Situation in Sudan (per 26 February) The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted and killed people with disabilities during and after its October 2025 takeover of El Fasher in North Darfur, reported Human Rights Watch (HRW), documenting executions, torture, and extortion that it said may constitute war crime and crimes against humanity. The RSF carried out […]
Africa Is Not a Chessboard
Those who recognize this will help shape the future By Ramesh Jaura This article first appeared on rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 24 February 2026 (WorldView) — From a European vantage point, with transatlantic ties on shaky ground, the recent African Union Summit in Addis Ababa felt less like a formal gathering and more like a seismic […]
Situation Report Horn of Africa: Tensions at the Chad-Sudan border
Situation in Sudan (per 23 February) The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed to have captured the city of Al-Tina near the Chad border this Saturday in a message posted on social media accompanied by video footage showing armed men celebrating. However, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied Joint Force state they quickly recaptured the […]
Escape, extradition and trial: the case of human trafficker Kidane
The Dutch trial against Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam, an alleged notorious Eritrean human trafficker, will commence on 31 March. Kidane will face charges of various severe human rights abuses, including the rape, torture, murder and ransoming of refugees in closed compounds in Libya. The Walid case: an important precedent Kidane’s trial follows the recent Walid judgement, […]
FIJI: As Sugar Industry Declines, Vanua Levu Is poised for Ecotourism-led Transformation
By Riya Bhagawan* MACUATA, Fiji | 23 February 2026 (IDN/Wansolwara) — Long seen as a quiet, small, and tranquil town nestled among lush mountains with a simple, peaceful lifestyle, Macuata is now rapidly evolving and positioning itself as a centre of attraction in Fiji’s second largest island of Vanua Levu with a population of 160,000. […]
Iran Crisis Exposes the Impotence of America’s Neoliberal War Machine
By Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK | 20 February 2026 (IDN) — After some delays, the United States is dispatching a second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, from the Caribbean to the Middle East to join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and threaten Iran. This is the third Atlantic crossing […]
Floods and Mudslides Prompt Sri Lanka To Move Communities From Mountain Slopes
By Benuka Senadheera* WELIMADA, Sri Lanka | 20 February 2026 (IDN) — Sri Lanka, it seemed, was well on the way to recovering from the economic crash of 2022, when Cyclone Ditwah hit the island at the end of November last year, resulting in devastating floods in all 25 districts of the country. The floods washed […]
A ‘Wrecking-ball’ Smashing the International Order
By Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK | 19 February 2026 (IDN) — The 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC), held from February 13–15 in Munich, Germany, convened global leaders at a moment of mounting geopolitical strain. Long regarded as a premier forum for international security dialogue, this year’s conference unfolded against the backdrop of what its organizers […]
Iran, War, and the Illusion of Control
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 18 February 2026 (IDN) — As U.S.–Iran negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program continue under the shadow of possible military action, both Washington and Tehran must weigh carefully the potentially catastrophic regional consequences of failure. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convinced President Trump during their recent meeting that now is […]
Human Rights and the U.S. Presidency
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 18 February 2026 (IDN) — Jimmy Carter liked to think of himself as a human rights president. Many of us believed he heralded a new spring. Spring is coming again now. Snowdrops and crocuses are pushing through the frost; daffodils are preparing to bloom; trees along the Potomac will […]