In a bid to lower high rates of gang violence and other crime, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced he’ll deploy the army to work with the police.
Tag Archives: The Army
Burkina Faso’s parliament approves ban on political parties
Political party activities have been suspended in the Sahel country since the army seized power in 2022
‘Special Forces’ Season 4 Winners Break Down ‘Intense’ Road to Victory
Selection has officially come to an end on season 4 of Special Forces, and the winners are speaking out about how they stayed on top.
During the Thursday, November 20, finale, Kody Brown, Brianna LaPaglia, Andrew East, Shawn Johnson East and Gia Giudice were the last recruits left standing. They were put through an intense interrogation after a simulated capture exercise. Kody, 56, and Andrew, 34, did not pass the tests, which left Brianna, 26, Shawn, 33, and Gia, 24, for the last challenge.
The remaining trio were put through a simulated burial that Brianna pulled herself out of minutes before Shawn and Gia were crowned the winners.
“It’s so weird watching the finale back. We won and got that rewarding factor afterward — that acknowledgement from the Directing Staff,” Gia exclusively told Us Weekly during a joint interview with Shawn. “So it was different. That was almost my processing of it because I was like, ‘Oh, I did it. I made it past the finish line.’”
Who Failed Selection on Season 4 of ‘Special Forces’?
Shawn agreed that making it to the end made it an easier transition back home.
“Being able to have a happy ending to all the hardship helped us repaint a lot of the hard moments and make them feel worth it,” she noted. “I would say for Kody and Brianna and Andrew, that’s really hard.”
Shawn continued: “They had to go through all this torture and all this interrogation and not have the reward of being told they did a good job or they earned or deserved it. They just had to live in that moment for a while. The transition was very different for us than them.”
After completing season 4, Shawn was thrilled to reunite with husband Andrew, who was by her side throughout the season.
“We are each other’s biggest fans and cheerleaders and teammates. Coming across that finish line, he was so happy for me and so ecstatic. But I could also see the disappointment and the sadness in him,” she recalled. “So as his biggest cheerleader, it was this interesting shared moment of I just wanted to hug him and help him process this moment — and he just wanted to celebrate with me.”
Special Forces, which premiered in 2023, puts contestants through harsh, military-style training based on actual Special Forces selection processes. They face intense physical and mental challenges designed to push their limits.
“The hard part that you don’t see on the show is we had been under interrogation and stress or duress for 12 hours. Within those 12 hours, you aren’t told how long it’s been or how long you have to go,” Shawn explained about the finale. “You don’t know if you’re nearing the finish line. We didn’t know if it was 10 hours, and you hit a breaking point where you’re just like, ‘We’ve done this long enough, can we be done?’”
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Gia had a similar experience during her own interrogation. “We got captured around 12 a.m. and we weren’t done until almost 5 p.m.,” she told Us. “It was very difficult and it was very hard.”
While reflecting on her journey, Gia was so thrilled to have made it all the way to the end, adding, “I just have so much pride after doing this show and it’s something that I’m really proud of. I think throughout the entire show it taught me to really just let go and the little things are not something that you need to worry about. There’s way bigger things in this world that are going on that are so much more important. It just honestly taught me there’s a lot more to value in life.”
Shawn, meanwhile, got to make her kids proud. (Shawn and Andrew, who have been married since 2016, share daughter Drew, 5, and sons Jett, 4, and Bear, 21 months.)
“It’s a pretty intense show, but they were so excited to see us jump out of a helicopter. They get to see that little clip and we will show them more as it goes on,” she added. “But my daughter has heard people talk about it, and she’s aware enough that she’s like, ‘Mommy, I want to watch the army show.’”
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test is currently streaming on Hulu.
First humanitarian aid trucks enter Gaza after 11-week Israeli blockade
The first few humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday, after Israel announced it would let limited amounts of food into the enclave.
The Israeli military allowed five trucks carrying baby food and other supplies into the Gaza Strip, via the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel, according to the Israeli defence body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, COGAT.
Israel partially resumed aid deliveries after an 11-week blockade. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision came about following growing pressure from allies, including the United States, who reportedly could not bear images of hunger from Gaza.
“I do believe that President Donald Trump has the necessary influence to change the situation in Gaza and to make sure that the siege be lifted and that the population get access to the assistance it deserves”, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), told Euronews.
British and European Union leaders called the situation in the enclave “unacceptable” during a press conference after an EU-UK summit on Monday.
UN Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher welcomed the renewal of aid deliveries but called the move “a drop in the ocean.”
About 600 aid trucks entered Gaza each day during the two-month ceasefire that Israel broke on 18 March.
“We have to define what the basic is, because what is needed in Gaza is a massive, unhindered, uninterrupted assistance of supply to make sure that we are reversing the trend of the spreading hunger in the Gaza Strip”, Lazzarini said.
COGAT said more trucks should enter the enclave in the near future. Food security experts warned last week that the entire Gaza population – about 2 million people – was at critical risk of famine.
Israel has launched a new wave of “extensive” air and grounds attack on Gaza over the weekend, and the army ordered the evacuation of Khan Younis, the second-largest city in the enclave.
France, Canada and the UK warned the Israeli government they will take “concrete actions” if Israel does not “stop its military operations in Gaza and immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.”
“We strongly oppose the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable. Yesterday’s announcement that Israel will allow a basic quantity of food into Gaza is wholly inadequate”, the countries said in a joint statement on Monday.
Khartoum accuses UAE of direct involvement in drone strikes on Port Sudan
Sudan has accused the United Arab Emirates of carrying out a drone attack on the war-time administrative capital of Port Sudan earlier this month.
Speaking in New York on Monday, Khartoum’s ambassador to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss, alleged the operation was launched from a UAE military base with support from Emirati naval vessels in the Red Sea.
It is the first time that Sudan has accused the Gulf state of direct military intervention in its civil war against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Idriss also claimed that the 4 May strike on Port Sudan was revenge for an army attack a day earlier on an alleged Emirati warplane in the RSF-controlled city of Nyala.
Khartoum recently cut diplomatic ties with the UAE, accusing it of arming and funding the rebel group in the deadly war, which is in its third year.
The UAE has denied the accusation and did not immediately comment on this latest statement.
Up until now, Port Sudan has been seen as a safe haven for government officials, diplomats, and humanitarian organisations.
But since the start of the month, it has been hit with a volley of drone strikes, largely against army facilities, the main airport, and fuel depots.
The Sudanese government is now calling on the United Nations, the African Union, and the Arab League to investigate the incident and hold accountable those responsible.
The war between the army and the RSF was triggered by a dispute over a transition to civilian rule.
It has devastated Sudan, pushing more than 13 million people out of their homes and spreading famine and disease.
Tens of thousands of Sudanese have died in the fighting.
Paramilitary’s drone attack cuts power in Sudanese capital and surrounds
Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, and the surrounding state were still without electricity on Thursday evening.
The area was hit by an unprecedented barrage of drone strikes overnight Wednesday, knocking out the power supply.
The attack comes just weeks after the army celebrated the recapture of the city.
Experts say the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces appears to have opened up a new phase in Sudan’s civil war, which has entered its third year.
It has switched tactics from ground assaults to long-distance drone attacks on power stations, dams, and other infrastructure in army-held territory.
On Wednesday, the RSF attacked three power stations in the city of Omdurman, across the Nile from Khartoum.
It has also repeatedly hit the war-time capital of Port Sudan, which until now has been seen as a safe haven for government officials, diplomats, and humanitarian organisations.
RSF drone strikes on electricity infrastructure have plunged large areas of the country into extended blackouts. They have also hit water supplies.
The war has devastated Sudan, pushing more than 13 million people out of their homes and spreading famine and disease.
Tens of thousands of Sudanese have died in the fighting.
The war between the army and the RSF was triggered by a dispute over a transition to civilian rule.
Burkina Faso forces killed 100 civilians in March – HRW
At least 100 civilians were killed by Burkina Faso government forces in March near the western town of Solenzo, Human Rights Watch said Monday.
According to victim testimony and videos shared on social media gathered by the rights group, the attackers were Burkina Faso special forces and members of a pro-government militia, the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland.
The victims were all ethnic Fulani, a pastoralist community that is widespread across the region, which the government has long accused of supporting Muslim militants.
An earlier report from Human Rights Watch stated that the government’s involvement was likely, because of video evidence on social media, although the findings were not definitive.
The government issued a sharp denial when first reports surfaced, saying in a statement it “condemned the propagation, on social media, of images inducing hate and community violence, and fake information aimed at undermining social cohesion” in the country.
“The viral videos of the atrocities by pro-government militias near Solenzo sent shock waves through Africa’s Sahel region, but they told only part of the story,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Further research uncovered that Burkina Faso’s military was responsible for these mass killings of Fulani civilians, which were followed by deadly reprisals by an Islamist armed group. The government needs to impartially investigate these deaths and prosecute all those responsible.”
Burkina Faso authorities did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the group’s new report.
The landlocked nation of 23 million people has symbolized the security crisis in the arid Sahel region south of the Sahara in recent years. It has been shaken by violence from extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, and the governments fighting them.
The military junta, which took power in 2022, failed to provide the stability it promised. According to conservative estimates, more than 60% of the country is now outside of government control, more than 2.1 million people have lost their homes and almost 6.5 million need humanitarian aid to survive.
The attack in the western Boucle du Mouhoun region, including Solenzo and other towns, began on Feb. 27 and lasted until April 2, involving hundreds of government troops and drones, according to eyewitnesses quoted in the report.
“The VDPs shot at us like animals, while drones were flying over our heads. Many women and children died because they could not run,” said a Fulani herder, 44, from Solenzo, referring to the pro-government militias.
After the attack, hundreds of Fulani residents fled across the border into neighbouring Mali, the report said.
“Today, in the whole province, there are no more Fulani — they all fled or were killed or taken hostage,” said a 53-year-old man from Solenzo. “But the other (ethnic) communities remain.”
After the government forces left, the report said that jihadist fighters from a group known as JNIM reentered the towns and carried out reprisal killings against residents, targeting the men whom it considered to be military collaborators.
“All the men had been executed in front of the health center,” said a 60-year-old woman who witnessed JNIM abuses in Tiao village, a town to the northeast of Solenzo on April 5. “I counted up to 70 bodies.”
According to analysts, the junta’s strategy of military escalation, including mass recruitment of civilians for poorly trained militia units, has exacerbated tensions between ethnic groups.
It it impossible to get an accurate picture of the situation in the country since the military leadership has installed a system of de facto censorship, rights groups said, and those daring to speak up can be openly abducted, imprisoned or forcefully drafted into the army.
Paramilitary RSF attacks leave Port Sudan without power
Drone strikes have hit a major power station in Port Sudan on Tuesday, causing “a complete power outage” in the eastern Sudanese city, the country’s electricity provider told the BBC.
The barrage occurred as the paramilitary RSF continue to heighten attacks on Port Sudan, after launching their first strikes on the city this weekend.
The RSF unleashed drones on other key targets early Tuesday. One drone hit the civilian part of the city’s international airport, causing flights to be cancelled. Another drone hit an army base in the city centre and a third one struck a fuel depot near the port.
Witnesses say a hotel located close to the residence of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was also hit in the attack. There were no reported casualties.
Sudan Information Minister Khalid Aleiser visited the southern part of the port, where fuel tanks were reportedly hit. He slammed the United Arab Emirates, saying it was arming the RSF. The UAE rejected the accusation and condemned the attacks.
The RSF is targeting Port Sudan for the third day in a row. The city had previously been spared in Sudan’s two-year war.
On Sunday, strikes hit the military part of the airport, followed by the targeting of fuel depots on Monday. In both cases, military sources blamed the RSF. The paramilitary has not commented on the attacks.
The United Nations has temporarily suspended all aid flights in and out of Port Sudan but maintains regular aid operations. “None of our offices, premises or warehouses have been impacted, and we continue to carry out our regular operations”, said Farhan Haq, the UN deputy spokesperson.
The city was once seen as a safe haven for displaced people. It had become the de facto seat of the army-aligned government since the RSF first invaded Khartoum two years ago.
The city also welcomed hundreds of thousands of displaced people. The recent attacks are likely to worsen the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
Two years into the war, the army has succeeded in pushing the RSF out of most of central Sudan, and the paramilitary has shifted tactics from ground incursions to drone attacks.
Rapid Support Forces drone strikes hit key targets in Port Sudan
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continue to heighten attacks in Port Sudan, after launching their first strikes on the eastern Sudanese city this weekend.
The RSF unleashed drones on key targets early Tuesday, hitting the city’s airport, its port and a hotel, according to military officials.
Witnesses saw and heard multiple explosions, fires and plumes of dark smoke. There was no immediate word on any casualties or the extent of the damage. Data from the Cairo airport in neighbouring Egypt shows that the attack disrupted air traffic at the Port Sudan airport.
This is the latest attack in an escalation campaign that began on Sunday, when the RSF struck Port Sudan for the first time since the beginning of the Sudanese civil war in 2023.
On Sunday, a military ammunition warehouse in the Othman Daqna airbase was hit, followed by the targeting of fuel depots on Monday. In both cases, military sources blamed the RSF. The paramilitary has not claimed responsibility.
Port Sudan was once seen as a safe zone. It had become the de facto seat of the army-aligned government since the RSF first invaded Khartoum two years ago. UN and aid agencies have also set up their headquarters in Port Sudan.
The city also welcomed hundreds of thousands of displaced people. The recent attacks are likely to worsen the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
Nearly 25 million people face extreme hunger, half of Sudan’s population, according to Shaun Hughes, the World Food Program’s emergency coordinator for Sudan and the region. “By any metric, this is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis”, Hughes said ahead of the second anniversary of the war in April 2025.
The conflict has displaced 13 million people, including 8.6 million within Sudan, according to the UN refugee agency.
Sudan plunged into war in April 2023 when tensions exploded between the military government of general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Fighting started in the country’s capital, Khartoum, before spreading out to the rest of the country.
At least 24,000 people have been killed since then, though the number is likely far higher.
Two years into the war, the army has regained control of Khartoum and has succeeded in pushing the RSF out of most of central Sudan, while the paramilitary has shifted tactics from ground incursions to drone attacks.
Israeli cabinet approves plans to capture all of the Gaza Strip
More hardship in store for the embattled population of Gaza as the Israeli cabinet on Monday approved plans to capture the entire Palestinian enclave and stay there for an unspecified amount of time.
It also calls for hundreds of thousands of people to move to Gaza’s south and would see Israel take over aid deliveries to the devastated territory.
A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he’s “alarmed” by the Israeli decision.
Israel’s army spokesperson, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, said the objective of the operation is to “return our hostages, topple and subdue the Hamas regime”.
“These two goals are intertwined. The operation will include a broad offensive that includes moving a majority of Gaza’s population to protect it in a sterile area from Hamas,” he said.
This would likely amount to their forcible displacement and exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
Defrin added that the operation would include “continued airstrikes, the elimination of terrorists, and the dismantling of infrastructure”.
Details of the plan were not formally announced, and its exact timing and implementation were not clear.
Its approval came hours after the Israeli military chief said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.
An defence official said the operation would not begin until after US President Donald Trump wraps up his expected visit to the Middle East this month.
The announcement has angered the families of the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza, who fear that any extension of the conflict will endanger their loved ones.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on Monday to protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, calling for a deal to release the captives.
Israel says 59 hostages remain in Gaza, although about 35 of them are believed to be dead.
Since Israel ended a ceasefire with the Hamas militant group in mid-March, it has unleashed fierce strikes on the territory that have killed hundreds.
It has captured swathes of territory and now controls roughly 50 per cent of the enclave.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.
Israel’s offensive has displaced more than 90 per cent of Gaza’s population. Palestinian health officials say more than 52,000 people there have been killed, many of them women and children.
The officials do not distinguish between combatants and civilians in their count.