Latest news with #French-led
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dan opposes Romanian peacekeepers in Ukraine but affirms pro-Kyiv course
Romania should continue supporting Ukraine, but without taking part in a potential peacekeeping force, Romanian President-elect Nicusor Dan said in an interview with Politico published on May 21. "First, to have a big operational support on Romanian territory, yes. To be part of the armies guaranteeing peace in Ukraine, no," Dan told Politico when asked about Bucharest's possible involvement in the mission. "I think it would not be very appropriate because of the tension that already exists between Romania and Russia." A potential deployment of international peacekeepers has been discussed within the British- and French-led coalition of the willing. The ambitious plan, presented as a way to provide security guarantees to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, has eventually been scaled down over political disagreements and military capacity issues. Dan, a pro-EU centrist who defeated hard-right, anti-Ukraine George Simion in a presidential election on May 18, lauded Europe's effort to support "Ukraine until they obtain the most reasonable peace for themselves." The president-elect also criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's strategy in brokering a peace deal with Russia and stressed that nothing can be decided without Ukraine's involvement. Ukraine's neighbor and NATO member, Romania, has been a key ally to Kyiv during Russia's full-scale invasion, providing a Patriot air defense missile system and facilitating the transit of Ukrainian grain amid Russian threats to Black Sea shipping. Read also: Romania's new president faces daunting challenges after surprise victory over far-right upstart We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Libya Review
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Libya Review
Turkey Calls for Unified Government in Libya
Turkey has renewed its call for Libya's rival factions to agree on forming a unified government and holding simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasised that Ankara wants Libyans to build their own roadmap to stability. In an interview with Jeune Afrique on 15 May, prior to the recent violent clashes in Tripoli, Fidan stated that elections without a mature political process may only deepen divisions between the eastern and western camps. He said Turkey is actively working to support the formation of a consensus-based interim government capable of organising elections. Fidan also addressed Russia's military re-deployment from Syria to eastern Libya. 'We talk regularly with Russia and our Libyan partners in the east. Our priority over the last five years has been to avoid military confrontation between east and west,' he said. Fidan warned against further militarisation, noting it would benefit no one. On intelligence cooperation in Africa, Fidan said Turkey works closely with Libya and Algeria in combating ISIS. He also mentioned enhancing defence collaboration with Chad, Mali, and Burkina Faso. However, he refrained from commenting on African nations' partnerships with the French-led 'Africa Corps,' stressing each country's freedom in choosing its defence partners. Meanwhile, Turkey evacuated 82 of its citizens from Tripoli amid escalating violence. The Turkish embassy organised transport from the capital to Misrata, followed by flights to Istanbul. The embassy has not announced further evacuations yet. The latest unrest in Tripoli underscores the urgency of political reconciliation and effective governance, as regional and international actors call for de-escalation and unity. Tags: Hakan FidanlibyaLibyan ElectionsTurkey
IOL News
18-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Russia's Growing Sahel Influence a Worry for Jittery West
SUPPORTERS of Burkina Faso's leader, Ibrahim Traore, demonstrate their support for Russia in Ouagadougou. The termination of the French and US missions in the Sahel countries was framed as an assertion of sovereignty and independence from erstwhile colonisers and contemporary neo colonial and imperial forces to make it more politically appealing to the citizens of these countries, says the writer. Image: AFP Dr. Sizo Nkala RUSSIAN influence in the Sahel region has been on the rise since the coup wave of recent years. The junta leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger who seized power in 2021, 2022, and 2023 respectively, wasted little time in severing relations with their erstwhile colonizer, France, while embracing Russia. In 2022, Mali terminated the French-led Operation Barkhane, which saw about 2400 French troops withdrawing from the country as the Assimi Goita-led military junta argued that the operation had not been effective in its ten-year battle against the Islamist insurgency. His counterparts, Ibrahim Traore in Burkina Faso and Abdourahamane Tchiani in Niger followed suit kicking out French troops out of their countries in 2023 citing their failure to stamp out jihadist insurgencies. Public rallies were organized in Niger to add public pressure on the French troops. Rally attendees were waving Russian flags and chanting Russian affirmations. About 1000 US troops also stationed in Niger for counterinsurgency purposes withdrew from the country in 2024 at the instigation of the military junta. The termination of the French and US missions in the Sahel countries was framed as an assertion of sovereignty and independence from erstwhile colonisers and contemporary neocolonial and imperial forces to make it more politically appealing to the citizens of these countries. Seeing an opportunity to establish a geostrategic foothold, Russia, through its proxy mercenary outfit – the Wagner Group (now rebranded the Africa Corps) – swiftly moved to fill in the vacuum promising to deal ruthlessly with the jihadist insurgents riding on the back of its relative success in the Central African Republic (CAR) where it helped to defend the Faustin-Archange Touadera regime against the rebels. The African Corps is fully funded by the Russian state, which makes them an instrument of Moscow's foreign policy in Africa. Russia also relies on its history of supporting anti-colonial liberation movements in Africa to portray itself as a trustworthy partner compared to the West, which cannot shake off the coloniser tag. Moreover, facing Western isolation over the Ukraine war, Russia desperately needed diplomatic allies in Africa. Its active support of and military presence in the three Sahelian states is an attempt to project its power in Sub-Saharan Africa and show its commitment to the peace and security of the continent in the hopes of swaying more African countries to its side in its standoff with the West. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Apart from the diplomatic support, Moscow is also interested in establishing economic relationships with the Sahelian states which boast major reserves in gold (Burkina Faso) and uranium (Niger). Burkina Faso, which has been turning the screws on western mining companies operating in the country, recently granted a Russian firm, Nordgold, an industrial mining license to conduct operations in the Kourweogo province. About 1500 members of the Group arrived in Mali at the beginning of 2022 following an invitation from Assimi Goita to help repel the insurgents, who had wreaked havoc in the West African country since 2017. Goita and his allies had seized power on the promise that they would eliminate the rebels and stabilise the security situation in the country. Soon after it changed its name to Africa Corps, 100 members of the group landed in Burkina Faso to help Traore's government fight the insurgents in January 2024. Niger received its own contingent of Africa Corps a few months later with the same mandate. Thus, Russia has effectively replaced France and the US as an alternative security partner and political patron for the Sahelian states. In addition to the presence of its mercenary company, Russia has also become an important arms supplier for the three countries. Since 2021, Mali has received significant amounts of Russian military equipment including over 100 military vehicles, helicopter gunships, military jets and ammunition. Burkina Faso has received military instructors from Russia to train its security personnel. In a major diplomatic move, the foreign ministers of the three countries travelled to Russia early in April under the aegis of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) to strengthen the alliance's relationship with Russia. Their meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov yielded a commitment by Moscow to support the 5000 strong joint force established by the three juntas to address the security challenges in the region. This force is founded on the mutual defence pact signed by the three countries in 2023. Ultimately, the utility of this new security partnership will be judged on its ability to contain and suppress the jihadist insurgents. Thus far, the new partnership has not made significant inroads in addressing the security situation. According to the Global Terrorism Index 2025 report, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are in the top 5 countries most affected by terrorism in the world. * Dr. Sizo Nkala is a Research Fellow at the University of Johannesburg's Centre for Africa-China Studies. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.
Scoop
14-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
NZDF Joins Large South Pacific Disaster Exercise As New Response Group Starts Work
Press Release – New Zealand Defence Force The Royal New Zealand Navys Lieutenant Commander Nikita Lawson said the Pacific Response Group was a short-notice deployable team with strong planning skills designed to assist civilian authorities and other organisations in any response to a disaster. The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has joined 18 other nations for a large French-led multinational training exercise scenario of a hypothetical cyclone striking the islands of Wallis & Futuna. Exercise Croix Du Sud was based in New Caledonia, about 1900km southwest of Wallis & Futuna, and involved about 2000 personnel. New Zealand Army Captain Zoe Williamson and a small number of Kiwi staff officers bolstered the exercise headquarters. 'This has been a great opportunity allowing us to work with our partner nations in a likely humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) scenario, developing relationships and an understanding of how we work individually but are able to come together as a whole,' she said. 'Training with our Pacific neighbours is important to ensure we are ready to respond when the time comes, and Exercise Croix Du Sud is a valuable test, ensuring we can deliver this critical capability when and where it's needed.' Exercise Croix Du Sud also provided the opportunity for two NZDF officers to deploy with the Pacific Response Group (PRG), a new multinational support group consisting of personnel from Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, France, Australia, and New Zealand with Chile in support. The PRG was established in 2024 by recommendation of the South Pacific Defence Ministers' Meeting to address the need for pan-Pacific HADR cooperation. The Royal New Zealand Navy's Lieutenant Commander Nikita Lawson said the Pacific Response Group was a short-notice deployable team with strong planning skills designed to assist civilian authorities and other organisations in any response to a disaster. 'The PRG deployed a small team forward to Wallis & Futuna to assess the situation on the ground, determine where military assistance was required and what humanitarian assistance was needed,' she said. The PRG command team remained in New Caledonia to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and critical capabilities. 'Information, assessments and the 'ground truth' provided by our PRG team were invaluable at shaping the HADR response plans formed by the wider exercise headquarters,' Lieutenant Commander Lawson said. The two-week exercise ended earlier this month.
Scoop
14-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
NZDF Joins Large South Pacific Disaster Exercise As New Response Group Starts Work
Press Release – New Zealand Defence Force The Royal New Zealand Navys Lieutenant Commander Nikita Lawson said the Pacific Response Group was a short-notice deployable team with strong planning skills designed to assist civilian authorities and other organisations in any response to a disaster. The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has joined 18 other nations for a large French-led multinational training exercise scenario of a hypothetical cyclone striking the islands of Wallis & Futuna. Exercise Croix Du Sud was based in New Caledonia, about 1900km southwest of Wallis & Futuna, and involved about 2000 personnel. New Zealand Army Captain Zoe Williamson and a small number of Kiwi staff officers bolstered the exercise headquarters. 'This has been a great opportunity allowing us to work with our partner nations in a likely humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) scenario, developing relationships and an understanding of how we work individually but are able to come together as a whole,' she said. 'Training with our Pacific neighbours is important to ensure we are ready to respond when the time comes, and Exercise Croix Du Sud is a valuable test, ensuring we can deliver this critical capability when and where it's needed.' Exercise Croix Du Sud also provided the opportunity for two NZDF officers to deploy with the Pacific Response Group (PRG), a new multinational support group consisting of personnel from Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, France, Australia, and New Zealand with Chile in support. The PRG was established in 2024 by recommendation of the South Pacific Defence Ministers' Meeting to address the need for pan-Pacific HADR cooperation. The Royal New Zealand Navy's Lieutenant Commander Nikita Lawson said the Pacific Response Group was a short-notice deployable team with strong planning skills designed to assist civilian authorities and other organisations in any response to a disaster. 'The PRG deployed a small team forward to Wallis & Futuna to assess the situation on the ground, determine where military assistance was required and what humanitarian assistance was needed,' she said. The PRG command team remained in New Caledonia to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and critical capabilities. 'Information, assessments and the 'ground truth' provided by our PRG team were invaluable at shaping the HADR response plans formed by the wider exercise headquarters,' Lieutenant Commander Lawson said. The two-week exercise ended earlier this month.
