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Category: Africa

  • MIL-OSI Africa: President Ramaphosa welcomes election of Pope Leo XIV

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Friday, May 9, 2025

    President Cyril Ramaphosa has offered his congratulations to Cardinal Robert Prevost on his election as Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church.

    In a statement, President Ramaphosa said the election of Pope Leo XIV was a profound moment for the Catholic Church as well as the global community who followed this solemn event with hopeful anticipation. 

    “May the ceremonial white smoke that signalled the consensus of the Conclave prevail over the dark plumes of military bombardments affecting various regions of the world today.

    “Pope Leo XIV’s early emphasis on peace is a call that resonates with most of humanity and is one that honours the legacy of the late Pope Francis.

    “South Africa wishes Pope Leo XIV a blessed and transformative papacy that will strengthen faith, unity and social solidarity in the world,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za

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  • MIL-OSI Africa: Simelane calls for strict compliance with building industry regulations

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane has called upon the building industry to recommit to compliance with regulations governing South Africa’s building industry.

    The call comes as the nation marks one year since the collapse of a building under construction in the seaside town of George, Western Cape, which claimed the lives of 34 people.

    Simelane warned that failure to adhere to the laws regulating the building industry, could lead to fatalities and severe consequences.

    “The tragedy could have been avoided, had those involved in the project adhered to the [existing] laws regulating the building industry,” Simelane said.

    The Minister recently briefed the media on the findings of an investigation conducted by the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC), the statutory body responsible for regulating the home building sector.

    The investigation was launched to understand the factors that resulted in the collapse of a residential building still under construction.

    The investigation report revealed serious lapses in compliance and implicated several NHBRC officials.

    Simelane said disciplinary actions are underway, with the affected officials already suspended, pending disciplinary action. The officials are facing charges, including dereliction of duty, misconduct, negligence, dishonesty, and misrepresentation in inspection reports.

    “We will leave no stone unturned. I have directed the NHBRC board to ensure that all recommendations in this report are fully implemented. I expect them to give regular reports on the latter’s implementation,” Simelane said.

    The report has also been submitted to the law enforcement agencies for further investigation. Simelane expressed full confidence that justice will be served and that all those implicated will be held accountable.

    Simelane has reassured the public that NHBRC is not a toothless regulator.

    “Through its disciplinary committee, it will continue to take firm actions against non-compliant and unethical builders, as its main role is to protect the housing consumer,” Simelane said.

    The Minister also commended the emergency and rescue teams, who worked tirelessly to save lives under extremely challenging conditions, saying their bravery and commitment to humanity have not gone unnoticed. – SAnews.gov.za
     

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  • MIL-OSI Africa: Social grant fraudster sentenced to six months direct imprisonment

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Social grant fraudster, Anele Gxumeka, was on Thursday sentenced to six months of direct imprisonment on charges of fraud, by the Mthatha Magistrate’s Court.  

    In a statement on Friday, the Eastern Cape South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) said the sentence stems from an incident on 9 February 2023, when the 41-year-old visited the SASSA Lusikisiki Local Office for a medical assessment after securing an appointment with a doctor. 

    On that day, customer care officials conducted queue walks and noted that there were discrepancies in the details of the accused’s medical document. 

    The gender listed on the medical card did not match that on the Identity Document (ID); and the age reflected in the submitted document also contradicted the medical card. 

    “These discrepancies were further confirmed by the attending doctor, who contacted the Holy Cross hospital where the accused claimed to have been examined. The Chief Executive Officer of the hospital confirmed that there were no records of such a client,” the statement read. 

    The matter was subsequently handled by the SASSA Risk and Compliance Unit, which referred the case to the South African Police Services. 

    The accused was apprehended and later released pending further investigation and court appearances. 

    On Thursday, he pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to six months of direct imprisonment.  

    In response to the sentencing, SASSA Eastern Cape Regional Executive Manager, Bandile Maqetuka, commended the front-line desk staff for their diligence.

    He noted that most fraudulent activities are discovered only after significant financial losses. 

    “It is commendable that the agency has not incurred any financial loss in this case. We appreciate the collaborative efforts of SAPS and SASSA in ensuring that justice was served.

    “While this may seem like a minor fraudulent case, the sentence sends a strong message that fraud will not be tolerated at SASSA,” Maqetuka said. – SAnews.gov.za

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  • MIL-OSI Africa: Call for bold investment to secure Southern Africa’s water future

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister, Sello Seitlholo, has called for decisive and intensified investment in the water sector to secure Southern Africa’s future in the face of climate change and growing water demands.

    Addressing the Orange-Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM) Climate Resilient Investment Conference in Maseru, Lesotho, on Thursday, Seitlholo underscored the urgent need for resilient water infrastructure and strengthened cross-border cooperation, describing them as critical to the region’s economic development, environmental sustainability, and long-term water security.

    “Water is the foundation upon which our economies, communities, and ecosystems rest. In Southern Africa, it also binds us together across borders. Our shared future demands that we invest boldly and wisely in securing this most precious resource,” Seitlholo said.

    Reaffirming South Africa’s role as a founding and committed member of ORASECOM, Seitlholo noted that the country continues to champion regional cooperation for the sustainable and equitable management of shared water resources. These include hosting responsibilities and contributions to basin-wide research and planning.

    The Deputy Minister also noted that South Africa is actively undertaking major reforms to create an enabling environment for water investment.

    These include legislative amendments to strengthen water governance, reduce inefficiencies, and attract private-sector involvement, through improved regulatory certainty and streamlined project processes.

    He pointed to multiple opportunities for investors, ranging from bulk infrastructure and wastewater treatment to innovative technologies in reuse and smart metering.

    The Deputy Minister further emphasised the role of public-private partnerships, noting ongoing efforts through the Water Partnership Office in collaboration with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA, to accelerate investment.

    “Investing in water is not just a necessity; it is a generational imperative. Our policy reforms, [including] institutional innovation, and partnerships, demonstrate that we are ready to work with all stakeholders to make water investment a success story,” Seitlholo said.

    Seitlholo outlined three strategic pillars of South Africa’s water strategy, which include sustainability, technological advancement, and climate adaptation.

    He highlighted the need for robust risk management to address droughts, floods, and pollution, supported by government funding mechanisms, such as the Water Services Infrastructure Grant and the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant, made available by the Department of Water and Sanitation.

    He stressed that communities must be at the heart of water solutions.

    Placing communities at the centre of water governance, Seitlholo emphasized inclusive development, particularly through forums supporting youth, women, and civil society engagement.

    He added that collaborations with NGOs, including research institutions, and the private sector, continue to drive innovation and ensure evidence-based planning.

    In closing, Seitlholo reaffirmed South Africa’s unwavering commitment to regional leadership and global engagement in the water sector.

    Spotlight on water financing

    Meanwhile, Seitlholo announced that South Africa will host the Africa Water Investment Summit in August, an initiative aimed at unlocking large-scale investment and fostering multi-sector partnerships for water infrastructure development across the continent.

    As South Africa assumed the G20 Presidency, the Deputy Minister confirmed that water financing will be promoted as a key agenda item, positioning water as not merely a development issue, but a central pillar of economic resilience, climate adaptation, and sustainable growth.

    “South Africa stands ready to lead by example, mobilising political will, catalysing investment, and fostering cross-border cooperation to build a water-secure future for Africa and beyond.

    “Let us seize this moment to mobilise the partnerships, political will, and financing needed to ensure a climate-resilient and water-secure future for our region. What we decide today must shape a legacy of inclusive growth and sustainable prosperity for generations to come,” Seitlholo said. – SAnews.gov.za

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  • MIL-OSI Africa: Lamola calls for action on women’s heavy burden of conflict and war

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Women disproportionately shoulder the heaviest burdens during times of regional conflict and rising geo-political divisions – a stark reality underscored by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola.

    The Minister was speaking at the Solidarity Conference on Women, Peace and Security, held in Tshwane, on Friday.

    Lamola said the world is currently in a rapidly evolving geo-political environment “defined by rising global competition, changing alliances, contested international norms, economic volatility and escalating geo-political tensions”.

    “These deepening geo-political divisions are fuelling mistrust and threatening to undo hard-won progress in addressing global challenges such as poverty, armed conflicts, climate change, pandemics, nuclear proliferation and the rights and wellbeing of women and children.

    “In the midst of these constantly changing global dynamics, the world currently faces more than 50 ongoing armed conflicts spanning a wide range of regions and scales. In these conflicts, no region is spared. These conflicts have caused millions of deaths and displacement of refugees, human rights violations and infrastructure destruction. 

    “In all of this, women bear the heaviest burden as caregivers, as survivors, as protectors of families and communities. But some women are also actively fighting in the field, side by side with men,” the Minister said.

    According to United Nations Women, more than 600 million women and girls lived within 50km of conflict zones in 2023 – a rise of some 50% in the past decade.

    The international body also reports that the proportion of women killed in conflict doubled in 2023 and more than 3 500 cases of conflict-related sexual violence was recorded.

    Lamola said despite the circumstances, women are leaders in their own right and called on the international community to “also listen, learn and follow their lead”.

    “But women are not only victims. African women are leaders, mediators, healers and architects of peace. From the townships of South Africa to the highlands of Ethiopia and from the marketplace of the DRC to the refugee camps of Sudan, women are doing the daily, often invisible work of conflict resolution, mending broken social fabric, advocating for justice and demanding a seat at decision making processes.

    “African women are pioneering local peace processes, creating community resilience programmes, leading truth and reconciliation efforts and holding armed actors accountable,” he said.

    The Minister noted that although much has been done to foster women inclusion in security structures in Africa, “women are not easily found in peace negotiation tables”.

    “We cannot talk about Africa’s future without talking about the safety and dignity of African women. 

    “We cannot dream of unity while half the population is still denied a voice in decisions that shape our collective destiny, and we cannot build peace without those who have always been its most consistent guardians – our mothers, sisters, daughters and grandmothers,” Lamola said. – SAnews.gov.za

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  • MIL-OSI Africa: SA government urges ‘de-escalation’ in India-Pakistan tensions

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The South African government has called for a de-escalation in the brewing tensions between India and Pakistan.

    This according to Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola, who delivered remarks at the Solidarity Conference on Women, Peace and Security held in Tshwane, on Friday.

    The India-Pakistan tensions – which have seen both sides launching attacks – stems from a terrorist attack, which killed some 26 people in an India-controlled part of Kashmir, last month.

    “The South African government expresses concern over the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. We call for de-escalation and restraint. 

    “All efforts should be taken to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure while ensuring that there are concerted efforts from both parties to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the rising conflict,” Lamola said.

    On the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Lamola said the war has “become a flashpoint of global tensions”, with economic consequences that reach beyond Europe’s borders.

    “This includes disruptions to global food supply chains and energy markets. South Africa has always contended that once a ceasefire is in place, everything must be discussed and that we need to continue to call for a ceasefire… that peace must be found on the negotiation table by both parties with the help of the international communities,” he said.

    Turning to the Israel-Hamas conflict currently playing itself out in Gaza, Lamola said the war “poses a grave threat not only to local peace, but also to the broader regional stability”.

    “It is a conflict that reverberates across international diplomatic corridors. It’s a conflict that is unfolding in the full glare of the world. 

    “South Africa’s decision to bring a case against Israel to the International Court of Justice was not taken lightly. It was grounded in the belief that pursuing justice is never without cost, that truth often challenges entrenched power and that moral leadership requires the courage to confront global injustice,” he said.

    The Minister reiterated the South African government’s foreign policy grounded in elements including non-alignment, respect for international law, commitment to multilateralism, diplomacy and peaceful negotiations.

    “In summary, we are anti-war. We are a peace-loving nation. These values are rooted in our own history of struggle against injustice and reflect our aspirations to contribute to a fairer and more peaceful international order.

    “In a polarised world, South Africa has maintained open diplomatic channels. South Africa has long supported the peace process that aligns with its foreign policy principles of promoting peace, stability and development on the continent with a vision to build a better South Africa and better world,” Lamola said. – SAnews.gov.za

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  • MIL-OSI Africa: NSFAS disputes claims of 2025 registration portal closure

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has distanced itself from a message currently circulating on social media platforms claiming that its 2025 registration portal has closed due to ongoing budget constraints.

    In a statement issued this week, NSFAS described the claims as “entirely misleading” and a “gross misrepresentation” of its current operations and funding position.

    “NSFAS strongly repudiates this inaccurate communication,” the scheme said.

    The misleading message allegedly originated from the Durban University of Technology (DUT).

    NSFAS has called on the institution to issue an immediate correction, warning that such inaccurate statements not only mislead students and stakeholders but also potentially undermine the reputation of the funding scheme.

    NSFAS explained that it had issued Circular Notice No. 4 of 2025, on 3 March 2025, confirming that the registration portal was open and ready to receive valid registration data from the institutions, form that date onwards.

    While the official cut-off date for submission of 2025 registration data was 31 March 2025, NSFAS said the universities were encouraged to submit by 14 March 2025 (close of business).

    “This earlier submission was recommended to ensure timely processing and subsequent disbursement of funds by the end of March 2025. It is therefore regrettable that some institutions, including the Durban University of Technology (DUT), did not adhere to the recommended deadline for the submission of the required registration data,” NSFAS explained.

    It said the non-compliance has unfortunately delayed the disbursement of tuition and living allowances to eligible students at these institutions.

    NSFAS confirmed that student allowance payments were released to the affected universities on 6 May 2025, and tuition fee payments are expected to follow in due course.

    The scheme reiterated its commitment to ensuring timely and efficient disbursement of funding and urged all institutions to comply with the stipulated data submission deadlines, to avoid unnecessary delays.

    Outstanding 2024 TVET Allowances

    Meanwhile, NSFAS has acknowledged ongoing concerns regarding unpaid 2024 allowances for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students.

    The scheme attributed the delays to transitional challenges experienced during the switch to direct payment partners, and the subsequent return of this function to NSFAS during the 2024 academic year.

    “This transition necessitated a complex reconciliation process, which has been undertaken concurrently with the commencement of the 2025 academic year. NSFAS is nearing the completion of this reconciliation process, and is committed to resolving the outstanding payments,” NSFAS said.

    NSFAS confirmed that the monthly TVET allowances for the 2025 academic year will be paid on 25 May 2025, while a special payment run to clear unpaid 2024 TVET allowances is scheduled for 31 May 2025.

    “NSFAS remains steadfast in its commitment to working collaboratively with the sector to meet its obligations and address systemic challenges to ensure the efficient disbursement of funds to eligible students.” – SAnews.gov.za
     

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  • MIL-OSI Africa: Adopt-a-Municipality initiative to improve delivery of infrastructure projects

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with three local government municipalities across three provinces to improve infrastructure delivery.

    The Minister signed the MoUs with the Metsimaholo Local Municipality in the Free State, uMngeni Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal and Govan Mbeki Local Municipality in Mpumalanga, as part of the pilot phase of the Adopt-a-Municipality initiative to improve infrastructure delivery at local government level.

    The first-of-its-kind Adopt-a-Municipality initiative – adopted by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Council in November last year – will see Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) work with municipalities to introduce rapid infrastructure interventions.

    This will help improve the implementation and delivery of infrastructure projects, ensuring that more projects are completed on time and within budget.

    The objective is to address cost overruns, poor workmanship, and inadequate planning – challenges that have frequently plagued municipal infrastructure initiatives.

    “The initiative will help us address the often chequered track record of infrastructure delivery at local government level across South Africa, to ensure that infrastructure budgets are properly spent; that projects are properly prepared; that project cost overruns are avoided, and poor workmanship is addressed. 

    “With this initiative, we are trying to change the narrative surrounding local government infrastructure projects and bring an end to the era of failing municipal infrastructure, as we see in many places across the country,” Macpherson said.

    “While we are launching the project in three municipalities, we intend to replicate the model countrywide in the months and years ahead. 

    “This initiative will play an important role in achieving our goal of turning the country into a construction site with more infrastructure projects successfully executed to stimulate economic investment, grow the economy and, most importantly, create jobs,” the Minister said.

    Following the signing of the MoUs, the scope of ISA’s involvement with these three municipalities will include, among others:

    • Project preparation and planning,

    • Collaboration with municipalities and strategic partners to efficiently package projects and programmes,

    • Assisting municipalities in developing robust and bankable business cases to attract funding from both public and private sectors,

    • Streamlining approvals, authorisations, licences, and permissions to expedite project implementation and address regulatory bottlenecks that may hinder progress, and 

    • Implementing effective monitoring mechanisms to track project progress, ensuring accountability and the timely completion of infrastructure developments.

    A digital dashboard will also be developed on ISA’s website to enable the respective Mayors, the Minister and government officials to monitor progress on infrastructure projects and address any emerging challenges promptly.

    “With the launch of the Adopt-a-Municipality project, we are seeking to deliver tangible results from the policy interventions we have introduced since taking office, in order to meaningfully improve infrastructure delivery. 

    “It is one of the key initiatives being implemented in the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure to expedite infrastructure development as we work to build a better South Africa for all our people,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za

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  • MIL-OSI Africa: Operation Vulindlela: Government’s plan to fix municipalities

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    By Neo Bodumela

    The “vicious cycle” of crumbling infrastructure and failing service delivery besetting municipalities is now under sharper focus as the second phase of Operation Vulindlela (OV) kicks off.

    Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to accelerate the implementation of structural reforms and support economic recovery. 

    It was originally established in October 2020 with the first phase having zeroed in on reforms in five key areas with a high potential impact on growth and jobs: energy, logistics, telecommunications, water, and the visa system. 

    The second phase of the operation was launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa recently. The launch at the Union Buildings was preceded by a technical briefing conducted by National Treasury.

    At the briefing, Presidency Director of Strategy and Delivery, Saul Musker, explained the impact that municipal under performance has on South Africa’s growth prospects. This in a country that has 257 metropolitan, district and local municipalities.

    “I think it’s widely understood that the deteriorating performance of local government is a major constraint on growth, and you can solve; say the energy supply problem. But if you still have interruptions, because [of] ailing distribution networks or failures in service delivery that affects businesses, it holds back investment. 

    “That decline in local government performance is the result of both particular factors in each municipality, as well as structural causes that have their roots in the system. The local government system itself and the reforms that we proposed in OV2 really aim to address those structural challenges,” Musker explained.
    According to the OV Phase II document, the “deteriorating performance of local government has emerged as a significant constraint on investment and growth.”

    Enhancing local government performance is among the three key reforms introduced by the second phase of OV (the other two being tackling the legacy of spatial inequality and accelerating digital transformation).

    The document notes that an “increasing number of municipalities is affected by weak or unstable governance, poor revenue collection and funding shortfalls, and an inability to deliver basic services or process regulatory approvals.”

    This as Musker added that the “heart of the problem” is a lack of investment in infrastructure and maintenance which impacts service delivery. 

    The document further adds that the reform of the local government system will be prioritised to prevent it from acting as a binding constraint on growth.
    Musker revealed a new model for revenue collection and expenditure for some municipalities that is expected to ensure service delivery and sustainability.

    “The fact that our electricity and water networks, roads and so on are not being maintained, and the investment is falling behind… creates a vicious cycle. Because as the infrastructure deteriorates, revenue declines and the ability to reinvest in those assets declines as well. We’ve got to break that cycle. 

    “And so, the first priority that we’ve set out is to shift to [a] utility model for water and electricity services in future, also for waste management what are otherwise termed ‘trading services’ in local government, to ensure financial and operational sustainability,” Musker said.

    He further explained that because these trading services are fully integrated into most municipalities, revenue collected “instead of being reinvested first in the infrastructure and the assets, is “just sucked into the pool and used for other functions” like the compensation of employees.

    “How do we address that? On the one hand, institutional reforms making sure that these utilities have a single point of management accountability, that they’re actually responsible for the service, and have control of everything that they need to be able to deliver that service with professional and skilled staff. 

    “The second is financing reforms, separate financial accounts for the utility and a clear relationship between the utility and the municipality, which governs the division of revenue so that billing revenue is controlled by the utility, [and that] enough of that revenue is retained to invest in the assets.

    “It does not mean any particular institutional form. So, it doesn’t mean that we need all metros or municipalities to form a corporate sort of business to deliver these services.

    “Some may choose to do so through a municipal owned entity. Others might choose to do a concession or some sort of public-private partnership, [or] others would have a business unit within the municipality. There are many models that could be used, but they need to adhere to those principles.”

    He added that this will also mean that services are provided more professionally with the addition of a “much stronger licensing and regulatory regime”.

    Professionalisation

    Musker highlighted that another priority is the standardisation and professionalisation of the appointment of senior officials in local government.

    “That means ensuring that all municipal managers and CFOs [chief financial officers] meet minimum competency requirements and extending the mandate of the Public Service Commission [PSC] through the PSC Bill, which is already in Parliament, to local government, to be able to actually enforce that properly.”

    This as on 18 March 2025, the National Assembly passed the PSC Bill which aims to regulate the Commission “and enhance its independence by, among others, establishing its secretariat to support its operations.”

    At the time, Parliament said the bill will help position the commission to play a significant role in creating an efficient, innovative, and responsive public service.

    “A key benefit of the Bill is that it will maintain and restore the PSC’s independence, like the institutions outlined in Chapter 9 of the Constitution while adhering to an agreed public administration mandate. The PSC will be recognised as a constitutional institution that reports to Parliament,” it said. 

    Enhancing service delivery

    Musker added that a review of the institutional structure of the local government system through an updated white paper is also in the works.

    “It’s a thorough, comprehensive review of the White Paper on Local Government going back to first principles and really thinking about what a fit for purpose local government system would look like for South Africa. 

    “[This is] including looking at the two-tier system of district and local municipalities, looking at the appropriate powers and functions for municipalities in different categories, [and] looking at the revenue model. 

    “Taking a thorough look, given the evidence that we have since the first white paper was introduced, in reality of what municipalities are capable of and then putting forward a new model and that will be completed by this time next year,” he said.

    Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister, Velenkosini Hlabisa officially published the Review of the 1998 White Paper on Local Government on 10 April with the deadline for public comments set for 30 June 2025.

    The anticipated benefits of the review according to CoGTA are that it will enhance service delivery, strengthen financial management, build capacity and result in the engagement of communities.

    Operation Vulindlela will also look at local government’s funding model, including the “use of conditional grants” and proposing amendments to the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).

    The object of the MFMA is to secure sound and sustainable management of the fiscal and financial affairs of municipalities and municipal entities.

    “All of those reforms are interrelated [and] need to be done together, again to tackle the root causes, the structural causes of local government underperformance,” Musker said.

    While the document states that local government “is in a state of crisis, with 66% of municipalities in financial distress and 64 out of the 257 deemed dysfunctional,” government is cracking the whip to address the issue with the launch of the second phase.
    President Ramaphosa stated that growth is the is the only way to achieve fiscal sustainability and social progress.

    “That is why we will not yield in our efforts to reform this economy, to fundamentally transform it and to remove the constraints on growth. We have established significant momentum,” he said at the launch.

    That momentum will aid in propelling the wheels of the economy forward. – SAnews.gov.za

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  • MIL-OSI Africa: Letsike reiterates call for multisectoral approach to end GBVF

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, has reiterated the urgent need for a multisectoral approach to effectively end Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).

    Speaking at a mini plenary session in the National Assembly, on Friday, Letsike emphasised that addressing GBVF requires coordinated efforts across all sectors of society.

    “This [approach] will help in bringing together government departments, civil society organisations, business, traditional leaders, and academic institutions to drive a coordinated efforts to confront GBVF as a national crisis and violation of human rights,” Letsike said.

    Letsike led a debate on addressing Gender Based Violence and Femicide as a national crisis, during the National Assembly’s mini plenary session, held in Cape Town, on Friday.

    The Deputy Minister, who led the parliamentary debate on “addressing Gender Based Violence and Femicide as a national crisis”, said South Africa continues to face a grim reality of GBV, where violence against women and girls persists at alarming levels, and undermines the nation’s collective vision of a democracy rooted in the principles of inclusivity, or Ubuntu.

    “The 2022 GBV Prevalence Study indicates that one in three women, roughly 7.3 million, have faced physical violence during their lives. This means nearly one in ten women report having encountered sexual violence, and over a quarter have suffered abuse from intimate partners,” Letsike said.

    During her address, Letsike outlined key priority issues that required collective action towards ending the scourge of Gender Based Violence and Femicide in South Africa.

    These include, among others: 
    •    The evolution of government plans towards dealing with Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.
    •    The government structures established to deal with GBVF.
    •    Educational and advocacy programmes available for societal consumption.
    •    Progress on the implementation of the GBVF National Strategic Plan towards ending Gender Based Violence and Femicide. 
    •    A need for Education for young boys through the adoption of a bottom-up approach to GBVF.

    Letsike also highlighted South Africa’s progress in strengthening the legal framework to address GBVF.

    Parliament passed key legislative amendments, aimed at improving victim protection, enhancing access to justice, and ensuring stricter accountability for perpetrators.

    Among the legislations passed include the Criminal and Related Matters Amendment Act, Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, and the Domestic Violence Amendment Act, in 2021. – SAnews.gov.za
     

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Zimbabwe National Assembly Speaker to Visit China

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Xinhua | 10. 05. 2025

    Keywords: NPC,Zimbabwe Assembly,Speaker,Visit,Will,Visit,China,Invitation of Chairman,PC NPC,Head of Delegation,Assembly,Representatives,Period,Be,Mudenda,May,Committee

    BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) — At the invitation of Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), Zimbabwean National Assembly Speaker Jacob Mudenda will lead a delegation to China from May 12 to 18. -0-

    Source: Xinhua

    Zimbabwe’s National Assembly Speaker to Visit China Zimbabwe’s National Assembly Speaker to Visit China

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Closes One Hundred and Fifteenth Session, Issues Concluding Observations on Reports of Gabon, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, Republic of Korea and Ukraine

    Source: United Nations – Geneva

    The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this afternoon closed its one hundred and fifteenth session, during which it reviewed the reports of Gabon, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, Republic of Korea and Ukraine.

    Chinsung Chung, Committee Rapporteur, said that the Committee’s concluding observations for the five country reviews conducted during the session were available on the session’s webpage.  The Committee thanked the State party delegations that participated in dialogues; the national human rights institutions of Ukraine and the Republic of Korea for submitting written reports and providing updates during the session; and the various civil society representatives who contributed essential information to the reviews.

    Ms. Chung said that this year was the sixtieth anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.  During the yearlong campaign, the Committee would highlight the achievements made in the last 60 years and identify effective and concrete ways to overcome structural and emerging challenges in making the Convention’s goal – a world free of racial discrimination – a reality.  Information on the anniversary was available on the webpage for the campaign.

    At the opening meeting of the session, Ms. Chung reported, Antti Korkeakivi, Representative of the Secretary-General and Chief of the Human Rights Treaties Branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, gave a speech highlighting the Committee’s important work and its contributions to promoting and protecting the human rights of all people without discrimination.  He underlined that the sixtieth anniversary of the Convention was an opportunity to explore avenues to generate greater political will and concrete action to fight against racial discrimination.

    Mr. Korkeakivi recognised the negative impact of the United Nations’ liquidity crisis on the planning and implementation of the work of all Committees, as the holding of the next sessions for this year was still uncertain.  He confirmed that the Office of the High Commissioner was doing its utmost to ensure that the treaty bodies could implement their mandates.  Nevertheless, all indications pointed to a continuation of the difficult liquidity situation for the foreseeable future. 

    During the one hundred and fifteenth session, Ms. Chung said, the Committee reviewed follow-up reports for Croatia, Germany, Morocco, Uruguay and Tajikistan.  The Committee thanked these States parties for their reports and invited them to duly consider its recommendations and include the steps taken to implement them in their next periodic reports.

    The Committee pursued its work toward the elaboration of its joint general recommendations 38 and 39 with the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families on eradicating xenophobia towards migrants and others perceived as such.

    Ms. Chung said the Committee also discussed the development of a general recommendation on reparations for the injustices of the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, their treatment as chattel, and the ongoing harms to people of African descent, holding a half-day of general discussion on 25 April 2025 as part of this process.  Two expert panels examined legal frameworks for reparations and the lasting effects of slavery, including systemic racism and institutional responsibility. Drawing on these discussions and over 60 written submissions, the Committee would now begin drafting the general recommendation, which would be shared for public input before adoption. Further information was available on the Committee’s webpage.

    Further, Ms. Chung reported, the Committee considered 16 submissions under its early warning and urgent action procedure and endorsed 13 letters to States parties assessed in this procedure.  It also considered four cases under the individual complaints procedure. It declared admissible one case against Germany and discontinued three other cases.

    Ms. Chung also provided an update on the follow-up procedure to the Ad-Hoc Conciliation Commission report published in August 2024 on the inter-State communication submitted by the State of Palestine against Israel under article 11 of the Convention.  Today, 9 May, the Committee issued a statement on the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, acting under its follow-up and early warning and urgent action procedure.

    On 24 April, Ms. Chung said, the Committee held a meeting with States parties.  The Committee thanked all States parties’ representatives who contributed to this event and appreciated that it was well attended.  Earlier today, the Committee also held a meeting with civil society organizations.  In addition, during the session, the Committee heard a report on follow-up to article 13 of the Convention and adopted an updated version of its Rules of Procedure, which would be made available shortly.

    In closing remarks, Michal Balcerzak, Committee Chairperson, said this had been a very productive session.  He thanked the Committee Experts, who had all contributed significantly to the Committee’s work throughout the session, and to working towards the Committee’s mandate of the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination wherever it occurred.  He also thanked all other persons who had contributed to the smooth execution of the Committee’s work.

    Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, while webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.  Other documents related to the session can be found here.

    Due to the current financial situation, the dates of the second sessions of some treaty bodies are not yet confirmed. The next session of the Committee is scheduled take place between 11 and 29 August 2025, with the reports of Burundi, Guatemala, Maldives, New Zealand, Sweden and Tunisia scheduled for review. All information, including the proposed programme of work, will be available on the session webpage.

    ___________

    Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media; 
    not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

     

    CERD25.009E

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Pope Leo XIV, Gaza & other topics – Daily Press Briefing | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

    Highlights:

    – Secretary-General
    – Pope Leo XIV
    – Occupied Palestinian Territory
    – Syria
    – Sudan
    – Democratic Republic of Congo
    – West and Central Africa
    – Haiti
    – Colombia
    – Costa Rica
    – Central Emergency Response Fund
    – International Days
    – Financial Contributions

    SECRETARY-GENERAL
    The Secretary-General just concluded chairing the bi-annual meeting of the Chief Executives Board and is now on his way back to New York.
    At this meeting of the UN leadership in Denmark, the gathered heads of the UN system committed to a stronger, more effective and efficient UN as the organization faces greater challenges and fewer resources. This is the aim of the UN80 initiative.
    On that note, on Monday at 11 am, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks to the General Assembly, updating them on his vision for UN80 and the work done so far. We will try to share these remarks with you early on Monday.

    POPE LEO XIV
    In a statement we issued yesterday, the Secretary-General extended his heartfelt congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and Catholics around the world. 
    The election of a new Pope is a moment of profound spiritual significance for millions of faithful around the world, and it comes at a time of great global challenges. 
    Our world is in need of the strongest voices for peace, social justice, human dignity and compassion.
    The Secretary-General looks forward to building on the long legacy of cooperation between the United Nations and the Holy See – nurtured most recently by Pope Francis – to advance solidarity, foster reconciliation, and build a just and sustainable world for all.
    It is rooted in the first words of Pope Leo.  Despite the rich diversity of backgrounds and beliefs, people everywhere share a common goal: May peace be with all the world.

    Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=09%20May%202025

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxXprRt4c8I

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: African Union, African Development Bank, and Government of Togo to host landmark conference to develop African Common Position on Debt

    Source: African Development Bank Group
    What:              High-Level Conference on Africa’s Debt
    Who:               African Union Commission (AUC) Department for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals; African Development Bank Group (AfDB); and the Government of the Republic of Togo
    When:             12 – 14 May 2025; 9am – 6pm WAT

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Senegal Launches PAVIE II to empower women and youth, drive food security

    Source: African Development Bank Group

    Senegal has officially launched the second phase of the Project for Support and Promotion of Women’s and Youth’s Entrepreneurial Initiatives (PAVIE II) at the Grand Théâtre National in Dakar.

    The initiative, with a budget of €163.449 million, aims to create 92,633 jobs, empower women and youth, and advance Senegal’s food sovereignty under the “Sénégal 2050” national development strategy. The launch took place on Wednesday 8 May in the Senegalese capital.

    The Prime Minister of the Republic of Senegal, Ousmane Sanko emphasized the project’s strategic importance: “This initiative is more than a program; it is a vision for a bold Senegal, driven by the creativity of its entrepreneurs and the energy of its youth and women. PAVIE II will be a cornerstone of our National Transformation Agenda, fostering sovereignty in food, industry, and technology.”

    He outlined two main objectives – positioning Senegal as a hub for entrepreneurial development in West Africa and creating quality jobs by empowering wom,en and youth across the country. The Prime Minister highlighted that 58% of the targeted 51,212 entrepreneurial initiatives will be led by women and 56% by youth.

    Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group who led the African Development Bank Group delegation to the event, highlighted the transformative potential of PAVIE II.

    Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, and delegates visiting beneficiary exhibition stands at the PAVIE II launch in Dakar.

    “This is a great day for Senegal, to celebrate the success of your vision to transform the country through entrepreneurial empowerment. PAVIE II is a testament to Senegal’s commitment to harnessing the potential of its women and youth,” he said. “By strengthening agriculture, livestock, and fisheries, and fostering innovation, this project will drive economic sovereignty and create opportunities for generations,” Adesina said.

    “The future is very bright for innovative young entrepreneurs in Africa. This project demonstrates Senegal’s leadership in creating the enabling environment for sustainable job creation and economic resilience,” he added.

    Aïda Mbodj, General Delegate of the Delegation for Rapid Entrepreneurship of Women and Youth (DER/FJ), expressed pride in reaching this milestone. “The vision of President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, with his commitment to the empowerment of youth and women and to the development of our territories, forms the foundation of our actions.”

    PAVIE II builds on the success of its first phase, which supported 24,000 entrepreneurial initiatives, created over 93,000 jobs, and mobilized €100.6 million in funding, including €33.5 million from private banks. The new initiative introduces key improvements, including complete digitalization of all business processes, enhanced territorial support through localized mechanisms, and focused economic empowerment in underserved areas.

    The impact of the support provided by the Delegation for Rapid Entrepreneurship was exemplified by Tahibou Ba, a rice farmer and PAVIE beneficiary, who shared, “Thanks to the financing from DER, I started with one hectare; today, I am at 300 hectares.” His story underscores the program’s role in transforming small-scale initiatives into thriving enterprises that contribute to national food security.

    The project’s €163.449 million budget allocates €91.463 million to job creation and agricultural production and €45.732 million to support innovative small and medium-sized enterprises and digital solutions. Funding partners include the African Development Bank, contributing €74.564 million (€73.723 million loan and €0.841 million grant from the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa initiative), €25 million from the French Development Agency, €25.773 million from private banks, and €38.112 million from the Government of Senegal.

    The African Development Bank is a key development partner in entrepreneurship initiatives in Senegal, with significant financial contributions to both phases of the project. The Bank’s investment aligns with its Ten-Year Strategy (2024-2033), which focuses on investing in young people, as well as with Senegal’s National Development Strategy (2025-2029).

    The one-day program featured keynote addresses, panel discussions on food sovereignty and digital innovation, testimonials from beneficiaries of the first phase, and an exhibition showcasing agricultural and technological solutions. The project’s strategic partnerships with private banks underscore its commitment to public-private collaboration.

    Combined with its first phase, the PAVIE program is expected to generate a total of 185,633 direct and indirect jobs across Senegal, with 40% allocated to women and 70% to young people.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Committee marks 30th anniversary of Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures

    Source: World Trade Organization

    To mark the anniversary, the WTO Secretariat made a presentation on the history of import licensing in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the WTO, as well as the Committee’s role in overseeing implementation of the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures. Several former Chairpersons also shared their reflections and experiences from their time in office in video remarks presented to the meeting.

    Import licensing refers to administrative procedures requiring the submission of an application or other documentation to relevant authorities as a prior condition for importing goods into a country. These procedures can be either automatic or non-automatic.

    The Agreement aims to ensure that import licensing systems are transparent, predictable and do not create unnecessary barriers to trade. Members are required to publish all rules and information concerning import licensing procedures to enable traders to understand them and ensure that these remain neutral and no more administratively burdensome than necessary. 

    In its presentation, the Secretariat noted that, over the past 30 years, WTO members have submitted nearly 2,500 notifications related to import licensing measures. The Committee had held 60 formal meetings, during which more than 350 questions and replies were exchanged and a total of 176 new and recurring trade concerns were raised.

    The Committee has also worked to enhance transparency and compliance, including by clarifying notification requirements and developing improved notification templates for import licensing legislation. It has also overseen the creation of a public website and database on licensing procedures notified by members as well as an online Notification Portal and Database for all notification requirements under the Agreement.

    Notifications

    The Chair of the Committee, Tyesha Turner of Jamaica, informed members that since the last Committee meeting in November 2024, a total of 38 notifications had been received under various provisions of the Agreement. The Chair emphasized that members have to notify their import licensing regulations and changes to these regulations within 60 days of publication.

    In addition, 19 notifications were submitted under Article 7.3 of the Agreement (which mandates members to complete the annual questionnaire on import licensing procedures promptly and in full) since the last Committee meeting, the Chair said.

    The Chair noted that 21 WTO members have yet to submit a single reply to the annual questionnaire since joining the WTO, and 13 members have never submitted any notification under the Agreement. While these figures have seen only marginal changes in recent years, she encouraged members to consider engaging with their notification obligations and to seek support from the Secretariat where needed.

    Specific trade concerns

    The Committee addressed a record 12 trade concerns at the 8 May meeting, covering the import licensing regimes of various products:

    • Egypt’s import licensing requirements for certain agricultural and processed products, raised by the European Union;
    • India’s quality control for plywood and wooden flush door shutters, raised by Indonesia;
    • India’s importation of pneumatic tyres, raised by Indonesia, Chinese Taipei and Thailand;
    • India’s import of viscose staple fibre, raised by Indonesia;
    • India’s import licensing measures on personal computers, tablets and other electronic products, raised by Japan;
    • Indonesia’s commodity balancing mechanism, raised by the European Union and Japan;
    • Indonesia’s import licensing regime for certain textile products, raised by the European Union and Japan;
    • Indonesia’s compulsory registration by importers of steel products, raised by Japan;
    • Indonesia’s import restriction on air conditioners, raised by Japan;
    • Indonesia’s importer registration requests for agricultural, food and drink products, raised by the United Kingdom;
    • Mongolia’s new import licensing requirements for alcoholic beverages, raised by the United Kingdom;
    • Türkiye’s import restrictions on two wheelers, raised by India.

    Next meeting

    The Chair said the next Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for 10 October 2025.

    Share

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: InvestHK promotes Hong Kong as Asia’s business launch pad in Eastern Europe and Middle East (with photo)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    InvestHK promotes Hong Kong as Asia’s business launch pad in Eastern Europe and Middle East (with photo)      
         Ms Lau said, “Hong Kong’s unique advantages as a global financial hub and Asia’s business launch pad make it the perfect partner for enterprises from Türkiye, Hungary and Egypt in expanding into the Mainland, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets, and further in Asia and beyond. Anchored in the Belt and Road Initiative, we look forward to fostering collaboration and showcasing how Hong Kong can drive their success across the region.”
          
         She added that Hong Kong offers unmatched access to the Mainland and the Asia-Pacific region through initiatives such as the Greater Bay Area and its Free Trade Agreement with ASEAN. The city’s business-friendly environment, free capital movement and a robust innovation and technology ecosystem hosting nearly 10 000 companies from overseas and the Mainland, and close to 4 700 start-ups, empowers businesses to innovate and grow.
          
         Ms Lau will arrive in Istanbul tomorrow (May 11, Istanbul time) to engage with Turkish companies from various sectors which are interested in using Hong Kong as a springboard to grow across the Asia-Pacific region. She will speak at different events, including an Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Business Seminar, a Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye Business Seminar, and meet with Turkish media to highlight Hong Kong’s business-friendly environment, which includes a low and simple tax regime, free capital flow, and a common law system under the “one country, two systems” principle.
          
         In 2024, Türkiye was Hong Kong’s 30th largest trading partner, with bilateral merchandise trade between the two places amounting to HK$16.6 billion. The Hong Kong–Türkiye comprehensive avoidance of double taxation agreement signed in 2024 enhances tax certainty, facilitating cross-border transactions.
          
         Since Türkiye’s inclusion in Hong Kong’s Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales has supported Hong Kong companies expanding into the Turkish market. To further strengthen bilateral business ties, InvestHK set up a second office in Izmir in January 2025 to promote opportunities that Hong Kong offers to Turkish corporates seeking regional expansion. 
          
         On May 13 (Budapest time), Ms Lau will arrive in Budapest to meet major Hungarian companies keen on using Hong Kong as a regional hub for Asia-Pacific expansion. She will meet with media to update them on Hong Kong’s latest business environment and opportunities. Ms Lau will also attend the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference in Hungary.
          
         In 2024, Hungary was Hong Kong’s 33rd largest trading partner and around 9.4 per cent (HK$9.4 billion) of the total merchandise trade between Hungary and the Mainland routed through Hong Kong. Hong Kong serves as a gateway for Hungarian businesses targeting Asian markets, leveraging its role as “super connector” under the Belt and Road Initiative, while Hungary benefits from Hong Kong’s open investment environment. Hungarian manufacturing, technology, and healthtech companies can tap Hong Kong’s vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem, backed by global capital and world-class universities, to grow in ASEAN and China’s Greater Bay Area.
          
         On May 17 (Cairo time), Ms Lau will visit Cairo to connect with global Egyptian businesses eager to establish operations in Hong Kong to seize Asia-Pacific opportunities. She will also attend the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference in Cairo.
          
         In 2023, InvestHK signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones of the Arab Republic of Egypt, pledging mutual co-operation on investment promotion exchanges and support. In 2024, bilateral merchandise trade between Hong Kong and Egypt amounted to HK$2.1 billion, up 5.4 per cent over 2023.
    Issued at HKT 9:00

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cook, Opening Remarks on Productivity Dynamics

    Source: US State of New York Federal Reserve

    Good afternoon. Thank you for moderating, Peter. It is an honor to be with you today, and it is always great to be back at Stanford and at the Hoover Institution. I spent several formative years of my career here, including as a National Fellow, and always enjoy returning. And it is a privilege to share the panel with Dr. Schnabel, and Presidents Musalem and Hammack. I look forward to our discussion.1
    Before that, I would like to briefly discuss a topic I see as critical to the future path of the economy: productivity growth. Productivity growth has been surprisingly strong in recent years, and this has influenced my view of the appropriate stance of monetary policy. I will also explore two ongoing developments that are likely to influence productivity growth moving forward: changes to trade policy and the wider adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). Productivity dynamics are something I have long studied closely and will continue to pay careful attention to as I consider the appropriate stance of monetary policy.
    It is helpful to start by looking back about three years to the middle of 2022. At that point, the global economy had largely reopened after pandemic closures, a historic amount of federal support had been deployed, and unemployment was falling toward a half-century low. But supply disruptions persisted, and the 12-month inflation rate reached its peak at over 7 percent. The challenge for Federal Reserve policymakers was clear: Move inflation back toward its 2 percent target while maintaining the health of the labor market. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which I joined that year, began to raise the federal funds rate from near zero, ultimately reaching just above 5 percent by mid-2023. Many forecasters predicted that a recession in 2023 was more likely than not. And yet, one did not materialize. Instead, inflation came down considerably, while unemployment remained low. How did this unusual and welcome outcome happen?
    Two notable factors were the unwinding of pandemic-era conditions that previously constrained the supply of both goods and labor in conjunction with restrictive monetary policy that contributed to a moderation in aggregate demand. Today, I would like to call attention to a third factor: a greater-than-usual increase in productivity during the pandemic recovery.
    Prior to the pandemic, from 2007 to 2019, productivity growth in the business sector averaged 1.5 percent annually. In the past five years productivity growth accelerated to 2 percent. While some of the productivity gains may reflect situations unique to the reopening of the economy, it is notable that the level of productivity, as measured by output per hour, remained above trend throughout 2023 and 2024.2 This increase in productivity was partially driven by pandemic labor shortages themselves. When it was difficult to find employees, as many Americans retired or stepped out of the labor force, many businesses innovated. For example, restaurants adopted online ordering apps and retailers accelerated the implementation of self-checkout systems.3 These changes improved efficiency and contributed to an expansion in potential gross domestic product (GDP). As a result, price pressures eased from their peak while demand remained strong.
    Improved productivity is widely beneficial to the economy. It allows workers to receive pay raises without companies needing to further increase prices and helps ensure consumers have access to the products and services they demand. Furthermore, and particularly relevant to me as a monetary policymaker, a rise in potential output lessens the need to use monetary policy to slow demand. This effect is good for the obvious reason that it allows for increasing economic growth without higher inflation. But importantly, it also lowers the risk of a policy overshoot that could cause the unemployment rate to rise.
    Now that I have reviewed the role that productivity growth played in the post-pandemic recovery, I would like to focus on two countervailing forces on productivity that I am currently studying. These are changes to trade policy and the growth of AI.
    I expect to see a drag on productivity in the near term stemming from the recent changes to trade policy and the related uncertainty, for several reasons. First, uncertainty around trade policy is likely to reduce business investment going forward. At this time, firms do not know the ultimate level and incidence of tariffs or their duration. Firms contemplating large investments might observe conditions that could hold under the paradox of thrift, wondering whether they could get a better deal if they just wait. Higher costs of imported materials and components could also cause firms to delay or scale back their investment plans. This reduction in capital formation can lead to slower technological innovation and adoption and decreased overall efficiency in production processes. Second, protectionist trade policies, while intended to support domestic industries, may inadvertently lead to a less competitive environment, if they prop up less efficient firms. And third, any supply-chain disruptions resulting from the policy changes would make production slower and less efficient. These disruptions can lead to inventory mismatches, production delays, and increased costs as firms scramble to find alternative suppliers or redesign their products to accommodate new input constraints. This set of disruptions could pose a particular challenge for monetary policymakers. A reduction in potential GDP means less slack in the economy, which, in turn, means greater inflationary pressure. According to the Taylor Principle, for which no explanation is needed at this conference, taming higher inflation requires a higher policy rate. I believe that keeping inflation expectations credibly anchored is essential. Therefore, all else equal, lower productivity could cause me to support keeping rates at a higher level for longer.
    The second ongoing economic development I see altering productivity is the rapidly expanding use of AI. I view this emerging technology as likely to have a significant positive effect on productivity growth. In fact, I see AI as poised to be at least as transformative as other general purpose technologies, such as the printing press, the steam engine, and the internet. With wider adoption of AI, we could have a surge in potential output.
    As I have discussed in several recent speeches, AI has the potential to revolutionize numerous sectors of our economy.4 We already see AI assistants boosting productivity in customer service, software development, and medical diagnosis. AI’s ability to process and analyze vast amounts of data could lead to breakthroughs in scientific research and innovation, resulting in an increased arrival rate of new ideas, further amplifying its effect on productivity.
    Of course, an AI productivity boom would come with its own set of challenges. If potential output expands too rapidly, it could leave slack in the economy and the labor market. Moreover, the productivity gains from AI may not be uniform across all sectors, job types, or tasks, leading to a transitional period as the labor market adjusts. Despite these challenges, I am optimistic about AI and its potential to drive significant productivity growth in the coming years.
    To summarize, I see an important role for productivity growth to play in assisting FOMC policymakers to achieve our dual-mandate goals. This dynamic played out, alongside other factors, in recent years when inflation eased from historic highs while the labor market remained solid. Two currently unfolding economic events are likely to influence productivity growth in the coming years—specifically, changes to trade policy and the expansion of AI. Those two developments may prove to run counter to each other, but it is too soon to predict precisely. I will be closely monitoring developments in this space. I look forward to engaging with those studying this topic including, I am sure, many in this room.
    Thank you. I look forward to the discussion.

    1. The views expressed here are my own and are not necessarily those of my colleagues on the Federal Reserve Board or the Federal Open Market Committee. Return to text
    2. For additional discussion, see the box “Labor Productivity since the Start of the Pandemic” in Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (2025), Monetary Policy Report (PDF) (Washington: Board of Governors, February), pp. 18–20. Return to text
    3. See Austan Goolsbee, Chad Syverson, Rebecca Goldgof, and Joe Tatarka (2025), “The Curious Surge of Productivity in U.S. Restaurants,” NBER Working Paper Series 33555 (Cambridge, Mass.: National Bureau of Economic Research, March). Return to text
    4. See Lisa D. Cook (2024), “Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and the Path Ahead for Productivity,” speech delivered at “Technology-Enabled Disruption: Implications of AI, Big Data, and Remote Work,” a conference organized by the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta, Boston, and Richmond, held in Atlanta, Georgia, October 1. Return to text

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: BitMart Research: MCP+AI Agent – New framework for AI applications

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Mahe, Seychelles , May 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BitMart Research, the research arm of BitMart Exchange, has released a detailed report on the innovative MCP+AI Agent framework, a new paradigm for AI applications. This report delves into the advancements of the Model Context Protocol (MCP), its integration with encrypted AI agents, and the transformative impact on blockchain automation, decentralized applications, and cross-platform interoperability. The findings highlight the potential of this framework to enhance AI capabilities, streamline complex integrations, and drive the future of AI in the blockchain ecosystem.

    1. Introduction to the concept of MCP

    In the field of artificial intelligence, traditional chatbots have long relied on generic dialogue models that lacked personalized character settings, resulting in monotonous and impersonal responses. To address this limitation, developers introduced the concept of “persona” – endowing AI with specific roles, personalities, and speech patterns to better align responses with user expectations. However, even with well-defined personas, these systems remained passive responders incapable of proactively executing tasks or handling complex operations. This gave rise to the open-source project Auto-GPT, which enables developers to define a suite of tools and functions for AI systems. By registering these tools within the framework, Auto-GPT can generate operational commands based on predefined rules and resources when processing user requests, autonomously executing tasks and returning results. This advancement transforms AI from passive conversational agents into proactive task-oriented systems.

    Despite Auto-GPT’s progress in enabling autonomous AI operations, challenges persisted regarding inconsistent tool invocation formats and poor cross-platform compatibility. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) was developed to address these core challenges in AI development, particularly the complexity of integrating external tools. MCP’s primary objective is to streamline AI-tool interactions through standardized communication protocols, enabling seamless integration of diverse external services. Traditionally, implementing complex functionalities like weather queries or web access in large language models required extensive custom coding and tool documentation – a process that significantly increased development complexity and time investment. MCP fundamentally simplifies this process by establishing standardized interfaces and communication specifications, allowing AI models to interact with external tools more efficiently and effectively.

    2. Integration of MCP and AI Agent

    MCP and encrypted AI Agents share a complementary relationship, with their key distinction lying in their respective focuses. AI Agents primarily concentrate on blockchain automation, smart contract execution, and crypto asset management, emphasizing privacy protection and integration with decentralized applications. MCP, conversely, prioritizes simplifying interactions between AI Agents and external systems through standardized protocols and context management, enhancing cross-platform interoperability and flexibility. By leveraging the MCP protocol, encrypted AI Agents can achieve more efficient cross-platform integration and operations, thereby boosting their execution capabilities.

    Previous-generation AI Agents possessed basic operational capacities such as executing transactions through smart contracts and managing wallets. However, these functions were typically predefined, lacking flexibility and adaptability. The core value of MCP lies in establishing unified communication standards for interactions between AI Agents and external tools – including blockchain data, smart contracts, and off-chain services. This standardization addresses traditional development challenges of interface fragmentation, enabling AI Agents to seamlessly integrate with multi-chain data and tools while significantly enhancing their autonomous execution capabilities. For instance, DeFi-focused AI Agents utilizing MCP can access real-time market data and automatically optimize investment portfolios. Furthermore, MCP unlocks novel collaborative possibilities: through MCP, multiple AI Agents can collaborate through functional specialization, combining capabilities to complete complex tasks such as on-chain data analysis, market prediction, and risk management, thereby improving overall efficiency and reliability. For on-chain transaction automation, MCP orchestrates various trading and risk control Agents to address issues like slippage, transaction friction, and MEV (Miner Extractable Value), enabling safer and more efficient on-chain asset management.

    3. Related Projects

    1.DeMCP

    DeMCP is a decentralized MCP network. It aims to provide self-developed open-source MCP services for AI Agents, offer developers a commercial revenue-sharing deployment platform for MCP, and enable one-stop access to mainstream large language models (LLMs). Developers can acquire services through stablecoin payments (USDT, USDC). As of May 8, its token DMCP holds a market capitalization of approximately $1.62 million.

    2.DARK

    DARK is an MCP network operating within Trusted Execution Environments (TEE), built on the Solana blockchain. Its token $DARK is listed on Binance Alpha, with a market capitalization of approximately $118.1 million as of May 8. Currently, DARK’s first application is under development, designed to empower AI Agents with efficient tool integration capabilities through TEE and the MCP protocol, enabling developers to rapidly connect with diverse tools and external services via simple configurations. Though the product has not yet fully launched, users can join the early access phase through an email waitlist to participate in testing and provide feedback.
      
    3.Cookie.fun

    Cookie.fun is a platform dedicated to AI Agents within the Web3 ecosystem, designed to provide users with a comprehensive AI Agent index and analytics toolkit. The platform helps users understand and evaluate the performance of various AI Agents by showcasing metrics such as cognitive influence, adaptive intelligence capabilities, user engagement, and on-chain data. On April 24, the Cookie.API 1.0 update introduced a dedicated MCP server featuring plug-and-play agent-specific infrastructure, designed for both developers and non-technical users while requiring no configuration.

    Data Source：X

    4.SkyAI

    SkyAI is a Web3 data infrastructure project built on BNB Chain, aiming to establish blockchain-native AI infrastructure through MCP (Model Context Protocol) expansion. The platform provides scalable and interoperable data protocols for Web3-based AI applications, planning to streamline development processes by integrating multi-chain data access, AI agent deployment, and protocol-level utilities, thereby advancing practical AI adoption in blockchain environments. Currently, SkyAI supports aggregated datasets from BNB Chain and Solana, exceeding 10 billion rows of data, with future plans to launch MCP data servers supporting Ethereum mainnet and Base chain. Its token SkyAI is listed on Binance Alpha, holding a market capitalization of approximately $42.7 million as of May 8.

    4.Future Development

    The MCP protocol, as an emerging narrative in the convergence of AI and blockchain, demonstrates significant potential in enhancing data interaction efficiency, reducing development costs, and strengthening security and privacy protection—particularly in decentralized finance (DeFi) and similar scenarios where it holds broad application prospects. However, most current MCP-based projects remain in the proof-of-concept phase, having yet to launch mature products. This immaturity has led to sustained declines in token prices post-listing, exemplified by the DeMCP token plunging 74% within a month of its debut. This trend reflects a market-wide crisis of confidence in MCP initiatives, primarily stemming from prolonged development cycles and the absence of tangible real-world applications. Consequently, accelerating product development, ensuring tight alignment between tokens and functional products, and improving user experience emerge as critical challenges for MCP projects. Additionally, promoting the MCP protocol within the crypto ecosystem faces technical integration hurdles. Divergent smart contract logic and data structures across blockchains and DApps necessitate substantial development resources to establish unified, standardized MCP servers.

    Despite these challenges, the MCP protocol retains considerable market potential. As AI technology advances and the protocol matures, it could enable broader applications in domains like DeFi and DAOs. For instance, AI agents leveraging MCP could access real-time on-chain data to execute automated transactions, enhancing market analysis efficiency and accuracy. Moreover, MCP’s decentralized nature may provide AI models with transparent, traceable operational frameworks, fostering the decentralization and assetization of AI resources. Positioned as a key enabler of AI-blockchain integration, the MCP protocol could evolve into a vital engine powering next-generation AI agents as technology matures and use cases expand. However, realizing this vision requires overcoming multifaceted challenges including technical integration, security assurance, and user experience optimization.

    About BitMart

    BitMart is the premier global digital asset trading platform. With millions of users worldwide and ranked among the top crypto exchanges on CoinGecko, it currently offers 1,700+ trading pairs with competitive trading fees. Constantly evolving and growing, BitMart is interested in crypto’s potential to drive innovation and promote financial inclusion. New users can register here to unlock an $8,000+ welcome bonus.

    Risk Warning:

    The information provided is for reference only and should not be considered a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any financial asset. All information is provided in good faith. However, we make no representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness of such information.

    All cryptocurrency investments (including returns) are highly speculative in nature and involve significant risk of loss. Past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. The value of digital currencies may rise or fall, and there may be significant risks in buying, selling, holding or trading digital currencies. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding digital currencies is suitable for you based on your personal investment objectives, financial situation and risk tolerance. BitMart does not provide any investment, legal or tax advice.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Deputy President Mashatile hands over title deeds to Qelani and Qolombana communities, Eastern Cape.

    Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)

    Deputy President Mashatile hands over title deeds to Qelani and Qolombana communities, Eastern Cape.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxM40-BhuD4

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI: Orezone Gold Reports Fatality at Stage I Hard Rock Plant Construction Site

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Orezone Gold Corporation (TSX: ORE, OTCQX: ORZCF) (“Orezone”) regrets to report a fatality at the Stage I hard rock plant construction site at its Bomboré Gold Mine which occurred on Thursday May 8th. This tragic incident involved an employee of a contractor who was fatally injured in a vehicle-related incident. No other persons were injured in the accident.

    Orezone is working with the relevant authorities and contracting companies involved to fully investigate the incident.

    Patrick Downey, President & CEO stated, “As a Company that prioritizes safety and the health of our employees above all else, we are completely devastated by this casualty. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family, friends and co-workers of our colleague as we offer our full support during this difficult time.”

    About Orezone Gold Corporation

    Orezone Gold Corporation (TSX: ORE OTCQX: ORZCF) is a West African gold producer engaged in mining, developing, and exploring its flagship Bomboré Gold Mine in Burkina Faso. The Bomboré mine achieved commercial production on its oxide operations on December 1, 2022, and is now focused on its staged hard rock expansion that is expected to materially increase annual and life-of-mine gold production from the processing of hard rock mineral reserves. Orezone is led by an experienced team focused on social responsibility and sustainability with a proven track record in project construction and operations, financings, capital markets and M&A.

    The technical report entitled Bomboré Phase II Expansion, Definitive Feasibility Study is available on SEDAR+ and the Company’s website.

    Patrick Downey
    President and Chief Executive Officer

    Kevin MacKenzie
    Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations

    Tel: 1 778 945 8977 / Toll Free: 1 888 673 0663
    info@orezone.com / www.orezone.com

    For further information please contact Orezone at +1 (778) 945 8977 or visit the Company’s website at www.orezone.com.

    The Toronto Stock Exchange neither approves nor disapproves the information contained in this news release.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Moscow hosts parade dedicated to 80th anniversary of Victory in Great Patriotic War

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Moscow, May 9 (Xinhua) — A grand military parade was held on Moscow’s Red Square on May 9 to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke in his speech about the need to remember the lessons of World War II, not to allow history to be distorted, and to remember all those who gave their lives for the Victory.

    More than 11,500 servicemen and over 180 units of equipment took part in the Victory Parade. Leaders from over 20 countries were present. Representatives of all strata of Russian society and veterans from various countries who participated in the war against fascism were on the podium.

    “Today, we are all united by feelings of joy and sorrow, pride and gratitude, admiration for the generation that crushed Nazism and, at the cost of millions of lives, won freedom and peace for all of humanity,” said V. Putin.

    “We remember the lessons of World War II and will never agree with the distortion of its events, with attempts to justify the executioners and slander the true victors,” the Russian leader emphasized.

    In memory of the fallen, the Russian President declared a minute of silence.

    V. Putin noted that the complete defeat of Nazi Germany, militaristic Japan and their satellites was achieved through the joint efforts of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition.

    “We will always remember that the opening of the second front in Europe – after the decisive battles on the territory of the Soviet Union – brought Victory closer. We highly value the contribution to our common struggle of the soldiers of the allied armies, the participants of the Resistance, the courageous people of China. All those who fought for a peaceful future,” added the head of the Russian state. “Glory to the victorious people!”

    Servicemen from the Ministry of Defense and other law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation – the Federal Security Service, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Russian National Guard, cadets from military schools and academies of the Russian army and navy, and members of the youth patriotic organization Yunarmiya marched in a ceremonial march across Red Square.

    This was followed by parade units from friendly states: China, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Vietnam and other countries.

    The mechanized column consisted of 183 units of combat equipment from the Great Patriotic War and modern models in service with the Russian army: T-90M Proryv, T-72B3M and T-80BVM tanks, BMP-2M and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, BMD-4 airborne combat vehicles, BRM-1K combat reconnaissance vehicles, BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, Tigr-M armored vehicles, transport vehicles, S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, Iskander-M missile systems, Yars strategic missile systems, Orlan-10, Orlan-30, Lancet-51, Lancet-52, and Geran unmanned aerial vehicles.

    For the first time, modern models of the Tornado-S multiple launch rocket systems, the Tosochka heavy flamethrower systems, and the Malva and Giatsint-K artillery systems took part in the parade.

    The parade was completed by pilots of the aerobatic teams “Russian Knights” and “Swifts” on Su-30 and MiG-29 fighters. Six Su-25 attack aircraft closed the parade formation.

    After the parade, Russian and foreign leaders laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin Wall.

    In addition to Moscow, military parades dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory were held in 27 other Russian cities, including St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Mauritania: IMF Reaches Staff-Level Agreement on Fourth Review of Extended Fund and Extended Credit Facilities and the Third Review of Resilience and Sustainability Facility

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    May 9, 2025

    End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF’s Executive Board for discussion and decision.

    • The Mauritanian authorities and IMF staff have reached staff-level agreement on the Fourth Review of Mauritania’s economic program under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and Extended Credit Facility (ECF), and the Third Review of the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).
    • Economic activity was stronger than expected in 2024, and is projected to decelerate slightly in 2025, reflecting a contraction in the extractive sector.
    • Pursuing the authorities’ rule-based fiscal policy and exchange rate flexibility will help support the economy’s resilience amid heightened global uncertainty; and executing the national governance action plan, in line with best practices, will foster the role of the private sector in the economy.

    Washington, DC: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team, led by Felix Fischer, visited Nouakchott and Nouadhibou during April 28– May 9, 2025 to hold discussions on the Fourth Review of Mauritania’s economic program under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the Extended Credit Facility (ECF), and the Third Review of the RSF arrangement. At the end of the mission, Mr. Fischer issued the following statement:

    “The Mauritanian authorities and IMF staff have reached a staff level agreement on policies to complete the Fourth Review of Mauritania’s 42-month blended EFF/ECF-supported program and the Third review of the RSF. Subject to approval by the IMF Executive Board, Mauritania will receive a disbursement of SDR 6.4 million (about $ 8.6 million) under the ECF and EFF arrangements and SDR 14.86 million (about $ 20.1 million) under the RSF arrangement, bringing the total disbursement under the EFF/ECF and the RST to SDR 111 million (about $ 148.4 million).

    “Economic activity was stronger than expected, with a growth rate of 5.2 percent in 2024, higher than the initial projection of 4.6 percent. Economic growth rate in 2025 is projected to decelerate to 4.0 percent, due to a contraction in the extractive sector. The medium-term outlook remains broadly positive assuming further reforms will be implemented to diversify the economy and lift non-extractive economic growth.

    “Performance under the program is broadly on track— all quantitative targets for end-December 2024 have been met. The fiscal adjustment was in line with the program targets due to higher tax revenue and spending restraint. The authorities’ commitment to a rule-based fiscal policy and exchange rate flexibility serves the country well in the context of heightened global uncertainty, and will help preserve macroeconomic stability and enhance resilience to shocks.

    “The authorities committed to maintain the non-extractive primary deficit at MRU 15.4 billion (3.4 percent of GDP) in 2025. Improved domestic revenue mobilization and better spending efficiency will help create fiscal space to meet Mauritania’s significant development needs while preserving the medium-term budget credibility.

    “The IMF team welcomed the recent progress in structural reforms, including enacting the central bank and banking laws and the new investment code. They encouraged authorities to move swiftly to finalize the implementing decrees of the laws on SOEs, the investment code, and the free zone of Nouadhibou. Steadfast execution of the homegrown Governance Action Plan, including the laws on the declaration of assets and interests and the anti-corruption authority, in line with the best practices, will foster transparency and accountability and enhance the business climate.

    “The authorities continue to advance their climate agenda to strengthen Mauritania’s resilience to climate change. The parliament introduced the climate contribution and adopted regulations allowing access of private energy producers to power transmission infrastructure. The mission discussed next steps towards introducing the automatic fuel price mechanism and stressed the importance of scaling up well-targeted compensatory measures to mitigate the effects on the vulnerable households.

    “The team met with His Excellency President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, President of the National Assembly Mohamed Ould Megett, Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Diay, Governor of the Central Bank Mohamed Lamine Ould Dhehby, Minister of Economy and Finance Sid’Ahmed Bouh, Minister of Justice Mohamed Boya, Minister of Energy and Oil Mohamed Ould Khaled, Minister of Mining and Industry Thiam Tidjani, Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation Amal Mint Mouloud, Minister Delegate in charge of the Budget Codioro Moussa N’guénore, other senior government officials, the civil society, the banking association and other representatives of the private sector, and the donor community.

    “The IMF team would like to thank the Mauritanian authorities and various stakeholders for the excellent hospitality and cooperation and candid discussions during the mission.”

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Mayada Ghazala

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/05/09/pr-25138-mauritania-imf-reaches-agreement-4th-rev-of-ef-and-ecf-and-3rd-rev-of-rsf

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Nigeria Unlocks Intra-African Trade with New Pan-African Payment & Settlement System (PAPSS) Policy Boost

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    CAIRO, Egypt, May 9, 2025/APO Group/ —

    The Pan-African Payment & Settlement System (PAPSS) warmly welcomes the new circular from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), announcing a significant streamlining of documentation requirements for PAPSS transactions in Nigeria.

    This progressive policy, announced on 28 April 2025, sets the stage for faster, more cost-effective, and more inclusive participation by Nigerians and Nigerian businesses, especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), involved in intra-African commerce under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

    With the new announcement, individuals and businesses in Nigeria will now be able to make PAPSS transactions efficiently; with less delays occasioned by paperwork. Only basic KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) documents are required for clearance of payments under US$2,000 (for individuals) and US$5,000 (for corporates) per month. This makes it easier for Nigerian SMEs to trade across Africa under the AfCFTA, with fewer heavy documentation barriers than ever before.

    The announcement also empowers commercial banks to source foreign exchange for PAPSS through Nigeria’s Foreign Exchange market.

    As PAPSS continues to expand across Africa — with 16 countries, 14 payment switches, and more than 150 commercial banks now connected, including 22 banks in Nigeria — the streamlined requirements will eliminate barriers and encourage broader use of our secure, instant, local currency-based platform.

    Mike Ogbalu III, CEO of PAPSS, commented: “Today marks a transformational milestone for Nigerian commerce and for the larger vision of African economic integration. We are grateful to the Central Bank of Nigeria for its unwavering support and vision in propelling Nigeria towards seamless intra-African payments under the AfCFTA.

    “This bold policy move by the CBN will empower banks, businesses, and entrepreneurs to connect, trade, and pay more easily than ever before. The directive removes excess paperwork from a large number of transfers, empowering Nigerian businesses to participate more freely in the African Continental Free Trade Area by utilising our secure, local currency-based platform.

    “We also expect Nigerian banks to begin integrating PAPSS into their digital platforms such as mobile apps and online banking in the near future, promoting even wider adoption.

    “PAPSS is at the forefront of the African advancement towards a truly borderless African economy and achieving the ultimate goal of economic self-determination. We encourage all stakeholders across the continent to follow in Nigeria’s footsteps, embrace PAPSS, and become part of the transformation that will define the way Africa does payments and accelerate the realisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area goals.”

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Jersey Woman Sentenced to Prison for Forced Labor and Other Federal Crimes

    Source: US State of California

    A New Jersey woman was sentenced on Wednesday to 45 months in prison for forced labor and other crimes related to her coercive scheme to compel two victims to perform domestic labor and childcare in her home.

    Bolaji Bolarinwa, 51, of Moorestown, previously was found guilty of two counts of forced labor, one count of alien harboring for financial gain and two counts of document servitude following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court. Judge Williams imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.

    According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial, from December 2015 to October 2016, Bolarinwa — originally from Nigeria, but living in New Jersey as a U.S. citizen — recruited two victims to come to the United States and then coerced them to perform domestic labor and childcare services for her children through physical harm, threats of physical harm, isolation, constant surveillance and psychological abuse. The defendant engaged in this conduct knowing that one of the victims was out of lawful immigration status while working in her home.

    Once the first victim arrived in the United States in December 2015, Bolarinwa confiscated her passport and coerced her through threats of physical harm to her and her daughter, verbal abuse, isolation and constant surveillance to compel her to work every day, around-the-clock for nearly a year. Bolarinwa then recruited a second victim to come to the United States on a student visa. When the second victim arrived in the United States in April 2016, Bolarinwa similarly confiscated her passport and coerced her to perform household work and childcare but relied more heavily on physical abuse. The two victims lived and worked in Bolarinwa’s home until October 2016, when the second victim notified a professor at her college, who reported the information to the FBI.

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Williams sentenced Bolarinwa to three years of supervised release, imposed a $35,000 fine, and ordered Bolarinwa to pay $87,518.72 in restitution to the victims of her offenses.

    “The defendant exploited her relationship with the victims to lure them to the United States with false promises,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The defendant confiscated the victims’ immigration documents and subjected them to threats, physical force, and mental abuse to coerce them to work long hours for minimal pay. This prosecution should send a strong message that such forced labor will not be tolerated in our communities. The Justice Department is committed to fully enforcing our federal human trafficking statutes to vindicate the rights of survivors and hold human traffickers accountable for such shameful exploitation of vulnerable victims.”

    “Today’s sentence vindicates the rights of two vulnerable women who the defendant subjected to grueling hours and coercive abuse in her home,” said U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for District of New Jersey. “Forced labor and human trafficking are atrocious crimes that have no place in our society. My office and the entire Department of Justice is committed to standing up for vulnerable human trafficking victims and holding their traffickers accountable.”

    “Human nature is generally good. There are situations though that prove some people display more cruel and inhumane behavior,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Newark Field Office. “Bolarinwa lured women with false promises, held them captive, and forced them clean her home and care for her children. Then took it a sickening step further by physically abusing them. Luckily, one of the victims had the courage to tell someone. We ask anyone who notices an odd situation, something that doesn’t look or feel right, to please call us so we can help victims that may be hiding in plain sight.”

    U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentence.

    This case was prosecuted as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey’s Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed in 2025. The Task Force brings together federal and state agencies to collaborate and dedicate resources to combat human trafficking and prosecute human trafficking offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The Human Trafficking Task Force is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service, and the New Jersey Office of Attorney General.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reconciliation Recommendations of the House Committee on Homeland Security

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    Legislation Summary

    H. Con. Res. 14, the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2025, instructed the House Committee on Homeland Security to recommend legislative changes that would increase deficits up to a specified amount over the 2025-2034 period. As part of the reconciliation process, the House Committee on Homeland Security approved legislation on April 29, 2025, that would increase deficits.

    Estimated Federal Cost

    The reconciliation recommendations of the House Committee on Homeland Security would increase deficits by $67.1 billion over the 2025-2034 period. The estimated budgetary effects of the legislation are shown in Table 1. The costs of the legislation fall within budget functions 450 (community and regional development) and 750 (administration of justice).

    Table 1.

    Estimated Budgetary Effects of Reconciliation Recommendations Title VI, House Committee on Homeland Security, as Ordered Reported on April 29, 2025
     

    By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars

    		    
     

    2025

    2026

    2027

    2028

    2029

    2030

    2031

    2032

    2033

    2034

    2025-2029

    2025-2034
     

    Increases in Direct Spending

    		    

    Budget Authority

    69,007

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    69,007

    69,007

    Estimated Outlays

    *

    1,978

    4,963

    8,683

    12,250

    13,458

    11,145

    7,984

    4,556

    2,130

    27,874

    67,147
     

    Net Increase in the Deficit

    From Changes in Direct Spending

    		    

    Effect on the Deficit

    *

    1,978

    4,963

    8,683

    12,250

    13,458

    11,145

    7,984

    4,556

    2,130

    27,874

    67,147

    Basis of Estimate

    For this estimate, CBO assumes that the legislation will be enacted in summer 2025. CBO’s estimates are relative to its January 2025 baseline and cover the period from 2025 through 2034. Outlays of appropriated amounts were estimated using historical obligation and spending rates for similar programs.

    Direct Spending

    Enacting this legislation would increase direct spending by $67.1 billion over the 2025-2034 period (see Table 2). All of that amount would result from specified direct appropriations for activities performed by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

    Border Barrier System Construction, Invasive Species, and Border Security Facilities Improvements. Section 60001 would appropriate $51.6 billion for border barrier system construction and related activities, increasing outlays by $49.7 billion over the 2025-2034 period, CBO estimates.

    Border Barrier System and Technology. The legislation would appropriate $46.5 billion for CBP to construct, upgrade, and replace components of the barrier system along the southwestern, northern, and maritime borders of the United States.

    Based on an analysis of information from CBP and historical rates of spending on border construction projects, CBO estimates that enacting the provision would increase outlays by $44.6 billion over the 2025-2034 period.

    CBO expects that all of the funds provided by the legislation will be obligated before the period of availability expires at the end of 2029. However, we do not expect that all funds will be spent during the 2025-2034 period based on the historical spending patterns for other federal construction projects and because the pace of spending for construction projects typically spans more than five years from the time funds are obligated. (Under the rules that govern the federal budget, CBP would need to return any unspent funds to the Treasury on September 30, 2034.)

    CBP Facilities and Checkpoints and Invasive Species Eradication. The legislation also would appropriate $5.0 billion for CBP to lease, acquire, and construct new facilities and checkpoints, and to upgrade or replace existing facilities and $50 million to eradicate invasive plant species along the border, increasing outlays by those amounts over the 2025‑2034 period.

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection Personnel and Fleet Vehicles. Section 60002 would appropriate $8.3 billion for CBP to recruit, hire, and train, personnel and to procure new vehicles and technology, increasing outlays by $8.3 billion over the 2025-2034 period.

    CBP Personnel and Training. The legislation would appropriate the following amounts for CBP personnel and training:

    • $4.1 billion for CBP to hire, train, and, in some cases, rehire federal employees as border patrol agents, field operations officers, air and marine agents, and support staff; and
    • $2.1 billion for signing and retention bonuses.

    CBP currently employs about 19,000 border patrol agents, 26,000 officers, and 1,400 air and marine operators. The agency indicates that the funding provided by the legislation would be used to hire approximately 8,500 employees, including 5,000 officers and 3,000 border patrol agents. Using information from the agency, CBO expects that officers and agents would be hired gradually over the next 10 years, with most additions occurring in the next five years, and that enacting this provision would increase outlays by $6.2 billion over the 2025-2034 period.

    Training, Recruitment, and Screening and Patrol Vehicle Procurement. Additionally, the legislation would appropriate the following amounts, increasing outlays equal to the appropriated amounts over the 2025-2034 period:

    • $750 million for CBP to train staff at Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers and to improve those facilities;
    • $600 million for marketing, recruitment, applicant screening, and programs to facilitate staff reassignments and relocation; and
    • $813 million for CBP to lease or purchase patrol vehicles.

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection Technology, National Vetting Center, and Other Efforts to Enhance Border Security. Section 60003 would appropriate $6.3 billion for CBP to procure, upgrade, and integrate new technology into the border control system, increasing outlays by $6.3 billion over the 2025-2034 period.

    The funding would include:

    • $4.5 billion for surveillance towers, linear ground detection systems, nonintrusive inspection systems, and scanners for the agency’s biometric entry and exit program;
    • $1.2 billion for CBP to acquire or upgrade various air and marine systems, including aircraft, watercraft, and unmanned aircraft systems, which CBO expects would be procured in bulk purchases; and
    • $517 million for other CBP activities, including funds to combat drug trafficking, to support screening of applicants by the National Vetting Center, and for other activities including commemorations of events related to border security.

    State and Local Law Enforcement Presidential Residence Protection. Section 60004 would appropriate $300 million for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to reimburse state and local law enforcement agencies for costs incurred to protect the private residences of the President, increasing outlays by $300 million over the 2025-2034 period. Most of those amounts would cover overtime pay for officers and other personnel.

    State Homeland Security Grant Program. Section 60005 would appropriate $2.6 billion for FEMA to support state and local law enforcement agencies addressing security threats, increasing outlays by $2.6 billion over the 2025-2034 period.

    The funding would include:

    • $1 billion to reimburse state and local governments for security, planning, and other costs related to hosting the 2028 Olympic Games;
    • $625 million for similar activities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup;
    • $500 million for FEMA to enhance state and local governments’ detection and monitoring of threats from unmanned aircraft systems; and
    • $450 million for the Operation Stonegarden Grant Program, which covers costs for personnel and equipment incurred by state and local governments as part of joint operations to secure U.S. borders.

    Uncertainty

    Significant uncertainty surrounds CBO’s projections of the pace at which CBP would obligate funds and the total amount the agency could spend by 2034 to construct walls, fences, facilities, and checkpoints for the border barrier system. These amounts significantly exceed amounts previously provided for similar activities. For example, over the 2018‑2021 period, lawmakers appropriated about $5.5 billion for physical barriers on the southwestern border of the United States. By the end of 2024, CBP had spent roughly $2.6 billion—less than half of the amount provided.

    How quickly funds provided in this legislation would be spent will depend on factors that include the availability of contractors; fluctuations in the cost and availability of materials; and CBP’s ability to acquire private land or obtain access to state, local, or tribal property.

    Based on information from the agency, CBO expects that some stages of the process could progress more quickly than they might have in the past—many aspects of planning, land acquisition, and permitting for certain segments of the border have been completed or streamlined. However, the pace of spending on construction funded by the legislation is uncertain and the total amounts spent over the 2025-2034 period could be larger or smaller than CBO estimates here.

    Considerable uncertainty also surrounds projections of the pace at which CBP would hire new personnel, particularly border patrol agents and officers. Although the legislation would provide funding for signing and retention bonuses and increase spending on marketing, recruitment, and screening of new employees, significant uncertainty exists about how responsive the labor supply might be to fill those positions. In recent years, because of background checks, training requirements, and other pre-employment processes, the time to recruit and hire new officers has ranged from 300 to 600 days. As a result, the pace of spending on personnel over the 2025-2034 period could be faster or slower than CBO estimates here.

    Pay-As-You-Go Considerations

    The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 establishes budget-reporting and enforcement procedures for legislation affecting direct spending or revenues. The net changes in outlays that are subject to those pay-as-you-go procedures are shown in Table 1.

    Increase in Long-Term Net Direct Spending and Deficits

    CBO estimates that enacting the legislation would not increase net direct spending or on‑budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2035.

    Mandates

    The legislation contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

    Mandates: Rachel Austin

    Estimate Reviewed By

    Justin Humphrey
    Chief, Finance, Housing, and Education Cost Estimates Unit

    Kathleen FitzGerald
    Chief, Public and Private Mandates Unit

    Christina Hawley Anthony
    Deputy Director of Budget Analysis

    H. Samuel Papenfuss 
    Deputy Director of Budget Analysis

    Chad Chirico 
    Director of Budget Analysis

    Phillip L. Swagel

    Director, Congressional Budget Office

    [Table 2 begins on the next page.]

    Return to Reference

    Table 2.

    Estimated Changes in Direct Spending Under Reconciliation Recommendations Title VI, House Committee on Homeland Security, as Ordered Reported on April 29, 2025
     

    By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars

    		    
     

    2025

    2026

    2027

    2028

    2029

    2030

    2031

    2032

    2033

    2034

    2025-2029

    2025-2034
     

    Increases in Direct Spending

    		    

    Sec. 60001, Border Barrier System Construction, Invasive Species, and Border Security Facilities Improvements

    		                    

    Budget Authority

    51,550

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    51,550

    51,550

    Estimated Outlays

    *

    934

    2,850

    5,505

    8,208

    9,776

    9,333

    7,031

    4,124

    1,929

    17,497

    49,690

    Sec. 60002, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Personnel and Fleet Vehicles

    		                    

    Budget Authority

    8,316

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    8,316

    8,316

    Estimated Outlays

    *

    427

    842

    1,399

    1,949

    2,093

    763

    408

    257

    178

    4,617

    8,316

    Sec. 60003, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Technology, National Vetting Center, and Other Efforts to Enhance Border Security

    		                    

    Budget Authority

    6,266

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    6,266

    6,266

    Estimated Outlays

    *

    212

    577

    1,023

    1,403

    1,330

    991

    534

    173

    23

    3,215

    6,266

    Sec. 60004, State and Local Law Enforcement Presidential Residence Protection

    		                    

    Budget Authority

    300

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    300

    300

    Estimated Outlays

    *

    11

    74

    106

    84

    21

    4

    0

    0

    0

    275

    300

    Sec. 60005, State Homeland Security Grant Program

    		                  

    Budget Authority

    2,575

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    2,575

    2,575

    Estimated Outlays

    *

    394

    620

    650

    606

    238

    54

    11

    2

    0

    2,270

    2,575

    Total Changes

    		                        

    Budget Authority

    69,007

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    69,007

    69,007

    Estimated Outlays

    *

    1,978

    4,963

    8,683

    12,250

    13,458

    11,145

    7,984

    4,556

    2,130

    27,874

    67,147
     

    Net Increase in the Deficit

    From Changes in Direct Spending

    		    

    Effect on the Deficit

    *

    1,978

    4,963

    8,683

    12,250

    13,458

    11,145

    7,984

    4,556

    2,130

    27,874

    67,147

    * = between zero and $500,000; Budget authority includes specified amounts only.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Jersey Woman Sentenced to Prison for Forced Labor and Other Federal Crimes

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CAMDEN, N.J. – A Burlington County woman was sentenced to 45 months in prison for forced labor and other crimes related to her coercive scheme to compel two victims to perform domestic labor and childcare in her home, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced.

    Bolaji Bolarinwa, 51, of Moorestown, previously was found guilty of two counts of forced labor, one count of alien harboring for financial gain and two counts of document servitude following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court. Judge Williams imposed the sentence in Camden federal court.

    “This sentence vindicates the rights of two vulnerable women who the defendant subjected to grueling hours and coercive abuse in her home.  Forced labor and human trafficking are atrocious crimes that have no place in our society.  My office and the entire Department of Justice is committed to standing up for vulnerable human trafficking victims and holding their traffickers accountable.”

    – U.S. Attorney Alina Habba

    “The defendant exploited her relationship with the victims to lure them to the United States with false promises,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The defendant confiscated the victims’ immigration documents and subjected them to threats, physical force, and mental abuse to coerce them to work long hours for minimal pay. This prosecution should send a strong message that such forced labor will not be tolerated in our communities. The Justice Department is committed to fully enforcing our federal human trafficking statutes to vindicate the rights of survivors and hold human traffickers accountable for such shameful exploitation of vulnerable victims.”

    “Human nature is generally good. There are situations though that prove some people display more cruel and inhumane behavior,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Newark Field Office. “Bolarinwa lured women with false promises, held them captive, and forced them clean her home and care for her children. Then took it a sickening step further by physically abusing them. Luckily, one of the victims had the courage to tell someone. We ask anyone who notices an odd situation, something that doesn’t look or feel right, to please call us so we can help victims that may be hiding in plain sight.” 

    According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:

    From December 2015 to October 2016, Bolarinwa – originally from Nigeria, but living in New Jersey as a U.S. citizen – recruited two victims to come to the United States and then coerced them to perform domestic labor and childcare services for her children through physical harm, threats of physical harm, isolation, constant surveillance and psychological abuse. The defendant engaged in this conduct knowing that one of the victims was out of lawful status while working in her home.

    Once the first victim arrived in the United States in December 2015, Bolarinwa confiscated her passport and coerced her through threats of physical harm to her and her daughter, verbal abuse, isolation and constant surveillance to compel her to work every day, around-the-clock for nearly a year.  Bolarinwa then recruited a second victim to come to the United States on a student visa. When the second victim arrived in the United States in April 2016, Bolarinwa similarly confiscated her passport and coerced her to perform household work and childcare but relied more heavily on physical abuse.  The two victims lived and worked in Bolarinwa’s home until October 2016, when the second victim notified a professor at her college, who reported the information to the FBI.

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Williams sentenced Bolarinwa to 3 years of supervised release, imposed a $35,000 fine, and ordered Bolarinwa to pay $87,518.72 in restitution to the victims of her offenses.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark, with the investigation leading to this sentence.

    This case was prosecuted as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey’s Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed in 2025. The Task Force brings together federal and state agencies to collaborate and dedicate resources to combat human trafficking and prosecute human trafficking offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The Human Trafficking Task Force is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service, and the New Jersey Office of Attorney General.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

                                                               ###

    Defense counsel: Jeffrey Zucker, Esq. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Kaine, Colleagues Push Trump Administration to Fill Sudan Special Envoy Position as Civil War Continues

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to work with President Trump to appoint a new Special Envoy for Sudan, build out key senior Africa roles at the State Department and the National Security Council, and to hold accountable both internal and foreign actors prolonging the conflict.
    The ongoing violence in Sudan has led to a massive humanitarian crisis. Since the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in April 2023, it’s estimated that the conflict has claimed the lives of tens of thousands to potentially over one hundred thousand individuals, and in the region, an estimated 30 million Sudanese are in need of immediate assistance.
    Warner and Kaine have led efforts to address this crisis, including introducing the Response to Conflict in Sudan Act, legislation to bolster and coordinate the U.S. response to the war in Sudan. The senators also previously pushed the Biden administration to take steps to better address the chaos and violence displacing millions of people in Sudan and the surrounding regions by appointing a Special Envoy for Sudan. Following the senators’ calls for a special envoy, President Biden appointed former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello to the position, but the position has remained vacant under the Trump administration.
    The senators wrote, “Since its outbreak, this conflict has displaced more than 14 million people – an estimated 11.5 million internally, plus an additional 3 million fleeing to neighboring countries and regions. Approximately 30 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population – are in urgent humanitarian need. By some estimates, the conflict has killed upwards of 150,000 people, in what the U.S. government has officially declared a genocide. Belligerents on both sides stand accused of atrocities, including killings, abductions of civilians, and horrific instances of sexual violence against women and children.”
    The senators highlighted continued bipartisan efforts to respond to the crisis in Sudan and the need to fill crucial roles in countries impacted by the ongoing civil war. 
    Added the senators, “We urge the Administration to fill the Special Envoy position, which would align with bipartisan Congressional intent expressed through the passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which included provisions of the Response to Conflict in Sudan Act. We also strongly urge you to work with the President to nominate senior officials responsible for Africa, including the Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, ambassadors to countries impacted by or otherwise implicated in the conflict, and push for the appointment of a Senior Director for Africa at the National Security Council to coordinate interagency efforts.”
    In addition to the need to fill these crucial roles, the senators highlighted the impact that outside influences are having on this crisis, and the need for the U.S. to hold accountable any foreign actors exacerbating the crisis. 
    “To date, the Office of Foreign Assets Control added SAF and RSF members to the Specially Designated Nationals List and taken action against numerous UAE companies for potentially violating U.S. sanctions. We encourage you, alongside allies and partners, to continue to hold accountable external actors that support and/or finance the conflict, using all available tools,” they wrote. 
    In addition to Warner and Kaine, the letter was signed by Todd Young (R-IN), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).
    A copy of letter is available here and text is below.
    Dear Secretary Rubio,
    Now into the third year of destructive conflict in Sudan, with escalating violence and atrocities between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), U.S. engagement to bring a resolution to this conflict is more critical than ever. You can send a strong signal to the region by working with the President to appoint a new Special Envoy for Sudan and holding accountable both Sudanese and foreign actors prolonging the conflict. 
    Since its outbreak, this conflict has displaced more than 14 million people – an estimated 11.5 million internally, plus an additional 3 million fleeing to neighboring countries and regions. Approximately 30 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population – are in urgent humanitarian need. By some estimates, the conflict has killed upwards of 150,000 people, in what the U.S. government has officially declared a genocide. Belligerents on both sides stand accused of atrocities, including killings, abductions of civilians, and horrific instances of sexual violence against women and children.
    We urge the Administration to fill the Special Envoy position, which would align with bipartisan Congressional intent expressed through the passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which included provisions of the Response to Conflict in Sudan Act.  We also strongly urge you to work with the President to nominate senior officials responsible for Africa, including the Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, ambassadors to countries impacted by or otherwise implicated in the conflict, and push for the appointment of a Senior Director for Africa at the National Security Council to coordinate interagency efforts.
    In addition to naming an envoy, we urge you to hold accountable external actors – including the UAE, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt – and foreign businesses fueling the gruesome atrocities. The recent large-scale offensive by the RSF in Darfur – which has included storming and systematically burning down the Zamzam refugee camp, killing hundreds of people in a massacre that has also forced hundreds of thousands more to flee the camp in a matter of days – exemplifies the depravity that is being enabled by these external forces.
    To date, the Office of Foreign Assets Control added SAF and RSF members to the Specially Designated Nationals List and taken action against numerous UAE companies for potentially violating U.S. sanctions. We encourage you, alongside allies and partners, to continue to hold accountable external actors that support and/or finance the conflict, using all available tools.
    Conflicts rarely stay localized, and the longer this horrific war drags on, the more combustible this region becomes – an outcome that creates a power vacuum that extremists, terrorists, and our foreign adversaries will only be too happy to fill. The war’s continuation not only harms millions of innocent civilians, but also poses serious risk to American security interests in the region.
    We strongly support U.S. engagement and leadership in Sudan. The appointment of a new Special Envoy would send a strong signal. We look forward to working together to support your efforts to end the conflict in Sudan, address the humanitarian crisis, hold accountable those responsible for atrocities, and stop the actors fueling this crisis inside and outside Sudan.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Young, Colleagues Push Trump Administration to Fill Sudan Special Envoy Position as Civil War Continues

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to work with President Trump to appoint a new Special Envoy for Sudan, build out key senior Africa roles at the State Department and the National Security Council, and to hold accountable both internal and foreign actors prolonging the conflict. Joining Sens. Warner and Young in the letter are U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).
    The ongoing violence in Sudan has led to a massive humanitarian crisis. Since the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in April 2023, it’s estimated that the conflict has claimed the lives of tens of thousands to potentially over one hundred thousand individuals, and in the region, an estimated 30 million Sudanese are in need of immediate assistance.
    Sen. Warner has led bipartisan efforts to address this crisis, including pushing the Biden administration to take steps to better address the chaos and violence displacing millions of people in Sudan and the surrounding regions. Following the senators’ calls for a special envoy, President Biden appointed former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello to the position, but the position has remained vacant under the Trump administration.
    The senators wrote, “Since its outbreak, this conflict has displaced more than 14 million people – an estimated 11.5 million internally, plus an additional 3 million fleeing to neighboring countries and regions. Approximately 30 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population – are in urgent humanitarian need. By some estimates, the conflict has killed upwards of 150,000 people, in what the U.S. government has officially declared a genocide. Belligerents on both sides stand accused of atrocities, including killings, abductions of civilians, and horrific instances of sexual violence against women and children.”
    The senators highlighted continued bipartisan efforts to respond to the crisis in Sudan and the need to fill crucial roles in countries impacted by the ongoing civil war. 
    Added the senators, “We urge the Administration to fill the Special Envoy position, which would align with bipartisan Congressional intent expressed through the passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which included provisions of the Response to Conflict in Sudan Act. We also strongly urge you to work with the President to nominate senior officials responsible for Africa, including the Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, ambassadors to countries impacted by or otherwise implicated in the conflict, and push for the appointment of a Senior Director for Africa at the National Security Council to coordinate interagency efforts.”
    In addition to the need to fill these crucial roles, the senators highlighted the impact that outside influences are having on this crisis, and the need for the U.S. to hold accountable any foreign actors exacerbating the crisis. 
    “To date, the Office of Foreign Assets Control added SAF and RSF members to the Specially Designated Nationals List and taken action against numerous UAE companies for potentially violating U.S. sanctions. We encourage you, alongside allies and partners, to continue to hold accountable external actors that support and/or finance the conflict, using all available tools,” they wrote. 
    Sen. Warner has been a leading voice in the Senate about the need for increased diplomatic and humanitarian support for Sudan since the war erupted. Last year, Sen. Warner pushed the Biden administration take more decisive action against foreign entities fueling the ongoing civil war in Sudan. In May 2023, he and Sen. Kaine requested that the Biden administration issue a new Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Sudan, which was subsequently issued. Later that month, Sens. Warner and Kaine led a group of colleagues in urging the administration to offer all available support for humanitarian efforts in the region – and to be forward leaning on prioritizing local and community-based response efforts – as well as appoint a Special Envoy to Sudan tasked with coordinating and leading U.S. diplomatic efforts to address the crisis. In December 2023, the senators continued calling on the Biden administration to designate a Special Envoy to Sudan, and former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello was subsequently appointed to the position. Sen. Warner has also continued his efforts to provide support to Sudan and the Sudanese diaspora and meeting with the Sudanese community in Virginia.  
    A copy of letter is available here and text is below.
    Dear Secretary Rubio,
    Now into the third year of destructive conflict in Sudan, with escalating violence and atrocities between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), U.S. engagement to bring a resolution to this conflict is more critical than ever. You can send a strong signal to the region by working with the President to appoint a new Special Envoy for Sudan and holding accountable both Sudanese and foreign actors prolonging the conflict. 
    Since its outbreak, this conflict has displaced more than 14 million people – an estimated 11.5 million internally, plus an additional 3 million fleeing to neighboring countries and regions. Approximately 30 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population – are in urgent humanitarian need. By some estimates, the conflict has killed upwards of 150,000 people, in what the U.S. government has officially declared a genocide. Belligerents on both sides stand accused of atrocities, including killings, abductions of civilians, and horrific instances of sexual violence against women and children.
    We urge the Administration to fill the Special Envoy position, which would align with bipartisan Congressional intent expressed through the passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which included provisions of the Response to Conflict in Sudan Act.  We also strongly urge you to work with the President to nominate senior officials responsible for Africa, including the Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, ambassadors to countries impacted by or otherwise implicated in the conflict, and push for the appointment of a Senior Director for Africa at the National Security Council to coordinate interagency efforts.
    In addition to naming an envoy, we urge you to hold accountable external actors – including the UAE, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt – and foreign businesses fueling the gruesome atrocities. The recent large-scale offensive by the RSF in Darfur – which has included storming and systematically burning down the Zamzam refugee camp, killing hundreds of people in a massacre that has also forced hundreds of thousands more to flee the camp in a matter of days – exemplifies the depravity that is being enabled by these external forces.
    To date, the Office of Foreign Assets Control added SAF and RSF members to the Specially Designated Nationals List and taken action against numerous UAE companies for potentially violating U.S. sanctions. We encourage you, alongside allies and partners, to continue to hold accountable external actors that support and/or finance the conflict, using all available tools.
    Conflicts rarely stay localized, and the longer this horrific war drags on, the more combustible this region becomes – an outcome that creates a power vacuum that extremists, terrorists, and our foreign adversaries will only be too happy to fill. The war’s continuation not only harms millions of innocent civilians, but also poses serious risk to American security interests in the region.
    We strongly support U.S. engagement and leadership in Sudan. The appointment of a new Special Envoy would send a strong signal. We look forward to working together to support your efforts to end the conflict in Sudan, address the humanitarian crisis, hold accountable those responsible for atrocities, and stop the actors fueling this crisis inside and outside Sudan.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Insect trafficking poses a risk to wildlife and human health

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Elliot Doornbos, Senior Lecturer of Criminology, Nottingham Trent University

    Rhino beetles are just one insect species being traded illegally. Lightboxx/Shutterstock

    Four men were recently arrested and fined for attempting to smuggle more than 5,000 ants out of Kenya. Aiming to sell them as part of the exotic pet trade, these ants were being stored in individual test tubes and syringes with small amounts of cotton wool for transportation. This unusual case highlights an important yet overlooked aspect of wildlife trafficking.

    Wildlife trafficking is a crime against nature which occurs mainly because of consumer demand. Trafficking refers to the illegal smuggling and continued exploitation of wild animals, plants or timber. That includes, as in this case, insects.

    Much conservation effort, reporting, study and enforcement activity focuses on recognised species such as rhinos. Wildlife trafficking is often associated more with these charismatic species and products made from them such as elephant tusks and rhino horn.

    But wildlife trafficking includes a whole spectrum of illicit animal trade from poaching and smuggling to the distribution of protected and endangered species. There is also thriving illegal trade in insects.

    For avid collectors, trophies and the exotic pet trade a wide array of insects have been seized over the years including rhino beetles into Japan, praying mantis eggs into the US and butterflies out of Sri Lanka.

    Globally, insect species are declining. This is caused by an array of threats such as pollution, pesticides, climate change and urbanisation. Although the extent of the harm being caused by trafficking is unknown, this adds further pressure to species that already face extinction.

    Protections for insects vary. The conservation status of each ant species affects their level of protection both nationally and internationally.

    Ants that are on the red list – which is the largest classification of endangered species produced by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – and classed as critically endangered or endangered cannot be captured, killed or disturbed in any manner. An example is the anathema ant, which is currently listed as an endangered species.

    International law puts controls on wildlife that may be threatened by trade. Some ants are protected under UK law which makes it an offence to disturb or destroy the nests of species like the red wood ant.

    Illegal trafficking of wildlife products includes insects as well as ivory and snakeskins.
    Frame Stock Footage/Shutterstock

    This case shows how wildlife trafficking extends to areas such as the smuggling of, and illegal trade, in ants. Some organised crime groups have moved from smuggling drugs and weapons to trafficking in plants, medicinal compounds and animals – including insects. Organised crime can include smaller and partially disorganised groups and networks. Where there is money to be made smuggling, networks will target wildlife.

    The scale of the insect smuggling problem is unknown. Many cases will go unreported due to the clandestine nature of the trade. As such, both law enforcement and the wider public might not know or care about this being an offence.

    Although there have been some insect trade seizures, law enforcement agencies are often underresourced and may view wildlife crimes as a low priority in comparison to other areas of criminality, such as drugs.

    Often, insects are easily concealed. For example, 37 rhino beetles were discovered at Los Angeles International airport hidden within sweet and crisp packets.

    Even once insects are seized, it can be difficult to identify the species to find out whether they are protected, given so many different levels of protections for species internationally.

    Invasive species risk

    Insect trafficking could introduce non-native species to new places. If they establish a breeding population and pose a threat to local ecosystems, they can become known as “invasive species”. Invasive species can outcompete native species for food. Some destroy habitats. Others have the potential to bring new diseases to a country.

    Not only can invasive insects pose threats to the environment such as the ongoing issue of invasive Asian hornets within Europe, but also affect people. Hawaii spends US$10 million (£7.5 million) on invasive species control measures – US$2.4 million of that is set aside just for coconut rhinoceros beetles.

    Although predicting which species and when they may become invasive is a challenge, insect trafficking can cause serious consequences. Undervaluing some species protections provides avenues for traffickers, so enforcing trafficking laws for all wildlife, including insects, is crucial.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Angus Nurse is a member of the Wild Animal Welfare Committee.~
    He has previously received funding from animal welfare NGOs for research into wildlife and animal law not related to the subject of this article.

    Elliot Doornbos does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Insect trafficking poses a risk to wildlife and human health – https://theconversation.com/insect-trafficking-poses-a-risk-to-wildlife-and-human-health-255273

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –