker caught fire after being targeted for attempting to cross the strait through an unauthorized route.

The vessel had deliberately switched off its navigation system and disregarded repeated warnings from Iranian naval forces while attempting to pass through the waterway, according to the statement.

The IRGC Navy said the tanker’s actions constituted a violation of the security measures governing maritime traffic and were intended to undermine order and stability in the strait.

The naval force stressed that commercial ships and oil tankers operating in the Strait of Hormuz must comply with Iran’s navigation restrictions, warning that any cooperation with the US military in the strait or the wider Gulf region would be met with a decisive response.

Iran develops new weapons to counter enemy threats

Separately, the deputy commander of the Iranian Army’s Navy said Iranian forces were advancing their military capabilities by developing new weapons designed to exploit vulnerabilities identified in their adversaries' defenses.

He explained that Iran had closely examined the enemy’s weaknesses and was incorporating its findings into the development of new weapons systems and operational tactics.

The commander further stressed that Iranian naval forces were adapting their strategies to counter hostile military maneuvers, pointing to what he described as a significant retreat by enemy forces from Iran’s maritime borders.

Border Crisis in Spain’s Ceuta Has Exposed its Christian-Muslim Fault Lines

By SUMAN NAISHADHAM

4:53 PM EDT, October 12, 2026

CEUTA, Spain (AP) — Ceuta, a sliver of land in North Africa, is an anomaly for Spain: a city where Muslims and Christians live in almost equal numbers.

But a monthslong migration crisis in the Spanish exclave, which Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will visit on Tuesday for the first time, has exposed divisions in a place that bills itself as a beacon of coexistence. Some people say the fault lines were always there.

The crisis was triggered in late July when about 80,000 people poured into the Spanish exclave from neighboring Morocco, driven by rumors online that Spain had opened its border. Most of those who crossed left within days, but up to 15,000 migrants stayed, leaving the city under strain and pitting residents against one another.

The crisis has been shouldered unevenly

Many migrants who remained in Ceuta have sheltered in Muslim neighborhoods, sleeping on streets, in doorways and in makeshift tent camps and centers run by NGOs and locals. Residents say the chaos never ended for them and have grown frustrated.

Mohamed Susi, a resident of the Muslim-majority neighborhood of El Principe, watched as hundreds of migrant boys gathered at a church next to his house one day in early October to await the arrival of a visiting minister.

“What do they want? That we feed all of Ceuta?” Susi said. “Find a solution already!” he said, slamming his door shut.

Next to one of the city’s main mosques, volunteers and workers at a Muslim charity filled plastic to-go containers with stewed lentils and pasta on a late September day.

Halima Ahmed, spokesperson for the Luna Blanca charity, said it has distributed between 3,000 and 5,000 meals per day to migrants still in the city. The volunteers and workers have received threats and insults for doing so, she said.

“There’s tension,” Ahmed said. “People are fed up with the situation.”

Ceuta’s downtown, frequented by Christians and Muslims, regained a sense of normalcy within days of the initial rush. People returned to restaurants, bars and open-air terraces. Shops reopened. But signs of the city’s discontent abound. Storefronts carry signs that read: “Ceuta stands its ground — Ceuta won’t give up!” while the flags of Spain and Ceuta hang from balconies.

Spanish police and thousands of soldiers have been deployed, patrolling the city center and areas near the border.

Residents have staged regular protests as the crisis persisted. At a demonstration outside the city government in early October, around 200 people demanded solutions from Spain’s left-wing national government. Men and women draped in Ceuta’s black-and-white flag banged on pots and pans and expressed their dissatisfaction with what they described as the Spanish government’s slow response. Very few of those in attendance, if any, were Muslim.

Francisco Luna, 45, the owner of an auto repair shop, said coexistence has been frayed. He described the atmosphere in one word: “terrible.”

Some Muslims in the city are protecting migrants, he said, which made him question their loyalty to Ceuta.

“We have always lived together well,” Luna said. “Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus — we’ve never had any problems. But now, I do see it, because there are Muslims who defend the (migrants) from Morocco.”

Historic divisions run deep in Ceuta

Ceuta has belonged to Spain for centuries. Its 84,000 residents are Spanish and European Union citizens. Many are from the mainland. Most of the city’s Muslims trace their roots to Morocco, have relatives there and speak Moroccan Arabic. The city has smaller Jewish and Hindu populations.

The territory is poorer than much of Spain, and Muslims experience higher rates of poverty compared to the rest of the exclave, a 2025 report published by the Catholic charitable organization Caritas said. It reported that 44% of Muslim households were marginalized, compared to 28% of the city’s overall population.

Some predominantly Muslim neighborhoods on the city’s peripheries, with narrow and steep mazelike streets, have high crime rates. Muslims and Christians frequent downtown shops, lively plazas and broad avenues, but the Muslim-majority neighborhoods see less mixing.

Local politician Mohamed Mustafa described the divisions as predating the summer’s border crisis. But he acknowledged it has made things worse. Ceuta has lived through previous migrant surges at its border, but this year’s was the deadliest.

“The image of coexistence is a mirage,” Mustafa said. “It’s a tourism slogan, but it doesn’t reflect reality.”

The city has been on edge for months

On Tuesday, Spain’s royals will attend a ceremony at a Muslim cemetery in the city to memorialize the more than 140 migrants who died attempting to cross in July. Dozens of unidentified migrants were buried there.

The visit will be the monarchs’ first to the Spanish territory, where many say they have felt abandoned by the country’s national leaders.

As the crisis stretches into its third month, Ceuta’s residents agree on one thing: They are tired of the situation.

When migrants constructed a vast makeshift tent camp on a beach, Emilio Muñoz, who lives in a house close by, decided he needed to leave.

He pitched a tent outside the city government to protest, demanding action, and began sleeping there, too. Soon, around a dozen others joined him, sleeping on and off for a month until the beachside tent camp was fully demolished when Spanish police removed a few thousand migrants.

Muñoz said his demonstration was not done to mock the migrants. “People say this is pantomime, but I don’t make light of the situation.”

He described Ceuta as a city of different religious and ethnic groups working and living together, but acknowledged that something had been damaged.

“I do see a rift,” Muñoz said, “but we have to move forward.”

South Africa Police Deputy Chief Quits Amid Corruption and Sex Offense Claims

8:44 AM EDT, October 12, 2026

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s suspended deputy head of the police, Shadrack Sibiya, resigned from his position on Monday amid allegations of corruption and alleged sexual offenses leveled against him.

Sibiya was set to face a disciplinary hearing on Monday but his lawyers tendered his letter of resignation at the start of the proceeding, police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said.

“As the former senior officer had an ongoing disciplinary case against him at the time of his resignation, his departure from the service is therefore regarded as a dishonorable discharge,” said Mathe.

Sibiya is currently in prison after he was arrested for alleged rape and grooming of a minor last month. He has denied the charges. His application to be released on bail has been postponed to Oct. 13.

Sibiya has been the subject of a judicial commission of inquiry investigating wide-ranging allegations of corruption within the South African police and alleged ties to the country’s criminal networks.

At the commission, which is chaired by retired Judge Mbuyiseni Madlanga, Sibiya has been accused of receiving large sums of cash and gifts from alleged criminals.

During his testimony at the commission, Sibiya denied all allegations against him.

He had been suspended since September last year.

Clashes Between Rival Groups in Central South Sudan Leave Scores Dead

By DENG MACHOL and FLORENCE MIETTAUX

1:35 PM EDT, October 12, 2026

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — Clashes last week between armed groups from rival communities in the central part of South Sudan left scores of people dead and overwhelmed a hospital with wounded people, officials said.

The fighting swept through the Rumbek area of Lakes state on Friday as government soldiers and U.N. peacekeepers tried to maintain order. South Sudan’s Information Ministry said that about 70 people were killed, including four soldiers, but that the exact toll had yet to be verified.

“We were overwhelmed with the gunshot patients,” Teran Madit, a clinical officer at Rumbek State Hospital, told The Associated Press by telephone Monday. He said the hospital received more than 50 wounded people, most with chest injuries.

The fighting involved armed youths from the Pakam community in Rumbek North County fighting against armed youths of the Nyang community in Rumbek Central County, both part of the Dinka ethnic group.

Disputes over cattle and grazing land, along with revenge killings, have fueled repeated violence in Lakes state, but the immediate cause of Friday’s clashes was unclear. South Sudanese analyst Machot Amuom said unresolved tensions between the communities had left the area vulnerable to renewed violence.

“There were buried tensions and everybody knew that this could flare up, because the root causes of the violence between these communities were never addressed,” he said.

Madit, who operated on seven patients at Rumbek State Hospital on Friday, described scenes of chaos there. Some patients who came to seek treatment left again amid rumors that they could be killed at the hospital.

Daniel Laat Kon, who heads the Lakes state branch of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, a South Sudanese civil society group, said he was among thousands of residents of the area who fled as gunfire erupted early Friday.

“The security forces tried their level best, but they were outnumbered by the armed youths,” he said.

Kon said soldiers were killed trying to repel the attackers. He returned home after the attackers withdrew that afternoon, he said.

The government said Friday that troops and police had brought Rumbek under control. Security forces arrested four armed civilians and recovered four firearms, according to the ministry’s statement, which urged communities to avoid retaliatory attacks.

U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said Friday that Nepalese peacekeepers deployed a rapid response force to “help deter the fighting and protect the local hospital and humanitarian compounds.”

The bloodshed comes as South Sudan prepares for its first national elections since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011.

President Salva Kiir dissolved the transitional government on Sept. 22 and appointed a caretaker administration ahead of elections scheduled for Dec. 22. His decree also dissolved the national legislature and state governments. Elections have repeatedly been delayed.

Amuom said the dissolution had contributed to the insecurity by leaving key local government posts vacant.

“The caretaker county commissioners have not yet been appointed, and the armed youths took advantage of it,” he said.

The power-sharing administration grew out of a 2018 peace agreement that ended five years of civil war in which an estimated 400,000 people died.

Kon called on the government to disarm civilians, questioning how elections could proceed amid such insecurity.

“How can we be preparing for an election, registering voters, conducting civic education, when people live in fear?” he said.

DR Congo’s Former President Kabila Launches an Anti-government Front Including M23 Rebels

By JUSTIN KABUMBA and SALEH MWANAMILONGO

5:55 PM EDT, October 12, 2026

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila on Monday launched a new political and military coalition of groups opposed to the current government, including the M23 rebels who have captured wide swaths of territory in eastern Congo.

Kabila’s new Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, or FRN, includes rebel groups formerly united under the Congo River Alliance, whose former leader Corneille Nangaa will serve as one of the new coalition’s four vice presidents.

Coalition adviser Claude Ibalanky said at a news conference late Monday at Kabila’s residence in the eastern city of Goma that the FRN’s mission is to restore the pillars of a functioning republic. It aims to “unite and coordinate all resistance forces in order to put an end to tyranny — by any means necessary, including the use of force,” Ibalanky said.

“The signatories have decided to pool their forces, resources, and means to create a framework for action through which all Congolese people, acting in unison, will undertake the task of liberating their country,” Ibalanky said.

President Felix Tshisekedi’s government gave no immediate reaction to the announcement, which is seen as a major challenge to Tshisekedi’s administration and a serious complication for the current peace process with rebels, which has had only limited success.

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo, along the border with Rwanda, in a decades-long conflict that has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. It took control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, as well as other key cities in eastern Congo in a lightning assault last year.

Congo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23.

Last year, a high military court in Congo sentenced Kabila to death in absentia after finding him guilty of treason, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The court said he collaborated with Rwanda and M23. The former president denied the accusations and called the proceedings politically motivated.

Earlier this year, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on Kabila for his alleged role in funding and providing political support to rebel groups operating in the east of his country.

Kabila led Congo from 2001 to 2019. He took office at the age of 29 — after his father and former President Laurent Kabila was assassinated — and extended his mandate by delaying elections for two years after his term ended in 2017. His candidate lost in December 2018 to Kabila’s long-term political rival, Tshisekedi, who has ruled the country since 2019.

Yvon Muya, a researcher at the University of Ottawa in Canada, said Monday’s announcement signals a direct confrontation between Kabila and Tshisekedi.

“You don’t make an announcement like this without having prepared the actions that follow,” Muya said. “We will likely witness an escalation on the military front.”

Under pressure from the United States, the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 rebels began direct negotiations in Doha to resolve the security crisis. However, more than a year later, clashes continue in eastern Congo, and experts say that negotiations will become even more complicated with Kabila in a leadership position.

“The AFC/M23 leaders have been integrated into a new formation. So, it is hard to see — even from a purely practical standpoint — how the Doha process will work,” Muya told the AP. “All of this risks jeopardizing the ongoing process.”

—-

Mwanamilongo reported from Bonn, Germany.

Mother’s 3-day Walk With Sick Daughter Highlights Somalia’s Child Malnutrition Emergency

By MOHAMED SHEIKH NOR and OMAR FARUK

1:01 AM EDT, October 12, 2026

KISMAYO, Somalia (AP) — For three days, Halima Abdullahi Ibrahim carried her 3-year-old daughter from their village in Somalia to a hospital nearly 90 kilometers (56 miles) away. The girl’s body was swelling and she needed medical help unavailable closer to home.

When she finally reached Kismayo Referral Hospital, Halima’s daughter, Asho Hassan Abdi, was taken to the stabilization center, a white-walled ward lined with metal-framed beds, some beneath mosquito nets. Halima held Asho on her lap, the child wrapped in purple cloth, as a health worker examined her feet and lower legs.

They diagnosed her with edema, a symptom of severe acute malnutrition.

Asho is one child in a national emergency. Some 1.92 million Somali children between the ages of 6 months and almost 5 years old are suffering from or are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition and need treatment over a one year period ending in June 2027, according to an analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. That includes 433,000 children expected to suffer severe acute malnutrition, the form carrying the greatest risk of death.

More than half of Somalia’s projected malnutrition cases are concentrated in the south, where communities face disease outbreaks, food insecurity and limited access to health services, clean water and sanitation. Expected flooding associated with El Niño could displace more families and make those services even harder to reach.

The hospital where Asho was being treated admitted 152 children with severe acute malnutrition in August, four of whom died, Jubbaland Health Minister Ismail Garas said.

And the crisis comes as humanitarian organizations have fewer resources to respond. The AP reported in August that the World Food Program can provide only limited assistance despite the growing need. Somalia’s emergency also reflects a wider retreat in humanitarian funding that is weakening efforts to fight hunger, disease and poverty around the world.

Sandra Lattouf, Somalia representative for the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF, said children are dying from malnutrition, while illnesses including measles intensify the danger.

“We need to do more for them,” Lattouf told AP during a visit to Kismayo.

She called for closer cooperation among community health workers, local leaders, government authorities and humanitarian organizations.

Displacement and flooding threaten to deepen the crisis

The effects of displacement and reduced assistance are visible at the Luglow settlement on the outskirts of Kismayo, a port city home to more than 250,000 people in the country’s south. Dome-shaped shelters made from bent branches and patched plastic sheeting stand across the red earth, with dirty water pooled in ruts between.

At the settlement’s nutrition center, mothers sit on mats with young children in their laps while members of a visiting UNICEF delegation crouch to speak with them.

Ali Adan Ali, Jubbaland’s commissioner for refugees and internally displaced people, said many displaced families had received no humanitarian assistance since 2023 because aid organizations lacked funding.

“The current situation of the IDPs in Jubbaland is very dire,” Ali said.

He warned that flooding could force people living along the Juba River to move toward Kismayo, which is on higher ground, placing additional pressure on settlements, nutrition centers and hospitals.

Sweden’s ambassador to Somalia, Hans Henric Lundquist, visited the Luglow nutrition center with Lattouf and met local officials, mothers and children. He said agencies must work more closely with communities as funding becomes increasingly constrained.

“We need to build resilience, because globally there is lack of funding,” Lundquist said. “We need to work smarter than we’ve done before.”

Halima’s journey shows what the crisis can mean for one family: A severely malnourished child may be separated from specialized care by poverty, distance and a health system strained by growing needs and shrinking international assistance. And that can be a matter of life or death.

Looking Backward: Senegal’s Crackdown on LGBTQ+ People Forces Them to Go Into Hiding, Rights Watchdog Says

A protestor chants anti-gay slogans during a demonstration against homosexuality in Dakar, Senegal, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu, File)

By MONIKA PRONCZUK

6:06 AM EDT, October 12, 2026

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal has launched a harsh crackdown on LGBTQ+ people that includes arrests and violations of their rights, and has caused increasing fear and stigma in the gay community, Human Rights Watch said in a report Monday.

The government’s punitive actions following passage of a law increasing punishment for homosexuality are forcing people to go into hiding and avoid HIV testing and treatment, the report said.

There is no official data on the number of arrests under the new law, but according to the African Forum for the Defense of Human Rights, a Dakar-based rights group, at least 212 people were arrested between February and July.

HIV Justice Network said that the number of arrests exceeded 300 during the same period, and 82 people were charged with “voluntary HIV transmission,” although a court dismissed the charges in August.

“LGBT people are being forced to curb their normal activities and to keep from exercising their rights for fear of arrest and increased stigma,” said Larissa Kojoué, an LGBTQ+ rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Senegal’s government should call a halt to this crackdown, which threatens everyone’s rights.”

The new law, passed by parliament with near-unanimous support earlier this year, doubles prison terms of those convicted of homosexuality to between five and 10 years.

The law classifies homosexuality along with necrophilia and bestiality under offenses deemed “acts against nature.” It also punishes what it calls the promotion or financing of homosexuality, an attempt to crack down on organizations that support sexual and gender minorities.

Same-sex sexual conduct has been criminalized in Senegal since 1965, but hostility toward LGBTQ+ people has significantly intensified in recent years, the report said.

Laws proscribing homosexuality are common across Africa: more than 30 of the 54 countries criminalize same-sex sexual acts. Senegal has joined countries like Kenya, Sierra Leone and Tanzania, where penalties can include 10 or more years of imprisonment. In Somalia, Uganda and Mauritania, the offense can carry the death penalty.

Rep. Ilhan Omar's D.C. Home Searched by Homeland Security Investigators

By Nicole Sganga

October 12, 2026 / 12:24 PM EDT / CBS News

Rep. Ilhan Omar's Washington, D.C., home was the target of a raid early Monday morning by ICE's investigations unit.

Sources say the investigation centers on Omar's immigration paperwork. The documents in question date back to Omar's childhood, involving paperwork completed by her late father when she was a child. 

Omar's office said in a statement that Omar had "done nothing wrong" and called the raid "outrageous abuse of power and an unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies." 

Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, posted Monday on social media, "I'm ok," adding "I will not be silenced."

"Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement," Omar wrote. "For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation."

Homeland Security Investigations, or HSI, the department's criminal investigative arm, is leading the investigation, with the Department of Justice assisting. 

HSI has jurisdiction over federal offenses including immigration document fraud, identity fraud and immigration benefit fraud. Unlike ICE's deportation-focused operations, HSI special agents conduct criminal investigations and execute federal search warrants.

In a statement, the Justice Department confirmed that the HSI executed a search warrant secured by the DOJ. The statement said it was "part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation." 

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, whip Rep. Katherine Clark and caucus chair Rep. Pete Aguilar called the raid on Omar's home "deeply disturbing" and said it "raises serious questions about the continued corrupt weaponization of the federal government against Donald Trump's adversaries."

Omar is a frequent target of President Trump, and border czar Tom Homan said in September that there was an "ongoing criminal investigation" into the congresswoman. 

"I'm confirming that ICE is, yeah — look, I said months ago that there's something that's been reported and needs to be looked at," Homan told Fox News in September. 

Omar said at the time that she had not been contacted in connection to any investigation. 

Nikole Killion contributed to this report.

Agents Search Rep. Omar’s Washington Home in Criminal Probe as She Vows She Won’t ‘Be Silenced’

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER

12:37 PM EDT, October 12, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal agents on Monday searched the home of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a startling escalation in a criminal investigation that brings renewed scrutiny to the frequent target of Trump administration derision in the final weeks of her reelection bid.

The search of the Minnesota congresswoman’s home so close to next month’s midterm contests that will determine control of the House and the Senate was swiftly condemned by top Democrats in Congress, who raised questions about the timing given longstanding Justice Department protocol to avoid overt investigative steps involving political candidates in the direct run-up to an election.

The Justice Department confirmed in a statement that Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant in the Washington, D.C., area in connection with an ongoing federal criminal investigation but provided no other details.

The nature and scope of the investigation were unclear, though officials in President Donald Trump’s administration have repeatedly hinted at the existence of an inquiry targeting Omar, a Somali-born Democrat whose status as an immigrant to the U.S. and left-wing views have repeatedly drawn criticism from Republicans and senior Trump officials.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said last month that there was an “ongoing investigation” related in part to whether Omar lied on her immigration forms and that “something’s going to happen.”

Omar responded to the search with a statement on X that called it an “attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.”

“For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” she said. “I will not be silenced.”

Though the Republican focus on Omar’s background dates back years, the search of her home took place three weeks before the November midterms, in which Omar is on the ballot for reelection. The Justice Department has historically sought to avoid public investigative actions involving a candidate within 60 days of a primary or general election.

“For years, Donald Trump and far-right extremists have relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Omar with vile personal attacks and baseless accusations,” top House Democratic leaders said in a statement. “Now, less than 30 days until the midterm election, his violent mass deportation machine has descended upon the home of a duly elected Member of Congress and her family.

Trump has frequently targeted Omar

Trump as recently as this past weekend brought up Omar at a rally in Tennessee, where he attacked her upbringing and suggested that Vice President JD Vance “and our people” were investigating her.

Vance has in the past accused Omar of committing immigration fraud — an allegation she has denied — and has said he and a top White House official were trying to figure out how to investigate her.

The Justice Department said in a statement Monday that HSI agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the department in the Washington, D.C., area but provided no other details. The street was blocked off Monday morning as HSI agents remained near the home.

“This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation,” the department said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, of which Homeland Security Investigations is part, referred questions about the search to the Justice Department.

Omar has long been a target for Republicans

Omar, who was first elected to the House in 2018, represents Minnesota’s 5th District, including Minneapolis. She is part of The Squad of progressive lawmakers who are a vibrant political force on the left wing of Congress but have also endured repeated attacks from Trump, dating back to his first term. She was one of the first two Muslim-American women in the House and the first African refugee to be elected to Congress.

When Republicans swept control of the House in 2023, they voted to oust Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her anti-Israel remarks.

In January, Trump lashed out at Omar during a rally in Iowa hours before an assailant sprayed the congresswoman during her own town hall meeting in Minneapolis with a substance that turned out to be vinegar. The attacker was sentenced recently to 14 months in prison.

Republicans have raised questions about Omar’s past since before she was even elected, including asserting that she had married her brother and committed immigration fraud. Omar has broadly denied the allegations as “disgusting lies.”

“It certainly seems like something fishy is there, but everybody’s entitled to equal justice under the laws,” Vance told reporters in May. “So we’re going to investigate it. We’re going to take a look at it. If we think there’s a crime, we’re going to prosecute that crime.”

In a separate interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, Vance said without offering evidence that “we actually think that Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America.”

He said that he and deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller had been discussing it and “trying to look at what the remedies are.”

“That’s the thing that we’re trying to figure out,” he said. “What are the legal remedies now that we know that she’s committed immigration fraud. How do you go after her? How do you investigate her? How do you actually do the thing? How do you build the case necessary to get some, some, some justice for the American people?”

Omar’s office has defended her against past allegations

Omar’s office in March dismissed Vance’s claims as fabricated and defamatory.

“This is rich coming from someone who literally said they were willing to ‘create stories’ to redirect the media,” Omar’s chief of staff, Connor McNutt, said in a statement.

“This is a ridiculous lie and desperate attempt to distract from the pedophile protection party’s unpopular war of choice, increasing gas prices, and rapidly dropping polling numbers,” McNutt said at the time of the vice president’s allegations and comments.

___

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Michelle L. Price and River Zhang in Washington, Kathy McCormack in Concord, N.H., Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pa., and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, S.C., contributed.

Genocidal Coverage in Real Time Has Reinforced the International Struggle for Palestine Liberation

Since 2023 there has been an upsurge in the movement for solidarity which has impacted various aspects of United States and global politics

By Abayomi Azikiwe

Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Saturday October 10, 2026

Political Review

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Note: These remarks were delivered at a public meeting held on Saturday October 10, 2026 in Detroit to commemorate the last three years of the genocidal onslaught in occupied Palestine. This event was hosted by the Moratorium NOW! Coalition and the Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice (MECAWI). Endorsers and speakers included the Michigan Coalition Against Genocide featuring Heather along with Steve Friday of the Michigan Social Workers for Palestine; Nabil Sater from Lebanon read a series of resolutions drafted by Jewish Voice for Peace; there was a statement from the United States Palestinian Community Network with Ali; Frank Hammer, a retired local president of the UAW discussed the passage of a disinvestment resolution at the national constitutional convention for the labor union; the final speaker was Dr. Ismail Noor of the Nakba Survivors Association. 

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After the beginning of the Al Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023, the United States backed Israeli regime embarked upon a military campaign to completely destroy the Palestinian people in Gaza and throughout the entire country.

The events of the last three years were by no means the beginning of threats to destroy the Palestinian people and their neighbors, the origins of this phenomenon dated back more than a century.

In fact, the plight of the Palestinians and the peoples of West Asia is inextricably intertwined with the colonization and national oppression of others throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. This is evident in the literature and speeches of the founders and successors of the world zionist movement which surfaced in the late 19th century. 

Zionism as an ideology and political tendency has always been designed to further European domination within the context of colonialism and imperialism. The concept of orientalism as an academic approach to history and cultural studies has its origins in the desire by Western Europeans to dominate the world economic system.

Palestinian American scholar Edward Siad was one of the fiercest critics of Orientalism during the latter decades of the 20th century. His writings parallel the work of figures such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Drusilla Dunjee Houston, Anna Julia Cooper, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Kwame Nkrumah, Frantz Fanon, Malcolm X, among others who intellectually and politically provided the basis for the destruction of colonialism and imperialism. 

Despite the orientalist view which rationalizes the oppression and exploitation of people who are the colonial subjects of Europe, the victims of imperialism have developed their own methodology aimed at liberation. By challenging the outlook that there are “inferior” and “superior” peoples and cultures, the oppressed during the 19th and 20th centuries vindicated the ideas of waging political and ideological struggles aimed at liberating the victims of imperialism.

Siad in his best-known work entitled “Orientalism” published in 1978, emphasized that:

“Every single empire in its official discourse has said that it is not like all the others, that its circumstances are special, that it has a mission to enlighten, civilize, bring order and democracy, and that it uses force only as a last resort. And, sadder still, there always is a chorus of willing intellectuals to say calming words about benign or altruistic empires, as if one shouldn't trust the evidence of one's eyes watching the destruction and the misery and death brought by the latest mission [to civilize].” (https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/16770310.Edward_W_Said)

These observations by Siad remain true well into the 21st century. The US and Israel remain exceptional within the literature of mainstream imperialist thought. Any form of thinking which questions the virtues of capitalism, imperialism and zionism are immediately attacked as abhorrent and unacceptable. 

Reflections on the Last Three Years

Of course, the anti-zionist movement has been in existence for well over a century. In the US since the conclusion of World War II there has been the rationalization of the oppression of the Palestinian people and others living in West Asia and North Africa. 

Nonetheless, the impact of the Palestinian struggle for liberation has had an enormous impact on the political atmosphere in the US. When resistance forces based in Gaza broke through the artificial lines drawn by the zionists and imperialists in West Asia it constituted an act of liberation against the existing political system.

At the same time the events of October 7 revealed the sense of urgency within the international solidarity movement. The apologists for the occupation of Palestine began to strike out at any and all forces expressing sympathy with the Palestinians. 

This was exemplified on the campuses of higher educational institutions in the US where the administrations began to purge those articulating an alternative viewpoint to that of the modern-day orientalists. Even those college and university administrators who were far from being advocates of Palestine liberation were pressured to leave their positions because they were not willing to ban all activity on campuses by the students, staff and faculty which advocated a change in the status-quo in relations to US-Israeli relations.

By the spring of 2024, demonstrations had spread to campuses across the US from the east to the west coast. At Columbia University where Siad taught during his career, a strong Palestine solidarity movement arose demanding that the institution disclose and divest its financial holdings in corporations and entities with ties to the State of Israel. 

Here in the state of Michigan, which is home to the largest concentration of people whose origins are within West Asia and North Africa, has been for decades a center of Palestine solidarity.  Dearborn, a bordering western suburb of Detroit has again been targeted by racists and fascists with lies and even violence which cannot be distinguished from the question of Palestinian and Lebanese liberation and sovereignty.

At two of the leading higher educational institutions, the University of Michigan (U-M) and Wayne State University (WSU), the administrations ordered the violent destruction of encampments making the same demands geared towards exposing the links between zionism, racism and imperialism. The encampments and other forms of protests were attacked falsely as being “antisemitic” at the highest levels within the federal government and law-enforcement.

Nonetheless, the impact of the Palestinian, Lebanese, Iraqi, Yemeni, Iranian and other resistance forces had a profound impact on the consciousness of people living in North America, Western Europe and internationally. Solidarity activity outside the West Asia and North Africa regions also played an instrumental role in building a formidable movement against genocide.

In December 2023, the African National Congress (ANC) led government in the Republic of South Africa took the Israeli state to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest legal body within the United Nations organization, charging the regime with violating the Genocide Convention of 1948. Although the South African government won a favorable ruling by the ICJ which said that the claims of genocide in occupied Palestine were plausible, no action has been taken to end the genocidal project in West Asia.

In fact, the death and destruction spawned by the imperialist defense of settler-colonialism has spread to as far away as the Islamic Republic of Iran and Yemen. Under both Democratic and Republican administrations in the US the support for the zionist occupation forces has remained study. 

The current administration of President Donald Trump launched an unprovoked war against the people of Iran with the expressed intent of overthrowing their government. At present these efforts have failed prompting an economic and political crisis under which there appears to be no escape.

These efforts related to the liberation of Palestine and the ending of the zionist and imperialist hegemony of the region has spilled over into electoral politics. Unabashedly pro-Israel candidates are being defeated at the polls while on a mass level where African American youth service workers such as Ariana Hamilton on the east coast have become icons globally for their stand against racist impunity within the labor market.

Moving Forward in the Struggle for Palestine Liberation

It is quite remarkable that the Palestine solidarity movement has not been effectively silence after three years of repression, right-wing propaganda and psychological warfare. The slogan “Free Palestine” is far more widespread and recognizable than the day before the Al Aqsa Flood erupted.

Consequently, the movement must continue until its objectives are achieved. The oppression and genocide against the Palestinian people and others throughout the region are closely related to the rising levels of racist and fascist control of the US. 

As the late South African liberation movement leader Nelson Mandela often said that our freedom cannot be fully achieved absent of the emancipation of the Palestinians. Another well known South African clergyman Archbishop Desmond Tutu doing his lifetime charged that the system of Palestinian oppression was worse than apartheid.

The institutionally racist settler-colonial systems in West Asia and around the world will continue to exist until imperialism is destroyed. Let us make our contribution to this goal of bringing liberation and social emancipation to peoples throughout the world.