🔅 From Warlord Hunts to Asylum Seeker Chaos
Russian Mercenaries' Pursuit of Kony, UK's Rwanda Scheme Woes, and Kenya Airways' DRC Standoff
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Russian Mercenaries Almost Catch Notorious African Warlord, Kony
According to Rolling Stone magazine, Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group have come tantalizingly close to capturing the infamous warlord Joseph Kony, a man who has evaded justice for decades despite a massive U.S. military effort to bring him in.Â
The operation, which took place in a remote corner of the Central African Republic in early April, has illuminated Russia's expanding influence across Africa and the shortcomings of the U.S. military strategy on the continent.
Multiple sources claim that Wagner mercenaries, working with local Chadian armed groups, arrested 14 defectors from Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and subsequently launched an attack on the village of Yemen, believed to be near one of Kony's camps. The assault, which involved helicopters and ground forces, resulted in a firefight that killed between two to eight people and the burning of the village and surrounding areas.
While Kony managed to escape, the operation demonstrates the growing assertiveness of Russian strategy in Africa.Â
The pursuit of Kony is particularly significant given the warlord's notorious history. Accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal Court, Kony has been responsible for the abduction and brutalization of tens of thousands of children, turning them into child soldiers and sex slaves.
Despite a massive U.S. military operation launched in 2011 under President Barack Obama to kill or capture Kony, the warlord remained elusive. The operation, called Observant Compass, was wound down by former President Donald Trump in 2017, leaving a power vacuum that Wagner seems to have filled.
Wagner's presence in the Central African Republic is extensive, with more than 1,000 personnel supporting the government, reportedly in exchange for lucrative natural resource concessions. The group's ability to project power and influence in a region where U.S. strategic-military partnerships have begun to unravel is a testament to Russia's growing role in Africa.
As one former military officer familiar with U.S. operations targeting Kony noted, "It's not the end of the Kony story, but it's a continuation — and Wagner may give us the ending."
UK Struggles to Locate Over Half of Asylum Seekers Designated for Rwanda Removal
In a shocking revelation, a UK government report has disclosed that more than half of the asylum seekers assigned for removal to Rwanda cannot be located. This development has raised concerns among critics, who warn that the controversial scheme is pushing a growing number of claimants underground, potentially exposing them to exploitation and abuse.
According to the report, Rwanda has agreed "in principle" to accept 5,700 asylum seekers from the UK.
However, the Home Office can only locate 2,143 of these individuals for detention.
The remaining 3,557 are not obliged to report to officials, making it more challenging to track them down. Officials claim that these individuals have not necessarily disappeared or "absconded," but the lack of communication speaks loud and clear.
The timing of the government's expected UK-wide operation to detain asylum seekers in preparation for removal has raised eyebrows. It coincides with potentially devastating losses for the Conservatives in the local and mayoral elections on Thursday. However, the government denies allegations that the detention operation is aimed at galvanizing support ahead of polling day.
As the UK government prepares to launch flights to Rwanda within the next 10 to 12 weeks, the fate of thousands of asylum seekers hangs in the balance, with the potential for a humanitarian crisis looming on the horizon.
Kenya Airways Suspends Flights to Kinshasa Over "Unlawful" Detentions
Kenya Airways (KQ) announced on Monday that it would suspend flights to Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, starting on Tuesday after two of its employees were "unlawfully" detained by military intelligence.
According to the airline, the two employees were taken into custody by the Military Detection of Anti-Homeland Activities (DEMIAP) on April 19th. The reason given was "missing customs documentation on valuable cargo," but KQ's chief executive says he's calling BS on that. He says the cargo in question was never even loaded onto the plane because the documentation was incomplete.
The employees' phones were seized during the arrest, and no one was allowed to visit them until April 23rd when Embassy officials and a KQ team were finally granted access. KQ is now urging the Congolese military to release their employees to their families, but so far, the DRC government has been silent on the matter.
So, who's telling the truth?
Food for Thought
“Be a mountain or lean on one."
— Somali Proverb