Sweden Steps Up Fight in ‘Civil War’
NEED TO KNOW
Sweden Steps Up Fight in ‘Civil War’
SWEDEN
In late January, Salwan Momika, an Iraqi living in Sweden who had become known for staging anti-Islam protests involving the burning of the Quran, was shot to death on his balcony in the capital, Stockholm, as he was live streaming on TikTok.
In the week prior to the shooting, a relative of an internationally wanted drug dealer, Rawa Majid, was killed in a suburb just outside Stockholm and a career criminal was gunned down by a 17-year-old at a train station in the small university town of Lund. Meanwhile, that same month, there were more than 30 bombings across the country of 8 million people, five of them in Stockholm in one day. Police said they stopped at least 30 more.
“Sweden is in a low-intensity civil war,” said Swedish lawmaker Roger Richtof of the right-wing, populist Sweden Democrats. “The greatest threat to our culture and way of life lies within the country’s borders.”
While some say Richtof’s comments are exaggerating the situation, it is clear that Swedes are deeply concerned about how this once-peaceful, prosperous, low-crime nation has become a hub for transnational crime and the violence that accompanies it.
Already, the rise in organized crime has shifted the political landscape, long run by center-left Social Democrats that put in place its famously generous social safety net and made it a bastion of liberal values, progressiveness, and openness.
But now, the country is becoming known for having the highest rate of gun violence per capita in Europe – 55 people were killed in 363 shootings last year compared with a combined total of just six shooting deaths across Norway, Finland, and Denmark.
Much of the violence is being perpetrated by children, who are being hired by gangs – often based abroad – through social media, particularly Telegram, to do everything from spying and committing vandalism to violent acts, such as bombings and murder, police officials said. Children are being hired because they cannot be prosecuted as adults, they added, noting that they are being recruited by around 600 criminals who live abroad.
“We see 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds carry out horrific violent assignments as if they were extra jobs,” said Sweden’s national police chief Petra Lundh. “The assignments are communicated completely openly on digital marketplaces.”
As a result, Sweden rushed through legislation in late January to take effect later this year to allow police to wiretap children under 15 as part of an intensified crackdown on gang-related crime, as well as other measures that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.
Those measures include increased overall electronic surveillance, much tougher sentences, and so-called safety zones where police can search people without probable cause. The government had already created laws that allow the seizure of unexplained luxury goods, even from those not under investigation, and is considering new measures to tighten gun laws and ban semi-automatic weapons. It is also mulling stripping dual-citizens involved in gangs of their Swedish citizenship.
Swedish officials are, at the same time, pressuring tech platforms to prevent gangs from recruiting minors and they have sought help from the European Union. They are also working with countries such as Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates to extradite gang leaders based abroad.
Some worry about the erosion of civil rights and the rule of law because of these measures, Reuters said.
“They are playing with democracy and show no respect for due process,” Gudrun Nordborg of the opposition Left Party told the newswire. “We have built principles over a long time that must be followed, such as human rights, the constitution … And here we’re now on shaky ground.”
Many Swedes, especially – but not only – conservative politicians, have blamed migrants who have come to Sweden in the past decade, fleeing violence at home and seeking out opportunities in Europe, as well as failed integration policies. Others have countered that much of the violence occurs in the country’s poorest districts, suggesting migrants and other underclass communities are also the victims of the crime wave.
Regardless, the violence – which used to be contained in the poorer areas of Swedish cities – is now touching suburbs and small towns across the country.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s prison system is at a breaking point following a sharp rise in convictions linked to the upswing in crime. The Prison and Probation Service estimates that Sweden will need 27,000 prison beds by 2033, more than double its current capacity of 11,000.
Last month a government-appointed commission said the country could legally send inmates to serve their sentences in foreign prisons, a measure already employed by Belgium and Denmark, according to Euractiv.
Sweden is in talks with other nations about leasing prison space, officials say.
Regardless, neighboring countries, particularly Denmark and Norway, are concerned about the spillover effects of Swedish gang violence.
Norwegian police, for example, believe Swedish gangsters were to blame for a bombing in the Norwegian town of Drøbak near the two countries’ border. “It is serious,” said Kjetil Tunold, who oversees organized crime at the Norwegian National Bureau of Investigation. “We are afraid that the development we have seen in Sweden will infect us.”
Meanwhile, Denmark instituted border controls with Sweden last year for the first time in years to try to contain security threats after Swedish teenagers were involved in more than 25 shootings in the Danish capital of Copenhagen.
“Criminal groups in Denmark have hired Swedish child soldiers – that’s what I call them – to carry out criminal deeds,” said Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard, adding that he will also pressure Sweden to take responsibility, according to Danish media.
Swedes are also worried about how the rising gang violence impacts the business environment.
Already, the extortion of businesses has become a lucrative business model, officials say, with gangs singling out companies to shake down, telling them, “pay up or blow up.”
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
The Tolling Bells: Fighting Restarts in Gaza After Peace Collapses
ISRAEL/ WEST BANK & GAZA
Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Hamas across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing at least 400 people, and marking a return to warfare after ceasefire negotiations broke down, the Wall Street Journal reported.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strikes after Hamas refused to release the remaining hostages or accept US proposals to extend a two-month truce that ended 15 months of fighting in the Palestinian enclave.
Gaza’s health ministry confirmed more than 400 deaths, making it one of the deadliest single days since the war began in October 2023.
Israel and Hamas have been engaged in a conflict following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by the Iran-backed group and its allies that killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 others taken hostage.
In response, Israel launched strikes and ground operations in Gaza that resulted in more than 48,000 Palestinians killed, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
Israeli officials said Tuesday’s strikes targeted Hamas’ leadership, mid-level commanders, and key infrastructure. They added that the offensive would continue and intensify in the coming days.
Among those killed in the strikes were Hamas government officials, including Issam al-Da’alis, head of government affairs, and Bahjat Abu Sultan, a top leader in Hamas’ internal security.
Meanwhile, Israel issued evacuation orders for a number of areas in Gaza, including Beit Hanoun in the north and neighborhoods of Khan Younis in the south. It also closed the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, a key route for aid deliveries and medical evacuations.
Following the strikes, Hamas accused Israel of “endangering the lives of the remaining hostages,” adding that Netanyahu had “decided to overturn the ceasefire agreement.”
The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas collapsed after negotiations stalled over the conditions for extending the truce and securing the release of remaining hostages.
The initial phase of the agreement – reached in mid-January – saw the armed group free 33 Israeli hostages, both living and deceased, in exchange for Israel’s release of more than 1,700 Palestinian prisoners.
The second phase of the deal was intended to bring about a permanent end to the war. Israel had demanded more hostages be released before engaging in broader talks, while Hamas insisted that negotiations on a full ceasefire must begin first.
In March, Israel increased pressure by blocking food, fuel, and humanitarian aid to Gaza, while Hamas responded by refusing to release further hostages without a guarantee of an end to hostilities. Analysts believe the Israeli strikes are part of pressure tactics, also.
Of the 59 hostages who remain in Gaza, Israel believes 24 of them are still alive, including a US citizen.
Families of the hostages worry that a resumption of fighting could endanger the lives of their relatives, prompting protests against the strikes, NPR added. Over the weekend, thousands demonstrated against the government.
Recent polls by the Israel Democracy Institute show a majority of the public favors securing a deal for hostages over resuming military action.
Peace on Hold: M23 Calls Off Talks with Congo
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, which have seized key areas in mineral-rich territory in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), withdrew from peace talks with the Congolese government, citing international sanctions, the Associated Press reported.
Peace talks were set to start Tuesday in the Angolan capital of Luanda but M23’s spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said in a statement that they “have become impracticable” due to sanctions announced by the European Union.
The bloc sanctioned four Congolese nationals, including the political leader and three other key members of M23, and five Rwandan nationals, including the commander of Rwandan special forces.
The bloc also sanctioned Rwanda’s only gold refinery and accused it of contributing to the “illegal extraction and trafficking of natural resources” from eastern Congo.
In response, Rwanda cut all diplomatic ties with Belgium on Monday, a month after the European country halted development aid to East Africa.
The DRC government had previously rejected participating in Angolan-brokered peace talks but said Monday it was ready to take part and sent a delegation to Luanda. M23 had also sent a delegation, Africanews wrote.
The ongoing conflict in the eastern DRC escalated in January when the M23 rebels seized the strategic city of Goma and later the city of Bukavu. M23, which is backed by 4,000 Rwandan troops, has threatened to march toward the DRC capital Kinshasa.
This conflict has created one of the most significant humanitarian crises in the world, displacing more than seven million people, with tens of thousands of Congolese crossing the borders into Burundi and Uganda, France 24 noted.
M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been trying to take over the mineral-reach area near the Rwandan border, because of its mineral deposits used in the production of Western tech gadgets such as smartphones and computers. The untapped minerals are estimated to be worth $13 trillion.
Preliminary discussions have begun between the DRC and the US on a mining partnership in exchange for economic and security support.
Radio Silence: EU Wants to Keep RFE Alive After US Cuts
EUROPEAN UNION
The European Union is debating how to keep Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) open after the US cut funding to its own news outlet and shuttered the agency overseeing the broadcaster as well as Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA), moves that won praise from China, the Associated Press reported.
On Tuesday, EU government leaders met in Brussels to discuss ways to keep the news outlet afloat, agreeing on the importance of finding resources to ensure that RFE/RL remains a voice of freedom and democracy.
The Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said the work done by Prague-based RFE/RL – which started broadcasting during the Cold War to counter Soviet propaganda – is crucial and insisted the EU should find a way to keep it at least partially functioning.
The Trump administration signed an executive order Friday to reduce the scope of eight federal agencies, including the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA, RFA, and RFE/RL, among others, according to Bloomberg.
Nearly the entire staff of VOA – which started broadcasting in 1942 – was placed on administrative leave over the weekend. The outlet has been labeled as “propaganda poison” by Chinese state news media for its reporting on topics, such as forced labor in the Xinjiang Province and Hong Kong protests. China expressed support for Trump’s move.
Russia is not concerned by the agency’s closure, claiming that VOA and RFE/RL are neither popular nor in demand in the country, according to Reuters.
Even so, for months, RFE/RL has a message posted next to each story it publishes: “RFE/RL has been declared an ‘undesirable organization’ by the Russian government. If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.”
Staff at RFE/RL have also been put on administrative leave after the US funding freeze.
RFE/RL CEO Stephen Capus cautioned that shutting down these media outlets would be a “massive gift to America’s enemies,” referring to China, Russia, and Iran, and warned that the move would make these countries stronger and America weaker.
China, Russia, and Iran have invested heavily in state media outlets over the years to compete with so-called Western narratives and convey a set image to foreign audiences, Agence France-Presse reported.
Meanwhile, EU Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho said the EU wants to support RFE/RL but that they “cannot always step in for the US and for whatever the US stops doing.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas added that filling in the void from the US will not be easy as a lot of other organizations are turning to the EU with the same request.
DISCOVERIES
Sweet Dreams
Some people remember their dreams vividly. Others forget them by the time they sit down for breakfast.
A new study explained why.
The ability to remember dreams after waking up is called dream recall. Researchers have not understood this ability well until now. They say both individual characteristics and external factors play a role in the recall process.
“Dream recall is not just a matter of chance but a reflection of how personal attitudes, cognitive traits, and sleep dynamics interact,” said lead author Giulio Bernardi from the IMT School for Advanced Studies in Italy.
Humans spend approximately 26 years of their lives sleeping and they primarily dream in the so-called rapid eye movement (REM) phase of the sleep cycle, which gets longer as the night goes on, from just a few minutes at the beginning of sleep to more than 20 minutes by the time a person has slept for eight hours, Cosmos Magazine explained.
The final hours of sleep are the richest in dreams and people who remember their dreams usually remember the last dream they had before waking up.
Some people, however, have never remembered a dream in their life.
Researchers consider gender, age, personality, cognitive functions, creativity, and mental state as potential factors influencing dream recall.
The new study analyzed dreams in 217 healthy adults, aged 18 to 70, from 2020 to 2024. Every participant was asked to verbally record their dreams immediately after waking every day for 15 days.
They reported if they dreamt or not, what they remembered about the experience, and what happened in the dream.
The participants also wore a sleep-monitoring watch tracking sleep duration, efficiency, and disturbances.
At the start of the study, they underwent psychometric tests to measure factors including memory, anxiety levels, selective attention, any tendency to let their mind wander, and interest in dreams.
The analysis of the data showed that dream recall differs considerably from individual to individual, varies night-by-night depending on sleep patterns, and is determined by multiple factors.
Higher dream recall was found in participants who were more likely to let their minds wander and had a positive attitude toward dreams.
Participants who recorded longer periods of light sleep also better remembered their dreams.
Young people had higher dream recall while older people had the sensation they had dreamt but did not remember the dream itself.
Finally, participants were less likely to remember their dreams in winter compared with spring.
Researchers said that while more studies are needed, the findings have important implications.
“These insights not only deepen our understanding of the mechanisms behind dreaming but also have implications for exploring dreams’ role in mental health and in the study of human consciousness,” said Bernardi.