Latest News & Developments
international military intervention
The good guys, the bad guys, and Ukraine
We know the American or NATO story line about the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin is the bad guy, Armstrong Williams writes.
SADC’s peace mission ‘a poisoned chalice’
OPINION: Fighting has intensified between the Tutsi-led March 23 Movement (M23), one of the most formidable rebel groups operating in the eastern provinces of DRC, and the government armed forces, writes Dr Sizo Nkala.
SANDF names soldiers killed in DRC
The SANDF is part of the SADC mission that has been deployed to contain the M23 rebels and other rebel groups in the eastern DRC.
President Cyril Ramaphosa deploys 2,900 SANDF soldiers to eastern DR Congo
President Cyril Ramaphosa said the 2,900 South African National Defence Force members will be deployed to the region to fight the M23 and other rebel groups .
China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin to join special online BRICS Summit on Israel’s war on Palestine
The leaders of the bloc's current member countries, newly-invited countries and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will participate in the meeting, to discuss the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
Editor’s View: Only drastic action, not words, can save Palestinians from being wiped from existence
Israel continues to break international law, violate the Geneva Conventions, carry out war crimes with impunity, and will continue to do so until stopped, writes IOL Editor-in-Chief Lance Witten.
Silencing the journalists
The eerie silence emitted from organisations in South Africa, including the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) renders thoughts that the media is still colonised with apartheid-era mindsets, says the writer.
Palestine: A tragic cycle of pain and sorrow
‘This is not a war that began on October 7 when Hamas fighters infiltrated Israel because Hamas was established in 1987 and Israel’s displacement of Palestinians began in 1948 with the Nakba. This is Israel’s genocide against Palestinians. ’
Dirco denies allegations of support for Hamas, emphasises humanitarian focus in Gaza talks
Minister Naledi Pandor received a call to talk to the leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh.
Coup leaders in Niger may target French companies in stand-off
OPINION: French President Emmanuel Macron said the coup was illegitimate and dangerous and called for an immediate restoration of the constitutional order, writes Dr Sizo Nkala.
Who is Ecowas? Key facts about the Western African bloc you need to know
Ecowas was set up in 1975 to promote economic development among its 15 members. It has since stepped in in conflicts from Sierra Leone to Mali.
Blinken backs 'peaceful resolution' in Niger after ECOWAS force decision
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for a peaceful solution to reverse Niger's coup after the West African bloc ECOWAS approved a ‘standby’ military force.
SA’s army chief in Russia for military talks, SANDF confirms
The SANDF says the bilateral meeting was planned ‘well in advance’ and is a long-standing arrangement.
Allegations of human rights violations by military mission may threaten success of SADC deployment in Cabo Delgado
There has been an increase in African interventions to help resolve conflicts and political violence on the continent in recent decades
A mediator’s guide to peace in Ukraine
There is a new glimmer of hope for a quick negotiated end to the war in Ukraine, writes Jeffrey D Sachs.
South Africa to host SADC Extraordinary Summit next week
South Africa is set to host an Extraordinary Summit of the SADC Organ Troika, the Department of International Relations and Co-operation said on Monday evening.
US torture legacy taints global standing
OPINION: The CIA and the US military’s gross abuses of human rights across the world exposed the dark underbelly of human nature and the capacity of a superpower to do the unthinkable with impunity, writes Shannon Ebrahim.
Extremists in Africa emboldened by Taliban’s successes
OPINION: While the withdrawal of foreign forces from African soil will be celebrated on the one hand, the lack of local capacity to stem the rapidly growing insurgencies in the Sahel is a real concern, writes Shannon Ebrahim.