Free Republic

A veteran South African official detailed meeting with an unprepared and “desperate” Acting Deputy Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland, begging for local help rolling back the popular coup in Niger. The recent BRICS conference might give Nuland even more to fret about. When US Acting Deputy Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland, traveled to South Africa on July 29, her reputation as a blunt instrument of Washington’s hegemonic interests preceded her. According to a veteran South African official who attended meetings with the senior US diplomat in Pretoria, however, Nuland and her team were demonstrably unprepared to grapple with recent developments...

There has been lots of breathless speculation for months now, in the American, Arab, and Israeli media, about what the U.S., and Israel, must offer Saudi Arabia for that country to join the Abraham Accords and normalize ties with Israel.More on the latest comments about a possible diplomatic breakthrough, during National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s visit to Riyadh to continue negotiations, can be found here: “Biden mulls Saudi deal forcing Netanyahu to abandon extremists – NYT,” by Tovah Lazaroff, Jerusalem Post, July 27, 2023:US President Joe Biden is mulling a mutual security pact with Riyadh that would include an Israeli-Saudi...

A growing number of countries are coming forward to join BRICS and accept the new currency for global trade. The South African ambassador Anil Sooklal hinted that the alliance could expand this year becoming BRICS+. The move could add pressure on the U.S. dollar as developing nations would end their reliance on the greenback. The global financial order could tilt from the West to the East creating a new multipolar economy. According to the latest report, the BRICS alliance has formally received applications from 25 countries to join the bloc. The 25 nations that expressed their interest to join are...

Russia appears to have moved to take direct control of Wagner, after months of infighting between defence officials and the private military group. Deputy Defence Minister Nikolai Pankov said on Saturday "volunteer formations" will be asked to sign contracts directly with the ministry of defence. The vaguely worded statement is widely believed to target the group. But in a furious statement on Sunday, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces would boycott the contracts. The private military group has played a major role in the war in Ukraine, fighting on the side of Russian forces. But Prigozhin, who is said...

In Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Special Rapporteur on foreign interference stepping down tonight... A US official speaking anonymously says that Secretary of State Antony Blinken is to visit China... There's been a terrorist attack on a beachfront hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia... Mass demonstrations in Serbia continue following mass murder incidents in the country involving firearms... "He is a Coward and a Thug" Some of the response from President Trump tonight to the Biden Administration Special Prosecutor Jack Smith... In Colombia the leftist President Gustavo Petro agreeing to a six-month cease-fire with the left-wing... Air raid warnings across multiple regions...

Many Sudanese now fear "all-out civil war", according to the Forces for Freedom and Change (FLC), the civilian bloc ousted from power in the 2021 putsch led by the two generals, then allies and now at war. Calls to arm civilians are multiplying. In Darfur, already ravaged by a deadly war in the 2000s, local militias, tribal fighters and armed civilians have joined the fighting. Governor Minni Minnawi, a former rebel leader now close to the army, called on the population on Sunday to take up arms "to protect their property". "We need to arm ourselves, because everyone is in...

The current hysterical actions and statements of Prigozhin are a consequence of his attempt to save himself from the anger of the Kremlin’s top leadership. ... The Wagner Group chief was also unable to capture Bakhmut after months of fighting, despite receiving Putin’s approval to recruit criminals strictly for the purpose. So, Prigozhin’s recent statements about withdrawing his group from Bakhmut and his extensive interview on the topic of how “we can f**k up Russia thanks to the Kremlin elite” are nothing more than an attempt at self-defense. Prigozhin is a product of the Putin system, but now his position...

In Old Dongola, archaeologists have recently discovered unique Nubian Christian paintings depicting local kings, Christ, the Archangel Michael, and the Virgin Mary.Old Dongola, also known as Dongola, was an ancient city located in present-day Sudan, situated on the eastern bank of the Nile River. It served as the capital of the medieval kingdom of Makuria, a Christian kingdom that thrived from the 6th to the 14th centuries. In some of these old buildings, archaeologists have recently discovered unique Nubian Christian paintings depicting local kings, Christ, the Archangel Michael, and the Virgin Mary. As read in the article published by Science...

A destroyed medical storage in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province, as deadly clashes between rival generals' forces continue.More than 1 million polio vaccines intended for children have been destroyed as a result of looting in Sudan. PHOTO | AFP Polio, a disease which mainly affects children under 5, can lead to paralysis and death. Africa was declared free of wild polio in 2020 but Malawi, Mozambique and Sudan have reported imported cases since last year. Numerous humanitarian agencies have reported looting during the Sudan crisis. More than 1 million polio vaccines intended for children have been destroyed as...

If you had to run for your life, with fighting all around, what would you take with you? Clothes, of course, important documents and perhaps a photograph, or another small sentimental keepsake, would be on many people's lists. But for South Sudanese Joseph Malith Matiang it was a bright red guitar in a bulky black case. The 22-year-old recently fled the violence in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, to return to his country with his family after a decade. He is now in a temporary camp in the South Sudanese town of Renk, 45km (28 miles) from the border. But for musician...

Sudan's Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (L) in Khartoum on December 5, 2022, and Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (Hemedti), in Khartoum on June 8, 2022.

A new development in the 7.5-million-dollar state lawsuits from Idaho medical conglomerate St. Luke's Hospital against Ammon Bundy and Diego Rodriguez. They are seeking relief from a federal court... The Biden Administration throwing down the gauntlet on the US National Debt. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen saying the Debt Ceiling must be increased by June 1st... An Israel air strike tonight in the Aleppo area of Syria...The attack coming ahead of the planned Wednesday visit to Syria by Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi... The White House speaking after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to...

The United States finally began evacuation operations for American citizens trapped in war-torn Sudan late Friday. A convoy left Khartoum on a long journey to safety. Armed drones are reported to have monitored its progress.Two rival generals are battling it out for power and the country is in chaos. The United States evacuated its staff at the U.S. embassy and closed it down. There were words of disapproval of the escalating violence in the country – Joe Biden called the violence “unconscionable” and thanked the U.S. troops who evacuated the American staffers from Sudan. This left thousands of American citizens,...

In 2006, 25,000 Americans were trapped behind enemy lines in Lebanon. Hezbollah had attacked Israel and the Shiite Muslim terror group which had overwhelmed the formerly Christian nation had once again dragged it into a destructive war. The Bush administration responded by hiring a cruise ship, the Orient Queen, which brought over 1,000 Americans to Cyprus. The massive cruise ship was part of a rescue flotilla that included the USS Nashville (as captured in an episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations who was evacuated aboard the cruiser), the USS Trenton, on one of its final voyages, along with hired civilian...

Bombed out buildings, colorfully-clad Africans going about their day.

Military ships help evacuate Chinese nationals after crisis in African country enters second weekA 72-hour ceasefire between warring factions runs through Thursday to allow foreigners to leave the countryChina’s navy has sent vessels to Sudan to help evacuate Chinese nationals still in the country. Chinese defence ministry spokesman Tan Kefei confirmed on Thursday that the ships were on their way. “Due to the recent continually deteriorating security situation in Sudan, the Chinese army sent naval vessels to Sudan on April 26 to evacuate and transport our citizens to protect the lives and property of Chinese personnel in Sudan,” Tan said....

As the crisis in Sudan continues to unfold, there is mounting anger among Americans who feel abandoned by the US government and left to navigate the complicated and dangerous situation on their own. “I am incredibly shocked and disgusted by the American lackluster response to the health and safety of their citizens,” said Muna Daoud, whose parents were traveling to get out of Sudan via Port Sudan to Saudi Arabia. Despite a number of nations evacuating their citizens, the US government has continued to say that the conditions are not conducive to a civilian evacuation. All US government personnel were...

A Turkish evacuation plane coming into land at an airbase outside Sudan's capital, Khartoum, has been fired at, Turkey's defence ministry confirms.No-one was injured and it landed safely at Wadi Seidna, where it was being checked.Sudan's army blamed paramilitary fighters for firing at the aircraft and damaging its fuel system.The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) denied the allegation, saying it was committed to the extended humanitarian truce.The rival military factions agreed to an extension of their ceasefire at midnight local time (22:00 GMT on Thursday) for a further three days.It has had only a limited effect, with army jets continuing to...

Afghanistan was not a one-off. Leaving Americans behind enemy lines has become the new normal.“It is not our standard procedure to evacuate American citizens living abroad,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday.Now the media is tentatively pointing out that most other countries, from the UK and France, to India and Italy are evacuating their people. America stands alone in disgracefully refusing to do so. And that’s entirely on Biden.Despite a number of nations evacuating their citizens, the US government has continued to say that the conditions are not conducive to a civilian evacuation. All US government personnel...

Death seems to follow Victoria Nuland wherever she goes. Whether it’s in Ukraine or in Sudan, people die. Victoria Nuland was known as the midwife of Maidan – the Obama-Biden point person reportedly running the overthrow of the Ukrainian Presidency in 2013-14.Ukraine 2014 Coup d’étatAfter violent events associated with the Maidan revolution protests, Ukraine’s parliament ousted President Viktor Yanukovich in February 2014 and replaced him with Petro Poroshenko. Disposed Yanukovich was an existential threat because his amicable relations with Russia impeded Ukraine from becoming a European member and NATO from expanding to Russia’s border. Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Victoria...