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Category: Africa

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Risks posed by insects in food – E-000538/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000538/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Gerald Hauser (PfE)

    The EU recently adopted a regulation allowing the use of insect larvae meal in food. As insects are biologically related to crustaceans, they can cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. A study (‘A parasitological evaluation of edible insects – PMC, NIH’) also shows that the consumption of insects poses the risk of parasitic diseases, which can be dangerous for both humans and animals. The study analysed samples from 300 insect farms in central Europe, including farms rearing mealworms, house crickets, Madagascar hissing cockroaches and locusts. The result was alarming: Parasites were present in 81.33 % of farms (244 out of 300). In 68.67 % of cases, only insects were affected, while in 35.33 % of the cases the parasites were potentially dangerous to animals and in 30.33 % also to humans.

    • 1.How are hygiene, rearing conditions and animal welfare standards in insect farms in the Union controlled?
    • 2.Are insect farms in the Union regularly tested for parasites?
    • 3.Which parasites have been found in insects during such controls and how often are they carried out?

    Submitted: 5.2.2025

    Last updated: 13 February 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Press release – Human rights breaches in Türkiye, Nicaragua and Nigeria

    Source: European Parliament

    On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted human rights resolutions on Türkiye, Nicaragua and Nigeria.

    Violations of the rule of law, principles of democracy, and fundamental rights in Türkiye, notably the cases of mayors Mehmet Sıddık Akış and Abdullah Zeydan

    MEPs are deeply concerned about Türkiye’s disregard of the rule of law and the government’s violation of the fundamental principles of democracy, such as the practice of replacing democratically elected mayors with government-appointed trustees in predominantly Kurdish regions.

    Condemning the arbitrary dismissal and imprisonment of democratically elected mayors, MEPs call for their immediate release, acquittal and reinstatement. They demand judicial reforms to abolish the trustee system, especially given the impact of these violations on local governance in Kurdish-majority areas, underlining the need to resume the Kurdish peace process.

    MEPs recall that EU financial assistance to Türkiye is conditional upon the country’s respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights, and urge the Commission to consider imposing restrictive measures against Turkish officials involved in these violations under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.

    The resolution was adopted by show of hands. The full version will be available here (13.02.2025).

    The Ortega-Murillo regime’s repression in Nicaragua, targeting human rights defenders, political opponents and religious communities

    Parliament strongly condemns Ortega-Murillo regime’s systemic human rights violations against Nicaraguan citizens and its persecution of religious leaders. MEPs denounce the use of exile as a weapon against critics and demand the regime respects the right to dissent. The immediate release of arbitrarily detained people and the restoration of the rule of law as well as guarantees of human rights compliance are essential for any dialogue and EU funds allocation, MEPs say.

    They also call on the regime to annul constitutional reforms and repressive totalitarian laws in order to respect its international human rights obligations. Member states must open investigations through the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and add Daniel Ortega, Rosario Murillo and their inner circle to the list of sanctioned individuals, MEPs say.

    The resolution was adopted by show of hands. The full version will be available here (13.02.2025).

    The ongoing detention and risk of death sentences for individuals in Nigeria charged with blasphemy, notably the case of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu

    MEPs urge the Nigerian authorities to uphold human rights and religious freedom by releasing Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Nigerian singer who faces blasphemy allegations, alongside all other individuals facing blasphemy allegations.

    They condemn blasphemy laws as violations of international law and Nigerian constitutional rights, stressing the need to uphold human rights throughout the country and align the federal state and Sharia laws with human rights protections, including the abolition of provisions on religious insults in criminal law. Parliament also urges Nigeria to abolish the death penalty in all cases.

    The resolution urges Nigeria to combat false blasphemy accusations and mob violence in order to ensure perpetrators face justice.

    The resolution was adopted by show of hands. The full version will be available here (13.02.2025)

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: As Tentative Reduction in Hostilities Opens Door for More De-Escalation, Sustainable Resolution to Yemen Conflict ‘Still Possible’, Special Envoy Tells Security Council

    Source: United Nations 4

    Yemen is standing at another critical juncture, and the choices made today will determine its future, the Organization’s senior official told the Security Council today, underscoring the collective responsibility to create the space for a mediated solution.

    “A sustainable resolution to this conflict is still possible,” said Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, highlighting a significant, albeit fragile, development in the Middle East with the ceasefire in Gaza.  The tentative reduction in hostilities — a cessation of attacks by Ansar Allah on vessels in the Red Sea and targets in Israel — along with the release of the crew of the MV Galaxy Leader, offer a foundation for further de-escalation.

    “Yet, while we welcome this reprieve, we must also acknowledge the magnitude of challenges still facing Yemen,” he stressed, citing the fourth wave of arbitrary detentions of United Nations staff, conducted by Ansar Allah last month, as “a deeply troubling development”. He called for their immediate and unconditional release and an investigation of the death — while detained by Ansar Allah — of a UN colleague working for the World Food Programme (WFP).

    He further voiced concern over a continuation of military activity in Yemen, with reports of the movement of reinforcements and equipment towards the front lines, and shelling, drone attacks and infiltration attempts by Ansar Allah on multiple front lines, including Abyan, Al Dhale’, Lahj, Ma’rib, Sa’dah, Shabwa and Ta’iz.  He called on the parties to refrain from military posturing and retaliatory measures that could lead to further tension and risk plunging Yemen back into conflict.  His Office urges parties to de-escalate tensions and take concrete confidence-building measures through the Military Coordination Committee, he said.

    On Yemen’s rapidly deteriorating economic situation, he pointed to prolonged blackouts in Government-controlled areas. Moreover, the continued depreciation of the Yemeni riyal has sent the cost of essential goods soaring, “making simply surviving a challenge for millions”.  For many families, food, medicine and fuel have become unaffordable. In Ansar Allah-controlled territories, ordinary Yemenis also struggle to afford basic commodities.  “These hardships are symptoms of the failure to achieve a sustainable political resolution,” he observed, adding that “without the prospect of peace, there can be no prosperity”.

    He detailed his engagement with the parties to the conflict to advance sustainable, achievable and practical solutions that will benefit the Yemeni population, as well as with civil society representatives — including youth and women — to incorporate local-level perspectives into the peace process.  “Only a political settlement of the conflict will support the Yemenis in their aspirations for lasting peace,” he stated.

    19.5 Million People in Yemen Need Humanitarian Support

    Painting a grim picture of the humanitarian situation in Yemen, with 19.5 million people in need of support, Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that 64 per cent of the population are unable to meet their food needs, while 3.2 million children are out of school.  Half of all children under the age of five are acutely malnourished, dying at a horrific rate mainly from preventable conditions. While humanitarian operations continue despite significant risks, he stressed that humanitarian partners cannot operate without guarantees of their safety.

    “Globally, humanitarians are overstretched, underfunded and under attack,” he said, noting that operations have been temporarily paused in Sa’ada Governorate due to safety risks.  Urging the Council to get UN and civil society staff released, he also called for more funding “to deliver for those we serve”, stressing that political and security decisions should not punish affected communities by limiting the flow of essential commodities into Yemen.  “This is a tough place for us to deliver humanitarian support, and a tough place for you to get the political judgements right,” he added.

    Council Members Echo Call for Investigation into Death of World Food Programme (WFP) Staff Member, Stress Aid Workers Must Never Be Targeted

    In the ensuing discussion, Council members echoed Mr. Grundberg’s call for a swift, transparent and thorough investigation into the death of a WFP staff member in Houthi detention earlier this week and the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained.

    “These detentions are directly shrinking the humanitarian operating environment at a time when we continue to see an alarming deterioration in the humanitarian situation,” said the United Kingdom’s delegate.

    “Humanitarians must never be a target,” concurred Slovenia’s representative, adding that attacks on them are attacks on the most vulnerable Yemenis.  Referencing the recently published 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen, he stated:  “The spectre of famine is never far from the Yemeni people.”

    Concerns Raised over Food Insecurity

    Yemen is experiencing extreme levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, cholera and marginalization of the most vulnerable groups, especially women and children, observed his counterpart from Greece.  He cautioned that further deterioration would have “disastrous effects” on that country’s population.

    Amid soaring food insecurity in Yemen, “we have a responsibility to act”, said Denmark’s delegate, noting Copenhagen’s contribution of $13.5 million to the life-saving efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), WFP and the Yemen Humanitarian Fund.

    Panama, said that country’s representative, has also contributed to the Yemen Humanitarian Fund.  Further, he underscored the key role of the meetings held by the Humanitarian Affairs Office in the country’s economic recovery and stability.

    However, Pakistan’s delegate emphasized that “this crisis necessitates a well-coordinated and robust international response”, urging States to enhance their contributions to Yemen’s 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan.

    Focus on Precarious Security Situation and Houthi Threats

    Many speakers focused on the precarious security situation in Yemen and the Houthi threats to international peace and security.

    “As the Middle East stands at a perilous crossroad, Yemen remains mired in a fragile balance between conflict and stability,” observed the speaker for the Republic of Korea, adding that the navigational choices of the coming months will determine “whether the country moves towards lasting peace and stability or slides back into deepening crisis”.

    Echoing the ambiguity of the recent developments in Yemen, the representative of Somalia — also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Sierra Leone — said they highlight “both progress and challenges”.  While he recognized efforts to improve humanitarian corridors in the Houthi-controlled areas, he emphasized the need for unhindered access across all regions.  Expressing support for diplomatic actions to safeguard the Red Sea as a zone of peace and cooperation, he said a stable and peaceful Yemen is critical for broader regional security.

    France’s delegate attributed the primary responsibility for the regional crisis to the Houthis, whose actions further worsen the humanitarian situation in Yemen.  Stressing that the international community needs to relaunch the political process, he said that the unity of the Presidential Leadership Council is essential and called for inclusive negotiations, with the participation of civil society and women.

    The United States’ representative stressed that Iran’s continued and unprecedented provision of weapons components, financial support and training and technical assistance to the Houthis for over a decade violates the arms embargo this Council imposed on the group.  Accordingly, she called on Council members to press Iran’s leaders to stop arming, funding and training the Houthis, “without which they would not be able to launch attacks that disrupt navigational rights and freedoms and put innocent civilians in harm’s way”.  Noting Washington, D.C.’s, initiation of a process to consider designating the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, she also called for targeted sanctions against that group.

    The Russian Federation’s delegate, meanwhile, warned that the process to include the Houthis on the United States’ list of terrorist organizations can impede humanitarian work and negatively impact the negotiations process.  Expressing hope that this initiative is undertaken by the new administration “in a rush”, he added:  “Otherwise, the blame for undermining efforts to establish a long-hoped-for peace in Yemen will be laid at Washington’s door.”

    Political Resolution is Key, with Regional Countries Facilitating Dialogue

    “No matter how the situation evolves, the Yemeni issue should be resolved politically,” emphasized the representative of China, Council President for February, speaking in his national capacity.  While noting that UN support would help break the political deadlock and relaunch the political process, he urged regional countries to facilitate dialogue.

    Yemen’s Speaker Says Iranian-Backed Houthi War to Blame for Economic Crisis, Urging States to Dry Up Houthi Financing 

    The representative of Yemen underscored that the Yemeni people are suffering from the repercussions of a “tremendous” economic crisis, caused by the Tehran-supported Houthi war.  The Presidential Leadership Council is open to all efforts to address the crisis, he said, adding the Government also called for the transfer of international agencies’ headquarters to the temporary capital Aden.  Stressing that “peace remains the obvious strategic option,” he reiterated the Government’s commitment to the 22 April 2022 truce.

    While “the window for peace cannot be shut when there is a genuine partner”, he said that the Government cannot accept an armed group fighting with the State, claiming its “divine” right to rule the country. Efforts to end the conflict cannot succeed until the Houthis stop their extortion, he observed, urging States to “dry up the group’s financing”.  Noting that the Government is trying to restore State institutions and implement reforms to curb the repercussions of terrorist attacks on oil facilities, he welcomed Washington, D.C.’s. decision to list the Houthis as a foreign terrorist group.  “Despite all challenges and difficulties, hope remains in the ability of the Yemeni people to overcome this crisis”, he concluded.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Dallas arrests East African man charged with 3 counts of sexual assault

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    DALLAS — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an East African man following his confinement for sexual assault and failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements. Officers with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office arrested Uqbasilassie Kiflemariam, 40, a citizen of Eritrea and convicted sex offender Feb 7.

    On Sept. 12, 2013, the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Police Department apprehended Kiflemariam, charging him for rape.

    The Tulsa County District Court convicted Kiflemariam of three counts of rape in the first degree, Feb. 19, 2014. He was sentenced to 10 years confinement with sex offender registration requirements.

    On July 5, 2022, an immigration judge ordered Kiflemariam removed from the United States. The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office arrested Kiflemariam for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements Feb. 20, 2024.

    “The importance surrounding the arrest and pending removal of this individual highlights our commitment to enforcing the immigration laws of our nation,” said ICE Dallas Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office acting Director Joshua Johnson. “Individuals such as Uqbasilassie Kiflemariam represent a significant threat to public safety in our communities. We will not relent in our efforts to expedite his removal.”

    Kiflemariam will remain in ICE custody pending his removal to Eritrea.

    Members of the public can report immigration crimes or suspicious activity by dialing the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

    For more news and information on ICE’s efforts to enforce our nation’s immigration laws in North Texas and Oklahoma follow us at @ERODallas.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Press release – European Parliament President Metsola visits Israel, Gaza and West Bank

    Source: European Parliament

    During her official visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, EP President Metsola was the first European leader to enter Gaza in more than a decade.

    President Metsola is on an official visit to Israel and the Palestinian occupied territory this Thursday and Friday, where she is holding talks with the political authorities.

    “At this critical moment for the region and the world, I wanted to come here to underline and witness first hand Europe’s critical role in getting humanitarian aid into Gaza. Europe is ready to step up our engagement and do what we can to help the ceasefire-hostages release deal to hold, to provide a path to increased aid and a building block to a sustainable peace”, said President Metsola.

    During her visit, the President is underlining Europe’s willingness:

    – to engage constructively with all partners in the region,

    – to secure the current ceasefire and hostage deal holds,

    – and to provide a path to a sustainable peace in the region that can ensure security for Israel and a real perspective to the Palestinian people.

    Programme of the visit

    On Thursday, the President met with the Speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ohan and the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in Jerusalem. She also travelled to the Kerem Shalom Border Crossing Point to visit the humanitarian operations.

    From there, President Metsola entered into Gaza, the first European leader to do so in more than a decade, where she was able to witness humanitarian aid entering from the Israeli side. She was also able to highlight the EU’s critical role in supporting humanitarian efforts in Gaza (notably through the EUBAM operation) and the EU’s commitment towards the ceasefire and hostage exchange deal.

    Following her return into Israel, President Metsola was briefed by the European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing (EUBAM Rafah) on their mission and ongoing efforts to support humanitarian aid in Gaza.

    She also visited the Site of the Nova Festival in Re’im, and later today, she will be holding talks with the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog.

    On Friday, the President will be in Ramallah to meet with Palestinian leadership. She will meet with Mr. Hussein al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and with the 2024 Sakharov Prize Nominee, Ms. Reem Al Hajajra, Director of Women of the Sun.

    Background

    In recent weeks, EP President Roberta Metsola focused on promoting stability and peace in the Middle East. She has had several meetings and telephone conversations with leaders from Israel, Palestine, the Arab countries and US representatives. She has held talks in Cairo with Egyptian President, met with King Abdullah II of Jordan, received the Palestinian Prime Minister in Brussels and spoke to the Israeli Foreign Minister as well as the Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

    The visit comes after heighted engagement by the President in supporting the ceasefire-hostage deal in Gaza and pushing for an increase in humanitarian efforts.

    In a resolution adopted on 18 January 2024, the European Parliament became the first European institution to formally call for the immediate release of all hostages, the dismantling of the terrorist organisation Hamas, the resumption of the two-state solution and the relaunch of the peace process.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and FBI Launch Online Portal to Enhance Department’s Capability to Bring International Antitrust Fugitives to Justice

    Source: United States Attorneys General 12

    Today, the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and the FBI jointly announced the launch of a new online portal for information on international fugitives who have been charged with antitrust offenses and other crimes affecting the competitive process. The Antitrust Division and FBI are committed to bringing individuals to court to face their charges, wherever they are located.

    “Individuals charged with anticompetitive crimes should understand that the DOJ Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will take all available steps to ensure that they answer the charges in court,” said Director of Criminal Enforcement Emma Burnham of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Defendants should understand that the charges will not go away, and the Antitrust Division urges them to contact us to discuss resolution of the charges.”

    “The FBI is focused on identifying, tracking and arresting fugitives across all our threats,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “By streamlining intelligence sharing and coordination, we are better equipped than ever to ensure no criminal can evade justice by hiding across borders.”

    The Antitrust Division works with the FBI and other law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute companies and individuals whose anticompetitive conduct harms American consumers and the American economy, wherever those companies and individuals are located. After bringing criminal charges, the Antitrust Division works actively with domestic and foreign authorities to locate international fugitives and secure their extradition to the United States. The Antitrust Division and the FBI welcome information from the public about the location of international fugitives.

    For more information on antitrust fugitives, go to the Antitrust Division’s Fugitive webpage. The FBI maintains a list of current antitrust fugitives whose charges are not under seal.

    To report potential antitrust crimes to the Antitrust Division, contact the Complaint Center. If your complaint relates to potential antitrust crimes affecting government procurement, grant, or program funding, contact the Procurement Collusion Strike Force Tip Center.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What we learned from Trump and Putin’s phone call – editor’s briefing

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor

    Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, spoke for much of the European diplomatic community when she reacted to news of Donald Trump’s phone chat with Vladimir Putin: “This is the way the Trump administration operates,” she declared. “This is not how others do foreign policy, but this is now the reality.”

    The resigned tone of Baerbock’s words was not matched by her colleague, defence minister Boris Pistorius, whose criticism that “the Trump administration has already made public concessions to Putin before negotiations have even begun” was rather more direct.

    Their sentiments were echoed, not only by European leaders, but in the US itself: “Putin Scores a Big Victory, and Not on the Battlefield” read a headline in the New York Times. The newspaper opined that Trump’s call had succeeded in bringing Putin back in from the cold after three years in which Russia had become increasingly isolated both politically and economically.

    This was not lost on the Russian media, where commentators boasted that the phone call “broke the west’s blockade”. The stock market gained 5% and the rouble strengthened against the dollar as a result.

    Reflecting on the call, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, continued with operation flatter Donald Trump by comparing his attitude favourably with that of his predecessor in the White House, Joe Biden. “The previous US administration held the view that everything needed to be done to keep the war going. The current administration, as far as we understand, adheres to the point of view that everything must be done to stop the war and for peace to prevail.

    “We are more impressed with the position of the current administration, and we are open to dialogue.”

    Trump’s conversation with Putin roughly coincided with a meeting of senior European defence officials in Brussels which heard the new US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, outline America’s radical new outlook when it comes to European security. Namely that it’s not really America’s problem any more.

    Hegseth also told the meeting in Brussels yesterday that the Trump administration’s position is that Nato membership for Ukraine has been taken off the table, that the idea it would get its 2014 borders back was unrealistic and that if Europe wanted to guarantee Ukraine’s security as part of any peace deal, that would be its business. Any peacekeeping force would not involve American troops and would not be a Nato operation, so it would not involve collective defence.

    Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

    International security expert David Dunn believes that the fact that Trump considers himself a consummate deal maker makes the fact that his administration is willing to concede so much ground before negotiations proper have even got underway is remarkable. And not in a good way.

    Dunn, who specialises in US foreign and security policy at the University of Birmingham, finds it significant that Trump spoke with Putin first and then called Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky to fill him in on the call. This order of priority, says Dunn, is a sign of the subordination of Ukraine’s role in the talks.

    He concludes that “for the present at least, it appears that negotiations will be less about pressuring Putin to bring a just end to the war he started than forcing Ukraine to give in to the Russian leader’s demands”.



    Read more:
    Trump phone call with Putin leaves Ukraine reeling and European leaders stunned

    Hegseth’s briefing to European defence officials, meanwhile, came as little surprise to David Galbreath. Writing here, Galbreath – who specialises in defence and security at the University of Bath – says the US pivot away from a focus on Europe has been years in the making – “since the very end of the cold war”.

    There has long been a feeling in Washington that the US has borne too much of the financial burden for European security. This is not just a Donald Trump thing, he believes, but an attitude percolating in US security circles for some decades. Once the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated, the focus for Nato become not so much collective defence as collective security, where “conflict would be managed on Nato’s borders”.

    But it was then the US which invoked article 5 of the Nato treaty, which establishes that “an armed attack against one or more [member states] in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all”. The Bush government invoked Article 5 the day after the 9/11 attacks and Nato responded by patrolling US skies to provide security.

    Pete Hegseth dashes Ukraine’s hopes of a future guaranteed by Nato.

    Galbreath notes that many European countries, particularly the newer ones such as Estonia and Latvia, sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. “The persistent justification I heard in the Baltic states was “we need to be there when the US needs us so that they will be there when we need them”.

    That looks set to change.



    Read more:
    US says European security no longer its primary focus – the shift has been years in the making

    The prospect of a profound shift in the world order are daunting after 80 years in which security – in Europe certainly – was guaranteed by successive US administrations and underpinned, not just by Nato but by a whole set of international agreements.

    Now, instead of the US acting as the “world’s policeman”, we have a president talking seriously about taking control of Greenland, one way or another, who won’t rule out using force to seize the Panama Canal and who dreams of turning Gaza into a coastal “riviera” development.

    Meanwhile Russia is engaged in a brutal war of conquest in Ukraine and is actively meddling in the affairs of several other countries. And in China, Xi Jinping regularly talks up the idea of reunifying with Taiwan, by force if necessary, and is fortifying islands in the South China Sea with a view to aggressively pursuing territorial claims there as well.

    And we thought the age of empires was in the rear view mirror, writes historian Eric Storm of Leiden University. Storm, whose speciality is the rise of nation states, has discerned a resurgence of imperial tendencies around the world and fears that the rules-based order that has dominated the decades since the second world war now appears increasingly tenuous.



    Read more:
    How Putin, Xi and now Trump are ushering in a new imperial age

    Gaza: the horror continues

    In any given week, you’d expect the imminent prospect of the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire to be the big international story. And certainly, while Trump and Putin were “flooding the zone” (see last week’s round-up for the origins of this phrase) the prospects of the deal lasting beyond its first phase have become more and more uncertain.

    Hamas has recently pulled back from its threat not to release any more hostages. Earlier in the week it threatened to call a halt to the hostage-prisoner exchange, claiming that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had breached the terms of the ceasefire deal. Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, responded – with Trump’s backing – saying that unless all hostages were released on Saturday, all bets were off and the IDF would resume its military operations in the Gaza Strip. Trump added that “all hell is going to break out”.

    The US president has also doubled down on his idea for a redeveloped Gaza and has continued to pressure Jordan and Egypt to accept millions of Palestinian refugees. This, as you would expect, has not made the population of Gaza feel any more secure.

    Nils Mallock and Jeremy Ginges, behavioural psychologists at the London School of Economics, were in the region last month and conducted a survey of Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza to get a feel for how the two populations regard each other. It makes for depressing reading.

    The number of Israelis who reject the idea of a two-state solution has risen sharply since the October 7 2023 attacks by Hamas, from 46% to 62%. And roughly the same proportion of people in Gaza can now no longer envisage living side by side with Israelis. Both sides think that the other side is motivated by hatred, something which is known to make any diplomatic solution less feasible.



    Read more:
    We interviewed hundreds of Israelis and Gazans – here’s why we fear for the ceasefire

    We also asked Scott Lucas, a Middle East specialist at University College Dublin, to assess the likelihood of the ceasefire lasting into phase two, which is when the IDF is supposed to pull out of Gaza, allowing the people there room to being to rebuild, both physically and in terms of governance.

    He responded with a hollow laugh and a shake of the head, before sending us this digest of the key developments in the Middle East crisis this week.



    Read more:
    Will the Gaza ceasefire hold? Where does Trump’s takeover proposal stand? Expert Q&A

    We’ve become very used to seeing apocalyptic photos of the devastation of Gaza: the pulverised streets, choked with rubble, that make the idea of rebuilding seem so remote. But the people of Gaza also cultivated a huge amount of crops – about half the food they ate was grown there. Gazan farmers grew tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and strawberries in open fields as well as cultivating olive and citrus trees.

    Geographers Lina Eklund, He Yin and Jamon Van Den Hoek have analysed satellite images across the Gaza Strip over the past 17 months to work out the scale of agricultural destruction. It makes for terrifying reading.



    Read more:
    Gaza: we analysed a year of satellite images to map the scale of agricultural destruction

    World Affairs Briefing from The Conversation UK is available as a weekly email newsletter. Click here to get our updates directly in your inbox.

    – ref. What we learned from Trump and Putin’s phone call – editor’s briefing – https://theconversation.com/what-we-learned-from-trump-and-putins-phone-call-editors-briefing-249902

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: African Union, Central African Republic, Yemen & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (13 February)

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

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

    Highlights:
    Secretary-General/African Union
    Central African Republic
    Security Council/Yemen
    Occupied Palestinian Territory
    Syria
    Democratic Republic of the Congo
    World Radio Day
    Financial Contribution

    SECRETARY-GENERAL/AFRICAN UNION
    The Secretary-General is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he will take part in the 38th African Union Summit. Today, he met with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, and he also met with our UN colleagues.
    Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will have a series of bilateral meetings with the leadership of the African Union Commission, as well as heads of State and Government from the continent. He is also scheduled to take part in meetings of the AU Peace and Security Council at the level of Heads of State and Government, on the situation in Sudan and on the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
    The Secretary-General will deliver remarks during the opening session of the African Union Summit on Saturday, and he is also scheduled to hold a press conference – at 3:00 pm, Addis time that day.

    CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
    In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the killing of a Tunisian peacekeeper of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) during the night of 11 February by an unidentified armed person near the village of Zobassinda.
    The Secretary-General recalls that attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. He calls on the Central African authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of this tragedy so that they can be brought to justice swiftly.
    Regarding the peacekeeper who was tragically killed in the Central African Republic on Tuesday, his name is Seifeddine Hamrita from Tunisia. Once again, the UN extends its deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all members of the peacekeeping mission.

    SECURITY COUNCIL/YEMEN
    This morning, our Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, briefed Security Council members on the situation in the country. He stated that the tentative reduction in hostilities, along with the release of the crew of the Motor Vessel Galaxy Leader, is a welcome relief, and we must build on this opportunity as a foundation for further de-escalation.
    Mr. Grundberg said that over the past month, he continued his active engagement with all regional and international actors. His message to all remains that only a political settlement of the conflict will support the Yemenis in their aspirations for lasting peace.
    For his part, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, says that almost 20 million Yemenis are in dire need of our support, right now. He asked the Council to back us to return UN operations to full capacity and give us the money to deliver for those we serve. The UN reiterates its calls for the immediate and unconditional release of those arbitrarily detained by the Houthi de facto authorities.

    Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/ossg/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=13%20February%202025

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE67HvbF8yo

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Resilience, Adaptation to Climate Change Must Be at Centre of Decolonization Talks, Secretary-General Says, as Special Committee Begins Annual Session

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Decolonization is not the end of a journey, but the first step on a new path, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said today as the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples began its 2025 Session.

    Opening the session, Mr. Guterres — speaking via a message delivered by Courtney Rattray, his Chef de Cabinet — pointed out that even after achieving decolonization, countries still need to grapple with the legacies of being oppressed, which range from chronic institutional underinvestment to profound imbalances and discrimination.  He also recalled how liberation movements in Portuguese colonies transformed societies, adding that decolonization has been one of the defining causes of his own political journey.

    The path to decolonization requires collaboration between Non-Self-Governing Territories, administering Powers and Member States, he said, calling for more dialogue and constructive discussions.  “Resilience and adaption need to be at the heart” of these discussions, he said, because most Non-Self-Governing Territories are small islands at the front line of the climate crisis.

    Menissa Rambally (Saint Lucia), who was re-elected as Chair for this session, noted that 2025 marks the midpoint of the fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism. “Let us move forward with determination and unity, inspired by the resilience and aspirations of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories,” she said.  Recalling the Special Committee’s visiting mission to the British Virgin Islands in August 2024, she thanked the United Kingdom and the Government and people of the British Virgin Islands for their cooperation.

    Timor-Leste to Host Regional Seminar

    She also thanked the Government and people of Timor-Leste for their willingness to host this year’s regional seminar.  The Committee then approved the Government of that country as host of the 2025 Pacific regional seminar from 21 to 23 May in Dili, while noting that the seminar is traditionally held to coincide with the annual observance of the Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories — 25 to 31 May.

    The Special Committee also heard from the representative of Timor-Leste, who said he was “deeply honoured by the trust” vested in his country.  It not merely an honour, but a responsibility, as well, he said, welcoming it as a recognition of his nation’s resilience.  “We stand ready to provide a nurturing and inspiring environment for dialogue, reflection and strategic planning,” he said, noting that preparations are underway.  Noting that wisdom and patience are needed for transformative change, he looked forward to the day when decolonization is not just a goal but a lived reality.

    Report of Visiting Mission to British Virgin Islands

    The Chair then introduced the report of the visiting mission to the British Virgin Islands (document A/AC.109/2025/20), noting that it was held from 26 to 27 August 2024, and included meetings with a broad range of civil society representatives.  Highlighting the “exceptional dialogue” with territorial Government, the people of the Territory and the administering Power, she said that the mission identified a need for improved education on decolonization so that the people can make informed decisions about their future.  The mission also noted a growing consensus to advance the decolonization process, she said, adding that the United Kingdom and United Nations remain essential to facilitating this.

    The representative of Antigua and Barbuda also recalled the visiting mission and described it as “a major step in giving a voice to the islanders”.  Highlighting the relationship between the British Virgin Islands and his country, as well as the wider Caribbean community, he noted that the mission met with a wide cross-section of the Islands’ population.  Many people expressed the need for developing self-Government arrangements and shared openly about the process that would be required.  “They are aware of the challenge ahead” and they know what they need, he said, stressing the need for continued engagement between the British Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom.

    The representatives of Papua New Guinea and Iraq welcomed the recommendations in the report of the visiting mission, while Saint Lucia’s delegate noted the role of education in promoting self-determination.

    Committee Members Reaffirm Commitment to Decolonization

    Committee members, including the representatives of Syria, Bolivia, India and Sierra Leone, also took the opportunity to reaffirm commitment to decolonization.  The representative of Indonesia, recalling the Bandung Conference of 1955, held in his country, underscored the need to avoid a “one-size-fits-all approach”.

    Cuba’s delegate expressed support for self-determination for “the brotherly people of Puerto Rico”.  Though colonialism was abolished practically everywhere in the second half of the twentieth century, it prevails in new modes, he pointed out.  Nicaragua’s delegate called for more extensive participation from Non-Self-Governing Territories in the regional seminars.

    Fiji’s delegate said the prime consideration in self-determination is the will of the people.  “If we look at recent history, in the last 65 years,” he said, it is clear that it is more important to enable Non-Self-Governing Territories to be self-governing “and then we help them”.  The process of helping them meet the conditions for self-determination is not going to work, he cautioned, stressing that the process should be driven by “the determination of the human beings involved.”

    Committee Elects Bureau and Approve Work Programme

    Also today, the Special Committee elected its Bureau by acclamation, electing Ernesto Soberón Guzmán (Cuba), Hari Prabowo (Indonesia) and Michael Imran Kanu (Sierra Leone) as Vice-Chairs.  Koussay Aldahhak (Syria) was re-elected as Rapporteur.

    Members also approved their “Organization of work: relevant resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly” (document A/AC.109/2025/L.1) and tentative work programme and timetable (document A/AC.109/2025/L.2), as orally revised.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Cooperation via Eurojust leads to over thousand years of imprisonment for drug traffickers in Denmark and Norway

    Source: Eurojust

    Commenting on the outcome of the evaluation of the cooperation, Representative of Denmark at Eurojust, Ms Kirstine Troldborg, and Liaison Prosecutor for Norway, Mr Rudolf Christoffersen jointly, said: This really shows the importance of long-term judicial cooperation across borders between national authorities. Only by closely working together via Eurojust, we can really tackle major criminal networks and get justice done. The support of the Agency to our joint investigation team has been instrumental in getting these impressive results.

    Investigations at national level in both countries showed that a well-structured organised crime group (OCG) trafficked large quantities of different kinds of illicit drugs to Denmark and Norway from Morocco via Spain. In order to tackle the OCG at large, judicial authorities in Denmark and Norway decided to set up a dedicated JIT in 2019, with financial, logistical and operational support from Eurojust.

    Over the five-year period, this not only resulted in the total of 1 037 years of prison sentences being imposed, but also in the seizure of over 9 600 kilos of cannabis, around 675 kilos of cocaine, 355 kilos of amphetamine, 77 kilos of synthetic drugs and 41 kilos of heroin across the two countries.

    Also, both in Denmark and Norway, various firearms, several apartments and other real estate, a vehicle, a boat, a motorbike and luxury watches, as well as cash and cryptocurrencies, were seized, with a total estimated value of EUR 15.6 million.

    The following authorities were involved in the coordination of the operations against the OCG in both countries:

    • Denmark: National Special Crime Unit; Attached Prosecution Service to National Special Crime Unit
    • Norway: Norwegian National Criminal Investigation Service

    In view of Protocol 22 of the Lisbon Treaty of 2009, the EU legislation in the area of freedom, security and justice does not apply to Denmark. Since the entry into force of the Eurojust Regulation in December 2019, Denmark no longer has a National Member at Eurojust, but a Representative. Norway is one of twelve countries* with a Liaison Prosecutor at Eurojust that can open requests for judicial cooperation to authorities in EU Member States and vice versa, via Eurojust.

    *The other countries with Liaison Prosecutors at Eurojust are: Albania, Georgia, Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What we learned from Trump and Putin’s phone call

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor

    Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, spoke for much of the European diplomatic community when she reacted to news of Donald Trump’s phone chat with Vladimir Putin: “This is the way the Trump administration operates,” she declared. “This is not how others do foreign policy, but this is now the reality.”

    The resigned tone of Baerbock’s words was not matched by her colleague, defence minister Boris Pistorius, whose criticism that “the Trump administration has already made public concessions to Putin before negotiations have even begun” was rather more direct.

    Their sentiments were echoed, not only by European leaders, but in the US itself: “Putin Scores a Big Victory, and Not on the Battlefield” read a headline in the New York Times. The newspaper opined that Trump’s call had succeeded in bringing Putin back in from the cold after three years in which Russia had become increasingly isolated both politically and economically.

    This was not lost on the Russian media, where commentators boasted that the phone call “broke the west’s blockade”. The stock market gained 5% and the rouble strengthened against the dollar as a result.

    Reflecting on the call, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, continued with operation flatter Donald Trump by comparing his attitude favourably with that of his predecessor in the White House, Joe Biden. “The previous US administration held the view that everything needed to be done to keep the war going. The current administration, as far as we understand, adheres to the point of view that everything must be done to stop the war and for peace to prevail.

    “We are more impressed with the position of the current administration, and we are open to dialogue.”

    Trump’s conversation with Putin roughly coincided with a meeting of senior European defence officials in Brussels which heard the new US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, outline America’s radical new outlook when it comes to European security. Namely that it’s not really America’s problem any more.

    Hegseth also told the meeting in Brussels yesterday that the Trump administration’s position is that Nato membership for Ukraine has been taken off the table, that the idea it would get its 2014 borders back was unrealistic and that if Europe wanted to guarantee Ukraine’s security as part of any peace deal, that would be its business. Any peacekeeping force would not involve American troops and would not be a Nato operation, so it would not involve collective defence.

    Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

    International security expert David Dunn believes that the fact that Trump considers himself a consummate deal maker makes the fact that his administration is willing to concede so much ground before negotiations proper have even got underway is remarkable. And not in a good way.

    Dunn, who specialises in US foreign and security policy at the University of Birmingham, finds it significant that Trump spoke with Putin first and then called Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky to fill him in on the call. This order of priority, says Dunn, is a sign of the subordination of Ukraine’s role in the talks.

    He concludes that “for the present at least, it appears that negotiations will be less about pressuring Putin to bring a just end to the war he started than forcing Ukraine to give in to the Russian leader’s demands”.



    Read more:
    Trump phone call with Putin leaves Ukraine reeling and European leaders stunned

    Hegseth’s briefing to European defence officials, meanwhile, came as little surprise to David Galbreath. Writing here, Galbreath – who specialises in defence and security at the University of Bath – says the US pivot away from a focus on Europe has been years in the making – “since the very end of the cold war”.

    There has long been a feeling in Washington that the US has borne too much of the financial burden for European security. This is not just a Donald Trump thing, he believes, but an attitude percolating in US security circles for some decades. Once the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated, the focus for Nato become not so much collective defence as collective security, where “conflict would be managed on Nato’s borders”.

    But it was then the US which invoked article 5 of the Nato treaty, which establishes that “an armed attack against one or more [member states] in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all”. The Bush government invoked Article 5 the day after the 9/11 attacks and Nato responded by patrolling US skies to provide security.

    Pete Hegseth dashes Ukraine’s hopes of a future guaranteed by Nato.

    Galbreath notes that many European countries, particularly the newer ones such as Estonia and Latvia, sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. “The persistent justification I heard in the Baltic states was “we need to be there when the US needs us so that they will be there when we need them”.

    That looks set to change.



    Read more:
    US says European security no longer its primary focus – the shift has been years in the making

    The prospect of a profound shift in the world order are daunting after 80 years in which security – in Europe certainly – was guaranteed by successive US administrations and underpinned, not just by Nato but by a whole set of international agreements.

    Now, instead of the US acting as the “world’s policeman”, we have a president talking seriously about taking control of Greenland, one way or another, who won’t rule out using force to seize the Panama Canal and who dreams of turning Gaza into a coastal “riviera” development.

    Meanwhile Russia is engaged in a brutal war of conquest in Ukraine and is actively meddling in the affairs of several other countries. And in China, Xi Jinping regularly talks up the idea of reunifying with Taiwan, by force if necessary, and is fortifying islands in the South China Sea with a view to aggressively pursuing territorial claims there as well.

    And we thought the age of empires was in the rear view mirror, writes historian Eric Storm of Leiden University. Storm, whose speciality is the rise of nation states, has discerned a resurgence of imperial tendencies around the world and fears that the rules-based order that has dominated the decades since the second world war now appears increasingly tenuous.



    Read more:
    How Putin, Xi and now Trump are ushering in a new imperial age

    Gaza: the horror continues

    In any given week, you’d expect the imminent prospect of the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire to be the big international story. And certainly, while Trump and Putin were “flooding the zone” (see last week’s round-up for the origins of this phrase) the prospects of the deal lasting beyond its first phase have become more and more uncertain.

    Hamas has recently pulled back from its threat not to release any more hostages. Earlier in the week it threatened to call a halt to the hostage-prisoner exchange, claiming that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had breached the terms of the ceasefire deal. Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, responded – with Trump’s backing – saying that unless all hostages were released on Saturday, all bets were off and the IDF would resume its military operations in the Gaza Strip. Trump added that “all hell is going to break out”.

    The US president has also doubled down on his idea for a redeveloped Gaza and has continued to pressure Jordan and Egypt to accept millions of Palestinian refugees. This, as you would expect, has not made the population of Gaza feel any more secure.

    Nils Mallock and Jeremy Ginges, behavioural psychologists at the London School of Economics, were in the region last month and conducted a survey of Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza to get a feel for how the two populations regard each other. It makes for depressing reading.

    The number of Israelis who reject the idea of a two-state solution has risen sharply since the October 7 2023 attacks by Hamas, from 46% to 62%. And roughly the same proportion of people in Gaza can now no longer envisage living side by side with Israelis. Both sides think that the other side is motivated by hatred, something which is known to make any diplomatic solution less feasible.



    Read more:
    We interviewed hundreds of Israelis and Gazans – here’s why we fear for the ceasefire

    We also asked Scott Lucas, a Middle East specialist at University College Dublin, to assess the likelihood of the ceasefire lasting into phase two, which is when the IDF is supposed to pull out of Gaza, allowing the people there room to being to rebuild, both physically and in terms of governance.

    He responded with a hollow laugh and a shake of the head, before sending us this digest of the key developments in the Middle East crisis this week.



    Read more:
    Will the Gaza ceasefire hold? Where does Trump’s takeover proposal stand? Expert Q&A

    We’ve become very used to seeing apocalyptic photos of the devastation of Gaza: the pulverised streets, choked with rubble, that make the idea of rebuilding seem so remote. But the people of Gaza also cultivated a huge amount of crops – about half the food they ate was grown there. Gazan farmers grew tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and strawberries in open fields as well as cultivating olive and citrus trees.

    Geographers Lina Eklund, He Yin and Jamon Van Den Hoek have analysed satellite images across the Gaza Strip over the past 17 months to work out the scale of agricultural destruction. It makes for terrifying reading.



    Read more:
    Gaza: we analysed a year of satellite images to map the scale of agricultural destruction

    World Affairs Briefing from The Conversation UK is available as a weekly email newsletter. Click here to get our updates directly in your inbox.

    – ref. What we learned from Trump and Putin’s phone call – https://theconversation.com/what-we-learned-from-trump-and-putins-phone-call-249902

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: USS Harry S. Truman Involved in Collision at Sea

    Source: United States Navy

    MEDITERRANEAN SEA  –  The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M at approximately 11:46 p.m. local time, Feb. 12, while operating in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt, in the Mediterranean Sea.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Saudi Export-Import Bank (Saudi EXIM) and The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation Sign an Implementation Agreement for $5 Million Line of Financing in Favor of Alizz Islamic Bank in Oman

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

    MUSCAT, Oman, February 13, 2025/APO Group/ —

    Saudi Export-Import Bank (Saudi EXIM) and The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) (www.ITFC-IDB.org) have signed an Implementation Agreement for $5 million line of financing in favor of Alizz Islamic Bank in the Sultanate of Oman, under the “KSA SMEs Export Empowerment Program”.

    The agreement aims to enhance the access of Saudi non-oil exports to Omani markets, promote export opportunities for the SMEs sector in the Kingdom, and attract Omani importers. 

    The agreement was signed by the Director of the Financial Institutions Department at Saudi EXIM Bank Mr. Mohammed Alabdulmuhsen, and the General Manager of the Treasury Department Mr. Ahmed M. Yousef Jan from The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation. The signing ceremony took place at Alizz Islamic Bank’s headquarters in the Sultanate of Oman.

    “KSA SMEs Export Empowerment Program” is committed to elevate the competitiveness of the Saudi non-oil exports globally, as Saudi EXIM and ITFC continues to provide credit facilities to targeted financial institutions in targeted countries.

    This collaboration marks a significant step towards enhancing international trade and increasing the contribution of SMEs to the Gross Domestic Product, aligning with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which represents one of the objectives of the “KSA SMEs Export Empowerment Program”. It also represents a crucial milestone in enabling Saudi exports and expand their global reach.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: DR Congo: Shortage of humanitarian routes threatens aid operation, top UN official warns

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Peace and Security

    As M23 rebels continue to gain ground in South Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (RDC), the country’s top UN humanitarian official has told UN News that increasing “complexity and needs” are fuelling a crisis which had already left more than a million people displaced before the latest surge in fighting.

    “The frontline is getting closer to Kavumu Airport,” warned Bruno Lemarquis on Wednesday.

    Following the fall of regional capital Goma, in North Kivu, at the end of January, the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group is now making headway against Congelese Government forces towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu.

    Kalehe, a major city in the province, fell around midday on Wednesday local time, the Humanitarian Coordinator reported. The city is only 20 miles away from Kavumu, which is home to the province’s main airport.

    The commercial airfield – a 20 mile drive from Bukavu – is mainly being used for military operations by Kinshasa’s beleaguered regular forces.

    “Until recently, it was our main lifeline for bringing personnel to South Kivu,” said Mr. Lemarquis.

    But as with the Goma airport, which remains non-operational, that window has now closed.

    A historically dire situation

    Before the M23’s latest offensive at the beginning of the year, Mr. Lemarquis recalled that the humanitarian situation in South Kivu was already dire.

    Roughly 1.65 million people, or just over 20 per cent of the province’s population, had been displaced for a wide range of reasons.

    “There are other conflicts in the province, community tensions, tensions related to land,” he explained.

    South Kivu is also prone to natural disasters, including landslides on the shores of Lake Kivu, which are responsible for many displacements.

    “So, we had a major humanitarian operation running in South Kivu,” said Mr. Lemarquis.

    The recent advances of the M23 rebels, whose incursion in South Kivu is the first since the withdrawal of the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) from the province in June 2024, are compounding historic problems.

    “This will only add complexity and needs,” the Human Coordinator said.

    United Nations

    Children gather in Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    At least 170,000 new displacements

    Mr. Lemarquis estimated that the recent clashes in the province had displaced at least 170,000, a figure that does not include estimates for the past two weeks.

    The Humanitarian Coordinator also noted an influx of people moving towards Bukavu, where nearly 1.3 million people already reside.

    “Depending on how the situation evolves, in the coming days, we can imagine that there will be an even larger influx of population towards the city of Bukavu, then out of the city, towards the South,” he explained.

    Such an outcome, he added, would hinder vulnerable people’ access to health and social services.

    Risks of epidemics

    Mr. Lemarquis also voiced concern over the spread of infectious diseases as fighting continues in South Kivu, a province rife with cholera.

    “When essential services are impaired, this can lead to epidemic outbreaks,” he warned.

    This is especially worrisome, he added, because the province is currently the global epicentre of a new mpox strain, known as clade 1b, which is particularly prevalent around Kalehe, the city now controlled by M23.

    UNICEF/Jospin Benekire

    A mother holds her young child after having visited a UN-supported medical clinic at an IDP camp in North Kivu.

    No humanitarian access to the South

    On a positive note, the Humanitarian Coordinator said that the road from Goma to Minova, the first South Kivu town conquered by the M23 in mid-January, is no longer closed.

    “There were a few rather difficult days for our humanitarian colleagues because of the fighting,” he acknowledged. “But now access has been restored.”

    Further South in the province, however, humanitarian access has been cut off.

    “For quite some time, the road between Goma and Bukavu has not been accessible,” he said.

    Alternative pathways, including via Lake Kivu, which borders the province and connects Goma in the north to Bukavu in the south, have also been cut off.

    “There aren’t many alternative routes, the airport being the main access route,” he acknowledged.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Founder of Purported Artificial Intelligence-Driven Hedge Fund Pleads Guilty to Investment Adviser Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant Targeted Egyptian-American Coptic Christians and Spent Victims’ Funds on Luxury Goods and Expensive Meals

    Earlier today, Mina Tadrus pled guilty at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York to committing investment adviser fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud investors in Tadrus Capital LLC, a hedge fund Tadrus founded and operated, of more than $5 million.  Today’s proceeding took place before United States District Judge Hector Gonzalez.  When sentenced, Tadrus faces up to five years in prison.    Tadrus was charged in September 2023.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) and Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York Field Office (IRS-CI), announced the guilty plea.

    “The defendant preyed on the Egyptian-American Coptic Christian community by falsely promising that his purported artificial intelligence-driven hedge fund would earn guaranteed annual returns of 30% or more, and taking advantage of their trust for his own personal gain,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “This Office has prioritized protecting and seeking justice for individual investors in our District and beyond.”

    Mr. Durham expressed his appreciation to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s New York Regional Office for its assistance in this matter.

    “The only thing more artificial than Tadrus’ AI-driven hedge fund was his sincerity.  He sold a dream to trusting investors and instead of turning their money into profit, he swindled it for his own luxuries.  Today’s plea and forfeiture agreements are just a small step forward for his victims to receive genuine justice,” said Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of IRS-CI New York.

    According to court filings and facts presented during the plea proceeding, Tadrus marketed interests in Tadrus Capital LLC to investors based on false promises that he would employ artificial intelligence-driven trading strategies that would earn them guaranteed annual returns of 30% or more.

    In reality, however, Tadrus did not use investor funds to engage in artificial intelligence-based trading as promised, nor did he engage in any trading activity. Instead, he used investor funds to pay employees, to purchase luxury gifts and expensive meals for himself, and to make Ponzi scheme-like payments to new victim investors.

    If you were a Tadrus Capital LLC client and would like to file a complaint, please visit www.iC3.gov.  Please reference “Tadrus Capital” or “Mina Tadrus” in your complaint.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorney John O. Enright and Special Agent Martin Sullivan are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Sarah Burn.

    The Defendant:

    MINA TADRUS
    Age: 38
    Tampa, Florida

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-393 (HG)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The heart is a symbol of love – things weren’t always like that

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michelle Spear, Professor of Anatomy, University of Bristol

    Valentine’s Day is all about the hearts: heart-shaped chocolates, cards, balloons and even pizza. But the heart hasn’t always just been a symbol of romance.

    Across cultures and centuries, the heart has been revered as the seat of the soul, a source of supernatural power and a vessel of identity. From ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs to medieval relics, from necromantic rituals to modern heart transplants, this organ has been at the centre of both scientific curiosity and deep-seated mysticism.

    Why has the heart, more than any other organ, been imbued with such deep symbolism and power? While anatomy tells us it is a muscular pump controlled by electrical impulses, history tells a more complex story – one of rituals, relics and even dark magic.

    The human heart is a remarkably efficient pump, beating about 100,000 times a day and circulating about 7,500 litres of blood. It is driven by the sinoatrial node, a cluster of pacemaker cells that spontaneously generate electrical impulses independently of the brain.

    As this intrinsic electrical system does not rely on direct nervous input but is influenced by it, the heart can continue beating for a short while even when removed from the body – provided it has an adequate supply of oxygen and electrolytes. This uncanny quality only reinforced superstitions that the heart was more than just a muscle and may explain why many early cultures viewed the heart as possessing a life force of its own.

    But to present the heart as merely a pump ignores wider influences. The heart functions as an endocrine organ, releasing hormones that regulate blood pressure, fluid balance and cardiovascular health.

    The connection between the heart and “love hormones”, such as oxytocin, extends beyond metaphor, as research suggests the heart not only responds to oxytocin but may also play a role in its release.

    Oxytocin is primarily produced in the brain by the hypothalamus and released from the pituitary gland, flooding the body during moments of affection, trust and bonding. It is the chemical catalyst behind the deep emotional connections that define human relationships.

    The heart is equipped with oxytocin receptors, and studies show that the hormone promotes vasodilation (widening of the blood vessels), reducing blood pressure and improving circulation. Beyond this, oxytocin may protect the heart, helping it repair itself and reducing inflammation after injury, such as during a heart attack.

    However, the heart’s function was not always understood. The ancient Greeks believed it was the seat of intelligence, while Aristotle dismissed the brain as a mere “cooling fluid” for the heart’s divine fire.

    Galen, a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher who lived during Roman times, described the heart as the body’s furnace, while William Harvey’s 1628 discovery of circulation reshaped our understanding of this important organ. Even so, its symbolic and mystical significance never fully waned.

    The seat of the soul

    The ancient Egyptians preserved the heart during mummification, believing it would be weighed by Anubis against the Feather of Truth, the divine measure of justice. Ironically, the brain was discarded as totally useless. An excerpt from the Book of the Dead, an ancient Egyptian funerary text, reads:

    O my heart which I had from my mother! which I had from my mother! O my heart of my different ages! Don’t stand up as a witness against me. Do not be opposed to me in the tribunal.

    This spell is intended to pacify the heart and assert dominion, ensuring it remains loyal when weighed.

    The idea that the heart carried more than just blood persisted into the Renaissance, with scholars debating whether it was the true locus of identity.

    “If indeed from the heart alone rise anger or passion, fear, terror, and sadness; if from it alone spring shame, delight, and joy, why should I say more?” Andreas de Laguna, a Spanish physician wrote in 1535.

    Even today, heart transplants fuel questions about whether a transplanted heart carries something of its donor. Some recipients report changes in personality, memories or food preferences, raising speculation about cellular memory. While no definitive scientific basis exists, such cases continue to intrigue.

    Heart of darkness

    The heart’s power was not only revered, but feared. In folk magic and necromancy, people believed that the hearts of executed criminals retained energy from their violent deaths. Some thought consuming, burning or preserving a heart could grant knowledge or strength.

    In Scotland and England, people reportedly boiled the hearts of murderers to prevent their ghosts from haunting the living. Dried hearts were sometimes ground into powders for potions, while in occult traditions, they were burned in rituals to banish spirits or bind enemies.

    More disturbing are accounts of unbaptised infants’ hearts in witchcraft traditions. Some sources claim they were used in hexes, flying ointments or dark pacts. While probably exaggerated during witch trials, such stories reflect a deep-rooted belief in the heart as a conduit of power.

    The heart has been a vessel of the soul, a source of magic and a point of conflict between science and superstition. While modern medicine has demystified much of its function, its symbolism remains deeply ingrained in human culture.

    This Valentine’s Day, as we exchange stylised hearts in celebration of love, we might pause to remember that the power of the heart has been a symbol of life, death and everything in between for millennia.

    Michelle Spear 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. The heart is a symbol of love – things weren’t always like that – https://theconversation.com/the-heart-is-a-symbol-of-love-things-werent-always-like-that-249211

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UNICEF sounds alarm over child crisis in eastern DR Congo

    Source: United Nations 2

    By Vibhu Mishra

    Peace and Security

    The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday issued a stark warning over escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where hundreds of civilians have been killed and tens of thousands displaced as M23 rebels continue to attack and seize control of towns and villages.

    Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, expressed deep concern over the devastating impact on children and families.

    “In North and South Kivu provinces, we are receiving horrific reports of grave violations against children by parties to the conflict, including rape and other forms of sexual violence at levels surpassing anything we have seen in recent years,” she said.

    The crisis is spreading beyond the Kivus. In Ituri province, at least 28 children were among 52 people killed in a brutal attack in Djugu territory on Monday, according to international NGO Save the Children.

    The attackers reportedly used machetes, guns, and fire, targeting families, including many women and children. Homes were burned to the ground with some trapped inside.

    Rape cases multiply

    With violence intensifying, UNICEF warns that child recruitment, abduction, and sexual violence is rapidly increasing.

    During the week of 27 January to 2 February, when the Rwanda-backed M23 group captured the regional capital Goma, the number of rape cases treated at 42 UNICEF-supported health centres surged five-fold in just one week. Children accounted for 30 percent of those receiving treatment.

    “The true figures are likely much higher because so many survivors are reluctant to come forward. Our partners are running out of the drugs used to reduce the risk of HIV infection after a sexual assault,” Ms. Russell said.

    At the same time, children are increasingly being separated from their families, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. In just two weeks, over 1,100 unaccompanied children were identified in North and South Kivu, with numbers continuing to rise.

    Recruitment by armed groups

    Even before the latest escalation, child recruitment into armed groups was a major concern. A UN report last year documented at least 4,006 cases of children recruited or used by armed groups.

    “Now, with parties to the conflict calling for the mobilization of young fighters, recruitment rates will likely accelerate,” Ms. Russell warned, citing reports that children as young as 12 were being recruited or coerced into joining armed groups.

    “Parties to the conflict must immediately cease and prevent grave rights violations against children. They must also take concrete measures to protect civilians and infrastructure critical to their survival – in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law,” she urged.

    © UNICEF/Jospin Benekire

    A tent serves as a reception area for displaced families at a hospital near Goma, North Kivu.

    Toll on pregnant women

    The violence is also exacting a terrible toll on pregnant women, many of whom have been forced to flee multiple times, seeking refuge in overcrowded displacement camps with little access to medical care, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned.

    Some women are going into labour while fleeing bombardments or forced to deliver babies in makeshift shelters without medical care.

    Even before the current crisis, maternal health care in DRC was severely limited, with the country already among those with the highest maternal mortality rates globally.

    Now, only a third of hospitals and one in five health centres remain functional, leaving UNFPA’s mobile clinics as the only lifeline for many expectant mothers, the UN agency said.

    Critical care at risk

    Of the estimated 220,000 pregnant women in North and South Kivu, over 12,000 are currently displaced with no assured medical care. More than 88,000 women and girls are at risk of gender-based violence, while unintended pregnancies are expected to rise due to the collapse of health services.

    UNFPA is operating eight mobile health clinics in the region, staffed by 27 midwives providing critical maternal and reproductive health services. Despite the challenges, these teams are ensuring safe deliveries, prenatal care, and family planning support for over 8,000 people.

    “UNFPA remains in North Kivu, working alongside the government and humanitarian partners to ensure women and girls receive life-saving care, but the needs are growing faster than resources can keep up,” the agency said.

    “There are thousands of other women bracing for childbirth in tents, under bombardment, unsure if they or their babies will survive the night.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Readout of the Secretary-General’s meeting with H.E. Mr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

    Source: United Nations MIL-OSI 2

    he Secretary-General met with H.E. Mr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

    The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister discussed the security situation in the region including support for peace efforts in the Sudan and in Somalia.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Two Estonian Nationals Plead Guilty in $577M Cryptocurrency Fraud Scheme

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    Scheme Victimized Hundreds of Thousands of People in United States and Abroad 

    Two Estonian nationals pleaded guilty yesterday for their operation of a massive, multi-faceted cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that victimized hundreds of thousands of people from across the world, including in the United States. As part of the defendants’ guilty pleas, they agreed to forfeit assets valued over $400 million obtained during the conspiracy.

    According to court documents, Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turõgin, both 40, sold contracts to customers entitling them to a share of cryptocurrency mined by the defendants’ purported cryptocurrency mining service, HashFlare. Cryptocurrency mining is the process of using computers to generate cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, for profit.

    Between 2015 and 2019, Hashflare’s sales totaled more than $577 million, but HashFlare did not possess the requisite computing capacity to perform the vast majority of the mining the defendants told HashFlare customers it performed. HashFlare’s web-based dashboard, which purported to show customers their mining profits, instead reflected falsified data. Potapenko and Turõgin used the proceeds of the fraud conspiracy to purchase real estate and luxury vehicles and maintained investment and cryptocurrency accounts. Potapenko and Turõgin have agreed to forfeit assets worth, as of the date of the plea, more than $400 million. The forfeited assets will be available for a remission process to compensate victims of the crime. Details about the remission process will be announced at a later date.

    Potapenko and Turõgin each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They are scheduled to be sentenced on May 8 and each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The Justice Department thanks the Cybercrime Bureau of the Estonian Police and Border Guard for its support with this investigation. The Estonian Prosecutor General and Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs provided substantial assistance with the extradition. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided extensive assistance to the investigation and the extradition of the defendants.

    Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington, Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington of the FBI Seattle Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Seattle Field Office investigated the case.

    Trial Attorneys Adrienne E. Rosen and David Ginensky of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Friedman and Sok Jiang for the Western District of Washington are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jehiel Baer for the Western District of Washington is handling asset forfeiture aspects of the case.

    Individuals who believe they may have been a victim in this case should visit www.fbi.gov/hashflare.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Estonian Nationals Plead Guilty in $577M Cryptocurrency Fraud Scheme

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Scheme Victimized Hundreds of Thousands of People in United States and Abroad 

    Two Estonian nationals pleaded guilty yesterday for their operation of a massive, multi-faceted cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that victimized hundreds of thousands of people from across the world, including in the United States. As part of the defendants’ guilty pleas, they agreed to forfeit assets valued over $400 million obtained during the conspiracy.

    According to court documents, Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turõgin, both 40, sold contracts to customers entitling them to a share of cryptocurrency mined by the defendants’ purported cryptocurrency mining service, HashFlare. Cryptocurrency mining is the process of using computers to generate cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, for profit.

    Between 2015 and 2019, Hashflare’s sales totaled more than $577 million, but HashFlare did not possess the requisite computing capacity to perform the vast majority of the mining the defendants told HashFlare customers it performed. HashFlare’s web-based dashboard, which purported to show customers their mining profits, instead reflected falsified data. Potapenko and Turõgin used the proceeds of the fraud conspiracy to purchase real estate and luxury vehicles and maintained investment and cryptocurrency accounts. Potapenko and Turõgin have agreed to forfeit assets worth, as of the date of the plea, more than $400 million. The forfeited assets will be available for a remission process to compensate victims of the crime. Details about the remission process will be announced at a later date.

    Potapenko and Turõgin each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They are scheduled to be sentenced on May 8 and each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The Justice Department thanks the Cybercrime Bureau of the Estonian Police and Border Guard for its support with this investigation. The Estonian Prosecutor General and Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs provided substantial assistance with the extradition. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided extensive assistance to the investigation and the extradition of the defendants.

    Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington, Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington of the FBI Seattle Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Seattle Field Office investigated the case.

    Trial Attorneys Adrienne E. Rosen and David Ginensky of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Friedman and Sok Jiang for the Western District of Washington are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jehiel Baer for the Western District of Washington is handling asset forfeiture aspects of the case.

    Individuals who believe they may have been a victim in this case should visit www.fbi.gov/hashflare.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Video: President Ramaphosa officiates repartition & memorial service for SANDF troops killed in Eastern DRC

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

    President Cyril Ramaphosa as Commander-in-Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) officiates the handover of the mortal remains of SANDF members who lost their lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to the families who have lost loved ones.

    President Ramaphosa pays his respects to the families of the departed soldiers alongside Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga and Chief of the SANDF General Rudzani Maphwanya at the Air Force Base Swartkops. #GovZAUpdates #RIPSASoldiers

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pRnkk3CZxQ

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Repartriation and Memorial Service of 14 SANDF members from DRC

    Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)

    Repartriation and Memorial Service of 14 SANDF members from DRC

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2V_AOlVgEc

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: WFP and the EU Empower Zambia’s Disaster Response with Cutting-Edge Drone Technology

    Source: World Food Programme

    Lusaka—The World Food Programme (WFP), with funding from the European Union (EU), has donated three Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs, also known as drones) to Zambia’s Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DDMU). This contribution will help the Government to more effectively respond to climate disasters.

    Zambia is increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather, with recurring droughts and floods devastating livelihoods and driving disaster response costs even higher. These drones will enable rapid assessments, damage monitoring, and better emergency planning, improving the country’s ability to respond to crises. 

    “Drones are a game-changer for disaster management, allowing for accurate mapping, modelling, and faster decision-making”, said Cissy Kabasuuga, WFP Zambia Country Representative. “With this donation, we are helping Zambia adopt a digital approach to disaster response – one that enhances efficiency and saves lives.”

    Equipped with advanced aerial surveillance and infrared cameras, the drones can detect damage that is invisible to the human eye, supporting search and rescue missions. They will empower the DMMU to conduct rapid assessments, monitor damage caused by floods, storms, and droughts, map affected areas and strengthen emergency response efforts.

    The European Union, through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) department, has been instrumental in making this possible, recognizing and investing in the power of technology to improve disaster preparedness and response in Zambia. 

    About WFP

    The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies, building prosperity and supporting a sustainable future for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

    Follow us on X @wfp_media @WFP_Zambia, @wfp_southernafrica.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Islamic Development Bank, WFP launch ‘nutritious start’ financing initiative to boost funding for child nutrition and school meals

    Source: World Food Programme

    ROME – The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) today launched an innovative financing initiative to boost funds available for governments to combat child malnutrition and expand school meals programmes.

    The ‘Nutritious Start’: Human Capital Development Initiative (HCDI) will see IsDB provide governments with financing worth up to US$3 for every $1 secured in grants for nutrition and school meals programmes in least-developed and lower-middle-income countries belonging to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

    The agreement was signed by WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain and IsDB President H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser at WFP headquarters in Rome on 12 February 2025.

    “Ensuring vulnerable people are well-nourished, healthy, and educated is fundamental for long-term economic growth,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. “Across the world, school meals and nutrition programs are the essential building blocks of a future free from hunger and poverty. WFP is proud to partner with IsDB on this innovative financing initiative. Together, we will mobilize critical resources to transform the lives of the most vulnerable people.”

    HCDI addresses the first 8,000 days of a child’s life through adolescence (up to 21 years of age). This starts with the first 1,000 days – a crucial window for cognitive and physical growth. Every US$1 invested in addressing early childhood undernutrition can yield up to US$23 in economic returns, while school feeding programmes generate between US$7 and US$35 per dollar invested.

    “Investing in human capital is fundamental to breaking the cycle of poverty and achieving sustainable development,” said H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group. “The ‘Nutritious Start’ initiative is not just about combating malnutrition—it is about equipping future generations with the foundation to thrive. By strategically blending our financing with targeted grant funding, we are amplifying impact and ensuring that every dollar drives meaningful progress toward national development goals.”

    This collaboration builds on the extension of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IsDB and WFP reinforcing their shared commitment to addressing food insecurity and malnutrition. The IsDB and WFP are also partners in the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement and the School Meals Coalition, two country-driven initiatives focusing on combating child malnutrition.

    Notes to Editor

    • Least-developed and lower-middle-income Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen

    • The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement is an initiative led by 66 countries and 4 Indian States – collectively known as the SUN Countries and includes thousands of stakeholders from across society – all united in their mission to end all forms of malnutrition by 2030. 

    • The School Meals Coalition, hosted by the World Food Programme (WFP) as Secretariat, is led by over 100 governments and supported by more than 140 partners, working together to urgently scale and strengthen school meals programmes worldwide to ensure every child receives a healthy, nutritious meal at school by 2030.
    • High resolution photos are available here.

    #                 #                   #

    The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

    Follow us on Twitter @wfp_media 

    About the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)

    Rated AAA by the major rating agencies of the world, the Islamic Development Bank is the pioneering multilateral development bank (MDB) of the Global South that has been working for over 50 years to improve the lives of the people and communities it serves by delivering impact at scale. The Bank brings together 57 Member Countries across four continents, touching the lives of nearly 1 in 4 of the world population. It is committed to addressing development challenges and promoting collaboration to help

    achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by equipping people to drive their own green economic and sustainable social progress, putting planet-friendly infrastructure in place and enabling them to fulfil their potential. Headquartered in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, IsDB has 10 regional hubs and a center of excellence.  Over the years, the Bank has evolved from a single entity into a group comprising: the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI); the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC); the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD); the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC); and the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD).

    For more information, please visit ( www.isdb.org). Find updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/islamic-development-bank/

    Visit us on X: @isdb_group Engage with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isdbgroup

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Repartition and Memorial Service of 14 SANDF members from DRC

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

    Repatriation and Memorial Service Of 14 SANDF Members from DRC

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osZWEu4hT3o

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Secretary-General’s message at the 2025 Session of the Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples

    Source: United Nations – English

    am pleased to deliver the Secretary-General’s remarks today on his behalf.

    Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, 

    It is my pleasure to greet the Special Committee on Decolonization at the beginning of its 2025 session. 

    As the Committee continues to fulfil its vital mandate, I remain fully committed to your work.
     
    Decolonization is central to the mission of the United Nations – and one of the defining causes of my own political journey.

    I witnessed firsthand how liberation movements in Portuguese colonies transformed societies, including my own.  

    Yet decolonization is just the first step on a new path, not the journey’s end.  

    Countries must still grapple with the legacy of colonialism – including economies structured by exploitation, persistent inequalities, chronic economic, social and institutional underinvestment, and profound imbalances and discrimination.

    As we meet today, 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories remain.  

    Each with its own set of unique challenges and circumstances.

    As you can see – our work is far from over.

    However, the path to decolonization requires the collaboration of Non-Self-Governing Territories, administering Powers, Member States, and other stakeholders to support these Territories, guided by the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions. 

    In the upcoming session, I urge all involved to strengthen dialogue towards achieving decolonization. Constructive discussions among all are essential to eradicating colonialism. 

    Most Territories are small islands on the frontlines of the climate crisis. I therefore urge you to keep resilience and adaptation at the heart of today’s discussions.
     
    We in the Secretariat will do everything to support the Special Committee in its important task.

    Over the coming year, let’s redouble our efforts to end colonialism.  

    I wish you every success during this session. 

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Staff Completes SMP Discussion Mission to Zimbabwe

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    February 13, 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. This mission will not result in a Board discussion.

    Harare, Zimbabwe: Following the request for a Staff-Monitored Program (SMP) by the authorities in 2023, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team led by Mr. Wojciech Maliszewski conducted a mission to Harare from January 30 to February 13, 2024, to advance discussions on the SMP.

    At the conclusion of the IMF mission, Mr. Maliszewski issued the following statement:

    “Zimbabwe’s economic activity has started recovering after the El Niño-induced drought. Growth slowed from 5.3 percent to an estimated 2 percent in 2024, as the drought lowered agricultural output by 15 percent. This was compounded by reduced electricity production and declining prices for key mineral exports (platinum and lithium). That said, strong remittances continued supporting activity in domestic trade, services, and construction, and improved the current account surplus to an estimated US$500 million (1.4 percent of GDP) in 2024. The ZiG willing-buyer willing-seller (WBWS) exchange rate was stable from the ZiG’s introduction in April 2024—with the ZiG month-on-month inflation averaging 2.3 percent—until September, when the currency weakened. Relative stability returned with the tightening of monetary policy since September, and the WBWS and parallel market exchange rates have stabilized, and the gap between these rates has narrowed. Meanwhile, fiscal pressures intensified—owing, in large part, to the transfer of the RBZ’s quasi-fiscal operations to the Treasury. Strong revenue collection helped limit the 2024 budget deficit to an estimated 1 percent of GDP, but fiscal pressures resulted in an accumulation of domestic expenditure arrears, leading to the government implementing emergency spending cuts. Going forward, growth in 2025 is projected to increase to 6 percent, with the recovery in agriculture output due to better climate conditions and the projected improvement in the terms-of-trade.

    “Against this background, the Zimbabwe authorities had requested an SMP to support their efforts to stabilize the economy and re-engage with the international community on the arrears clearance and debt resolution process. The main objective of the SMP would be to durably anchor macroeconomic stability, building on policy recommendations from the 2024 Article IV consultation.

    “Building on progress achieved during the mission on the ongoing SMP discussions, Fund staff will continue working closely with the authorities on defining the key parameters and modalities of the program. Discussions include (1) adjusting the fiscal position to avoid a recourse to monetary financing and new arrears and building foundations for a durable fiscal consolidation; (2) fiscal risks residing off-budget (including from the operations of the Mutapa Investment Fund); (3) the effectiveness of the monetary policy framework for the ZiG; and (4) reforms to strengthen economic governance.

    “International reengagement remains critical for debt resolution and arrears clearance, which would open the door for access to external financing. The authorities’ reengagement efforts, through the Structured Dialogue Platform (SDP), are key for attaining debt sustainability and gaining access to concessional financial support. In this context, the SMP will help in enhancing policy credibility and advancing the reform agenda embedded in the SDP.

    “The IMF continues to provide policy advice and extensive technical assistance in the areas of revenue mobilization, expenditure control, financial supervision, debt management, economic governance, as well as macroeconomic statistics. However, the IMF is currently precluded from providing financial support to Zimbabwe due to its unsustainable debt situation—based on the IMF’s Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA)—and official external arrears. An IMF financial arrangement would require a clear path to comprehensive restructuring of Zimbabwe’s external debt, including the clearance of arrears and a reform plan that is consistent with durably restoring macroeconomic stability; enhancing inclusive growth; lowering poverty; and strengthening economic governance.

    “The IMF mission held meetings with the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Hon. Professor Mthuli Ncube, his Permanent Secretary Mr. George Guvamatanga; the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr. John Mushayavanhu; the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr. Martin Rushwaya, other senior government and RBZ officials, honorable members of Parliament, representatives of the private sector, civil society, and Zimbabwe’s development partners.

    “The IMF staff wishes to express its gratitude to the Zimbabwean authorities and stakeholders for the constructive and open discussions and support during the mission.”

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Kwabena Akuamoah-Boateng

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

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/02/13/pr-2535-zimbabwe-imf-completes-smp-discussion-mission

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: High-Ranking Member of Sinaloa Cartel Charged in Chicago with Drug Conspiracy

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    CHICAGO — A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico on a drug conspiracy charge for allegedly manufacturing and distributing fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs and importing them into the United States.

    According to an indictment returned Monday in the Northern District of Illinois, CEFERINO ESPINOZA ANGULO, 43, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Mexico, employed dozens of gunmen in Mexico to protect and support the leadership of the Guzman faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, including Ivan Guzman-Salazar, Jesus Alfredo Guzman-Salazar, Ovidio Guzman-Lopez, and Joaquin Guzman-Lopez, collectively known as “the Chapitos.”  The indictment alleges that Espinoza Angulo worked with others to obtain fentanyl precursor chemicals and to manufacture fentanyl for importation into the United States.  Espinoza Angulo allegedly worked with others to transport the fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and ecstasy toward the U.S. border for importation into the country.  The indictment accuses Espinoza Angulo of illegally using a machine gun in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime.

    The Chapitos are the sons of Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as “El Chapo,” who led the Sinaloa Cartel before being convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn, N.Y., and sentenced to life in prison.  The Chapitos allegedly assumed their father’s role as leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel.  The Chapitos have been charged with drug trafficking in other U.S. indictments.

    The indictment against Espinoza Angulo charges him with drug conspiracy and a firearm offense, which are punishable by a maximum sentence of life in federal prison and a minimum of 30 years.  Espinoza Angulo is believed to be residing in Mexico.  A U.S. warrant has been issued for his arrest.

    The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Antoinette T. Bacon, Supervisory Official of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Tara K. McGrath, United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, and Chad Yarbrough, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division.  Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations Field Offices in Arizona and Spokane, Wash.; DEA Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit; FBI Field Offices in Washington, San Diego, and Los Angeles; and the Portland, Ore. Police Bureau, Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit, HIDTA Interdiction Taskforce.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle J. Parthum and Andrew C. Erskine of the Northern District of Illinois, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Sutton of the Southern District of California, and Trial Attorney Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Division’s Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Section at the Justice Department.

    The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug trafficking organizations and other criminal networks that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies.

    “Our nation’s fentanyl crisis has devastated individuals and families in northern Illinois and throughout the country,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual.  “Our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt the production and trafficking of fentanyl and other dangerous narcotics before they can reach more victims.”

    “As alleged, the defendant conspired to traffic dangerous drugs, including fentanyl, into the United States — and employed dozens of gunmen to protect his drug trafficking operation and the leadership of the Guzman faction of the Sinaloa Cartel,” said Supervisory Official Bacon.  “Stopping Mexican cartels from poisoning our communities with fentanyl and other narcotics is a top priority of this Administration.  Today’s indictment demonstrates that the Criminal Division is relentless in its pursuit of the drug traffickers who profit at the expense of the American people.”

    “From San Diego to Chicago to D.C., we are united to bring down the traffickers pushing these poisons into American communities,” said U.S. Attorney McGrath. “We are attacking at every level — from street dealers to cartel leaders.”

    “This indictment reinforces the FBI’s unwavering commitment to hold accountable those who endanger our communities and traffic violence and drugs across our borders,” said Assistant Director Yarbrough.  “Let this serve as a clear message: if you engage in cartel activity, we will pursue you and bring you to justice.  Together with our law enforcement partners at every level, we remain fully committed to protecting the American people and stopping the flow of these dangerous drugs into our nation.”

    The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Takes Action to Protect Your Hard-Earned Money

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

    As cryptocurrency investment fraud scams blanket the nation, causing unprecedented financial and psychological hardship to tens of thousands of Americans, the FBI is stepping up with a hands-on measure to protect the public.

    Operation Level Up is a proactive initiative to identify and notify victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud. Using sophisticated techniques, the FBI identifies victims who are actively being defrauded and promptly intervenes by contacting those victims.

    Since the start of Operation Level Up over a year ago, the FBI has notified more than 4,300 victims spanning all 50 states. Of these victims, 76 percent were not aware they were being scammed. Through these notification efforts, the FBI has saved victims more than $285 million.

    “The FBI is committed to protecting citizens from cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes,” said FBI Criminal Investigative Division Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough. “Unfortunately, we continue to see these scams grow and evolve every day. It doesn’t matter where the subjects are—we will use every tool at our disposal to stop them from targeting U.S. citizens. By raising awareness, we can prevent countless people from losing their savings and send a clear message to criminals that these schemes will not be tolerated.”

    Cryptocurrency investment frauds are elaborate schemes that often involve unsolicited online contact, a long period of trust building, fake investment opportunities, and a false sense of urgency to send money, perpetrated by individuals typically located overseas who target victims in the United States.

    In Operation Level Up, specially trained FBI and U.S. Secret Service Agents are contacting victims directly to prevent further victimization and financial loss. Agents also explain how these crimes work and how to avoid them in the future, outline how to file a report with federal law enforcement, and provide access to mental health and other resources to assist with the impacts of these crimes.

    In numerous instances, victims told the FBI that the notification stopped them from liquidating their entire retirement accounts, selling their homes, or taking out costly loans to continue investing in fake cryptocurrency applications. Due to the profound emotional toll these scams can have, dozens of victims contacted through Operation Level Up were referred to the FBI Victim Services Division and provided direct support and lifesaving measures.

    The FBI also works through our legal attaché offices located around the world to collaborate with international law enforcement partners and share hundreds of foreign victims identified through Operation Level Up for intervention. Information about illicit applications, websites, and social media accounts are also collected from victims and shared with technology companies for their awareness.

    Below are some tips to help protect yourself from these scams:

    • Do not release any financial or personal identifying information and do not send any money to someone you met online.
    • Do not invest solely based on the advice of someone you met online.
    • Do not download or use any unfamiliar applications or click on any links sent to you by someone you met online.
    • Do not pay any additional fees or taxes to withdraw money you have invested in a potential scheme.
    • Do not pay for services that claim to be able to recover lost funds, as these are often scams as well.

    The FBI knows some individuals involved in criminal activity may try to discourage victims from heeding our warnings. It’s important to stay vigilant and cautious if someone advises you to disregard communications from the FBI or provides you with instructions on how to respond to the FBI.

    The FBI is launching this public awareness campaign to educate the public, so no one falls victim to these fast-evolving schemes. We also want the public to have information readily available in case they are contacted by the FBI.

    If an FBI agent contacts you via phone or email, the FBI will never ask for money, or ask to move communications to private messaging applications, or request bank account details or personal identifying information, other than confirming your identity with information already possessed. When they call or email, agents will provide you with methods you can use to confirm they are truly FBI agents. When in doubt, visit or call your local FBI field office for further clarification.

    If you think you may be a potential victim, you should stop sending money immediately and file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

    For more information about Operation Level Up and what to look out for, please visit fbi.gov/levelup and fbi.gov/scams.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Repatriation and Memorial Service Of SANDF Members from DRC

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

    Repatriation and Memorial Service Of SANDF Members from DRC

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vOZ08WDwoA

    MIL OSI Video –