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📰 China & Brazil draft Ukraine-Russia peace plan

📰 China & Brazil draft Ukraine-Russia peace plan

and Spanish PM visits West Africa

Ross Crabtree
August 27, 2024

Hello,

Today's updates include the Taliban's dismissal of UN criticism over its newly enacted, stringent morality laws in Afghanistan. In Pakistan and Burkina Faso, militant attacks have resulted in devastating civilian casualties.

BRICS members Brazil and China are calling on more countries to back their peace plan for Ukraine, which has already received diplomatic support from Indonesia and South Africa.

More details below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇨🇳 🇧🇷 🇺🇦 🇷🇺 China, Brazil draft Ukraine-Russia peace plan: China has urged more countries to support its peace plan for Ukraine, following diplomatic efforts with Indonesia, Brazil, and South Africa. Envoy Li Hui described these nations as key representatives of the Global South and "important forces in promoting world peace," noting their alignment with China on seeking a political resolution through dialogue. Earlier this year, China and Brazil proposed a joint peace plan advocating for a peace conference involving both Ukraine and Russia and opposing further battlefield escalation. Notably, China and Russia did not participate in a June peace summit in Switzerland, with Russia excluded and China opting not to attend.

2️⃣ 🇦🇫 🇺🇳 Taliban reject UN critique of new morality laws: Taliban leaders in Afghanistan expressed outrage Monday over U.N.-led objections to their new vice and virtue laws, which mandate that women remain silent in public and cover their faces. Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban government, which remains unrecognised internationally, responded by urging critics to "educate themselves about Islamic laws and respect Islamic values." He added, "It is insulting to our Islamic Sharia [law] when they object due to a lack of knowledge and understanding." Mujahid's remarks on social media platform X followed the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan's (UNAMA) condemnation of the morality law as a "distressing vision" for the country's future.

3️⃣ 🇪🇸 🇲🇷 🇬🇲 🇸🇳 Spanish PM visits West Africa to discuss irregular immigration securitisation: Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez began a three-day tour of West Africa on Tuesday as the country grapples with a surge in migrants making the perilous Atlantic crossing to the Canary Islands. The Spanish archipelago, near the African coast and a gateway for those aiming to reach mainland Europe, has recorded over 22,000 arrivals since January—more than double the number for the same period last year, according to Spain’s Interior Ministry. Sánchez’s trip starts in Mauritania, followed by visits to Gambia and Senegal, the main departure points for smugglers launching overcrowded boats. The migrants include thousands of Malian refugees fleeing violence and instability, as well as unemployed youth from Senegal, Mauritania, and other West African nations seeking better opportunities abroad.

4️⃣ 🇵🇰 Over 70 killed in latest round of Balochistan militant attacks: At least 73 people were killed in Pakistan's Balochistan province after separatist militants attacked police stations, railway lines, and highways, triggering retaliatory operations by security forces. The assaults, among the most widespread in years, were carried out by ethnic militants seeking to secede from Pakistan. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attacks as a deliberate effort to create chaos. The military reported that 14 soldiers and police officers, along with 21 militants, were killed during the clashes, with Balochistan's chief minister confirming 38 civilian deaths. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the coordinated operation, calling it "Haruf" or "dark windy storm," and hinted at further unconfirmed attacks.

5️⃣ 🇺🇳 🇹🇴 🇹🇻 UN Secretary General launches ‘Global SOS’ at Pacific Islands summit, referring to rising sea levels: he Pacific Islands, sparsely populated and with minimal heavy industry, contribute less than 0.02% of global annual greenhouse gas emissions. However, these volcanic islands and low-lying coral atolls are at the greatest risk from rising sea levels. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has tracked tide gauges on Pacific beaches since the 1990s. A recent WMO report reveals that sea levels in some Pacific regions have risen by about 15 centimetres over the past 30 years. As climate change is now defined by the UN Security Council as a security issue, Tuvalu faces the threat of being submerged within three decades. WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo emphasised in the South-West Pacific climate report's foreword that "populations, economies, and ecosystems throughout the Southwest Pacific region are strongly affected by the cascading effects" of climate change.

Major Story

🇧🇫 OVER 100 KILLED BY AL-QAEDA-LINKED GROUP IN CENTRAL BURKINA FASO

At least 100 villagers and soldiers were killed in central Burkina Faso during a weekend attack on a village by al-Qaeda-linked militants, making it one of the deadliest assaults this year in the conflict-ridden nation. The attack took place in the Barsalogho commune, 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the capital, where villagers were forced to dig trenches to protect security outposts. Fighters from the al-Qaeda-affiliated JNIM group stormed the area, opening fire on the villagers and security forces.

Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility on Sunday, stating they had taken "total control over a militia position" in Barsalogho, a key location in Kaya, where security forces have been resisting jihadi efforts to advance toward the capital, Ouagadougou.

Nearly half of Burkina Faso is now beyond government control, as escalating jihadi attacks encircle the capital. Militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have killed thousands and displaced over 2 million people, leading to two coups in 2022. Despite promises to curb the violence, the ruling military junta has struggled, even after forging new security partnerships with Russia and other junta-led nations in Africa’s Sahel region.

This year alone, at least 4,500 people have been killed—an average of 19 daily—in attacks by armed groups, according to the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. Burkina Faso’s junta leader, Capt. Ibrahim Traore, has been conscripting critics into the army and calling on civilians to aid in security efforts. The civilian task force, Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP), works closely with the military. Civilians in the Barsalogho commune were digging trenches—part of broader efforts to fortify areas under jihadi threat—when the recent deadly attack occurred.