“And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.”
[Revelation 17:5]
“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON
THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
[Revelation 17:18]
“And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”
[Revelation 18:3]
“For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.”
[Revelation 18:11-13]
“And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
[Isaiah 13:9]
“Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.”
🔥 Donald Trump on Saudis: ‘They love us and we love them’
💭 While attending the Aramco Team Series presented by the PIF in Florida, Former US President Donald Trump says he loves Saudi Arabia, adding that Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are his friends.
The controversial LIV Golf DC tournament is being played at Trump’s golf course in Sterling, Virginia.
💭 Donald Trump’s Trouble is Linked to The Biblical Ark of The Covenant and Ethiopia
☆ Trump Supporters Storm U.S. Capitol, Clash With Police
👉 The Donald Trump administration gave a green light to the fascist Oromo regime of Ethiopia, to the brutal regime of Eritrea, to the United Arab Emirates, to Turkey to open a genocidal war against Orthodox Christians of Northern Ethiopia. (US Presidential election day, 4 November 2020 till today)
💭 Court Docs: James Biden Secretly Negotiated $140M Deal With Saudis Due to Relationship with Joe Biden
[Revelation 16:19]
“And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.”
[Revelation 17:5]
“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLONTHE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
[Revelation 17:18]
“And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”
[Revelation 18:3]
“For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.”
[Revelation 18:11-13]
“And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
[Isaiah 13:9]
“Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.”
💭 Kamala Harris on Tuesday delivered a word salad to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos arrived to the White House on Monday to meet with Joe Biden in the Oval Office.
Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff on Tuesday welcomed the Philippine president to their residence as part of his 4-day trip to the US.
Protesters gathered outside of the Vice President’s residence as Ferdinand Marcos met with Kamala Harris.
Kamala Harris was her usual awkward self and delivered a word salad to Ferdinand Marcos.
“We have been able to continue to do the work that we have that is a priority around our mutual prosperity and security…we discussed the importance of a clean energy economy. You and I share our passion…as it relates to what we must do in terms of continuing to work together,” Harris said talking down to the Philippine president.
This woman is one heartbeat away from the presidency.
😈 Yes, Everything the Oromo Demon aka Abiy Ahmed Ali Touches Dies. All the places where the heathen invaders have migrated with the evil spirit of Waqeyo-Allah-Lucifer will be burnt and destroyed. Folks will cry and say Alas! Whoa!
🔥2.3 million people take to streets of France, riots break out. At least 540 people were arrested during riots during May Day protests against pension reforms in France More than 300 of them were arrested in the capital, said French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. 406 police officers and gendarmes were injured, 259 of them in Paris.
🔥 Hundreds of thousands of people on Monday massed in France on Labour day to vent their anger against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform, with unions vowing not to stop fighting even after the changes were signed into law.
“What is hardly known in Europe: Christianity was already widespread in this part of Africa when the Germanic tribes were still worshipping trees and hills.”
Priest Kiday thinks for a while and then says that God punishes not only individuals but also the community – especially when the collective has sinned. That was certainly the case in Tigray, the priest adds: the people lied and stole, the girls wore skirts that were far too short, the young men danced too exuberantly. However, he does not want to justify the barbaric actions of the Eritrean soldiers: He calls their commander-in-chief, head of state Isaias Afwerki, “the father of the devil.
Debre Dammo, the oldest Christian monastery south of the Sahara, was bombed by Eritrean military jets. Amharic militiamen set fire to the Feredashum St. Kirkos church – numerous artifacts were damaged. Ethiopian soldiers stole ancient manuscripts from the Abune Tadewos monastery, and when they captured the holy city of Axum in November 2020, their comrades from Eritrea inflicted a massacre with well over 400 dead, including several priests. Places of worship also looted in civil war.
Up to 400 churches and monasteries were at least partially damaged.
While international organizations are investigating the countless human rights crimes committed during the civil war, virtually no one is paying attention to the destruction and looting of places of worship, complains Tadesse Simie Metekia of the Institute for Security Studies in Addis Ababa: “These are also war crimes.”
The apostate Christians could never be completely safe, even in the bizarre mountain world of Gar’alta: First they were persecuted by their “orthodox” fellow Christians, and later they were confronted with a new sect, the followers of the Islamic prophet Mohammed.
For the priest, the province with the Holy City of Axum, the Ark of the Covenant of the Israelites supposedly kept there, the ancient rock churches with their manuscripts, is the center of the Orthodox faith: “If the truth doesn’t survive here, nowhere will.” When we finally make our way back, an eagle circles between the Almighty and us.
Those who want to worship the Almighty in the embattled Ethiopian province climb daringly to 2600 meters above sea level to a spectacular church in the middle of the rock. Our correspondent has dared the climb – and looked into secular abysses
The Almighty doesn’t exactly make things easy for his guests. After an hour’s climb up one of the craggy sandstone formations that rise into the sky like gigantic teeth in the center of Ethiopia’s Tigray Province, we reach a rock face that is impossible to get past except by climbing. Kiday Yohannes has wisely brought a rope with him to secure his foreign guest – he himself climbs ahead unsecured. The Orthodox clergyman knows every crevice where his hands or feet can find a foothold; after all, he has walked the path thousands of times – up to three times a day during the peak tourist season. However, the Orthodox priest has not seen any tourists for more than two years. Instead, he has seen war, countless soldiers and death many times.
Whoever dares to climb up here must not be sick of heights.
For climbing we have to take off our shoes, because the ground we enter is sacred. Even after the rock face, we continue uphill over boulders and tumbling gullies. Only at an altitude of about 2600 meters do we reach a ridge between two rocky outcrops on which there is a small brick building: the baptismal and reception room of the “Abuna Yemata” church, explains priest Kiday. On both sides of the ridge, the descent is hundreds of meters: not a place for the faint-hearted or those who suffer from altitude sickness – but a place where the Orthodox believers of the region have been seeking their God for 1600 years. In the “most dangerous church in the world,” according to a travel website.
The last 20 meters to a hole in the rock face are the most frightening. On the right, the sandstone massif rises vertically into the air; on the left, the abyss yawns – more than 300 meters deep. A ledge that serves as a path is barely 50 centimeters wide at its narrowest point. Priest Kiday takes his despondent foreign flock by the hand. In the entire history of the place of worship, no person has ever fallen here, he reassures, “God looks out for his faithful.” Legend has it that pilgrims who actually fell to the depths were blown back up the path by a miraculous wind.
❖ You can hardly get any closer to God 😇
When you finally reach the hole in the rock face, you think you are ready for anything – and yet the sight leaves you speechless. In the semi-darkness, a small cathedral accurately hewn out of the rock emerges – with Romanesque vaulted arches, columns and two implied domes. The walls and ceilings of the roughly 30-square-meter room are painted with luminous frescoes, mainly portraits of biblical and ecclesiastical figures, and the floor is carpeted. A bent branch fork serves as a lectern for the priest; a stack of ancient books made of sheepskin lies beneath it. There is a smell of incense – and as Kiday Yohannes quietly intones a hymn, the heavens seem to open. This is as close as a mortal can get to the Almighty.
The (almost) intrepid author.
Like over 120 other churches in Tigray, Abuna Yemata was hewn out of the rock. Unesco wants to declare the monolithic houses of worship a World Heritage Site. They are spread over three “Sacred Landscapes,” of which the Gar’alta region is the most spectacular; this is also where the oldest of the rock churches are located. What is hardly known in Europe: Christianity was already widespread in this part of Africa when the Germanic tribes were still worshipping trees and hills. King Esana, who ruled in the holy city of Axum, located almost 200 kilometers northwest of Abuna Yemata, had already declared the Christian faith the state religion in the 4th century.
Christians were also persecuted in Tigray
Nevertheless, the young Christians in Tigray could not really feel safe. Besides the proximity to God, the security aspect was also responsible for the construction of their churches at dizzying heights – an advantage of which Priest Kiday can still sing a song today. When Eritrean and Ethiopian soldiers invaded Tigray a good two years ago, the people of the village of Guh, located at the foot of the rocky fangs, sought refuge in the mountains. Priest Kiday retreated to the Abune Yemeta place of worship with two dozen worshippers. His 26-year-old wife Berhan holed up in a nearby cave with their two children – just in case the invaders did not back down from an attack on the place of worship.
The clergyman Kiday Yohannes reads in old books made of sheepskin.
Soldiers did indeed fire on the rock church several times, Kiday says, but they never hit it. And the Eritrean invaders were reluctant to attack on foot in view of the adverse terrain.
Other places of worship were less fortunate. Debre Dammo, the oldest Christian monastery south of the Sahara, was bombed by Eritrean military jets. Amharic militiamen set fire to the Feredashum St. Kirkos church – numerous artifacts were damaged. Ethiopian soldiers stole ancient manuscripts from the Abune Tadewos monastery, and when they captured the holy city of Axum in November 2020, their comrades from Eritrea inflicted a massacre with well over 400 dead, including several priests.
Places of worship also looted in civil war.
Up to 400 churches and monasteries were at least partially damaged, according to a damage report by philologist Hagos Abrha Abay, a researcher at the University of Hamburg. On auction platforms such as Ebay, old manuscripts and cult objects from Tigray were suddenly offered for sale at ridiculous prices, reports the Ethiopian: handwritten and illustrated texts of inestimable value changed hands for a few hundred euros.
While international organizations are investigating the countless human rights crimes committed during the civil war, virtually no one is paying attention to the destruction and looting of places of worship, complains Tadesse Simie Metekia of the Institute for Security Studies in Addis Ababa: “These are also war crimes.”
On May 7, 2021, Eritrean soldiers entered the village of Guh at the foot of the Rock Teeth and shot at anything that moved. According to farmer Kasa Girmai, 19 people were killed in the massacre, including nine women and seven children, the youngest less than a week old. The 50-year-old managed to escape with his family into the mountains. However, they had to leave his 78-year-old mother behind: The soldiers would not harm the old woman, Kasa told himself. But the Eritrean fighters dragged the woman out of her house, dragged her to a nearby stream and shot her there.
Even today, human bones can be found in the middle of the landscape, says priest Kiday: “The hyenas have spread the bones all over the country.” The priest buried the victims of the massacre in Guh in the valley about 300 meters directly below the entrance to the rock church – as if they were the first ones that the miraculous wind did not blow back up again. One of the graves is barely half a meter long: there lies buried the seven-day-old child. How could the Almighty allow the innocent little creature to be torn from the world right away?
Priest Kiday thinks for a while and then says that God punishes not only individuals but also the community – especially when the collective has sinned. That was certainly the case in Tigray, the priest adds: the people lied and stole, the girls wore skirts that were far too short, the young men danced too exuberantly. However, he does not want to justify the barbaric actions of the Eritrean soldiers: He calls their commander-in-chief, head of state Isaias Afwerki, “the father of the devil.
One cannot accuse Priest Kisay of exuberant dancing. When he intones a mournful melody in the mini-cathedral of Abuna Yemata between heaven and earth, he stamps his feet softly in time and accompanies his singing with a rattle. This is how he did it for the whole of last night, when he celebrated the first Christmas mass after the war again in the rock church for six hours with a good 50 faithful.
The Ethiopian multi-ethnic state threatens to be completely divided
Looking down on the congregation from the ceiling was Abuna Yemata: one of the nine saints of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church who had fled to Tigray from the Middle East in the fifth century. They had been at odds with the rest of the church over the nature of Christ – only God or God and man in one person? – with the rest of the church. Father Yemata hewed the place of worship out of the rock with his own hands, and his nephew Binyam painted the images, Kisay says. These have never had to be restored in their 1400-year history.
The apostate Christians could never be completely safe, even in the bizarre mountain world of Gar’alta: First they were persecuted by their “orthodox” fellow Christians, and later they were confronted with a new sect, the followers of the Islamic prophet Mohammed. Even though Ethiopia was never truly colonized, the Ethiopian kingdom did not come to rest even in recent history. And today, the multi-ethnic Ethiopian state is in danger of being completely pulverized by ethnic and political tensions. Hundreds of thousands killed during the civil war
Several hundred thousand people are said to have fallen victim to the two-year civil war between the Tigray and the government army, and the province has been set back several decades. And already the next smoldering conflict is escalating-between the majority Oromo people and the government under “Nobel Peace Prize winner” Abiy Ahmed.
Ethiopia’s church seems powerless in the face of the turmoil. When Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia in 1993 and war broke out six years later between the two neighbors over the border demarcation in a useless piece of semi-desert, the community of Christians also split – into an Eritrean and an Ethiopian Orthodox Church. During the recent civil war, Orthodox believers outside Tigray did not lift a finger to stem the bloodshed or at least condemn it, laments philologist Hagos in Hamburg: Many parishes in Amhara Province, which is particularly hostile to Tigray, even donated money for the war.
A sacred place for the hope of peace
Kisay Yohannes closes his eyes and mumbles a prayer in Ge’ez: the sacred language of his church sounds like ancient Hebrew and is understood only by clergy. He prayed for Tigray’s independence, the priest says afterwards: and that an Orthodox Church for Tigray would soon emerge from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. For the priest, the province with the Holy City of Axum, the Ark of the Covenant of the Israelites supposedly kept there, the ancient rock churches with their manuscripts, is the center of the Orthodox faith: “If the truth doesn’t survive here, nowhere will.” When we finally make our way back, an eagle circles between the Almighty and us.
❖ AXUM – The Capital of The Axumite Empire – Land of THE QUEEN of SHEBA – Where the Sacred ARK OF THE COVENANT is Housed.
🛑 Encircling Axumite Ethiopia 🛑
💭 Former General of the US Army Wesley Clark in 2007:
‘We Are Going to Take-out 7 Countries in 5 Years.’
Former General of the US Army Wesley Clark on the military strategy after 9/11 (Ethiopian New Year’s Day) attacks: “We are going to take out 7 countries in 5 years: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and finishing it off with Iran”
A former commander of NATO’s forces in Europe, Clark claims he met a senior military officer in Washington in November 2001 who told him the Bush administration was planning to attack Iraq first before taking action against Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia and Sudan.
The general’s allegations surface in a new book, The Clark Critique, excerpts from which appear in the latest edition of the US magazine Newsweek.
Clark says after the 11 September 2001 attacks, many Bush administration officials seemed determined to move against Iraq, invoking the idea of state sponsorship of terrorism, “even though there was no evidence of Iraqi sponsorship of 9/11 whatsoever”.
Ousting Saddam Hussein promised concrete, visible action, the general writes, dismissing it as a “Cold War approach”.
Clark criticises the plan to attack the seven states, saying it targeted the wrong countries, ignored the “real sources of terrorists”, and failed to achieve “the greater force of international law” that would bring wider global support.
“There was no evidence of Iraqi sponsorship of 9/11 whatsoever”
He also condemns George Bush’s notorious Axis of Evil speech made during his 2002 State of the Union address. “There were no obvious connections between Iraq, Iran, and North Korea,” says Clark.
Clark points the finger at what he calls “the real sources of terrorists – US allies in the region like Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia”.
Clark blames Egypt’s “repressive policies”, Pakistan’s “corruption and poverty, as well as Saudi Arabia’s “radical ideology and direct funding” for creating a pool of angry young men who became “terrorists”.
❖ AXUM – The Capital of The Axumite Empire – Land of THE QUEEN of SHEBA – Where the Sacred ARK OF THE COVENANT is Housed
🛑 Encircling Axumite Ethiopia 🛑
💭 Former General of the US Army Wesley Clark in 2007:
‘We Are Going to Take-out 7 Countries in 5 Years.’
Former General of the US Army Wesley Clark on the military strategy after 9/11 (Ethiopian New Year’s Day) attacks: “We are going to take out 7 countries in 5 years: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and finishing it off with Iran”
A former commander of NATO’s forces in Europe, Clark claims he met a senior military officer in Washington in November 2001 who told him the Bush administration was planning to attack Iraq first before taking action against Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia and Sudan.
The general’s allegations surface in a new book, The Clark Critique, excerpts from which appear in the latest edition of the US magazine Newsweek.
Clark says after the 11 September 2001 attacks, many Bush administration officials seemed determined to move against Iraq, invoking the idea of state sponsorship of terrorism, “even though there was no evidence of Iraqi sponsorship of 9/11 whatsoever”.
Ousting Saddam Hussein promised concrete, visible action, the general writes, dismissing it as a “Cold War approach”.
Clark criticises the plan to attack the seven states, saying it targeted the wrong countries, ignored the “real sources of terrorists”, and failed to achieve “the greater force of international law” that would bring wider global support.
“There was no evidence of Iraqi sponsorship of 9/11 whatsoever”
He also condemns George Bush’s notorious Axis of Evil speech made during his 2002 State of the Union address. “There were no obvious connections between Iraq, Iran, and North Korea,” says Clark.
Clark points the finger at what he calls “the real sources of terrorists – US allies in the region like Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia”.
Clark blames Egypt’s “repressive policies”, Pakistan’s “corruption and poverty, as well as Saudi Arabia’s “radical ideology and direct funding” for creating a pool of angry young men who became “terrorists”.
❖ Aksum, Also Called Axum, is The Ancient Capital of The Aksumite Empire, Situated on The Present-Day Tigray Region of Ethiopia
The Aksumite Empire emerged in the former historical kingdom of Dʿmt, first documented in a trading guide called the ‘Periplus of the Erythraean Sea’ from around the mid-1st century AD.
According to the Periplus text, the position of the Aksumite Empire in international terms, played an important role in the transcontinental trade route between Rome and India from an early stage. Aksum was sufficiently remote never to have come into open conflict with Rome, nor suffered from punitive expeditions from nearby kingdoms such as Egypt or Meroë.
The Aksumite Empire began to mint coins from about AD 270, mimicking the design of traditional Roman coins with a bust of the ruler in profile. Coinage gave the Aksumite economy a central emphasis from which every aspect of the state’s functions could operate, with the Aksum monetary system of coinage linked with that of the Romans and Byzantines for trade.
The Empire extended across most of present-day Eritrea, northern Ethiopia, Western Yemen, and parts of eastern Sudan. The Aksumites developed a civilisation of considerable sophistication, and a unique alphabetic system called the Ge’ez script (also known as Ethiopic), evolving into an abugida segmental writing system.
The Empire was centred on the capital of Aksum near the base of the Adwa mountains, situated to control both the highland and coastal regions of northern Ethiopia.
Water appears to be an important element to the Aksumites, as the name of Aksum is thought to be composed of two works, ‘ak’ and ‘shum’, the first of Cushitic and the second of Semitic origin, roughly translated as ‘water’ and ‘chieftain’.
The city reached its apex during the 3rd and 4th century AD by the construction of monumental royal tombs, each marked by a huge monolithic stelae. The stelae were ornately carved with false doors and windows, the largest of which measures 33 metres in height (comparable in size to the larger obelisks of Ancient Egypt), supported by a massive underground stone counterweight.
In the centre of the city was the Ta’akha Maryam, a giant 6th century palace complex that covered an area of 103,334 square metres, much larger than many contemporary palaces found across Europe at the time.
To the west is the Dungur, known locally as the Palace of the legendary Queen of Sheba. The Dungur was a multi-storey palace complex that dates from the 7th century AD, covering an area of around 3,250 square meters.
How widespread the city was formerly is not yet known, but it has been assumed that less permanent habitations were constructed around the substantial dwellings of the Ta’akha Maryam, the Dungur, and other large structures such as the Enda Sem`on and Enda Mikael as described in the 15th century ‘Book of Aksum’.
The slow collapse of the empire started around the 7th century, further escalated by the Persian presence in the Red Sea that caused Aksum to suffer economically. The population of the city went into decline due to intensive farming that caused severe erosion, in combination with a loss of the international profits generated from the exchange network it had developed over the centuries.
The Aksumite Empire ended with the last King, Dil Na’od who was defeated by his former General Mara Takla Haymanot, founding the Agaw Zagwe dynasty. According to legend, a son of Dil Na’od fled in exile, whose descendants eventually overthrow the Agaw Zagwe and established the Solomonic dynasty around AD 1270.
😈 President Joe Biden Praised Genocider Ahmed of Ethiopia For Helping Sudan Evacuees As Fighting Intensifies
💭 “Trapped American Staffers of Khartoum Were Airlifted to an Undisclosed Location in Ethiopia”
👉 Sudan is another playground for Hegelian Process: ‘Thesis-Antithesis-Synthesis’ + Problem – Reaction – Solution”
Reunion of The Evil War Criminals and Genociders: 1.5 Million Christians Massacred – Mission Accomplished!
The evil fascist Oromo regime of Ethiopia is more worried about the fate of foreign nationals than hundreds of thousands of its ‘own’ citizens languishing in the refugee camps in Sudan for more than two years.
As we hear on the video, evil Abiy Ahmed Ali told „The New Yorker Magazine„ the following:
“In the Iraq War, I fought with them,” he said. “I was the one who would send intelligence from this part of the world to the N.S.A., on Sudan and Yemen and Somalia. The N.S.A. knows me. I would fight and die for America.”
So, where are: the US? Europe? UN? AU? WHO? AI? HRW?
Well, this evil world doesn’t care, but The Almighty Egziabher God is looking for them.
The US government has praised Ethiopia for lending a helping hand in evacuation efforts, as foreign governments scramble to rescue their diplomats, staff and citizens trapped in Sudan.
World powers US and the UK have airlifted their diplomats from Khartoum, but some countries who were unable to airlift their citizens have been using other options, including travel by road through the borders of Ethiopia and Djibouti.
Evacuees are entering Ethiopia through the Galabat-Metema border crossing from where they will travel to the capital Addis Ababa as they wait to be flown back to their home country.
The government has finalized plans to evacuate Ugandans trapped in Sudan due to the ongoing conflict there.
President Joe Biden said earlier that the US military had completed the evacuation of American embassy personnel in Sudan.
He called for an end to the “unconscionable” violence in the war-torn country and thanked the US troops who extracted the trapped American staffers as Washington shuttered its mission in Khartoum indefinitely.
The staffers were airlifted to an undisclosed location in Ethiopia, according to two US officials familiar with the mission. US troops carried out the operation as fighting between two armed Sudanese commanders – which has killed more than 400, put the nation at risk of collapse, and could have consequences far beyond its borders – moved into a second week.
💭 Robert Patman (1990) noted that, for a powerful state to intervene in the affairs of another there must be a “motive and opportunity”
💭 Original Title courtesy of: CRUX
„The Powerplay Behind Sudan’s Chaos | Wagner Muscle, Russia’s Eye On Gold & Red Sea Port, US Fears„
This tragic conflict has become a part of the large-scale geopolitical strategy aimed, first and foremost, at weakening Russia.
A power struggle between Sudan’s army and its notorious paramilitary force has rocked the country, with more than 50 civilians dead. Residents dodged gunfire in Khartoum as rival forces battled over the presidential palace, state TV and army headquarters. The clashes erupted after tensions over a proposed transition to civilian rule. Since a coup in October 2021, Sudan has been run by a council of generals and there are two military men at the centre of the dispute. The Sudanese army and the RSF are locked in a battle for control, both claiming they have control of key sites in Khartoum. One of the main sticking points between al-Burhan and Hemeti is a move to integrate the 100,000-strong RSF into the army. As the two military men fight for control and power, how is Russia using its Wagner Group to gain influence in the country?
🔥 The Geostrategic Importance of the Horn of Africa and Superpowers’ Interest in the Region
💭 Why do so many foreign powers have military bases in the nearby Djibouti – the former Ethiopian territory?
This photo taken on August 1, 2017 shows Chinese People’s Liberation Army personnel attending the opening ceremony of China’s new military base in Djibouti.
China has deployed troops to its first overseas naval base in Djibouti, a major step forward for the country’s expansion of its military presence abroad. / AFP PHOTO / STR / China OUT (Photo credit should read STR/AFP via Getty Images)
US Defense Secretary James Mattis (L) is greeted by US Marine Corps General Thomas Waldhauser (R) as he arrives at Camp Lemonnier in Ambouli, Djibouti, on April 23, 2017. (Photo by JONATHAN ERNST / POOL / AFP)
French president Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech to soldiers on the French military base in Djibouti on March 12, 2019. – French President Macron tours Horn of Africa nations, with stops in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP)
Djibouti, a country located at the entrance to Bab al-Mandab, where 30% of world trade passes, has become an international phenomenon due to the multiplicity of military bases operating on its territory.
The strategic location of Djibouti is a critical factor in attracting global powers to establish bases and deploy their forces in this African country.
These foreign military bases play a key role in maintaining the security of the country, given the turbulent situation in Yemen and Somalia, the exacerbation of piracy in the western Indian Ocean and the Horn of Africa, in addition to the establishment of strongholds by terrorist groups such as the al-Shabaab group, which has exploited Somalia’s weak governance.
The number of foreign bases in Djibouti ranges between 8 to 11 bases, depending on which sources you consult. The most important base, and the oldest, is the French base.
Since the September 11 attacks, the United States has stepped up its presence in the country, within the “war on terror” framework.
The growing presence of international actors in the tiny African port state, triggered a debate around the country’s security. Djibouti hosts military bases belonging to Germany, Spain, Italy, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia at a very little distance from one another. Russia and India too have strong interests in setting up military bases there.
Sometimes, the proximity can cause friction between nations operating there, with some exchanging accusations of espionage. Russia and India have also expressed interest in establishing bases in the small African country.
👉 The most prominent bases in Djibouti currently are:
☆ France: France maintains its largest foreign military base outside of its borders in Djibouti. About 1,500 soldiers are deployed at the base, performing counter-terrorism missions and guarding nearby sea lanes.
French forces have been in Djibouti since before its independence in 1977 and have have never left the country.
☆ United States: Camp Lemonnier is the primary base of operations for the United States Africa Command in the Horn of Africa. In 2013, the base underwent significant expansion.
Now it includes about 1,000 soldiers from the Special Forces. Drones are usually launched from the base to strike the sites of the Al-Shabaab group in Somalia and East Africa, as well as other extremist organisations. Washington pays $60 million annually in fees for renting the base.
☆ China: China has a military base in the port of Doraleh — an extension of the Port of Djibouti — 5 km west of Djibouti City. It is affiliated with the Navy Department of the Chinese People’s Liberation and is essential in developing Chinese capabilities on the high seas.The base, whose construction began in March 2016, is used for relief operations, emergency aid, and combating piracy. China pays $100 million in rent.
☆ Japan: Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force base is located in Ambouli. The Japanese Parliament (the National Diet) approved in 2009 the Anti-Terrorism Law, which allowed the deployment of Japanese forces in the country.
☆ Germany/Spain/ Italy: Forces from Germany, Spain, and Italy are usually active within other bases, primarily the French and American bases. The military infrastructure provided by the two countries is used in a joint framework to prevent piracy and smuggling and to ensure the safe passage of commercial ships through the Bab al-Mandab.
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Addis Ethiopia Weblog 