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: