Situation in Sudan (per 4 December) The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have taken control over the strategically important town of Babanusa, West Kordofan State, after capturing the Sudanese Armed Forces’ (SAF) 22nd Infantry Division headquarters on Monday, following a 2-year siege. Many women and children remain trapped in the 22nd Infantry Division headquarters, where they had […]
Saudi Arabian Tourism Is On A Learning Curve, But Russian Tourist Could Help To Accelerate It
By Kalinga Seneviratne BANGKOK, Thailand | 4 Dec 2025(IDN)– Saudi Arabia and Russia have signed an agreement on the sidelines of the Saudi-Russian Investment and Business Forum, held in Riyadh on the 1st December, on a mutual visa exemption for citizens of both countries, that could help to accelerate the Islamic kingdom’s fledgling tourist industry. […]
A Troubling Message from Guinea-Bissau
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and the author of the new book Writing for Media and Monetising It. ABUJA, Nigeria | 4 December 2025 (IDN) —None of the three Guineas is thriving, but in Guinea-Bissau. This country sits on Africa’s map like a tongue of fire, recent events are twisting […]
African Land Policy Centre Pushes for Land Rights Reform
By Busani Bafana ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia | 3 December 2025 (IDN)-Dr. Joan Kagwanja is the coordinator of the African Land Policy Centre, driving transformative land reforms across the continent. With decades of expertise, she champions policies that secure land rights for women, youth, and rural communities, while promoting pathways to restore land justice and position […]
“If I Were Secretary-General…”
By Stephanie Hodge* NEW YORK | 2 December 2025 (IDN) — If I were the Secretary-General, I would stop pretending that the UN is a delicate Swiss clock that needs a light polishing. It’s not a clock. It’s an old mansion with leaky pipes, faulty wiring, and a family upstairs arguing about who forgot to […]
Why the U.S.–South Africa Rift Could Reshape Global Power
A Shock That Had Been Building for Months This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 2 December 2025 (IDN) — Six months ago, a meeting in Washington set the stage for the geopolitical rupture now unfolding. In one of the year’s most contentious diplomatic encounters, U.S. President Donald Trump confronted […]
Ukraine was Russian — Historically
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 2 December 2025 (IDN) — “George, you have to understand that Ukraine is not even a country. Part of its territory is in Eastern Europe, and the greater part was given to us.” These were the ominous words of President Vladimir Putin of Russia to President George W. Bush in […]
Details of EU Migration and Asylum Pact Revealed Amidst Concerns of Externalisation on Human Trafficking in Libya
Brussels, Belgium | 29 November 2025 (IDN) — On 11 November, the European Commission unveiled the long-awaited details of the much discussed allocation key of the EU’s new Migration and Asylum Pact, marking a major reform of Europe’s migration system that will come into force on 12 June, 2026. The pact aims to create faster […]
Can Global Climate Diplomacy Still Deliver?
COP30 and the Amazon Reckoning This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 28 November 2025 (IDN) — When world leaders arrived in Belém for COP30 on 10 November, the symbolism was clear. Delegates entered a city where the air is thick with humidity, the scent of river mud blends with […]
Situation Report Horn of Africa: Walid hearings conclude- verdict expected on 27 January
Situation in Sudan (per 27 November) The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N) have reportedly been forcibly recruiting men in the Nuba mountains, South Kordofan. 70 gunmen are reported to have kidnapped hundreds of men in Tibsa village on Saturday, killing one who resisted, releasing some after ransom payments, and […]