Simply Replacable

NEED TO KNOW

Simply Replaceable

MALI

Mali recently launched drone attacks against ethnic Tuareg rebel leaders in the town of Tin Zaouatine near the border with Algeria, killing eight people.

The incident, say analysts, could be a turning point in the Malian government’s counterinsurgency campaign against the Azawad Liberation Front, an organization whose founders, mostly ethnic Tuaregs, have been seeking an independent state in northern Mali since 2012, reported Africanews.

The Tuaregs and their allies have never lost so many important members of their group in a single incident, noted Devdiscourse. Still, some say it’s only one battle, not the wider war against insurgents who have steadily made gains over the past few years.

That involves various groups fighting under the banner of the Azawad Liberation Front against Malian forces now bolstered with Russia’s Africa Corps, the new name of the mercenary Wagner Group, and inflicted heavy losses, reported the Arab Weekly. The Russian mercenaries replaced France and the United Nations peacekeepers after they were asked to leave last year.

At the same time, highlighting the instability running throughout the Sahel region, Malian officials have been fighting Islamic jihadists like the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM). In September, the JNIM struck a gendarmerie school in the capital of Bamako and a military installation camp at the international airport on the outskirts of the city, killing more than 70 people and injuring at least 200.

That attack sent shockwaves across the capital, which has been relatively free from security concerns until that point, and undermined the West African country’s ruling military junta, which has touted itself as the purveyor of security.

Meanwhile, the leader of the junta, Col. Assimi Goïta, has also assumed more political control since coming to power in a coup in 2021 that deposed the leader of another coup from the year before. As the BBC explained, Goïta recently sacked his prime minister, Choguel Kokalla Maiga, after Maiga questioned why the junta had not fulfilled its pledge of holding democratic elections this year.

“The transition … has been postponed indefinitely, unilaterally, without debate,” said Maiga. “This is not normal in a government.”

Goïta also recently appointed himself to the highest rank possible in the army, a sign that he was not likely to hand power over to civilian leaders anytime soon. And he has cracked down on freedoms: Dozens of the junta’s critics have disappeared, political parties have been dissolved and the media silenced, Human Rights Watch wrote.

Goïta is fighting the global elite, too. After enacting a law that gives Mali a greater share of revenues from its gold mines, a key sector, in November the country’s authorities arrested four senior employees of a Canadian mining company, Barrick Gold, to pressure companies to pay millions in additional taxes. It also issued a warrant for its CEO. That followed the arrest of the CEO of Australian company Resolute Mining and two employees in Bamako over a tax dispute, only being released after the company paid $80 million to Malian authorities and promised to pay a further $80 million in the coming months.

As the Africa Report wrote, Goïta and officials in Bamako will likely not pull Barrick Gold’s permits. They need the gold industry to fuel their fight against rebels and Islamic terrorists while addressing their people’s basic needs.

“Mali is likely to continue to use detentions, arrests, and even charges against mining executives to compel foreign-owned companies to comply with new regulations and generate short-term funds,” Beverly Ochieng, an analyst at the Control Risks Group consulting firm, told the Associated Press. Essentially, it needs the money.

Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, with high poverty rates: Less than half of the population has access to electricity or clean drinking water and more than two million children do not attend school.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people are displaced by terror groups operating outside of the capital.

The junta knows it can be deposed at any time. After all, Mali has seen three coups in the past 12 years. And already the cracks are appearing, say observers.

“Mali’s junta has spread the image of a strong government adept at protecting its people. That image has come crashing down with the insurgent attack on Bamako,” World Politics Review wrote. “Should Goïta be perceived by the population of Bamako to be failing, his days will be numbered, most likely to be replaced by another young man in military fatigues waiting to seize his opportunity to try to solve the multitude of problems affecting the country.”

THE WORLD, BRIEFLY

Homeward Bound

EUROPE

European countries are moving swiftly to reassess their asylum policies toward millions of Syrian refugees in the wake of President Bashar Assad’s ousting, amid debate as to whether to return millions of refugees to war-torn Syria with concerns of renewed instability and potential new waves of migration from the country, the Washington Post reported.

Over the weekend, rebel forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group seized the Syrian capital Damascus, forcing Assad to flee the country.

While many Syrian refugees – part of what is currently the world’s largest refugee population, estimated at up to 7 million – celebrated Assad’s deposing in their host countries around the world, many European nations that had initially welcomed them announced they were suspending the processing of Syrian asylum claims.

Germany, home to nearly a million Syrian refugees, froze more than 47,000 pending asylum applications, citing the “unclear” situation in Syria. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser acknowledged that Assad’s fall brought relief to many refugees but emphasized the volatility on the ground.

“The situation in Syria is currently very confusing,” she explained. “Therefore, concrete possibilities for return cannot be predicted at the moment and it would be dubious to speculate about this in such a volatile situation.”

Austria went further, announcing plans for “orderly repatriation and deportation” and a review of all Syrian asylum cases, Bloomberg added.

In a bid to encourage voluntary returns, German opposition figures proposed incentives such as charter flights and financial support of more than $1,000 for Syrians willing to return. Similar measures are being considered in other countries, despite the European Union’s position that conditions in Syria remain unsafe for voluntary repatriation.

At the same time, far-right leaders across Europe intensified calls for deporting Syrian refugees. While some have framed Assad’s fall as an opportunity to reduce migration, others warned of a new wave of migrants and potential terrorist infiltration.

Refugee advocates echoed this caution, pointing to ongoing chaos, the lack of stable governance, and widespread infrastructure destruction in Syria, the Guardian reported.

Even so, Turkey – which hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees, more than 3 million – has been more proactive: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ensuring safe and voluntary returns and supporting Syria’s reconstruction.

Analysts suggested that Turkey may move toward large-scale deportations, a trend likely to influence European policies. Over the past few years, the refugees have become increasingly less welcome, especially as Turkey struggles economically.

Meanwhile, many Syrian refugees expressed mixed feelings about returning to their home country after more than a decade of civil conflict. For those living in Europe who have spent that time rebuilding their lives, the idea of returning to Syria under a new Islamist-led government is not attractive.

The HTS remains sanctioned by the EU for its ties to al Qaeda. Though HTS has publicly pledged tolerance and diversity, many refugees are skeptical of its transformation.

Others remain wary of a rushed repatriation process, fearing renewed conflict or a lack of basic infrastructure in Syria. Some observers also questioned if Syria’s new government will be able to handle the logistical challenges of reintegrating millions of people immediately.

The Right To Live

KENYA

Police in Kenya scuffled with protesters in demonstrations across the country against gender-based violence and femicide Tuesday, following national outrage over a string of brutal killings of women in recent months, the Associated Press reported.

In Nairobi, thousands of angry protestors chanting, “Stop femicide” and “Women have rights, too,” flooded the streets, demanding that the Kenyan government take action to stop the killings as police threw tear gas canisters at them and tried to disperse the protests.

At least three activists, including the executive director of Amnesty International in Kenya, were detained by police, while dozens reported injuries.

The protests are a result of outrage over a spate of killings of women, with police reporting the murders of 97 women from August to October this year, most of them by their male partners.

Although gender-based violence has long been endemic in Kenya, this year saw some high-profile killings and a spike in the number of women murdered, causing nationwide anger and calls to action.

In July, bags containing body parts of women believed to be murdered by a serial killer were discovered in a dump in Nairobi. The rise in killings in the country is linked to economic disparities and ingrained patriarchal attitudes, researchers say.

This problem is not unique to Kenya but reflects a wider problem across the continent. A United Nations report published in November said Africa recorded the highest rate of partner-related femicide in 2023, estimated to be more than 21,000 murders.

After months of public criticism, Kenya’s President William Ruto acknowledged last month that femicide was “a pressing and deeply troubling issue.” After meeting with elected female leaders, he committed about $770,000 to a campaign to protect and support victims.

Activists and human rights groups have said that that figure is not enough, calling on Ruto to declare femicide a national crisis and allocate more funds. They have also called on parliament to enact a law imposing harsher penalties on perpetrators of gender-motivated killings.

Meanwhile, protesters were outraged at the handling of demonstrations by police.

Activist Mwikali Mueni said that during the demonstration she suffered a neck injury, inflicted by police officers. “It is very sad that I was injured while championing for women not to be injured or killed,” she told the AP. “If the president is serious about ending femicide, let him start by taking action on the officers who have brutalized us today.”

Stoking Fires

ISRAEL/ GOLAN HEIGHTS

Israel launched a ground incursion into Syria and conducted a wave of airstrikes on the country Tuesday, a move that follows the collapse of the Syrian government and is drawing widespread international condemnation and fears of further destabilization in the region, NBC News reported.

On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the army to establish a “sterile defense zone” in southern Syria, with troops securing positions within the United Nations-patrolled buffer zone near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights established after a 1974 ceasefire agreement.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that more than 300 airstrikes targeting military infrastructure have been carried out since Sunday, when Syrian President Bashar Assad fled the country.

Katz said the move is aimed at preventing Assad’s arsenal of rockets and chemical weapons from falling into extremist hands. Airstrikes also targeted strategic locations, including near the capital Damascus, and a naval base in the western port of Latakia.

While Israel said its actions were self-defense, critics argue the moves exploit Syria’s chaos and undermine international law.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey accused Israel of violating Syria’s sovereignty, with Qatari officials warning the attacks could lead to “more violence and tensions.” The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called for an immediate halt to the attacks, describing them as a violation of the 1974 agreement, the Hill added.

Iran echoed these criticisms, calling on the UN Security Council to intervene.

Analysts cautioned that Israel’s actions carry significant risks of backlash from extremist groups and further destabilization in the region.

“If Israel expands beyond the buffer zone or establishes a permanent presence, it will embolden radical elements and undermine diplomacy,” geopolitical analyst Michael A. Horowitz told NBC News.

The rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the offensive to overthrow Assad, has pledged not to use or allow access to chemical weapons, though its designation as a terrorist organization and its ties to al Qaeda have raised concerns about Syria’s future governance.

The attacks come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified Tuesday in his long-running corruption trial, marking the first time a sitting Israeli leader has testified in court, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Despite his legal battles, Netanyahu has credited Israel’s military actions with contributing to Assad’s downfall, declaring it a “direct result” of Israeli operations against Iran and its proxies.

DISCOVERIES

Ancient Steroids

Tiny spoon-shaped artifacts found in Roman-era graves across northern Europe are raising intriguing questions about ancient warfare.

In a new study, researchers suggested that these mysterious objects, often found with warriors’ belts, may have been used to dispense stimulants and potentially give the Germanic fighters an edge in battle.

The utensil “was a common part of a warrior’s armor, and from here pharmacological stimulation of warriors in the face of stress and exertion was the order of the day,” wrote researchers from Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in their study, according to Science Alert.

The implements measure just 1.6 to 2.8 inches long and feature a tiny concave bowl or flat disk at one end. The research team found them at graves and war-related sites in Scandinavia, Germany, and Poland, adding that the artifacts were typically attached to belts but had no functional role in the clothing.

They cataloged 241 examples from 116 sites and noted their consistent association with weaponry and sacrificial contexts.

The study explores the possibility that these spoons were used to measure and administer stimulants in powdered or liquid form.

Germanic warriors may have had access to a variety of substances, including poppy, hops, hemp, belladonna, henbane, and fungi, such as datura. These natural compounds could have been dissolved in alcohol or consumed directly to enhance alertness and reduce fear before combat.

Such a hypothesis challenges assumptions about drug use among ancient European cultures.

While opium and other narcotics are well-documented in Greece and Rome, historians have traditionally believed the barbarians relied solely on alcohol, Newsweek noted.

“We asked ourselves whether the consumption of stimulants in the barbarian world of the Roman period was indeed absent,” the researchers noted in their paper.

The findings draw parallels to more recent history, such as the use of amphetamines and methamphetamines by soldiers in World Wars I and II.

The authors acknowledge the need for direct evidence, such as chemical residues, to confirm their hypothesis. Still, the findings suggest ancient warriors might have had more sophisticated preparations than previously thought.