The negative reaction some western countries have had to the increased cooperation between Russia and Mali is a fresh indication of their neo-colonial mentality, according to the Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia.
Speaking earlier in the week during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) devoted to the situation in Mali, the United States' deputy ambassador to the UN, Richard Mills, accused Moscow of allegedly committing “widespread atrocities and human rights abuses in Mali and elsewhere” through Russian private military companies.
Furthermore, France’s Deputy Representative to the UN, Nathalie Broadhurst, cited regular abuses against the Malian civilian population.
Addressing the issue, Russia's representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said that Moscow granted a whole load of assistance to the Malian army, particularly in training its soldiers and increasing its combat capacity.
A Reaction to Russian-Malian Cooperation
Nebenzia recalled that the military cooperation between Russia and Mali, which has happened at Bamako’s request and in strict compliance with the norms of international law, provides positive results.
“Russia is offering all-around assistance to the Malian army, including in the area of enhancing its combat capabilities and personnel training,” the Russian envoy told the UNSC.
Nebenzia pointed out that thanks to such cooperation; Mali’s armed forces are conducting successful counter-terrorism operations in the country’s central regions. In the meantime, efforts are being made by the Malian army to liberate northern and eastern regions from militants.
“We think that the negative reaction of our western colleagues to the strengthening of Russian-Malian cooperation is a fresh manifestation of neo-colonial approaches, which, along with the lack of visible progress in the course of the stabilization of the situation in Mali after decades of their military presence, have driven the Malians to find new partners,” Nebenzia said.....More Below
Volker Turk has warned that efforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in “certain quarters,” and urged countries to back Africa’s push.
Reparatory justice for historical crimes, including colonialism, enslavement, and the trade in enslaved Africans, is crucial to dismantling systemic racism, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said.
Speaking at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent on Tuesday, Turk linked present-day discrimination against people from the continent to the enduring legacy of colonialism and enslavement.
”Racism and dehumanizing rhetoric continue to permeate public institutions, communities, and online platforms,” he said, according to the UN Press Service. Turk noted that “digital technologies, including AI, are reproducing and amplifying existing biases against people of African descent.”
The remarks come weeks after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest...
The US VP had to defend President Trump’s Gaza policy at a rally on a Georgia college campus.
US Vice President J.D. Vance was forced to defend Washington’s policy in Gaza after he was booed and heckled at a key MAGA event on Wednesday.
Co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a conservative student group that has long been seen as a strong support base of President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement but is now showing apparent cracks.
Less than 15 minutes into a TPUSA event at the University of Georgia on Wednesday, Vance was interrupted by hecklers over US policy in Gaza, with one audience member shouting, “Jesus Christ does not support genocide!” As he attempted to respond, others shouted, “You’re killing children!” and “You’re bombing children!”
Vance replied by referring to Trump’s achievements as president, including securing a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, something he said the previous administration of Joe Biden failed to do.
“I ...
Sergey Shoigu has cautioned Finland and the Baltic states against allowing Kiev to use their airspace for attacks on Russia.
Russia would have the right to retaliate if Finland and the Baltic states are deliberately allowing Ukrainian drones to pass through their airspace, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu said on Thursday.
“Recently, there has been an increase in Ukrainian drone strikes against Russia via Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia,” Shoigu told journalists. “As a result, civilians are suffering and significant damage is being caused to civilian infrastructure.”
Either Western air defenses are proving ineffective, or these four countries “deliberately provide their airspace, thereby becoming open accomplices in aggression against Russia,” he added. In the latter case, Moscow has the right to self-defense in response to an “armed attack” under Article 51 of the UN Charter, the security chief stressed.
In recent weeks, Kiev has intensified drone strikes on ...
