Assad Says Syria to Defend Territories Against Terrorists, Backers

By Al Mayadeen English

30 Nov 2024 23:49

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad tells his Emirati counterparts and Iraq's prime minister that his country would stand up for its sovereignty and territorial integrity against terrorists.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad held discussions with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, focusing on counterterrorism efforts and regional developments.

In a phone call with al-Assad, Al-Sudani emphasized that "the security of Syria and Iraq is interconnected" and reiterated Iraq's readiness to provide full support to Syria in combating terrorism and its organizations. He further affirmed Iraq's commitment to Syria's stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

President Assad also spoke with the UAE's President Al Nahyan, addressing recent developments in Syria and broader regional issues. Al-Assad stressed in the call that Syria remains committed to defending its stability and territorial integrity against terrorist threats and their supporters. He asserted that with the backing of allies and friends, Damascus is determined to overcome these challenges and eliminate terrorist groups.

For his part, Al Nahyan reaffirmed the UAE's solidarity with Syria, expressing his country's support for Syria's fight against terrorism and efforts to maintain sovereignty, stability, and territorial unity.

Operations ongoing

The Syrian Army announced on Saturday its continued operations to confront terrorist groups and reclaim full control of Aleppo and its surrounding countryside.

The Syrian government confirmed that it continues extensive coordination with military officials to take any necessary actions to ensure the security and safety of citizens in Aleppo, northern Syria, and protect them from attacks by armed terrorist groups.

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Syria reported earlier today that a cautious calm has settled over the frontlines of Aleppo, particularly following the incursion of armed groups into the city’s western neighborhoods.

In a statement published by the Syrian government's official social media pages, it was mentioned that following developments in Aleppo and surrounding areas, a follow-up meeting was held at the Prime Minister's office, "chaired by Prime Minister Mohamed Jallali, with the presence of a number of ministers concerned with service matters."

The Syrian government statement also noted that "the meeting focused on the situation in Aleppo specifically, and discussed possible ways to continue providing services to citizens in the province and across Syria, in light of the terrorist groups' reach to some government and service departments in Aleppo, where they intimidated employees and prevented them from continuing to serve citizens."

‘This Isn’t Real. It’s Just a Nightmare’ – Gaza, My Haven, My Loss

November 30, 2024

Israel continued to carry out massacres in Gaza. (Photo: via QNN)

By Noor Alyacoubi

Gaza is powerful, and its people are resilient. The spirit of this place cannot be broken, no matter how deep the wounds run.

Every time I step onto the street, a faint voice inside my head whispers, “This isn’t real. It’s just a nightmare.”

A year has passed since the war began, and despite the ongoing devastation, I have clung to the hope that once the violence ends, life will return to the way it was. I imagine the martyred coming back to life, the wounded healed, and shattered homes restored.

I picture Gaza taking a free, deep breath once again, embracing us all like a mother reunited with her children after a long separation.

Deep down, I know it’s impossible. Yet, I cannot let go of the notion that Gaza, as I once knew it, will rise from the rubble. Am I hallucinating? Maybe. But I am also desperate, having endured over 365 soul-crushing days, surrounded by destruction so vast it wipes away every trace of beauty, tradition, and even religion. Schools, hospitals, mosques, and gardens—all obliterated.

Walking the same streets I’ve known all my life, I no longer recognize them. Is it normal to feel lost in the city where I was born and raised? I wonder.

I have never been to any other place but Gaza. It is where I lived, separated from the outside world, which always feels like a myth to me that I only glimpse on TV. It is where I belong and it is where I love to be.

Gaza Feels Drained

I love it though it forced me to endure unspeakable horrors throughout my life.

In 2008, when I was only 10 years old, I witnessed my first Israeli war. Then came the aggressions in 2012, 2014, and 2021. In 2022, I lived through another one. And since 2023, I’ve been enduring the deadliest assault of all.

After each war, Gaza managed to rebuild itself, though the devastation seemed overwhelming. But this time, it feels different.

The signs of recovery are missing, and the spirit that once filled the streets is fading. Gaza feels drained, as though it has exhausted its will to rise again. And my soul carries scars shaped by the terror I’ve faced, the destruction of places I once cherished, and the loss of loved ones.

Loss doesn’t always mean death. It can mean the agonizing reality of being separated from family and friends by just a few kilometers, interrupted by checkpoints and Israeli soldiers. Though close, we remain out of reach.

I Miss Gaza

In the years leading up to October 7, Gaza had begun to experience an unexpected transformation. Malls were opening, modern restaurants and cafés were popping up, and international brands were making their way here.

There were times when I would walk through the streets and feel, if only for a moment, that I was in New York, though I had never been there— a testament to the sense of progress that had begun to take root.

I miss those days when Gaza felt vivid and warm. I miss strolling through Al-Remal’s bustling streets after long days of work, cooling off with an iced drink in the summer, or picking up groceries on the walk home.

I miss seeing people’s smiley faces, and their stylish outfits, and hearing the high-pitched giggles that once filled the air. Now, the streets are silent, the buildings scarred by war, and people’s faces are pale and thin.

I miss the sight of children in their school uniforms, carrying heavy backpacks, and the noise they used to make playing football in the neighborhood. Those simple scenes are gone.

Since the war began, children with sunburned skin and tattered clothes are often seen carrying bottles of water or collecting wood for their families, who rely on wood fires for cooking as gas supplies to northern Gaza remain cut off.

I miss the streets of Al-Naser and Al-Wehda—just east of Shifaa Hospital—where shopkeepers used to greet passersby with smiles, and the smell of freshly baked bread wafting from roadside bakeries. Now, approaching these areas fills me with sorrow, seeing burned homes where families were forcibly evacuated and hearing the silence that replaced the once-dynamic life of the streets.

I miss the days when, if I felt lonely, I could call my mother and say, “Mama, I’ll be there in less than ten minutes”—the time it took to reach my family’s home by car. But now, there is no family waiting for me and no home left to visit. In April, the Israeli military reduced my extended family’s four-story building to rubble.

I used to imagine walking with my daughter, Lya, when she got older, buying her toys and clothes, taking her out for a treat. Lya is walking now, but there are no streets to stroll along, no shops open, and no friends to meet.

The Sea, I Long to See It

For so long, Gaza has been called an open-air prison, with nearly two million people confined by the Israeli blockade and severe restrictions on movement. Despite the hardships and despair, the sea has always been a source of relief for Gazans—a place where, even briefly, we could forget our troubles and find some comfort.

Like many others, I have a special connection to Gaza’s sea. It’s been my go-to place for every occasion—whether in moments of happiness or sadness, whether to picnic with family and friends or simply to unwind alone. It was a place to seek refuge from the scorching heat in the summer or to embrace the chill during winter. But even this haven has been taken from us.

I vividly recall the times spent on the shores with my mother whenever we needed an escape from the daily routine. We would sip coffee and snack while gazing out at the water, letting the simple pleasure of the sea lift our spirits. Now, the sea feels farther away than ever, and I miss my mother, whom I last saw her was in October 2023, before she sought refuge in southern Gaza and then fled to Egypt.

The late nights at the shore, listening to the gentle rhythm of the waves and breathing in the salty air, are etched in my memory. I remember the joy in the faces of other Gazans—families laughing together, children splashing in the water, and the delicious aroma of food shared on the beach. The sea was a place where life seemed more vibrant, and ordinary moments became cherished memories.

The coastline has become a dangerous zone. Since October 2023, the Israeli military has controlled Al-Rasheed Street, stretching from the northernmost parts of Gaza City down to the heart of the Strip, near the central regions.

What was once a place of solace has turned into a zone of death, with snipers and soldiers patrolling the shores.

Now, no one dares to approach the sea. It has become too risky, with the threat of being targeted by Israeli snipers looming over anyone who ventures too close. What was once a symbol of freedom for Gazans is now a reminder of the war’s relentless reach, leaving us yearning for the sea that we can no longer safely enjoy.

What was once a symbol of good memories and joy is now a reminder of the insane and inhumane massacres Israel committed along its shores. I will never forget the bloody massacre at Al-Nabulsi roundabout that took the lives of over 100 civilians who endangered their lives for the sake of a bag of flour to feed their starved children.

I Still Love Gaza

Despite all this, my love for Gaza endures, perhaps even stronger. At times, I question if this love is real or is born from sympathy—a sympathy for a city that has lost its meaning, abandoned by the world, and left to stand alone amidst the rubble.

But I know this: Gaza is powerful, and its people are resilient. The spirit of this place cannot be broken, no matter how deep the wounds run. Beneath the scars, there is still life. We remember what Gaza was and dream of what it could be again.

I believe Gaza will rise from this darkness. It will rebuild, healing itself along the way. One day, it will feel warm and cozy again, like a home welcoming us back. The streets will echo with laughter, the sea will become a place of comfort once more, and life will reclaim the beauty that was taken away.

Until that day comes, we hold onto hope as fragile as it may seem. We dream of a Gaza free to breathe, to rebuild not just its structures, but the soul of its people. I know this: Gaza will emerge from the rubble, not just as a place of memories, but as a home that embraces us once more—like a mother who never gave up on her children.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

– Noor Alyacoubi is a Gaza-based writer. She studied English language and literature at al-Azhar university in Gaza City. She is part of the Gaza-based writers’ collective We Are Not Numbers. She contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.

RSF Forms Civilian Administration in Khartoum

RSF elements say they are still control central Khartoum on September 26, 2024

November 29, 2024 (KHARTOUM) – The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Friday the formation of a civilian administration in Khartoum state, a move likely to further escalate tensions in the conflict-ridden Sudanese capital.

Despite controlling much of Khartoum since the war began in April 2023, the RSF has faced recent setbacks with the army recapturing areas in northern Khartoum Bahri, Al-Maqran, and Omdurman. The army maintains full control of Karari locality, now its military operations headquarters and the seat of the existing Khartoum state government.

The RSF said its “Civilian Founding Council of Khartoum State” elected Nayel Babiker Nayel as chairman and Abdel Latif Al-Amin Al-Hassan as head of the civilian administration.

Established months ago, the council comprises 90 members representing Khartoum’s three areas, including youth, women, native administration figures, professionals, and Sufi orders.

This move mirrors similar RSF actions in other areas under its control, including Al Jazirah, West Kordofan, and parts of Darfur.

Al-Hassan called on professionals and workers to return to Khartoum and resume providing services while urging residents to demand an end to the fighting.

He appealed to the RSF and the army to “act wisely,” stop the war, and return to negotiations. “We have sided with the oppressed citizen to achieve security, basic services, social peace, and the delivery of humanitarian aid,” he said.

Al-Hassan also appealed for increased humanitarian assistance, highlighting the dire situation in RSF-controlled areas facing food shortages and blocked aid convoys. He condemned the army’s aerial bombardment of civilians, alleging barrel bombs and incendiary weapons had killed hundreds.

Sudanese Army Shoots Down 20 RSF Drones in El Fasher

Sudanese army soldiers at the six division in El Fasher downed 20 drone on November 29, 2024

November 29, 2024 (EL FASHER) – The Sudanese army said it shot down some 20 drones launched by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Thursday and Friday, as the paramilitary group continued its attempts to seize control of the capital of North Darfur state.

The drones targeted the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division and positions held by the army and its allied forces in El Fasher, the army said in a statement.

El Fasher has been a battleground since conflict erupted between the army and the RSF in mid-May. Hundreds have been killed and tens of thousands displaced from the city, the largest in Sudan’s Darfur region.

“Ground defences shot down 16 drones yesterday, Thursday, which attempted to target gatherings of citizens and military sites on the western and northern axis,” the 6th Infantry Division said in a statement seen by Sudan Tribune.

A military source said the army also downed around five drones on Friday within the 6th Infantry Division headquarters.

Witnesses reported renewed clashes between the warring sides at dawn on Friday on the eastern and western edges of El Fasher as RSF fighters attempted to advance into the city. The army and its allies repelled the attack, the military source said.

The army and RSF traded artillery fire, with the RSF shelling the livestock market and southern neighbourhoods, causing an unspecified number of casualties, witnesses said. The army responded with shelling from its base west of the city, targeting RSF positions in east El Fasher.

Army warplanes also carried out airstrikes on RSF targets in the east of the city, witnesses said.

The fighting comes as the RSF seeks to capture El Fasher, one of the last remaining strongholds of Sudan’s central government in Darfur. The army and its allies are determined to defend the city.

'Sudan-Eritrea Military Alliance Risks Igniting Tribal Conflict'

Eritrean Minister of Information’s official account @hawelti via X

Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan meets with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki in Asmara for talks on security and regional stability, November 26, 2024

29 November 2024

Dabanga (Port Sudan)

analysis

Asmara / Kassala / El Gedaref — Sudan's Sovereignty Council leader and Commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, concluded a one-day visit on Tuesday to Eritrea's capital, Asmara, amid escalating turmoil in Sudan. El Burhan, accompanied by ministers of his newly formed cabinet, met with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. Talks focused on security coordination, military collaboration, and economic ties, resulting in agreements reaffirming Eritrea's willingness to play a modest but tactical role in assisting its neighbour.

President Afwerki reiterated Eritrea's position that Sudan's crisis must be resolved by its own people, with regional support. He stressed Sudan's sovereignty, stability, and unity as vital for the region.

El Burhan expressed gratitude for Eritrea's support during Sudan's war and highlighted his intent to strengthen bilateral relations.

Observers believe the visit sought to secure Eritrea as a key ally of Sudan's armed forces while addressing the sensitive issue of armed groups operating in Eritrea's western region.

Eritrea hosts camps for eastern Sudanese armed movements, with factions like the Beja Congress and United Popular Front for Liberation and Justice aligning with Sudan's military, deploying troops to eastern Sudan.

Others remain neutral, focused on defending their local territories. Eritrea, a staunch ally of the SAF, is pushing for a "security belt" along its borders to prevent conflict spill over.

Economic cooperation was a crucial agenda item. Discussions included reopening border crossings, such as the Kassala-El Lafa highway, where 80 per cent of revitalisation work is reportedly complete, aiming to boost trade.

Afwerki's commitment to regional stability extends to military readiness, signalling potential intervention if Sudan's war escalates to eastern states like Kassala, El Gedaref, or the Red Sea.

Political analyst Khaled Mohamed Taha told Radio Dabanga that Eritrea's actions align with its broader security and economic interests, particularly in the Red Sea corridor.

'Tensions in eastern Sudan'

Eastern Sudan has emerged as a hotspot of escalating tensions as of late, with multiple armed groups, including the Eastern Battalion and the Beja Congress, deploying forces in coordination with the SAF. These movements, many of which are tied to Eritrean training camps, raise fears of clashes among armed factions and the shift into potential tribal violence.

Amin Daoud's Eastern Battalion, previously neutral, now appears aligned with the SAF, intensifying concerns that eastern militias are being integrated into SAF operations against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Observers warn this could transform the SAF-RSF conflict into a broader tribal war, pulling in historically allied tribes from neighbouring regions and across Eritrea's borders.

The establishment of Eritrean training camps for groups like the Eastern Sudan Liberation Forces, Beja Congress, and Darfuri factions adds a dangerous layer to the region's militarisation.

Political analysts highlight that this militarisation, combined with eastern Sudan's geostrategic importance which is home to vital Red Sea ports and resource-rich territories, potentially exacerbating tribal polarisation and posing a significant threat to stability.

Sudan's burgeoning alliance with Eritrea, marked by recent agreements on military coordination and border security, highlights the risk of a deepening the militarisation and fragmentation within eastern Sudan.

Read the original article on Dabanga.

Algeria Facing Growing Calls to Release French-Algerian Author Boualem Sansal

FILE - Algerian author Boualem Sansal, a members of the Jury, at the press conference speaks during the 62 edition of International Film Festival Berlinale, in Berlin Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

7:39 AM EST, November 28, 2024

Politicians, writers and activists have called for the release of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, whose arrest in Algeria is seen as the latest instance of the stifling of creative expression in the military-dominated North African country.

The 75-year-old author, who is an outspoken critic of Islamism and the Algerian regime, has not been heard from by friends, family or his French publisher since leaving Paris for Algiers earlier this month. He has not been seen near his home in his small town, Boumerdes, his neighbors told The Associated Press.

“The detention without serious grounds of a writer of French nationality is unacceptable,” France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Wednesday.

He added Sansal’s work “does honor to both his countries and to the values we cherish.”

The European Parliament discussed Algeria’s repression of freedom of speech on Wednesday and called for “his immediate and unconditional release.”

Algerian authorities have not publicly announced charges against Sansal, but the APS state news service said he was arrested at the airport.

Though no longer censored, Sansal’s novels have in the past faced bans in Algeria. A professed admirer of French culture, his writings on Islam’s role in society, authoritarianism, freedom of expression and the civil war that ravaged Algeria throughout the 1990s have won him fans across the ideological spectrum in France, from far-right leader Marine Le Pen to President Emmanuel Macron, who attended his French naturalization ceremony in 2023.

But his work has provoked ire in Algeria, from both authorities and Islamists, who have issued death threats against him in the 1990s and afterward.

Though few garner such international attention, Sansal is among a long list of political prisoners incarcerated in Algeria, where the hopes of a protest movement that led to the ouster of the country’s then-82 year old president have been crushed under President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

Human rights groups have decried the ongoing repression facing journalists, activists and writers. Amnesty International in September called it a “brutal crackdown on human rights including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.”

Algerian authorities have in recent months disrupted a book fair in Bejaia and excluded prominent authors from the country’s largest book fair in Algeria has in recent months, including this year’s Goncourt Prize winner Kamel Daoud,

“This tragic news reflects an alarming reality in Algeria, where freedom of expression is no more than a memory in the face of repression, imprisonment and the surveillance of the entire society,” French-Algerian author Kamel Daoud wrote in an editorial signed by more than a dozen authors in Le Point this week.

Sansal has been a polarizing figure in Algeria for holding some pro-Israel views and for likening political Islam to Nazism and totalitarianism in his novels, including “The Oath of the Barbarians” and “2084: The End of the World.”

Despite the controversial subject matter, Sansal had never faced detention. His arrest comes as relations between France and Algeria face newfound strains. France in July backed Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara, angering Algeria, which has long backed the independence Polisario Front and pushed for a referendum to determine the future of the coastal northwest African territory.

“A regime that thinks it has to stop its writers, whatever they think, is certainly a weak regime,” French-Algerian academic Ali Bensaad wrote in a statement posted on Facebook.

Armed Men in Speedboats Make Off with Women and Children When a Migrants’ Dinghy Deflates off Libya

This is a locator map for Libya with its capital, Tripoli. (AP Photo)

By COLLEEN BARRY and TRISHA THOMAS

11:39 AM EST, November 29, 2024

MILAN (AP) — Armed men in two speedboats took off with women and children after a rubber dinghy carrying some 112 migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean Sea started deflating off Libya’s coast, a humanitarian aid group said Friday.

Dozens of men and boys who were aboard the overcrowded dinghy jumped into the sea, Doctors Without Borders said. The group’s boat, Geo Barents, arrived at the scene in international waters on Thursday, rescuing 83 men and unaccompanied minors, plucking 70 of them from the sea.

Two speedboats, which identified themselves as belonging to the Libyan Coast Guard, were nearby. The migrants later said some of the men had fired shots. No fatalities were reported.

One speedboat had taken on board 24 women and four children, telling the Geo Barents that they would hand them over once the men had been rescued, Doctors Without Borders spokesman Maurizio Debbane said.

But instead, they sped away. It was not immediately clear who the armed men were and what had happened to the women and children.

The rescued migrants were from Eritrea, Yemen and Ethiopia.

Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, appealed to authorities and organizations in the region to help reunite the families, underlining that Libya is not a safe place. MSF also said what happened was unacceptable and had put “in danger the lives of many people, and separating entire families.”

“Many people were on an overcrowded rubber dinghy that was deflating, and they were threatened by armed men, who fired shots,’’ Maria Eliana Tunno, a psychologist aboard the Geo Barents, said in a video. “They lived the horror of being separated from their wives and daughters, who were taken away.”

One man jumped into the water in an attempt to get to his wife and two children, at baby of 4 months and a 10-year-old.

Tunno described the rescued men and boys as “very tired, desperate and under shock,” adding that many had experienced abuses and inhumane treatment in Libya.

More than 62,000 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea so far this year, according to Interior Ministry statistics. That is a big drop from the over 152,000 who arrived over the same period in 2023.

The United Nations reports that 2,124 migrants have died in the attempt to make the perilous Central Mediterranean crossing this year.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s far-right-led government has adopted policies aimed at slowing migration to Italy, promoting multi-million euro deals with Tunisia and Egypt aimed at stemming departures, and building centers in Albania where it intends to screen migrants outside of Europe’s borders.

___

Thomas reported from Rome.

Chad Ends a Defense Cooperation Agreement with France, its Former Colonial Ruler

FILE -France’s President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Secretary General of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie Louise Mushikiwabo, center, welcome Chad’s President General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno for the 19th Francophonie summit in Villers-Cotterets, France, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)

By SAM MEDNICK and MONIKA PRONCZUK

7:21 AM EST, November 29, 2024

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Chad’s government is ending a defense cooperation agreement with France, its former colonial ruler, to redefine the nation’s sovereignty.

The decision marks a historic turning point after the Central African nation gained independence more than six decades ago, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement Thursday.

It said the decision to end the agreement would allow Chad to redefine its strategic partnerships in line with national priorities.

There was no immediate response from France’s government.

Chad was one of the last countries in the region in which France maintained a large military presence, having been ousted in recent years from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso after years of fighting Islamic extremists alongside regional troops. Those countries have inched closer to Russia, which has mercenaries deployed across the Sahel, the vast expanse below the Sahara desert.

Chad’s interim president, Mahamat Deby Itno, seized power after his father, who ran the country for more than three decades, was killed fighting rebels in 2021. Last year, the government announced it was extending the 18-month transition for two more years, which led to protests across the country.

Analysts say Deby has mistrusted France for a while, and the decision creates an opportunity for other nations, notably Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

“Deby has been seeking to diversify its security partnerships away from exclusive deals. He doesn’t trust (French President Emmanuel) Macron. ... He can also not ignore widespread anti-French sentiment,” said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at Konrad Adenauer foundation in Mali.

France has maintained about 1,000 troops in Chad, and the statement didn’t specify when they have to leave.

Chad said the decision in no way calls into question the countries’ historical ties and that it wants to maintain relations in other areas of common interest.

France still has 350 troops in Senegal, another former colony, which remains a security partner in the region. But the French military presence there also appears to be under threat.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal said that it was “obvious” that soon there won’t be any French soldiers on Senegalese soil, in an interview with Le Monde which was published hours after the declaration by Chadian authorities. Faye added that the relationship with the former colonizer had to be redefined.

“It’s not because the French have been there since the slavery period that it’s impossible to do otherwise,” he said.

___

This story corrects that France has had 1,000 troops in Chad, not in the region.

Death Toll in Uganda Landslides Rises to 20 as Search for More Casualties Presses On

By RISDEL KASASIRA

11:42 AM EST, November 29, 2024

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — More bodies buried under the mud were retrieved in eastern Uganda on Friday and an injured person died in a hospital, bringing the death toll from this week’s landslides to 20, officials said as search efforts pressed on in the stricken area.

Heavy rains had triggered the landslides that engulfed six villages in the mountainous district of Bulambuli, 280 kilometers (175 miles) east of Kampala, Uganda’s capital, on Wednesday night. Some 125 houses were destroyed.

The Uganda Red Cross Society spokesperson Irene Kasiita told reporters that bodies of four more people were found on Friday while a fifth person, one of the injured in the landslides, died at Mbale Hospital.

The society in a statement said 750 people had been displaced, with 216 of those living temporarily at a neighboring school while others were being housed by relatives.

The Bulambuli Resident District Commissioner Faheera Mpalanyi said soldiers have been deployed to help with the digging.

“More bodies are still buried under the heaps of soils and stones and we are trying as much as we can to recover them,” she said.

Local officials told a journalist in the area on Thursday that an excavator would be brought to assist in the rescue efforts, but the roads were covered in mud and rain was still falling. The impacted area is about 50 acres with homesteads and farmlands spread downhill.

Lawmaker Irene Muloni from the Bulambuli district said Thursday the government would help relocate residents from the landslide-prone area.

“Waterfalls are everywhere, and the rainfall is excessive,” she said, urging everyone who had lost their home to seek refuge with relatives and “leave this dangerous place.”

East African Summit Urges Peace in Eastern DR Congo

FILE - M23 rebels stand with their weapons in Kibumba, in the eastern of Democratic Republic of Congo, Dec. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)

By SUKHDEV CHHATBAR

12:07 PM EST, November 30, 2024

ARUSHA, Tanzania (AP) — East African heads of state made another push for peace in eastern Congo on Saturday but its prospects remained bleak following a regional summit that was marked by the Congolese president’s absence and an early departure of his Rwandan counterpart.

A communique read at the end of the closed-door meeting of the East African Community in Arusha, Tanzania, only stated the need to combine regional and broader peace initiatives for sustainable peace in eastern Congo.

Violence has reemerged in one of the world’s most protracted conflicts in eastern Congo, where Congo’s government accused the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group of “ethnic cleansing” in mineral-rich areas close to Rwanda’s border.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame left shortly after the closed-door meeting in Arusha. There was no official explanation for Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi’s absence at the summit.

Congo alleges that Rwanda has been involved in war crimes in the east, and U.S. and U.N. experts accuse it of giving military backing to M23. Rwanda denies the claim, but in February admitted that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

A July truce brokered by the United States and Angola has reduced the fighting between Rwandan and Congolese forces, but fighting between M23 and other militias continues.

Other leaders at the summit were Presidents Salva Kiir of South Sudan, Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, William Ruto of Kenya, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia. Burundi was represented by its vice president.

Ruto was elected as the new chairperson of the EAC Summit, succeeding Kiir.

“Our focus must be on increasing competitiveness, promoting value-added production and boosting intra-regional trade to create jobs and transform our economies,” Ruto said.

He also urged member states to remain committed to the timely disbursement of statutory contributions to sustain the bloc’s operations.

Syrian Army Targets Terrorists in Northern Aleppo, Southern Idlib

By Al Mayadeen English

29 Nov 2024 23:45

Amid ongoing battles between the Syrian army and terrorists, over 200 militants were killed on Friday in the Aleppo and Idlib countryside.

Footage released by the Syrian Ministry of Defense showcases previous high-precision operations against terrorists in the Idlib countryside and northern Latakia countryside. (SANA)

The Syrian army continues to target terrorist positions and movements in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib, inflicting further losses in personnel and equipment.  

Syrian and Russian air forces carried out airstrikes on militant movements near the city of Mare', in northern Aleppo.  

In southern Idlib, Syrian and Russian airstrikes targeted terrorist positions in the vicinity of al-Bara and Benin in Jabal al-Zawiya.  

Additionally, the Syrian army launched rocket attacks on militant sites in the towns of al-Ruwayha, Khan al-Sabeel, and Maar Dabseh in southern Idlib countryside.  

Amid ongoing battles between the Syrian army and terrorists, over 200 militants were killed on Friday in the Aleppo and Idlib countryside, according to the Russian Coordination Center in Syria.  

The center further reported that more than 600 terrorists have been killed in the past two days.  

The Russian Coordination Center in Syria also stated that the Russian Air Force is "supporting the Syrian army in its operations to combat terrorists."  

Terrorists in Syria's Aleppo attack dormitory, kill 4 students

Notably, the Syrian army has inflicted heavy losses on terrorist groups, killing and wounding hundreds, destroying dozens of vehicles and armored vehicles, and downing or destroying 17 drones.  

On Friday, the Syrian army regained control of several points that had been breached by terrorist groups, and is continuing to reinforce its positions on various fronts with equipment and troops to prevent further breaches.

Terrorist attack on Aleppo, countryside serves 'Israel': Syrian FM

Earlier, Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh stated that the terrorist attack carried out by large numbers of militants since early Wednesday on the city of Aleppo and its countryside serves "the objectives of the Israeli occupation entity and its sponsors."  

Sabbagh emphasized that Syria has consistently warned of the clear coordination between the Israeli assaults and the offensives launched by terrorist groups against the country.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had earlier remarked that the reactivation of terrorist groups in Syria is part of a US-Israeli plan following "Israel’s" defeat in Lebanon and Palestine.

In a phone call with his Syrian counterpart, Araghchi reaffirmed Iran’s unwavering support for the Syrian government, people, and army in combating terrorism, safeguarding the region, and fostering security and stability.

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei warned that terrorist group operations in Aleppo, Idlib, and their outskirts—areas designated as part of the "de-escalation zones"—constitute a blatant violation of the de-escalation agreement and jeopardize its achievements.

Baghaei also underscored the "international community’s responsibility to combat terrorism," cautioning against "the repercussions of inaction in the face of the resurgence of these groups in Syria, including the spread of chaos and instability in the region."

‘Five Promises’ – Hezbollah’s Leader Declares Victory, Vows Support for Palestine

November 29, 2024

The new Hezbollah Secretary-General, Naim Qassem. (Photo: video grab, via Al-Mayadeen)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Reaffirming Hezbollah’s stance on Palestine, Qassem stated, “Our support for Palestine will never waver and will take various forms.” 

The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, declared a significant victory over the Israeli occupation and reaffirmed the party’s unwavering support for Palestine in various forms. 

Speaking after the recent ceasefire in Lebanon, Qassem outlined five pledges for the post-war period, including aiding reconstruction efforts and advancing the completion of Lebanon’s constitutional institutions, particularly the election of a president.

During his address, Qassem emphasized Hezbollah’s commitment to national unity and cooperation.

He stated, “Our national efforts will be in collaboration with all forces that believe the homeland belongs to all its citizens. We will engage in dialogue with those who seek to build a unified Lebanon based on the principles of the Taif Agreement.” 

Hezbollah’s political leader also dismissed attempts to weaken Hezbollah, stating, “To those who wagered on our downfall, their bets have failed.

Qassem characterized the current achievement as surpassing the 2006 victory against Israel, attributing the success to the resilience of the Lebanese people and their sacrifices, despite the ferocity of the conflict and Western support for Israel.

“We emerged victorious because we prevented the enemy from destroying Hezbollah or crippling the resistance,” he said. 

Qassem also highlighted Israel’s losses, noting the displacement of hundreds of thousands from northern Israel and the resistance’s relentless strikes, which he claimed left Israel in a state of strategic defeat.

The ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on November 27, 2024, marked a temporary end of months of military operations between Hezbollah and Israel, following Hezbollah’s support for Gaza during Operation Flood of Al-Aqsa.

According to Qassem, the ceasefire is not a formal treaty but rather a framework under Resolution 1701, stipulating the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied Lebanese territory and the deployment of the Lebanese army south of the Litani River. 

He affirmed Hezbollah’s commitment to coordinating with the Lebanese army to secure the region. “This agreement was made under the umbrella of Lebanese sovereignty, with our right to self-defense upheld,” he said.

Reaffirming Hezbollah’s stance on Palestine, Qassem stated, “Our support for Palestine will never waver and will take various forms.” 

He recalled that while Hezbollah did not initially seek war, it was prepared to engage if necessary, standing firmly in solidarity with the Gaza resistance.

Looking ahead, Qassem expressed optimism about Lebanon’s recovery and outlined Hezbollah’s five post-war pledges.

 These include aiding reconstruction, supporting the political process by facilitating the election of a president by the scheduled date of January 9, and playing an active role in the country’s political and social development in alignment with Lebanon’s needs.

Concluding his speech, Qassem extended gratitude to Iran, Yemen, and Iraq for their support during the conflict. He reiterated Hezbollah’s determination to remain a formidable force in both resistance and nation-building efforts, with a vision for a unified and sovereign Lebanon.

(PC, AJA)

On the 140th Anniversary of the Berlin Conference, Africans Rising Calls for the Abolition of Colonial Borders and Demands Free Movement Across Africa

By Adalbert von Rößler (†1922) - Allgemeine Illustrierte Zeitung

15 November 2024

Africans Rising (Banjul)

Today, as Africans remember the 140th anniversary of the Berlin Conference, which led to the division and balkanization of the continent, Africans Rising Movement, a Pan-African movement of movements and people working for Unity, Justice, Peace and Dignity - calls on African leaders to abolish colonial borders and visa restrictions imposed upon Africa by European powers.

Hardi Yakubu, Africans Rising Movement Coordinator said, “We cannot hold these borders sacred - they were imposed by European colonisers, not by us. It is a shame that African leaders continue to uphold colonial barriers. Our leaders can no longer afford to maintain borders that divide families, nations and peoples and are economically backward and poor.”

The anniversary is remembered at a time when the Borderless Africa Campaign has kicked off. Borderless Africa is a decentralised, people-owned campaign spearheaded by Africans Rising with an aim to push for the free movement of African people and goods in Africa. The overall goal of this campaign is to achieve an Africa where Africans can move around our own continent without the current border restrictions in place, for better trade, job creation, solidarity and economic transformation. The campaign pushes for the ratification and implementation of the African Union Protocol on Free Movement of Persons in all African countries.

From November 15th, 1884 to February 26, 1885, European powers gathered in Berlin at the invitation of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. This conference, aimed solely at exploiting African labour and resources, divided Africa without a single African present. The legacy of this division continues to harm the continent through border-related conflicts, insecurity, and economic stagnation. As former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere observed, “We have artificial ‘nations’ carved out at the Berlin Conference of 1884, and today we are struggling to build these nations into stable units of human society.”

Africans did not want to be colonised; colonisation was done by force with large-scale massacres and warfare. Colonialism remained bloody and brutal even after it was established with vicious punishment and killing of those who resisted the colonial governments. Africans were displaced from their lands, hauled in reserves, forced to serve as labourer and pay taxes to European governments. 140 years later, the colonial troupe has only evolved, with Europe now fringed by the United States and China. Their overarching motivation remains the same; a concerted endevour to access and control Africa's resources, perpetuating a scramble resonant to that of the colonial era. Colonialism was a historical crime against humanity. It is time for Europe to acknowledge the social, political and economic consequences of colonialism and neo-colonialism; and commence reparations for all African nations they created as a result of the Berlin Conference.

About Africans Rising Movement

Africans Rising is a global Pan-African movement of movements,  people and organizations working for Unity, Justice, Peace, and Dignity. Launched in 2017, the movement provides a space for progressive African civil society leaders and groups engaged in various civic struggles to convene, connect, collaborate, share knowledge, and build solidarity among African people. Through Pan-African mobilization, campaigns, and movement building, we are not only working to defeat the oppressive system but to create the alternative that must replace it.   

Zimbabwe - High Level Meeting Aims for Comprehensive Roadmap Towards Resolving the Country's $21 Billion Debt and Arrears

25 November 2024

African Development Bank (Abidjan)

WHAT: 6th High-Level Structured Dialogue on Zimbabwe's Arrears Clearance and Debt Resolution Process

WHO: Government of Zimbabwe, and development partners.

WHEN: Monday 25 November 2024; 08:00 - 14:00 local time (GMT+2)

WHERE: Harare International Conference Centre (Rainbow Towers Hotel), Harare, Zimbabwe (In-person only).

The government of Zimbabwe is hosting a High-Level meeting in Harare to assess the progress of the dialogue process between the country and development partners over its $21 billion debt and arrears.

The meeting will be addressed by the President of Zimbabwe, Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa, who will deliver a keynote speech, and the President and Chairman of the Boards of Directors of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, who is the champion of Zimbabwe's Arrears Clearance and Debt Resolution process.

The High-Level Facilitator of the dialogue, former President of the Republic of Mozambique, Joaquim A. Chissano, will be represented by his adviser, Ambassador Nuno Tomas.

The meeting will be attended by development partners including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme, the diplomatic community, representatives from the private sector, farmers' organizations, civil society groups, and the media.

This is the sixth meeting held under the Structured Dialogue Platform that was launched in December 2022 to bring together Zimbabwe and its creditors to find ways of tackling the country's crippling burden of debt and arrears that have accumulated for more than 20 years.

As of August 2024, Zimbabwe's total public debt was estimated at about $21 billion, representing a debt-to-GDP ratio of 97%, leaving the country with limited financial capacity for its development needs. Of the $21 billion, external debt owed to bilateral and multilateral creditors accounts for $12.3 billion. The country's biggest multilateral creditors are the World Bank which is owed $1.5 billion, the African Development Bank Group $760 million, and the European Investment Bank $427 million. Domestic debt amounts to US$8.7 billion.

After more than two decades of suffering the debilitating effects of debt and mounting arrears, Zimbabwe's President Mnangagwa in 2022 requested Dr Adesina to champion the arrears clearance and debt resolution, and former President of Mozambique Joachim Chissano to facilitate the political and economic governance reforms process with the creditor countries.

Monday's meeting will receive updates from the sector working groups led by the government and development partners on the three main pillars of the process: Economic Growth and Stability, Governance, and Land Tenure and Compensation.

The sector working group for Economic growth and stability is co-chaired by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, the IMF and the World Bank. The group is, among other issues, developing policy reforms to improve exchange rate management and to eliminate the quasi-fiscal operations of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. This action will eliminate excess printing of local currency by the central bank and induce discipline in contracting and repayments of public debt.

The Governance sector working group is co-chaired by the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and the European Union. The group's work focuses on governance issues in areas covering respect for human rights, strengthening of democratic principles and the rule of law, access to justice and combating corruption, electoral reform, peace and reconciliation, freedom of expression and public access to information.

The third group working on land tenure and farmer compensation is co-chaired by the Office of the President and Cabinet, Switzerland, and the United Nations Development Programme. It covers land tenure reforms, former farm owners' compensation under the Global Compensation Deed and Farmer compensation under the Bilateral Investment Partnership Promotion Agreements.

The meeting is expected to close with the presentation of a comprehensive roadmap for the arrears clearance and debt resolution process.

The African Development Bank Group provided a grant of $4.1 million to facilitate the government of Zimbabwe's dialogue with its creditors.

Read the original article on African Development Bank (AfDB).

Zimbabwe: Chivi Legislators, Business Leaders Set to Acquire Basic First-Aid Skills

29 November 2024

The Herald (Harare)

Legislators and prominent business people in Chivi are set to benefit from first aid skills from the Presidential Emergency Scheme during training that will be conducted at Chivi Growth Point this weekend.

The scheme, being spearheaded by Discovery Ambulance Services seeks to equip the general populace with life-saving skills to respond effectively in emergencies.

Previously, the program targeted the disabled, women groups, and youths but is now expected to include legislators, prominent businesspeople, and the general populace.

So far 1000 people in Bulawayo and 250 in Chipinge have already acquired first aid skills under the scheme.

Discovery Ambulance Services founder Mr David Munowenyu expressed excitement over the interest that has been shown by legislators and business people in Chivi.

"We are elated to have Members of Parliament and businesspeople expressing interest in attending our course because we have said that these courses are for everyone," he said.

He said the scheme is meant to equip people in all corners of the country with life-saving skills so that there will be many first responders in the event of an emergency.

"Remember Chivi is located along the busy Beitbridge-Harare and Beitbridge-Gweru highways which have a high prevalence of road traffic accidents.

"It is therefore prudent that communities in such areas have first aid training so that they can help in the event of an emergency."

Mr Munowenyu said that Discovery Ambulance Services was following President Mnangagwa's vision of leaving no one and no place behind.

Read the original article on The Herald.

Okonjo-Iweala Given 2nd Term as WTO Chief as Trump’s Return Looms Over Trade Body’s Future

FILE - Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), speaks during the panel discussion at the WTO’s Presidential Lecture Series, at the headquarters of the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP, File)

By JAMEY KEATEN

8:27 AM EST, November 29, 2024

GENEVA (AP) — The World Trade Organization chief said Friday she’s “eager” to work with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his trade team, while taking a wait-and-see stance about Trump’s plans to impose new tariffs on goods from other countries including China, Mexico and Canada.

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala made the comments to reporters after member countries handed her a second four-year term, in a vote with no opposition.

The Geneva-based trade body’s future is clouded by Trump’s looming return to power in January in the U.S., home to the world’s single biggest economy, because his pledges to slap unilateral tariffs on foreign goods entering the country could face challenges at the WTO.

“I think that I look very much forward to working with President Trump — with all the new people who will be appointed,” she said. “I’m eager for it.”

While Trump before his first term threatened to pull the U.S. out of the WTO, Okonjo-Iweala said there’s a “general recognition that the organization needs to be supported” and pointed to U.S. interests in intellectual property protections and product safety fostered by the trade body.

“The WTO and its rules underpin 75 to 80% of global goods trade,” she said. Okonjo-Iweala expressed hopes to help strike a deal in the WTO that would phase out $22 billion in “harmful subsidies” in the fisheries industry that raise worries about damage to ocean fish stocks.

During his first term, the Trump administration largely bypassed WTO rules by imposing tariffs on steel and other goods from countries including China and even U.S. allies.

On Monday, Trump vowed sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada, as well as China, as soon as he takes office as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs.

Trump said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, as one of his first executive orders.

Such tariffs, if imposed, could face a challenge through the WTO’s dispute resolution process, though its body that hears appeals is not operating — largely because of U.S. unwillingness to let new members be appointed to it.

Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister who also has U.S. citizenship, took office in 2021 as the first woman and first African to hold the job of WTO chief.

Her second term will officially begin next September.

“Until we get specifics in terms of what is planned, I think it would be a bit premature to try to pronounce on these issues,” she said, referring to Trump’s plans.

“I think we should wait ... for actual policies,” Okonjo-Iweala said. “And we’re very much looking forward to working in a productive fashion.”

The WTO’s 166 members take decisions by consensus, meaning that any one country can block them.

JAMEY KEATEN

Keaten is the chief Associated Press reporter in Geneva. He previously was posted in Paris and has reported from Afghanistan, the Middle East, North Africa and across Europe.

Nigeria Confirms that at Least 27 People Died and More than 100 are Missing After Boat Capsized

By CHINEDU ASADU

1:47 PM EST, November 29, 2024

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 27 people died and more than 100, mostly women, were missing on Friday, after a boat transporting them to a food market capsized along the River Niger in northern Nigeria, authorities said.

About 200 passengers were on the boat that was going from the state of Kogi to neighboring state of Niger when it capsized, the Niger State Emergency Management Agency spokesman Ibrahim Audu told The Associated Press.

Rescues managed to pull 27 bodies from the river by Friday evening while local divers were still searching for others, according to Sandra Musa, spokeswoman for the Kogi state emergency services.

No survivor was found about 12 hours after the incident occurred, she added.

Authorities have not confirmed what caused the sinking but local media suggested the boat may have been overloaded. Overcrowding on boats is common in remote parts of Nigeria where the lack of good roads leaves many with no alternative routes.

According to Justin Uwazuruonye, who is in charge of Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency operations in the state, rescuers had trouble finding the location of the capsizing for hours after Friday’s tragedy struck.

Such deadly incidents are increasingly becoming a source of concern in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, as authorities struggle to enforce safety measures and regulations for water transportation.

Most of the accidents have been attributed to overcrowding and the lack of maintenance of the boats, often built locally to accommodate as many passengers as possible in defiance of safety measures.

Also, authorities have not been able to enforce the use of life jackets on such trips, often because of lack of availability or cost.

From Yuck to Profits: Some Zimbabwe Farmers Turn to Maggots to Survive Drought and Thrive

By FARAI MUTSAKA

12:20 AM EST, November 29, 2024

NYANGAMBE, Zimbabwe (AP) — At first, the suggestion to try farming maggots spooked Mari Choumumba and other farmers in Nyangambe, a region in southeastern Zimbabwe where drought wiped out the staple crop of corn.

After multiple cholera outbreaks in the southern African nation resulting from extreme weather and poor sanitation, flies were largely seen as something to exterminate, not breed.

“We were alarmed,” Choumumba said, recalling a community meeting where experts from the government and the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, broached the idea.

People had flocked to the gathering in hope of news about food aid. But many stepped back when told it was about training on farming maggots for animal feed and garden manure.

“People were like, ‘What? These are flies, flies bring cholera’,” Choumumba said.

A year later, the 54-year-old walks with a smile to a smelly cement pit covered by wire mesh where she feeds rotting waste to maggots — her new meal ticket.

After harvesting the insects about once a month, Choumumba turns them into protein-rich feed for her free-range chickens that she eats and sells.

Up to 80% of chicken production costs were gobbled up by feed for rural farmers before they took up maggot farming. Many couldn’t afford the $35 charged by stores for a 50-kilogram (about 110-pound) bag of poultry feed, said Francis Makura, a specialist with a USAID program aimed at broadening revenue streams for farmers affected by climate change.

But maggot farming reduces production costs by about 40%, he said.

The maggots are offspring of the black soldier fly, which originates in tropical South America. Unlike the house fly, it is not known to spread disease.

Their life cycle lasts just weeks, and they lay between 500 and 900 eggs. The larvae devour decaying organic items — from rotting fruit and vegetables to kitchen scraps and animal manure — and turn them into a rich protein source for livestock.

“It is even better than the crude protein we get from soya,” said Robert Musundire, a professor specializing in agricultural science and entomology at Chinhoyi University of Technology in Zimbabwe, which breeds the insects and helps farmers with breeding skills.

Donors and governments have pushed for more black soldier fly maggot farming in Africa because of its low labor and production costs and huge benefits to agriculture, the continent’s mainstay that is under pressure from climate change and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In Uganda, the maggots helped plug a fertilizer crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. In Nigeria and Kenya, they are becoming a commercial success.

In Zimbabwe, the government and partners piloted it among farmers struggling with securing soya meal for their animals. A World Bank-led project later used it as a recovery effort for communities affected by a devastating 2019 cyclone.

Now it is becoming a lifesaver for some communities in the country of 15 million people where repeated droughts make it difficult to grow corn. It’s not clear how many people across the country are involved in maggot-farming projects.

At first, “a mere 5%” of farmers that Musundire, the professor, approached agreed to venture into maggot farming. Now that’s up to “about 50%,” he said, after people understood the protein benefits and the lack of disease transmission.

The “yuck factor” was an issue. But necessity triumphed, he said.

With the drought decimating crops and big livestock such as cattle — a traditional symbol of wealth and status and a source of labor — small livestock like chickens are helping communities recover more quickly.

“They can fairly raise a decent livelihood out of the resources they have within a short period of time,” Musundire said.

It also helps the environment. Zimbabwe produces about 1.6 million tons of waste annually, 90% of which can be recycled or composted, according to the country’s Environmental Management Agency. Experts say feeding it to maggots can help reduce greenhouse emissions in a country where garbage collection is erratic.

At a plot near the university, Musundire and his students run a maggot breeding center in the city of 100,000 people. The project collects over 35 metric tons a month in food waste from the university’s canteens as well as vegetable markets, supermarkets, abattoirs, food processing companies and beer brewers.

“Food waste is living, it respires and it contributes to the generation of greenhouse gases,” Musundire said.

According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, food loss — which occurs in the stages before reaching the consumer — and food waste after sale account for 8% to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions globally, or about five times that of the aviation sector.

The university project converts about 20-30 metric tons of the waste into livestock protein or garden manure in about two weeks.

Choumambo said people often sneer as she goes around her own community collecting banana peels and other waste that people toss out at the market and bus station.

“I tell them we have good use for it, it is food for our maggots,” she said. She still has to contend with “ignorant” people who accuse maggot farmers of “breeding cholera.”

But she cares little about that as her farm begins to thrive.

From bare survival, it is becoming a profitable venture. She can harvest up to 15 kilograms (about 33 pounds) of maggots in 21 days, turning out 375 kilograms (826.7 pounds) of chicken feed after mixing it with drought-tolerant crops such as millets, cowpeas and sunflower and a bit of salt.

Choumambo sells some of the feed to fellow villagers at a fraction of the cost charged by stores for traditional animal feed. She also sells eggs and free-range chickens, a delicacy in Zimbabwe, to restaurants. She’s one of 14 women in her village taking up the project.

“I never imagined keeping and surviving on maggots,” she said, taking turns with a neighbor to mix rotting vegetables, corn meal and other waste in a tank using a shovel.

“Many people would puke at the sight and the stench. But this is the sweet smell of food for the maggots, and for us, the farmers.”

US $138bln Nuclear Modernization Plan Fuels Nuclear Arms Race Concerns

By Al Mayadeen English

29 Nov 2024 23:17

The plan includes upgrades to nuclear warheads, submarines, missiles, and bombers over the coming decades, with significant investments already underway.

The United States is set to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to modernize its nuclear arsenal, according to a report by the Roscongress Foundation, raising fears of a renewed global arms race with Russia and China.

The ambitious plan includes upgrades to nuclear warheads, submarines, missiles, and bombers over the coming decades, with significant investments already underway.

Massive Investment in Nuclear Arsenal

The report reveals that the US Department of Energy plans to allocate $138 billion to nuclear warhead modernization between fiscal years 2024 and 2049. Another $500 billion is expected to be spent on stockpile management. In 2023 alone, the Pentagon received more than 200 upgraded nuclear warheads, marking the largest annual delivery since the Cold War.

The plan includes replacing Ohio-class submarines with new Columbia-class carriers, equipped with Trident II missiles upgraded for extended reliability. The US Navy’s 2025 budget request includes $9.9 billion for these submarines, which are expected to begin service in the 2030s.

Additionally, the Pentagon plans to retire aging B-52H and B-2A strategic bombers by 2050, replacing them with 100 next-generation B-21 Raider bombers. These aircraft will be armed with advanced B61-12 and B61-13 nuclear bombs, as well as AGM-181 Long Range Stand Off (LRSO) cruise missiles.

Global arms race implications

The report warns that the US modernization efforts could escalate tensions with Russia and China, both of which are also enhancing their nuclear capabilities.

"The implementation of large-scale programs by the US to modernize nuclear warheads, replace nuclear weapons carriers, and increase the production capacity of enterprises for research and development of nuclear weapons in fact opens an arms race with Russia and China," the report said.

Russia, which has repeatedly warned of using nuclear weapons in response to NATO’s support for Ukraine, accuses the US of exacerbating the conflict and provoking confrontations globally. Meanwhile, China is undergoing a major expansion of its nuclear arsenal, further contributing to heightened geopolitical tensions.

Lower-Yield Nuclear Weapons Development

In response to alleged threats from Russia and China, US Congress has authorized the development of “lower-yield” nuclear weapons. These are designed to provide the US president with additional options in regional conflicts but have drawn criticism for lowering the threshold for nuclear weapon use.

The US and Russia remain the largest holders of nuclear weapons, followed by China, India, Pakistan, the DPRK, and "Israel", which has not officially declared its arsenal.

"Israel" blocks international inspections of its nuclear facilities, adding another layer of complexity to the global arms control landscape.

FIFA is Whitewashing and Sportswashing Israeli Genocide and Sporticide

By Nizar K Visram

Israel ‘Defense’ Forces, with unconditional support of the United States, have been waging a genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023, resulting in an unparalleled humanitarian catastrophe. They dropped over 85,000 tons of bombs, exceeding the amounts of explosives used in World War II. More than 44,000 Palestinian have been killed, including over 16,000 children, 190 journalists, 1,000 health workers, 230 United Nations staff members and many others. Over 104,000 are wounded – most of them children and women – while at least 11,000 are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes. As part of its genocide, Israel is also committing sporticide, killing more than 500 Palestinian athletes, including over 344 footballers. Two of them were on the Palestinian National Team, including Mohamed Barakat, the first Palestinian to score over 100 goals professionally. Israel also jailed footballers, referees, and club owners. Israel’s air strikes in Gaza have resulted in extensive destruction of stadiums and, sports facilities in Gaza and the West Bank. They turned football stadiums into concentration camps where they detain and humiliate thousands of Palestinians who are paraded almost naked on television screens. Thus, the Al Yarmouk stadium was turned into a makeshift concentration camp for Palestinian detainees. Men, women and children were rounded up, stripped down to their underwear, and blindfolded, while armed soldiers and tanks encircled the field. Blindfolded men and women were forced to kneel in front of a goal with the Israeli flag attached to the net. Israel allows football clubs based in illegal settlements in West Bank to compete in official Israeli leagues in violation of international law. In the occupied Jerusalem they mounted a violent attack on the headquarters of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA).  

In Apartheid Israel sports is rampant with racism and dehumanization of Palestinians. At an Israeli match a banner is displayed saying the lives of Palestinian children are worth nothing. Israeli football fans’ favorite anthem is “Death to the Arabs!” Such practices were noticed when Israeli team was playing in Netherlands. At the same time, Palestinian football teams, including the national team, are denied freedom of movement between the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza. They are prevented from joining the national team in regional and international matches.

Detentions and restrictions on movement force the Palestine Football Association (PFA) to suspend football leagues in Palestine, while it hinders setting up camps for the national team abroad to participate in FIFA World Cup qualifiers. While FIFA allows Israeli football clubs based in illegal settlements in the West Bank to compete in official Israeli leagues, the sports body has failed to take action against Israel for its inclusion of these illegal teams in its official leagues, and for its attacks on Palestinian football. It is sportswashing Israel’s decades of forced displacement of Palestinians, its apartheid regime and its genocide against Palestinians. It is thus complicit in Israel’s breach of international law, while continuing to shield Israel’s decades-old regime of apartheid, and now genocide, from accountability. Actually, FIFA is violating its own statute which states that discrimination of any kind against a country, a person or group on account of race, color, ethnicity, nationality, social origin, gender, disability, language, religion, political opinion, or any other reason is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion.FIFA member associations and their clubs are not allowed to play on the territory of another member association without the latter’s approval. Yet FIFA allows Israeli sports clubs based in illegal settlements built on stolen Palestinian land to play in its official leagues. This is despite the International Court of Justice ruling that the settlements are illegal and a war crime.FIFA allows outright racism and dehumanization in Israeli sports. This happened when mobs of racist, genocide-inciting Israeli football fans went on a violent rampage in Amsterdam. They stole Palestinian flags from private buildings, burned them, while chanting racist slogans, and attacked people appearing to be Arab in the streets.And so we see global calls on FIFA to ban Israel. Such calls came, for example, from the 47-member Asian Football Confederation, as well as a petition that gathered over one million signatures. Almost 60 rights groups accused FIFA of applying “a different yardstick to Israeli actions,” undermining its credibility and exposing it “to allegations of political bias and hypocrisy.”The protestors included Human Rights Watch, UN Special Adviser on Sport, 66 members of European Parliament, 38 British MPs, 41 Danish MPs, and 30 Swiss MPs. They all called upon FIFA to exclude Israeli team from illegal settlements. 'The Democracy in Europe Movement 2025’ ran a petition that gathered more than 112,000 signatures, calling for an immediate suspension of Israel from all international sports “until it fully complies with international law and sports regulations.” In Palestine itself 174 sports clubs wrote a letter calling on FIFA to suspend the Israel Football Federation (IFF). 

A report presented to FIFA by FairSquare, a human rights organization, said there were numerous grounds to expel the IFA, such as “the holding of matches in occupied Palestinian territory, systematic racial discrimination, Israel’s killing of Palestinian players and the systematic destruction of PFA facilities.” Most of these have been taking place well before 7 October 2023, the report asserted.In March 2024, PFA submitted a draft resolution, supported by six member associations, calling for FIFA to hold Israel accountable for sports rights and human rights violations against Palestinians. The resolution was to be tabled before the FIFA Congress scheduled to take place in Thailand in May.At the time PFA president, Jibril Rajoub, told the Congress: “For 15 years we have consistently raised the same concerns with FIFA, only to see them repeatedly deferred from one Congress to another, from one committee to the next. Now, as our football faces the same existential threat as our Palestinian people, FIFA must make a choice either to passively stand by, or uphold its core values and human rights obligations, and stand firmly on the right side of history.” Rajoub made a passionate plea to the delegates from 211 member associations to vote for suspension of Israel from FIFA, adding: “The suffering of millions of Palestinians, including thousands of footballers, deserves as much. If not now, then when? The ball is in your court.”In response to Rajoub’s submission, FIFA ordered an “urgent and independent” legal assessment, promising to table it for voting at an extraordinary meeting of its council in July. It didn’t happen. Instead, FIFA said the assessment would be presented to its next council meeting in August. The vote was again rescheduled to October. But when FIFA met in Zurich on 3rd October it once again postponed the decision to ban Israel. This time it said its disciplinary committee will “review the allegations of discrimination” raised by the PFA. Thus FIFA has repeatedly delayed taking action, procrastinating the vote, and shielding Israel from accountability. One wonders what “legal assessment” FIFA is seeking. Back in 2016 Wilfried Lemke, then UN special adviser on sport for development and peace, wrote to FIFA stating that the UN regards Israeli settlements, and by extension Israeli football teams that play in them, to be “illegal under international law”. He thus urged FIFA to suspend the IFA. Actually, what was done clandestinely became evident when, on 5 May 2024, prior to the FIFA Congress in Bangkok, an Israeli news outlet YNet reported that, “the Israeli military is working around the clock with the aim of arriving as prepared as possible and torpedoing the initiative of the Palestinian Association, which has already succeeded twice – in 2015 and 2017 – in raising the Israeli issue for discussion.”  

The report stated that legal advisors of the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs, and ministry of culture and sports plus the IFA Chairman, were among the members of a WhatsApp group formed, calling itself “remaining in FIFA”.Under these circumstances, In May 2024, the Israeli Foreign Minister threatened to imprison Rajoub, and revoke his travel pass. The minister published a statement in social media, saying: “Jibril Rajoub, a terrorist in a suit who openly supported Hamas’s crimes, is working around the clock to get Israel removed from the international soccer association. We will work to thwart his plans, and if he doesn’t stop—we will imprison him.”And so, in June 2024, Australian authorities denied Rajoub a visa to enter the country, when Palestine was set to play Australia in a World Cup qualifier. And while returning home from Paris 2024 Olympic Games in August, Israeli forces detained Rajoub as he was entering Palestine at the Karama crossing with Jordan. They confiscated his passport, searched him, and handed him a summons for interrogation.FIFA’s double standard becomes unambiguous when we consider that sanction was imposed on Russia immediately after its forces invaded Ukraine. FIFA took stern and strict measures against Russia without vacillating, suspending it from all competitions. On the other hand, FIFA turns a blind eye and refuses to hold Israel accountable for it decades long record of war crimes against Palestinians.Thus, FIFA invents lame excuses, allowing Israel to participate freely in international competitions. Israel is not held accountable for it decades of military occupation, illegal settlements and grave crimes against Palestinians, including genocide. FIFA refrains from applying the same sanction on Israel that it has done in the case of Russia. Rather than following its principles, FIFA kowtows to the West’s blatant hypocrisy and double standards.

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Nizar Visram is Tanzanian writer and commentator, currently based in Ottawa (Canada). He is contactable at nizar1941@gmail.com, 

'Israel' Violates Ceasefire, Shells Border Towns in South Lebanon

By Al Mayadeen English

28 Nov 2024 17:16

Two journalists were wounded Wednesday by Israeli fire while reporting on the return of displaced residents to and the Israeli withdrawal from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam.

A South Korean UN peacekeeper patrol drives past destroyed buildings in Dhehabiyeh village in southern Lebanon on November 28, 2024 (AP)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) shelled the town of Khiam on Thursday, violating the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon reported.

The towns of Taybeh, Rub al-Thalathin, and Marjaayoun, were also targeted by Israeli artillery.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported that Israeli artillery targeted the hills of the town of Hilta in the Hasbaya district, aiming at civilians on the outskirts of the town.

Two individuals were injured in the town of Markaba after an Israeli attack on its center, and they were transferred to the hospital.

An Israeli tank also targeted the outskirts of Kfar Chouba with two shells, and a Merkava tank fired a shell at the town of al-Wazzani while Israeli reconnaissance aircraft flew over the villages of the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts.

At night, the town of Aita al-Shaab and the town of Bint Jbeil were shelled by Israeli forces.

Two journalists were wounded Wednesday by Israeli fire while they were covering the return of residents and the Israeli withdrawal from the town of Khiam.

Mohammad al-Za’tari, a reporter for the Associated Press, and Abdelkader Bay, a reporter for Sputnik were both injured by Israeli fire. 

Lebanese Army begins operations in the south, Bekaa, Southern Suburb

The Lebanese Army Command announced that military units have begun carrying out tasks in the south, Bekaa, and Beirut's Southern Suburb, including setting up temporary checkpoints, opening roads, and demining unexploded ordnance. 

This coincides with the army's increased presence in the southern Litani sector following the implementation of the ceasefire agreement as the army emphasized its tasks were part of ongoing efforts by the army to assist displaced people and help them return to their villages safely.

The Army Command had previously urged returning citizens to follow military instructions and avoid approaching areas where Israeli forces are present, especially in the districts of Tyre, Bint Jbeil, and Marjaayoun.

Hassan Fadlallah, an MP from Hezbollah's Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc in the Lebanese Parliament, said Wednesday that the party was working with the army's deployment across south Lebanon under the parameters of a ceasefire with "Israel," maintaining that "there will be no problem."

His comments from the border town of Bint Jbeil came as tens of thousands of Lebanese returned home after a truce between the Israeli occupation and Hezbollah went into effect before morning.

In response to an AFP query concerning Hezbollah fighters withdrawing north of the Litani River in compliance with the truce, Fadlallah stated that the subject was "linked to Lebanese state measures and strengthening the army presence."

"There is full cooperation on this issue and there will be no problem there," he stressed.

Al Mayadeen Documents the Return to South Lebanon’s Border Villages

By Al Mayadeen English

28 Nov 2024 13:37

After the ceasefire took effect, Al Mayadeen headed to the frontline villages of South Lebanon, documenting the impact of months of fierce confrontations.

A woman waves a Hezbollah flag as she celebrates the ceasefire which began early morning, in Tyre, south Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP)

Al Mayadeen documented the situation in the frontline border villages in South Lebanon, the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces beyond the Lebanese-Palestinain border, and the return of citizens and families to their villages and homes following months of displacement. 

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that in South Lebanon, the Lebanese army set up checkpoints at the entrances of several villages, from al-Khiam to Kfar Kila, Deir Mimas, Markaba, Odaisseh, to protect civilians and prevent any confrontations with Israeli occupation forces.

While there is no Israeli ground presence in these locations, the Lebanese Army has closed off roads to protect civilians from potential targeting.

In al-Khiam, a town that the Israeli forces failed to take over, our correspondent described significant destruction on the western outskirts. Despite ongoing threats, residents have begun returning to the town. Additionally, an Israeli Merkava tank has been observed stationed at the town’s western edges.

Some Israeli tanks have withdrawn to areas shielded from view within occupied territories.

Meanwhile, fear grips Israeli soldiers along border towns as displaced citizens return to their lands and homes, regardless of the closure of town entrances. 

Additionally, the ceasefire has exposed discrepancies in the Israeli military's claims regarding the locations of its forces. Our correspondent pointed out that the positions currently held by Israeli troops are the same ones they had reached in the past two months, contrary to previous assertions made by the Israeli army about their troop deployments.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent further reported that civil defense teams are actively working to clear the rubble and open the road at the entrance to al-Khiam.

As clearing efforts continue, bodies of Hezbollah and Amal Movement martyrs have been recovered from the Jalahiya area, a significant location in ground battles during the final days of the war. Despite recovery efforts, the region still sees the presence of an Israeli Merkava tank and a group of Israeli soldiers, who continue to fire at approaching civilians. 

These activities highlight the ongoing tension in the area, as both recovery and military operations persist amid the complex and volatile situation along Lebanon's southern border.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon reported that the Resistance fighters remained in al-Khiam until the last moments of the aggression and the beginning of the ceasefire. 

Al Mayadeen's camera documented the situation on the outskirts of the border town of al-Taybeh and the Rab al-Thalathin-Odaisseh triangle, areas that witnessed fierce battles between Resistance fighters and the Israeli occupation forces. 

Al Mayadeen's camera also documented the ongoing return of displaced residents and the gradual restoration of near-normal activity in Bint Jbeil, Southern Lebanon, highlighting the community's resilience and efforts to recover despite recent challenges.

The Mayor of Bint Jbeil, Afif Bazzi, told Al Mayadeen that the return of displaced residents would not have been possible without the sacrifices of the resistance fighters. He also noted that reconstruction efforts have begun to facilitate the safe and sustained return of those who were displaced. These efforts aim to restore normalcy and support the community's resilience in rebuilding their lives.