Russia to open embassies in several African countries, reports MFA #Moscow will open embassies in an array of countries in #Africa, with Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone among them, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who also serves as special presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa, told TASS in an interview following the First Ministerial Conference Russia-Africa. "Embassies [will be opened], of course. An embassy in Burkina Faso was just opened. An embassy in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, is about to be opened," he said, adding that there is also "a list of countries where [embassies] have been closed." "Moreover, [Russian Foreign Minister] Sergey V. Lavrov has said that Sierra Leone is next in line, in Freetown," Bogdanov added. In some African states, such as South Sudan, for example, the Russian side reached an agreement at some point to open an embassy, though "it has not been done for a variety of reasons," he noted. "Now I hope that it is also planned, to open [an embassy] in Juba, South Sudan," the official said.

Russia signs documents on military cooperation with 33 African countries #Russia is ready to provide security for #African countries, it has already signed 33 agreements on military-technical cooperation, Russian presidential advisor and Organizing Committee Executive Secretary Anton #Kobyakov said. "For Russia, the role of a security provider for the countries of the African continent is a practical, vital necessity. To date, Russia has signed agreements on regular military-technical cooperation with 33 [states] <...> of the African continent," he said. Kobyakov also noted that delegations from 54 countries and 45 African ministers are taking part in the first Russia-Africa ministerial conference. "More than 1,500 people, including 54 official delegations and 45 foreign ministers of the African continent, are taking part in our conference, which is being held on the Sirius federal territory," he said. According to him, such conferences will be held regularly between Russia-Africa summits. The first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum is taking place on November 9-10 at the Sirius federal territory. The event is attended by about 1,500 delegates, including more than 40 ministers from the African continent.

The presidents of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have officially signed a charter to establish a confederation. During the first summit of the Alliance of Sahel States (#ASS), leaders from #Burkina Faso, #Mali, and #Niger convened with the main goal of approving a draft document to form the AGS confederation, as reported by the Nigerian Press Agency (NAP). This summit, which took place in Niamey, was presided over by Niger's leader, Abdurahmane Tchiani. Attending the summit were Presidents Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso and Assimi Goita of Mali. On Saturday, General Abdourahamane Tiani, Niger's military leader, declared that the citizens of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have "irrevocably turned their backs" on the West African bloc, ECOWAS.

UAE offers the USA to fight Houthis from Somaliland Arab diplomats reported that the United Arab Emirates proposed to the United States to use the #Somaliland region to deal with the campaign against the #Houthis in the Red Sea instead of American aircraft carriers, which require huge budgets and a large number of personnel. According to the report, Tahnun bin Zayed, the national security adviser and head of the UAE's foreign intelligence service, met with Jake Sullivan and other American officials in early June, when bin Zayed visited Washington. The proposal comes following the refusal of the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council to allow American and Western military bases in the Gulf countries to carry out attacks on the Houthis. US officials have opened a channel of communication with Somaliland officials overseen by Abu Dhabi, as the emirate seeks to strengthen its influence in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region, and join the United States to defend the Red Sea against attacks by the Houthis and Somali pirates. Observers say such moves would anger the government in #Mogadishu and other countries in the region.

"Russian Africa Corps soldiers deployed to Niger, which will challenge U.S. efforts to stay in Niger in the immediate term—undermining the West’s counterterrorism goals—and present long-term opportunities for the Kremlin to create threats that strategically pressure Europe." 🔶️ "The Africa Corps contingent in Niger will likely remain small in the coming months because it lacks the capacity for a bigger deployment due to recruitment issues." 🔶️ "This small footprint will enable Russia to strengthen its influence in Niger and consolidate its logistical network in Africa without significantly affecting the rapidly escalating al Qaeda and Islamic State insurgencies in Niger." 🔶️ "Greater Russian influence and military presence in Niger in the coming years will create several future opportunities for the Kremlin to strategically threaten Europe with energy blackmail, migration influxes, and conventional military threats."

Yemeni Houthis claim strikes at three ships in Indian Ocean The Yemeni #Houthis attacked three ships in the Indian Ocean, the movement's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on the Houthi-controlled Al Masirah TV channel. "The Yemeni Armed Forces have started to expand the scale of its operations against Israeli and Israeli-affiliated ships travelling to ports of the occupied Palestine, increasing it to the Indian Ocean and the Cape of Good Hope. […] They have already carried out three operation against three Israeli and US ships in the Indian Ocean using several naval missiles and drones," he said. The spokesman also said that commercial ships that travel to Israel through the Cape of Good Hope in the southern part of Africa will become a "legitimate target" for the Houthis. "The Yemeni Armed Forces reaffirm that they will not stop preventing the Israeli navigations in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, as well as in the Indian Ocean," he added.

#Houthis damage four undersea #cables between #Europe, #Asia The Yemen-based Houthi rebels from the Ansar Allah movement have damaged four international underwater cables in the Red Sea which connected Asia, Europe and Africa, Israel’s Globes newspaper reported. According to its information, Houthi attacks in the Red Sea damaged four submarine communication cables between Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Djibouti in East Africa. The attacks triggered "serious disruption of Internet communications between Europe and Asia, with the main damage being felt in the Gulf countries and India." According to experts, the damage is not critical because other cables are still functioning. The newspaper said that it may take at least two months to restore the damaged cables.

Killing of #Christians - #Sahel and Somalia: The Epicenter of Violence In the Sahel region, a staggering 11,643 fatalities were linked to Islamic violence in 2023, marking a record high for any of the five African theaters. This represents a nearly threefold increase from the levels seen in 2020, highlighting the deteriorating security situation in the region. Violence against civilians in the Sahel accounts for 35 percent of all Islamic-related events, the highest percentage across the continent. However, it’s important to note that the actual numbers may be higher due to underreporting, attributed to shrinking media coverage in the wake of political instability in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The report underscores that a significant portion of the surge in fatalities can be attributed to the Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) coalition, particularly the Macina Liberation Front (FLM) and Ansaroul Islam. This Muslim coalition was associated with a 67-percent spike in reported deaths, making it a major driver of violence in the Sahel. - RAIR Foundation

Burkina Faso notifies ECOWAS of its withdrawal from organization Burkina Faso has officially notified the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of its decision to drop out of the bloc, Reuters quoted the country's Foreign Ministry as saying. Mali and Niger had also previously sent similar notifications to ECOWAS. On January 28, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS, a regional organization of 15 countries. On Monday, the Foreign Ministry of Nigeria, which holds the ECOWAS presidency, said the military authorities of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali acted in "bad faith" by making the joint decision to withdraw from the organization. On Tuesday, the African Union urged the three countries to open a dialogue with ECOWAS' representatives. Last September, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger signed a charter to create a collective defense organization called the Alliance of Sahel States (ASS). The founding document noted that violation of the sovereignty or territorial integrity of one or more parties to the charter will be considered an aggressive act against all three parties and will require their assistance, individually or collectively, up to and including the use of military force.

Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger announce their withdrawal from ECOWAS Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have decided to Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Reuters reported. According to the news agency, the joint statement to this effect was read out live on Niger’s national television.