Privately-held debt also got Argentina in trouble and proved much harder to default on than IMF debt. Ethiopia stopped payment to the IMF for three years, essentially defaulting. When Argentina attempted similar re-negotiations with US bankers holding their debt there were many hold outs and then many many lawsuits and essentially non-stop demands to pay full price plus damages. Public bond issues (private debt) can be worse for nations because there’s no single entity to negotiate with and no way to declare bankruptcy.

Fortunately, Russia has started its own credit rating agency for exactly this reason. These US rating agencies also rate Russia as junk, despite glowing world bank reports, so clearly biased. https://www.reuters.com/article/business/russian-ratings-agency-acra-sees-portfolio-growing-as-foreigners-leave-idUSKBN19P1VB/

The article by Marat Khairullin regarding the Africa Front and the development goals in the Sahel and north Africa is great news to hear. https://sovereignista.com/2024/07/27/the-african-front/

So Togo to Somaliland will be the route for cross-Africa travel. I am glad Russia is leading this effort, including integration and building of banks and a customs union. Africa already has a customs union and a visa free union, but they don’t work, from what I’ve read. Of course, several contingency plans were also hinted at (in Sudan and Senegal) so I guess the route is subject to change / expansion.

This is not where I would have wanted the second front to be at this moment since gaza is more urgent, but Marat is right that the amount of suffering visited on all of Africa by the West is immense and lengthy. Of course one of the larger suppliers of arms to Rwanda was also Israel. https://www.timesofisrael.com/records-of-israeli-arms-sales-during-rwandan-genocide-to-remain-sealed/

Thank you for the maps and the updates on Kenya. I had no idea that the US was now funding Kenya via CHIPS act and NATO. The NATO designation for Kenya is big. Colombia was recently designated in part I think because so many mercenaries come from there and several training camps are there, it makes it easier for ITAR and other regulations if they are designated. Maybe they are planning the same type of mercenary bases for Kenya. This might not be to train mercs to destabilize Africa but more as a recruitment hub for all of Africa so they can then be sent elsewhere. I believe Colombian mercs have been killed in Gaza and Ukraine.

Here’s some more maps of UAE DP world projects in Africa.

DP world also won the contract for expanding the Berbera port in Somaliland for Ethiopia/Somaliland. Here is their plan for that:

Thank you AHH for the update on Sudan. Their country has such a long sad history. Unsurprisingly, divisions which the English made worse during colonialism. Last time I had looked at the conflict it was unclear how the sides were aligned. Now it seems Russia at least is sure who they are supporting. What confuses me is that there are two names for the opposition Rapid Support Forces and Rapid Reaction Forces. As far as I know the Rapid Support Forces are the rebels here in this civil war, and interestingly, they were trained by Wagner. They are mercenaries and deemed terrorists now by the Sudanese government. This is different from prior sudanese civil wars which had a north-south component and a christian-muslim component. It appears the Sudanese govt decided that the RSF should be disarmed and disbanded (given their history of atrocities). Even though they once served the Sudanese govt they had become a problem and were hated in the south. It is interesting that Russia is now siding against the ex-wagner trained para-militaries. This is certainly the correct choice given that the sudanese govt is the lawful, recognized govt of sudan.

On the other hand, the rapid reaction force (RRF) is also a para-military body but composed of nations of the African Union. It is possible that the RRF is causing problems in Sudan alongside the RSF, but maybe the RU Ambassador meant RSF not RRF. The AU RRF (also called the ASF) is deployed across the eastern Sahel and could be slightly western aligned by not as much as ECOWAS. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Standby_Force The two primary militaries in the RRF/ASF for this region are Ethiopia and Nigeria. The RU ambassador’s article is here: https://afrinz.ru/en/2024/06/on-confronting-western-neo-colonialism-article-by-andrey-chernovol-russian-ambassador-to-sudan/

It might just be bad translations too. For example, this key sentence doesn’t make sense: “Их силовое прикрытие и политический партнер по аддис-абебскому соглашению — СБР (военизированная организация «Силы быстрого реагирования» — «АИ»), на 80% укомплектованные иностранными наемниками. ” “Their force cover and political partner in the Addis Ababa agreement is the SIS (paramilitary organisation “Rapid Reaction Force” – “AI”), 80% staffed by foreign mercenaries.” I am just not sure who the ambassador is talking about (whether SIS / RRF / or AI), or what relevance the Addis Adaba agreement from the first sudanese civil war has with any of these groups including RSF and AU. Anyway, still very confusing to me.

Nevertheless, it appears Russia is working to help the sudanese govt fight these terrorists (the RSF) and that’s great news. Last I had heard only saudi arabia and UAE were trying to do something to settle things.