Latest news with #ArmedConflictLocationandEventData
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
U.N officials: Terrorist activity is surging in Africa's Sahel, endangering women and girls
By EDITH M. LEDERER Terrorist activity is surging in Africa's volatile Sahel region, making life more difficult and dangerous for women and girls, senior U.N. officials said Thursday. Over the past decade, the arid region south of the Sahara Desert has been shaken by extremist uprisings and military coups. Three nations — Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso — are now ruled by military leaders who took power by force, pledging to provide more security to citizens. But the security situation has worsened. 'Terrorist activity has surged in scale, complexity and sophistication,' U.N. special representative Leonardo Santos Simão told the Security Council. He pointed to the use of drones and increasing collusion with organized criminals working across borders. Sima Bahous, the executive director of UN Women, said no region is more affected by terrorism. 'Life for women and girls under terrorist control is one of erasure from public space," she said. In the three countries, more than 1 million girls are out of school because of the violence, and 60% of those girls have never set foot in a classroom, she said. This has contributed to the region's high rates of child marriage, according to Bahous. 'As violence displaces families and shutters markets, women's livelihoods vanish and household resilience collapses," she told the Security Council. And because of a drought, women and girls are walking longer distances to fetch water and firewood. 'Two-thirds report feeling unsafe on these journeys, in a region that already ranks among the highest globally for reported cases of sexual and gender-based violence," Bahous said. Long battered by jihadi violence, the Sahel region has seen a spike in deadly attacks mainly by the al-Qaida-linked JNIM group, which has overrun major cities and military bases. Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data showed that May was more deadly than the preceding eight months. In Niger, which recorded one of its deadliest months in June, fighters backed by the Islamic State group launched a major offensive across the Tillaberi and Dosso regions, killing more than 100 villagers, in a return to mass atrocities in rural areas. Ransom kidnappings targeting foreigners have also spiked in the country this year. Simão, who heads the U.N. Office for West Africa and the Sahel, cited ACLED data reporting over 400 terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger between April 1 and July 31, leading to 2,870 deaths. Young people are increasingly being recruited by violent extremist groups, and millions of people are fleeing across borders, he said. To confront the threat, Simão said Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have created a joint defense force, and broader regional efforts are also taking place. Bahous urged the international community not to abandon the Sahel and called for at least 15% of the funding to prevent violent extremism be allocated to help women and promote gender equality. —- Chinedu Asadu contributed to this report from Dakar, Senegal. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
UN officials: Terrorist activity is surging in Africa's Sahel, endangering women and girls
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Terrorist activity is surging in Africa's volatile Sahel region, making life more difficult and dangerous for women and girls, senior U.N. officials said Thursday. Over the past decade, the arid region south of the Sahara Desert has been shaken by extremist uprisings and military coups. Three nations — Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso — are now ruled by military leaders who took power by force, pledging to provide more security to citizens. But the security situation has worsened. 'Terrorist activity has surged in scale, complexity and sophistication,' U.N. special representative Leonardo Santos Simão told the Security Council. He pointed to the use of drones and increasing collusion with organized criminals working across borders. Sima Bahous, the executive director of UN Women, said no region is more affected by terrorism. 'Life for women and girls under terrorist control is one of erasure from public space,' she said. In the three countries, more than 1 million girls are out of school because of the violence, and 60% of those girls have never set foot in a classroom, she said. This has contributed to the region's high rates of child marriage, according to Bahous. 'As violence displaces families and shutters markets, women's livelihoods vanish and household resilience collapses,' she told the Security Council. And because of a drought, women and girls are walking longer distances to fetch water and firewood. 'Two-thirds report feeling unsafe on these journeys, in a region that already ranks among the highest globally for reported cases of sexual and gender-based violence,' Bahous said. Long battered by jihadi violence, the Sahel region has seen a spike in deadly attacks mainly by the al-Qaida-linked JNIM group, which has overrun major cities and military bases. Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data showed that May was more deadly than the preceding eight months. In Niger, which recorded one of its deadliest months in June, fighters backed by the Islamic State group launched a major offensive across the Tillaberi and Dosso regions, killing more than 100 villagers, in a return to mass atrocities in rural areas. Ransom kidnappings targeting foreigners have also spiked in the country this year. Simão, who heads the U.N. Office for West Africa and the Sahel, cited ACLED data reporting over 400 terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger between April 1 and July 31, leading to 2,870 deaths. Young people are increasingly being recruited by violent extremist groups, and millions of people are fleeing across borders, he said. To confront the threat, Simão said Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have created a joint defense force, and broader regional efforts are also taking place. Bahous urged the international community not to abandon the Sahel and called for at least 15% of the funding to prevent violent extremism be allocated to help women and promote gender equality. —- Chinedu Asadu contributed to this report from Dakar, Senegal.
The Star
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Myanmar junta drone crashes over Thai border
BANGKOK: A Myanmar junta drone targeting anti-coup fighters crashed over the border in Thailand, the kingdom's military said, prompting an official rebuke over hazardous spillover from the civil war. Western Thailand regularly suffers ramifications from the conflict that has raged in Myanmar since the military toppled the country's elected civilian government in 2021. Deserting junta troops, fleeing civilian refugees and desperate economic migrants often make unsanctioned crossings of the countries' 2,400km (1,500 mile) frontier. Thailand's military said it found the "kamikaze drone" on Monday (July 21) in a forest in Tak Province, 15km inside the Thai border. "No civilians were injured or killed, and no property damage was reported," said a Tuesday night statement. "Initial investigations suggest the drone belonged to the Myanmar military and was intended for an attack on resistance forces, but lost control and crashed on the Thai side." The military statement said a disposal team "neutralised the explosive materials" and a "formal protest" has been lodged about the incident through a border dialogue organisation. Myanmar's junta and its myriad rebel opponents are both increasingly relying on drones to gain a strategic edge in the civil war, which has now ground on for more than four years. Myanmar ranks third globally -- behind only Ukraine and Russia -- for the number of drone sorties recorded by monitor organisation Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), according to a report this month. "The accessibility, ease of modification, and cost-effectiveness of drones enable both resistance groups and the military to achieve military objectives while minimising combat casualties," the report said. - AFP
Express Tribune
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Iran's FM makes first post-war visit to Saudi Arabia
Listen to article Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Jeddah on Tuesday, in the first visit by the Iranian official to the Gulf kingdom since Tehran's air war with Israel. The two discussed relations and the latest regional developments, Saudi state news agency SPA said. Araqchi held "fruitful" conversations with Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud and Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a post on X. Earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson had said Araqchi would visit Saudi Arabia on his way back from Brazil to discuss the peace and security of the region. Araqchi's visit to the Gulf kingdom is the first since Iran and Israel concluded a 12-day air war in June. 12-day war The 12-day war that began with unprovoked Israeli military strikes in Iran on June 13 resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries on both sides, according to official figures released by the respective governments. Read: If necessary, will bomb Iran again: Trump Israel launched the first strikes, targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities with more than 200 fighter jets. According to Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, at least 610 people were killed and 4,746 injured, including 185 women and 13 children. Public infrastructure also sustained extensive damage, including hospitals, ambulances, and emergency units. Among those killed were senior nuclear scientists and high-ranking military commanders, including the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The youngest confirmed fatality was a two-month-old infant. In response, Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at Israeli targets, with Tel Aviv and Haifa among the hardest hit. The Israeli military stated that up to 1,000 projectiles were launched, of which 90 percent were intercepted. The attacks resulted in 28 deaths and 3,238 injuries across Israel. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project, Israel carried out at least 508 airstrikes on Iran during the escalation. Another count from Al Jazeera's Sanad fact-checking agency - italicise placed the number at 145 combined Israeli and US strikes. Iranian retaliation included at least 120 missile and drone attacks, with some reaching Israeli civilian and critical infrastructure. Notable targets included Soroka Medical Center, the Israeli Military Intelligence School, the Ministry of Interior in Haifa, and several energy facilities. The US joined the conflict on June 22 with bunker-buster bombings on Iran's nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. A US-brokered ceasefire was reached on June 24, shortly after Iran launched missiles at the largest US airbase in the Middle East, located in Qatar. Iranian authorities reported a mass internal displacement, with nearly nine million people leaving major cities such as Tehran and heading toward northern provinces bordering the Caspian Sea. The ceasefire remains in place, though both nations have warned of further action if provoked.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mapping Israel's expanding air attacks across Syria
The Israeli military says it shelled targets in Syria in response to a pair of projectiles that fell in open areas in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday. Since December 10, 2024, just two days after the stunning collapse of more than 53 years of the al-Assad family, Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that has destroyed much of Syria's military infrastructure, including major airports, air defence facilities, fighter jets and other strategic infrastructure. Over the past six months, Israeli forces have launched more than 200 air, drone or artillery attacks across Syria, averaging an assault roughly every three to four days, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (ACLED). The map below shows the ACLED-recorded Israeli attacks between December 8 and May 30. The bulk of the Israeli attacks have been concentrated in the southern Syrian governorates of Deraa, Damascus and Quneitra, which account for nearly 60 percent of all recorded Israeli attacks. Deraa was the most targeted governorate, with 57 recorded attacks, focusing on former regime military sites and suspected arms convoys. Damascus governorate, which hosts key military highways and logistics hubs, was attacked at least 49 times. Whereas Damascus city, the capital was attacked 18 times. Quneitra, adjacent to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, was attacked at least 25 times; many attacks were aimed at radar and surveillance infrastructure. In the immediate aftermath of al-Assad's ouster, Israeli troops advanced into the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, including areas within the United Nations-monitored demilitarised zone, violating the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria. The incursion drew widespread international criticism. The UN, along with several Arab nations, condemned Israel's actions as breaches of international law and violations of Syria's sovereignty. Despite these condemnations, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in February that Israeli forces would remain in the area indefinitely to 'protect Israeli citizens' and 'prevent hostile entities from gaining a foothold' near the border. Satellite imagery captured in February and analysed by Al Jazeera's Sanad verification unit showed six military bases were being constructed in the UN-supervised buffer zone on the border with Syria. Since taking power following the overthrow of al-Assad, President Ahmed al-Sharaa has consistently stated that his government seeks no conflict with Israel and will not permit Syria to be used by foreign actors to launch attacks. He has condemned Israel's continuing strikes on Syrian territory and its gradual expansion beyond the already-occupied Golan Heights. While Israel's air attacks on Syria have escalated in recent months, Israel has been attacking targets in Syria for years. ACLED data collected since January 2017 shows how Israeli attacks have been steadily increasing. The animated chart below shows the frequency of Israeli attacks from January 2017 to May 2025.
