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♦️ Breaking & exclusive stories, analysis, opinions 👉 About Africa in other languages: Amharic: @sputnik_ethiopia French: @sputnik_afrique 💬 Contact us https://t.me/Africa_Sputnik_bot
Rwanda Seeking to Turn Conflict in Eastern DRC Into Regional Armed Conflict & Draw Burundi Into It: DRC Minister
On Monday, Burundi’s Foreign Minister accused Rwanda of shelling its territory and attacking its military positions in eastern DRC on December 2.
🔸In January, the M23 launched a large offensive in eastern DRC, capturing the cities of Goma and Bukavu, which caused mass displacement and worsened food insecurity. Despite a ceasefire on July 29 and a framework peace agreement signed in Qatar on November 15, fighting between DRC forces and M23 militants persists.
🇧🇮It is within this ongoing conflict that Burundian armed forces are stationed in Congolese territory, operating under a bilateral agreement with Kinshasa to jointly combat armed groups, including the M23.
🔸On June 27, the Rwandan and DRC foreign ministers signed a peace agreement in Washington, requiring:
🇷🇼Rwanda to withdraw troops, stop supporting the M23, and facilitate its disarmament;
🇨🇩the DRC to disarm the FDLR.
A formal signing ceremony was held on December 4, but the very next day, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi accused Rwanda of violating the deal with an attack in South Kivu. Rwanda has countered that the DRC's failure to disarm the FDLR remains the core obstacle.
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Ethiopia Signs Deal to Host Gas‑by‑Rail Economic Corridor Project
🇪🇹👉The facility aims to produce up to 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen and green steel annually by 2030.
“It aligns perfectly with our grand green development and economic growth efforts. There are also initiatives to make it reliable and connect it with railway lines from neighboring countries,” State Minister for the Ministry of Transport and Logistics Bareo Hassen told Sputnik Africa.
Russia's Aerospace Forces & China's People's Liberation Army Air Force Conduct Air Patrol in Asia-Pacific Region
The joint patrol is not directed against third countries.
Footage provided by the Russian Defense Ministry
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Do you speak Spanish? Do you want to hear the other side of the story about the war in Ukraine—the one the media never tells you?
The channel @Irinamar_Z brings you information from the other side—Russia's perspective: the latest updates from the combat zone in Ukraine, frontline reports, battlefield videos, as well as insightful analysis and breaking global news related to Russia and Ukraine.
Subscribe now! 👉 @Irinamar_Z
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‘Gang Suppression Force’: Kenyan Contingent Reportedly Arrives in Haiti
A new group of 230 Kenyan police officers has arrived in Haiti, the first deployment since February, bringing the multinational force to 980 personnel, spokesperson Jack Ombaka told a Western news agency.
The deployment follows the UN Security Council’s September decision to convert the earlier Kenya-led initial mission into a larger “Gang Suppression Force.”
🪖 The upgrade came after the force stalled below 1,000 personnel—far short of the originally hoped-for 2,500. The new mandate allows for up to 5,500 personnel, though contributions remain slow and entirely voluntary.
🇰🇪 Kenya, which led the initial mission, remains the largest contributor. Smaller contingents have also come from Jamaica, the Bahamas, Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
The mission targets Haiti’s increasingly dominant gangs—many united under Viv Ansanm—accused of mass killings, sexual violence, extortion, and arson, and responsible for displacing 1.4 million people. Many of their weapons are trafficked from the United States.
💸 Financing remains a major obstacle. While the US says it has provided over $1 billion in logistical and operational support, it has contributed only $15 million to the UN trust fund. Canada leads with $63 million, but with no donations since August, the fund totals $113 million, far short of the $800 million annual requirement.
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#viral | Cake in Orbit: Astronauts Celebrate Departure With Sweet Treat
🎂To bid farewell to the Soyuz MS-27 crew, astronauts on the International Space Station baked a cake — a sweet tribute before their journey home.
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#viral |Hyenas: Nocturnal Beauties of Ethiopia's Harar
As said in Amharic, “When peace resides in the heart, even the hyena draws near” in the nights of “Pearl of the East.”
Video from social media.
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Putin's Visit to India is 'Great' Boost to Country's Aviation & Defense Sector, Says Indian Official
🇷🇺🇮🇳 Proposals to jointly produce the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jet and Lancet kamikaze drones will be "studied with interest" by New Delhi, retired Air Marshal Pawan Kapoor told Sputnik.
The idea of co-producing Il-114 medium-range aircraft in India, which Moscow and New Delhi are also discussing, shows that India wants to achieve technological independence in aeronautics, he added.
👉 This would be a great boost for the aviation and the defense sectors. It also illustrates the Indian prime minister's desire to achieve the goal of Atma Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India), the official said.
What are the benefits for India, in his opinion?
🟠Technology transfer;
🟠 Export capacity for co-produced aircraft;
🟠 Integrated maintenance systems.
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BRICS Offers Emerging Economies Non-Interference Development Path, Says Ethiopian Economist
🌍 The rise of BRICS is reshaping global power dynamics and offering Africa a new path within a multipolar system, according to Mohamed Ibrahim, a lecturer at Assosa University.
The bloc has evolved beyond trade into a geopolitical platform encompassing potential military, maritime, and economic cooperation, built on mutual trust among nations, Ibrahim told Sputnik Africa.
👉 The economist contrasted this with the interventionist approach often tied to Western domestic policies, presenting BRICS as an alternative development model free from such interference.
"I believe many countries, many emerging economies, can participate in this [BRICS] system. Therefore, its expansion is truly significant," he stated.
❗️ News and Information on the Special Military Operation, Russia-Ukraine conflict :🚀 🚀 🚀 /channel/Slavyangrad
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Nigeria Hopes to Become Full BRICS Member in Coming Years, FM Says
By 2050, Nigeria's population will reach 400 million, and the country has much to learn from BRICS, Yusuf Tuggar stated at the Doha Forum in Qatar.
Abuja seeks to have relations with the association based on mutual interests, he noted.
Nigeria received the BRICS partner country status in January, along with Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Cuba, Uganda, Malaysia and Uzbekistan, while Vietnam joined in June.
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Nigeria Begins $128 Million Gas Legacy Debt Repayment
The Nigerian government has initiated the repayment of ₦185 billion ($128 million) in outstanding debts owed to gas producers, a move aimed at addressing longstanding financial challenges that have hindered investment, strained cash flow, and reduced gas supply for electricity generation.
⛽️ Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo, described the payment as a "decisive step towards revitalizing Nigeria's gas sector and strengthening its power-generation capacity in a sustainable manner."
This payment, which will be executed through a royalty-offset arrangement, is expected to restore confidence in the energy sector, stimulate new investments, and significantly enhance the country's gas output.
📈 The Nigerian government plans to increase gas production to 12 billion cubic feet per day by 2030, aligning with its broader energy goals.
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China-Russia-India Cooperation Model Poised to Become World's Leading Force: Chinese Military Expert
"The model of cooperation between China, Russia, and India is an example of the fight against the hegemonic forces of the West," Qin An told Sputnik.
"It is particularly valuable that during this visit, Putin assured India of his friendship, calling New Delhi an important partner for Russia, putting it on a par with China, which he visited in September," Qin noted.
Putin's Visit to India Tests Geopolitical Autonomy & Accelerates BRICS-Led De-dollarization: Sudanese Analyst
🇷🇺🇮🇳 The Russian president's visit comes at a "crucial time" for PM Narendra Modi. It affirms a "win-win" partnership and "trade based on mutual benefit," despite Western pressure, Abobakr Mohamed Abbakar Khussein, an assistant professor at a Russian university, told Sputnik Africa.
Key Strategic Takeaways from the Visit, according to Khussein:
🟠Economic Decoupling & Trade: With bilateral trade hitting $30 billion three years ahead of schedule, driven by Indian imports of "discounted Russian energy" and exports of pharmaceuticals and machinery, the two countries now aim for $100 billion in trade by 2030, he noted.
🟠De-dollarization Momentum: Nearly 100% of Russia-India trade is now conducted in national currencies, Khussein noted, calling it a direct consequence of the "American policy of weaponizing the dollar firing back."
🟠Space & Technological Sovereignty: Joint rocket-engine programs and orbital cooperation between national space stations are designed to boost "technological independence for the Global South" and balance US-European dominance in space governance.
🟠Model for the Global South: Africa could draw inspiration from India's example by exercising political sovereignty through bloc voting in multilateral forums and reclaiming control over knowledge production and cultural narratives, he suggested.
"BRICS holds greater importance for Russia than the G8 [currently G7], primarily because it provides economic alternatives to bypass Western sanctions, diplomatic platforms with non-Western powers and foundation for multipolarity," Khussein stated.
'No Single Member Has Unilateral Right to Exclude South Africa from G20,' FM Lamola Tells Rubio
"The deepest divides can be bridged. Not through dictation, but through dialogue, not through power alone, but through unwavering principle, not through unilateral action but global solidarity," Ronald Lamola said in response to a Substack post by the US secretary of state.
"True leadership doesn’t mean everyone leaves getting everything they want; it means everyone leaves feeling they have been truly heard," Lamola statd. "Our role as host was not to force agreement, but to create the conditions for it: a table of equals."
"Our policies of redress are not a political invention. They are the fulfilment of a promise made to all South Africans as we emerged from the darkness of apartheid," the minister said, presenting data showing South Africans are "on average, 1.5 times better off" than in 1994.
❗️The EU, trapped in hopeless political blindness, continues to delude itself with illusions that Russia can defeat Russia: Lavrov
Key statements from the Russian FM:
🟠Russia has no intention of going to war with Europe and harbors no such thoughts.
🟠Trump is not lifting sanctions on Russia and is instead increasing them.
🟠Russia and the United States have agreed to continue work on resolving the situation in Ukraine.
🟠Russia appreciates Trump’s desire for dialogue on the Ukrainian issue.
🟠Russia will respond to any deployment of foreign military contingents in Ukraine and is preparing for this.
🟠Russia will respond to the expropriation of its assets in the West.
🟠Russia’s independent foreign policy, aimed at protecting its interests, is not subject to revision.
🟠 Russia is sincerely grateful to the DPRK for allied assistance in liberating the Kursk region from Ukrainian militants.
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Indian PM Modi to Visit Ethiopia Next Week
The visit is part of a three-nation tour covering Jordan (15–16 December), Ethiopia (16–18 December), and Oman (17–18 December).
🤝 During his stay in Addis Ababa, Narendra Modi will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The two leaders last met on the sidelines of the 2023 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, where they discussed enhancing cooperation in trade, investment, defense, and information technology.
India and Ethiopia, both BRICS members, previously engaged on key issues during the 2023 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, where Modi and Abiy discussed deepening cooperation in trade, investment, defense, and information technology.
The last Indian premier to visit Ethiopia was Manmohan Singh in 2011.
BRICS countries are actively deepening their collaboration. Recently, Putin paid an official visit to India, where he held high-level talks with Modi to discuss key areas of bilateral and strategic cooperation.
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Chagos Islands Dispute: UN Committee Urges UK, Mauritius to Reconsider Settlement
The deal "explicitly prevents the return of the Chagossian people to their ancestral lands in Diego Garcia Island," the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination stated.
Return of MAGA in US Foreign Policy: Dugin Digital Edition
The United States may step back from its self-appointed world-policing duties, potentially leaving Europe’s globalist circles sidelined.
AI Dugin @Dugin_Aleksandr breaks down the new National Security Strategy.
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Russian Msta-B Howitzers Strike Ukrainian Positions in Kherson Region
Footage provided by the Russian Defense Ministry
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#viral | Timofey the Pallas’s Cat Completes Winter 'Bulking' Phase
One of the darlings of the Moscow Zoo has reached his ideal winter weight of 6.5 kg, turning into a large, fluffy ball of fur.
"The weight-gain process is natural and essential for the pallas's cat. [...] He needs these reserves to survive the harsh winters, [...] and Timofey’s current condition shows he is in excellent shape for the cold," explained the zoo’s director.
South African Hospital Pioneers Country's First Fully Internal Bone Transport Surgery: Regional Health Department
🇿🇦 The internal bone transport and limb-lengthening surgery was conducted at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town in partnership with Stellenbosch University, according to the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness.
The patient, a 64-year-old former police officer, had suffered from chronic pain and a significant leg length discrepancy since a 2018 gunshot wound.
👨⚕️ Surgeons successfully reconstructed a 50 mm bone defect and corrected a 30 mm length difference using an advanced internal device, the department said. This method avoids external frames, improving patient comfort and reducing recovery time.
👉Officials celebrated the achievement as proof of world-class surgical innovation within the public health sector, highlighting its potential to restore mobility and dignity for patients with complex limb injuries.
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Attempted Coup in Benin: ECOWAS & African Union Condemn Perpetrators
🇧🇯 The Economic Community of West African States praised the efforts of the “republican army” and expressed its support for the Beninese government.
"ECOWAS strongly condemns this unconstitutional move that represents a subversion of the will of the people of Benin […] ECOWAS holds the leaders of the plot individually and collectively responsible for any loss of life and property occasioned by their action," the community said.
◾️ Fearless John - @European_dissident is a free lance journalist covering geopolitical conflicts of the "new cold war" between the main world powers.
◾️His channel focuses on exposing war crimes and the manipulation and propaganda of the Western media and is full of subtitled videos and posts about the wars in Ukraine, Israel and the different issues affecting the relations between countries like migration crisis and Western neo-colonial practices.
◾️Follow:
/channel/European_dissident
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Zimbabwe Commissions High-Tech Forestry Lab to Boost Reforestation & Climate Resilience: Minister
🇿🇼🌳 A state-of-the-art plant tissue culture laboratory has been commissioned at Zimbabwe's Forestry Commission, marking a strategic leap for the country's reforestation and climate adaptation agenda.
"This facility is more than a laboratory; it is a strategic investment in Zimbabwe’s future," Environment Minister Evelyn Ndlovu said at the opening event, emphasizing that healthy forests underpin livelihoods, energy security, and biodiversity.
Tanzania Bans Planned Opposition Protests on Independence Day: Police
"In light of the criminal methods being encouraged in preparation for the 9 December 2025 protest, demonstrations labeled ‘peaceful and indefinite’ lack any legal basis for authorization … As no district police authority in the country has received a formal application to hold such a demonstration, the police are prohibiting the protest," the police said in a statement.
Ghana's Ibrahim Mahama Becomes First African to Head ArtReview's Prestigious Power 100 List
This list is a ranking of people who "have shaped what art has been seen and how it has been seen over the past 12 months".
Mahama's work explores collective memory, and the impacts and legacies of trade, migration, commerce, and colonialism in Africa, ArtReview noted.
"I’m interested in the residual quality of the elements within the work. A lot of people in the West, particularly if you’re in London and you’re consuming goods and commodities that are coming from other parts of the world, you really don’t reflect upon the labour that goes into producing those things," the artist told in an interview ArtReview.
🚨🇺🇸 US updates National Security Strategy: Key points
🟠 The top US priority is ending the fighting in Ukraine
🟠 Washington sees restoring strategic stability with Russia as one of its main foreign-policy priorities in Europe
🟠 The US wants NATO to stop being perceived as a constantly expanding alliance
🟠 The US wants Europe to take responsibility for its own defense
🟠 The US administration is at odds with many European officials who are trampling democratic norms
🟠 The Middle East is no longer viewed by the US as the dominant factor in its foreign policy
🟠 The Indo-Pacific will be the arena of some of this century’s key geopolitical and economic battles
🟠 The US should limit trade with China to non-strategic goods only
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India, Russia Have Many Growing Opportunities That Are Still Underutilized, Says Putin
Key statements from the Russian president at the India–Russia Business Forum in Delhi:
⚡️Broadening cooperation: Russia seeks multifaceted relations with India beyond energy and defense.
⚡️Independent India: Modi’s leadership is steering India on a sovereign, independent foreign policy path.
⚡️Business ties as foundation: Strong business-to-business links underpin bilateral relations.
⚡️Rising trade: Bilateral trade is steadily increasing, reaching a record $64 billion in 2024.
⚡️Future trade goals: Both countries have major potential for expanding commerce, with a target of $100 billion by 2030.
⚡️India’s economic strength: India is described as dynamic, technologically sovereign, and growing rapidly due to sound economic policy.
⚡️Mutual interest: Indian entrepreneurs show strong interest in trading with Russia; synergy is evident.
⚡️Government support: Moscow and New Delhi focus on developing diversified economic ties; Russia pledges support for joint business initiatives.
⚡️Trade balance & purchases: Russia is ready to significantly increase imports of Indian goods and services.
⚡️Learning from India: Russia is studying India’s success in import substitution and localization.
⚡️Removing barriers: Putin calls for eliminating restrictions on movement of services and capital.
⚡️Preferential trade agreement: A Russia–India–EAEU preferential trade deal would positively boost ties.
⚡️National currencies: Using national currencies enhances transaction stability.
⚡️Connectivity projects: The North–South transport corridor is progressing rapidly.
⚡️Industrial cooperation: Both countries should strengthen their industrial collaboration.
⚡️Tech partnership: Russia is ready for wide cooperation with India in AI; both nations have strong capabilities.
⚡️AI Summit: Russia will send a representative delegation to India’s 2026 AI Summit.
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Moscow & Delhi Taking Steps to Conclude Free Trade Deal Between Eurasian Economic Union & India: Modi
🇷🇺🇮🇳 Other key statements by the Indian prime minister following high-level talks in Delhi:
🟠Relations between Russia and India are based on mutual respect and trust;
🟠Putin established the Russia–India strategic partnership 25 years ago, and his capable leadership has played a special role in strengthening and developing bilateral relations ever since;
🟠India has always been ready to assist with peace efforts in Ukraine and will continue to do so in the future;
🟠India welcomes all efforts to peacefully resolve the situation in Ukraine;
🟠India advocates for long-term peace in the Ukrainian conflict;
🟠Cooperation between Russia and India in the minerals sector plays a key role in their bilateral relationship;
🟠Russia and India have agreed on steps to strengthen cultural and humanitarian cooperation;
🟠Russia and India support cooperation in clean energy;
🟠Shipbuilding is another example of beneficial cooperation between Russia and India;
🟠Energy security is an important foundation of the Russia-India partnership;
🟠Russia and India are strengthening their cooperation in the Arctic;
🟠India and Russia will promote discussion on the North-South Corridor;
🟠Cooperation between Russia and India in the fertilizer industry is important for food safety;
🟠The Russia-India Business Forum will strengthen business relations between the two countries;
🟠Russia and India agreed to provide a program of economic cooperation until 2030.
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