Latest news with #MarkHeinrich
The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Mali says two more army posts attacked as jihadist violence escalates
BAMAKO (Reuters) -Islamist militants hit two more military installations on Wednesday and Thursday, Mali's army said, the latest in a quick spate of attacks that the insurgents say have killed hundreds of soldiers and underscored their gains. Ground and air reinforcements were being mobilised on Thursday morning to respond to an attack on a security post in Mahou, located in eastern Mali near the border with Burkina Faso, an army statement said. The attack was claimed by Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al Qaeda-linked Islamist militant group active in Mali and Burkina Faso. Information on a death toll was not immediately available. A military spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. On Wednesday afternoon, "armed terrorists" struck a military camp in Tessit, near the border with Burkina Faso and Niger, and Mali's military sent in aerial reinforcement, a separate statement said. There has been no claim of responsibility for that attack, though security analysts said it could have been perpetrated by fighters from the Islamic State branch active in the Sahel region. "The camp was attacked, and there was a violent exchange of fire. We learned that the attackers had taken control of the camp, and the population was leaving Tessit," said an official from the nearby town of Ouattagouna, who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. WIDESPREAD ATTACKS Mali's junta seized power following coups in 2020 and 2021, promising to restore security in a country that has grappled with jihadist militancy for more than a decade. But attacks continue in large swathes of the country. An army statement on Thursday described "a resurgence of cowardly and barbaric attacks" in recent weeks and said it was responding with a "counter-offensive", listing operations in six locations on Wednesday alone. An attack on Sunday on a military base in Boulkessi, in central Mali near the frontier with Burkina Faso, killed dozens of soldiers, security sources told Reuters this week. JNIM said in a statement the death toll was more than 100 soldiers and mercenaries, with more than 20 others captured. On Monday, JNIM said it targeted a military airport and Russian mercenaries in the northern city of Timbuktu, where residents described taking cover from explosions and gunfire. Like neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, Mali has cut military ties with Western nations and turned to Russia for support. JNIM also claimed to have bombed Malian and Russian soldiers on the outskirts of Bamako on Wednesday, though Reuters could not independently confirm that incident and the army has not commented on it. Consulting firm Control Risks said in a note on Thursday the claim was "reliable" and that further attacks on and near Bamako were likely as JNIM seeks to undermine Mali's military rulers. (Reporting by Mali newsroom; writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EU envoys discuss sanctions related to Russia chemical weapons use
By Julia Payne BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission has proposed listing 15 additional new entities and individuals to its sanctions framework on Russian hybrid threats as well as individuals suspected of using chemical weapons in Ukraine, EU sources said on Wednesday. Russia is waging a more than three-year-old full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The world's chemical weapons watchdog OPCW said in November last year it had found evidence of tear gas use on Ukraine's frontline with Russia without assigning blame. The use of riot-control agents such as tear gas as a method of warfare is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention, the non-proliferation treaty overseen by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The United States and Ukraine have accused Moscow of violating the convention. The Kremlin has denied these accusations. EU envoys began discussions on a 17th package of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday that focuses on Russia's military machine as well as Moscow's shadow shipping fleet and its support system. These two packages as well as a third set of measures that would add 25 entities and individuals, mainly the latter, suspected of violating human rights were being discussed in parallel. As part of the 17th package, member states are expected to agree to list about 140 new ships, mainly tankers, and 70 entities and individuals over the next week. New listings are initiated by the EU's diplomatic arm, the EEAS, whereas sector-wide sanctions are led by the Commission. Sources said the EU is likely to list major Russian oil company Surgutneftegaz, which Washington targeted in January as part of a sweeping crackdown on Russia's energy trade. (Reporting by Julia Payne; editing by Mark Heinrich, Kirsten Donovan)
