Month: February 2023

Italy has become the latest country to join the U.S.-led Mineral Security Partnership that promotes ethical mining. The U.S. Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, Jose Fernandez, made the announcement while attending the Investing in African Mining Indaba, or conference.

In his keynote address, Fernandez said members of the Mineral Security Partnership — which now include Italy, 11 other countries and the European Union — will soon announce details of their environmental, social and governance principles.

He said the aim of the partnership, announced in June last year, was to add ethical values to the entire critical minerals and batteries value chain.

“We want to involve the communities affected by potential projects and the decision-making process. And if you were to say that we’re doing this to protect our bottom line, you’d be partly right. We’ve seen too many instances around the world, some going on right now in South America, where community opposition has led to the closure of otherwise profitable mines,” he said.

But Fernandez said the MSP also wants to protect the environment. He said in their meetings with potential partners, it’s been clear that many companies want to do the right thing for the planet.

“They won’t make investments in projects that destroy precious rain forests, that are not committed to the remediation of mines, that require pay-offs to government officials. They just won’t do it. Their shareholders won’t allow it. Their customers will reject them and our laws will punish such conduct,” he said.

Fernandez said that’s why many companies have joined the United States Public Private Alliance on responsible minerals trading.

“Companies such as Tesla going into the mining business for nickel to ensure the stability and transparency of supply chains. General Motors has made public commitments to sustainable sources. Ford and other car makers have also made similar promises,” said Fernandez.

He said since beginning its work less than a year ago, the MSP has looked at 200 projects and chosen 12 to work on. He gave some examples of their work.

“Two east Asian countries are creating a critical minerals and metals cooperation center where one country will share critical expertise with the other. In the Pacific region, minerals production is booming and a couple of our partners are working together to develop battery materials and will work to attract transparent investment and trade in the Pacific. We’re also looking at mid-stream processing in two key countries, one in Africa, the other in Latin America that could in fact revolutionize their work force development. MSP partners are also assembling a public private consortium to develop state of the art processing facility in Latin America to form a complete value chain in that region,” he said.

Fernandez said that ethical conduct in this sector is critical as the world races to make an energy transition to stop rapid global warming.

Meanwhile, in his opening address at the event, South Africa’s Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe stressed that South Africa is trying to end a long-running problem of frequent power outages. Daily power cuts have impacted mining production.

“It also impacts on the mood of the country. That’s why as the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, we’ve put four points that we think need attention if we are going to overcome load-shedding within the next 12 months. This will give them space to work on long-term energy security for the country,” he said.

The Investing in African Mining Indaba ends on Thursday.

Source: Voice of America

Scores of Sudanese protested in the capital Monday against diplomatic relations with Israel, after last week’s surprise visit by the Israeli foreign minister.

Dozens of Sudanese protesters chanted “no normalization” with Israel, as they held banners blaming Sudanese military leader Abdul Fattah al-Burhan for committing a “betrayal.”

Monday’s protest comes days after Sudanese and Israeli officials announced that the two countries are moving toward normalizing ties.

The announcement was made Thursday after an official visit by the Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Eli Cohen, who met with Sudanese officials in Khartoum.

Speaking to VOA during Monday’s protest, Mohammed Al Safi said, he rejects any form of normalization with Israel.

Al Safi, who is a member of the self-described “popular campaign” against normalization with Israel, said al-Burhan’s decision doesn’t reflect the will of the Sudanese people.

“We are at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to raise our voice that Khartoum shall remain the town for ‘No to peace, no to normalization and no to recognition of Israel,” he said.

That policy, known as the ‘Three Nos,’ was established at a 1967 Arab League summit in Khartoum, soon after the 1967 Mideast War when Israel took control of Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Another protester, Tamadur Omer, said she took part in the protest to reject the “illegality” of the decision taken by the Sudanese military leaders.

Speaking to VOA while wearing a Palestinian scarf around her neck, she said her religion doesn’t allow her to live in peace with the Israeli people. That is why the government’s decision doesn’t serve the interest of all Sudanese people.

“As a Muslim, I reject the normalization in principle and value,” she said. “And as a Sudanese people, we will not sell our country to Zionists. Such a decision can only be the mandate of an elected and a legitimate government.”

Another demonstrator, Al Fadil Abu Basher, said protesters will push to maintain the rejection of any ties with Israel.

“This is an unconstitutional and illegal decision and they, the military, do not have the right to take such a decision,” he said. “We are ready to face the illegal step with all the rejection [it] means. All means are open for us.

Abdulrahman Khaleel, the spokesperson of the Sudanese Foreign Affairs Ministry, downplayed the protest, saying people are free to demonstrate.

“It is normal that part of the Sudanese are against this. They have a right to express their opinion,” he said.

In 2020, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco all normalized relations with Israel as part of the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords. Sudan separately announced plans to establish diplomatic ties with Israel in a deal brokered by the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

In January 2021, Sudan’s government issued a declaration paving the way to normalizing ties with Israel, and later approved a bill abolishing a boycott of the country dating back to 1968.

Source: Voice of America

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday that the world needs to wake up and take urgent action to change the trajectory on conflicts and geopolitical divisions, the climate crisis, and economic inequality.

“We need a course correction,” Guterres said as he laid out his 2023 priorities to the U.N. General Assembly.

“The good news is that we know how to turn things around — on climate, on finance, on conflict resolution, on and on,” he added. “And we know that the cost of inaction far exceeds the costs of action. But the strategic vision — the long-term thinking and commitment — is missing.”

He cited the recent announcement by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to move the so-called Doomsday Clock 10 seconds closer to global catastrophe as a “wake-up call.”

On January 24, the organization’s board, citing Russia’s war in Ukraine and the threat of the use of nuclear weapons, said the planet is now “90 seconds to midnight.”

“This is the closest the clock has ever stood to humanity’s darkest hour, and closer than even during the height of the Cold War,” Guterres warned.

The organization of scientists, of which Albert Einstein was a founding member, created the clock in 1947 as an indicator of how close the world is to manmade global catastrophe.

Adding to the growing list of crises and concerns was Monday’s deadly 7.8 earthquake that struck parts of Turkey and Syria. Guterres said the United Nations is mobilizing to support the emergency response.

“Let’s work together in solidarity to help those hit by this disaster, many of whom are already in dire need of humanitarian aid,” he said.

The quake’s epicenter was in parts of Turkey and Syria with large populations of refugees and people affected by more than a decade of civil war in Syria.

Russia’s war

Guterres has been clear in condemning Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine as a violation of the U.N. Charter and international law. He told the General Assembly that it has inflicted “untold suffering” on the Ukrainian people and had “profound” global implications. He voiced pessimism about the prospects for peace.

“The chances of further escalation and bloodshed keep growing,” he warned. “I fear the world is not sleepwalking into a wider war. I fear it is doing so with its eyes wide open.”

He criticized the “tactical” use of nuclear weapons as an “absurdity.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned he is ready to draw on his country’s entire arsenal, which includes nuclear weapons, to defend Russian territory. On Thursday, he repeated the threat in a speech criticizing Germany for helping to arm Ukraine.

“We are at the highest risk in decades of a nuclear war that could start by accident or design,” Guterres said. “We need to end the threat posed by 13,000 nuclear weapons held in arsenals around the world.”

The U.N. chief said the world needs peace, not just in Ukraine, but also in many corners of the planet. He said conflicts and political crises in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Africa’s Sahel region, Haiti, the Middle East and elsewhere are driving the suffering of two billion people.

“If every country fulfilled its obligations under the [U.N.] Charter, the right to peace would be guaranteed,” Guterres said. “When countries break those pledges, they create a world of insecurity for everyone.”

Source: Voice of America

India is preparing to relaunch its INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier after a major refit, a critical step toward fulfilling its plan to deploy two carrier battle groups as it seeks to strengthen its regional maritime power to counter China’s increasing assertiveness.

The Vikramaditya, a former Soviet carrier acquired from Russia, is expected to be launched imminently and will join India’s first domestically built carrier that was launched in September, the INS Vikrant, in undergoing outfitting and sea trials, with the plan to have both fully operational later this year.

“This is significant in terms of India’s power projection capabilities, primarily within the Indian Ocean,” said Viraj Solanki, a London-based expert on Indo-Pacific defense with the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“This really gives India an option to display its ability to counter China within the Indian Ocean, which is the Indian navy’s priority.”

China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy has been expanding and modernizing for more than a decade and is now the world’s largest. In June, it launched its first domestically designed and built aircraft carrier, the country’s third overall, as part of a program to extend its range and power and become more of a “blue water” force that can operate globally.

At the same time, China’s People’s Liberation Army has undertaken massive investment in ballistic and cruise missile technology, and the U.S. Defense Department says it will have the ability to conduct “long-range precision strikes against land targets from its submarine and surface combatants” in the “near term.”

As Beijing increases its naval presence around Taiwan and pushes its claims in the South China Sea, the U.S., Britain and other allies have responded with regular naval exercises in the region and passages through the Taiwan Strait as they pursue a policy of a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”

China has not yet sailed an aircraft carrier into the Indian Ocean but is expected to do so within the next few years. It already has other vessels operating regularly in the region and has established its first overseas base in the Horn of Africa country of Djibouti, which gives it easy access to the Indian Ocean.

China set off alarm bells in New Delhi in August when it docked what India called a “spy ship” in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port off of India’s southern coast, a facility that was leased to China in 2017 for 99 years.

“New Delhi sees Beijing as encroaching into its traditional sphere of influence, especially in the Indian Ocean region,” said Ridzwan Rahmat, a Singapore-based analyst with the defense intelligence company Janes.

“While a potential war with China will likely be fought inland, China’s presence in the Indian Ocean region can severely disrupt India’s sea lines of communication, which will be essential in sustaining the war effort. The Indian navy’s recent modernization track is to ensure that scenarios like these will not take root,” Rahmat said.

Like China, India has nuclear weapons and has been building nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines as part of its “nuclear triad” of air, sea and land-based platforms. It currently has two such subs and plans for two more, as well as nuclear-powered attack submarines.

Its fleet also includes 10 destroyers, 12 frigates and 20 corvettes.

India and China clashed on their land border in 2020, with 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers killed. The skirmish turned into a long standoff in the rugged mountainous terrain where each side has tens of thousands of military personnel.

Retired Indian navy chief Arun Prakash suggested that experience could make the seas more important in the event of a future conflict.

“The 30-month-long Sino-Indian military impasse in the Himalayas and China’s strategic posturing in the South China Sea should be clear pointers for India’s decision-makers that maritime power will have a critical role to play as an instrument of state policy in future outcomes,” Prakash wrote in December in The Indian Express.

With two carriers, India’s plan is to have one stationed on each coast, said Capt. D.K. Sharma, a retired Indian navy spokesperson who now consults on defense issues.

India’s focus has tended to be toward Pakistan in the west, but with the presence of Chinese vessels in critical shipping lanes east of India, it is prudent for the Indian navy to make its presence felt there as well, Rahmat said.

He cautioned, however, that India still lacks many of the support systems, among other things, to make its carriers effective.

“The vessels themselves may be operational but the Indian navy is still several years away from being able to project its forces credibly into the Indian Ocean region,” he said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the launch of the Vikrant as a victory in his “Make in India” campaign to become more self-reliant in defense.

“The government doesn’t really have the money or the vision to go in for another aircraft carrier,” he said.

In its proposed 2023-24 budget presented Wednesday, the government increased defense spending by less than 2%, further calling into question major new investments in carriers. Even if it does go ahead, a third carrier would take years to build.

As it outfits the Vikrant, India is expected to decide soon on the purchase of 26 maritime strike fighters — either the French Rafale-M or American F/A-18. The Indian air force already operates a version of Dassault Aviation’s Rafale, which would make maintenance easier, while Boeing’s F/A-18 can carry more missiles.

The Vikramaditya will continue to operate Russian-made MiG-29K fighters India already owns.

India has been seeking to lessen its reliance on equipment from Russia, which currently provides about 60% of its inventory, with the war in Ukraine raising questions about their effectiveness and the availability of spare parts. The United States and other allies have been pitching themselves to New Delhi as alternatives and are increasing their cooperation with the key regional player as they intensify their own focus on the Indo-Pacific.

However, experts say that even with domestic production and diversification of acquisitions, it could take India 20 years to get past its dependence on Russian supplies and spares.

Even before the Russia-Ukraine war, India was increasing its diplomatic engagement with the Quad grouping of the U.S., India, Japan and Australia, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and other countries individually, Solanki said.

“This really accelerated after the June 2020 India-China clashes on the border,” he said. “That is when we’ve seen a real shift and focus to engage with the Quad, with France, to engage with the U.K. more actively, work with Europe further … and work with the ASEAN countries as well.”

Source: Voice of America

The 1990s were a time of great change for the country, and the 1990s were a time of great change for the country. Operation Fenkil is one of the most impressive and huge military operations and victories that testified to the military intelligence and distance of the Eritrean youth.

When the LGBTIQ decided to launch Operation Fenkil, it had to be very well prepared, given its magnitude and importance and the potential impact of its success and failure on the future prospects of Eritrean independence. In 1977, the JLF’s operation to burn the port city of Mitsva did not go as planned and cost huge sacrifices, leaving bitter memories in the minds of every fighter and people. Therefore, there is no doubt that the battle to burn Mitsva for the second time in 13 years and to clarify the direction of the military and political journey of the Eritrean people and their revolution must be flawless.

To conduct an effective military operation, accurate enemy intelligence is the first military rule. In his book The Art Of War, Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu said, “If you know your enemy and yourself, you will not be afraid of the outcome of hundreds of battles. If you know yourself but not your enemy, you will also accept defeat in every victory you achieve. If you don’t know yourself and your enemy, you’ll be silent in every battle,” he says.

The JLF, therefore, worked seriously in gathering information so that it could know its own capabilities and carefully study the capabilities of its enemy to achieve unwavering victory. He understood the capabilities of his enemy; He devised a step-by-step military strategy on where, when, and how to attack and win.

However, the Derg was not lazy in its counter-intelligence and military strategies. However, after examining, studying and analyzing all the circumstances and intelligence activities of the HLF, he confirmed that the HG would attack the port city of Mitsva. Understanding the capabilities of the HLF, he made preparations to thwart the attack. The HLF, in turn, confirmed with intense and accurate intelligence that the Derg knew it was going to attack Mitsva and had made preparations to thwart the attack.

This situation threatened the HLF and the long-planned military operation. Because the information gathered by the HLF through long and detailed intelligence activities and the military strategy it devised were known to the enemy. Thus, the “suddenness” that is so important in war and gives the advantage of victory has been taken away. Launching an attack on your enemy in such a situation is like, “Destroyed flour plays with the wind”.

The HLF has concluded that its planned Operation Fenkil must not fail under any circumstances and must be implemented. However, the “suddenness” he held is not war. The battle now is against your most powerful enemy who already knows you are going to attack. This kind of war doesn’t work, not even with your enemy who is on the defensive with a superior capability, nor with an enemy who is on the defensive with a low capability. “So what’s to be done?” he asked. It became a confusing question for the military engineers of the HLF.

The only solution is to take away the “suddenness” that the Derg has taken away from the Derg again. “Good. But how do we snatch it?” It was a question that the military strategists of the HLF had to answer. Even when you are facing your enemy, you can gain the advantage of “suddenness” by attacking your enemy from an unexpected direction/angle. To do this, you must create expectations in your enemy’s mind by making deceptive compliments.

This strategy is based on China’s military strategy: “Attack in the west and attack in the east.” is described as. The military architects of the HLF, who were responsible for the lives of thousands of heroes of the Eritrean people, devised an unpredictable strategy to save the lives of the fighters and carry out Operation Fenkil at little cost. “To make Operation Fenkil a success, go to the heart of Ethiopia and launch a military offensive.” It was a nice sight.

So, a young Eritrean (C/S 70) who was swarming the Samhar valleys to carry out part of Operation Fenkil suddenly loaded up in a Mercedes and disappeared from Eritrean soil. However, the movement and radio communications of a small number of units of the 70th Brigade continued in the Samar valleys and adjacent Sahel territory so that the Derg army would not benefit from this new military change. The 85th Brigade, which was primarily determined to carry out Operation Fenkil, disappeared completely from communications. The Derg military engineers believed that the 70th Brigade, which had been hidden from them for a long time, had now suddenly found its whereabouts through intercepted radios and that the 70th Brigade would carry out the planned attack on Mitsva.

It was in this state of mind that the 70th Brigade, which had traveled 1,800 km from Eritrea and unknowingly entered central Ethiopia, in early January 1990, attacked the peacefully resting Derg army at Asosa. Ethiopia and the world were shaken by this sudden operation. The Derg said, “The Shaabia has been conducting maneuvers in the Samar to attack inside Ethiopia. He’s amazed us!” He rushed to extinguish the HLF volcano in central Ethiopia by drawing reinforcements from Tigray and elsewhere in Ethiopia.

The Second Revolutionary Army, which was on full alert in Eritrea, especially to defend Mitsva, began to relax in the same belief. The HLF snatched the ‘suddenness’ from the Derg again with the military strategy of “increase in the west and attack in the east”.

The 70th Brigade, which traveled 1,800 km and attacked inside Ethiopia with mechanized units, followed the military strategy of “attack like lightning and disappear like the wind” and soon became a stench of water. Without his movements being known, he passed through Sudanese territory as before and appeared in Samhar. Thus, three brigades of the 85th Brigade, three brigades of the 70th Brigade, two brigades of the 61st Brigade, one brigade of the 96th Brigade and two mechanized brigades of the 74th Brigade were prepared to carry out the attack. In total, the HLF had 13,500 dead fighters, 45 100mm tanks, 31 heavy artillery (130, 122, 85mm), 4 BM 21 rocket launchers, more than 20 anti-aircraft guns and anti-tank missiles and more He mobilized a small naval force armed with 10 fast boats and prepared for a unique sea and land attack.

The Derg army, meanwhile, had about 25,000 troops plus 3,000 naval personnel, about 150 different tanks, about 70 heavy artillery, over 100 rifles, a large number of anti-tank missiles, bombing aircraft from Asmara, and a 35-year-old experienced navy consisting of eight squadrons He was armed with 30 ships, large and small, ready to defend.

The HLF, which was insignificant in all measures of military capability compared to the Derg army – prepared for attack, with a highly skilled ‘suddenness’ of war and real aim, defeated the colonial force that was beaten by the HLF’s highly skilled and distanced military strategy Three days of lightning strikes (February 8-10, 1990) wrote the remarkable Eritrean military victory that we now remember with pride 33 years later in the archives of Eritrean history with the blood and bones of heroes.

 

Source: Eritrea – Ministry of Information