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Is that one of our old Grizzlies with a replacement turret?
Africa in Crisis- The Merged Superthread
- Thread starter patrick666
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Or a Cougar. Uruguay stripped the turrets from the Cougars that they acquired.
And one in Goma with a little more wear and tear.
And one in Goma with a little more wear and tear.
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Fossil
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BLUF: It's complicated...
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Getting goofy in Mali - again ....
www.france24.com
www.timesnownews.com
www.hrw.org
... with these from a couple of weeks back:
www.aljazeera.com
www.africanews.com
France to reduce diplomatic staff in Mali amid jihadist fuel blockade
France is pulling back diplomatic staff from Mali as the security situation in the country deteriorates under a jihadist-imposed fuel blockade. The move comes amid deepening concerns over the junta-led…
www.france24.com
Afghanistan 2.0? Al-Qaeda's 'Anaconda Strategy' Is Quietly Swallowing Mali
A slow, methodical jihadist takeover is unfolding in Mali as Al-Qaeda’s JNIM enforces its ‘anaconda strategy’, squeezing the state and mirroring Afghanistan’s collapse., World News, Times Now
www.timesnownews.com
Mali: Army, Militias Massacre Villagers in Central Region
Mali’s military and allied militias killed at least 31 civilians and burned homes on October 2 and 13, 2025, in 2 villages in the country’s embattled Segou region.
Is Mali about to fall to al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM?
The al-Qaeda-linked group has imposed an economic siege on Bamako since September.
Mali: France advises its citizens to leave the country as soon as possible | Africanews
France has joined the United States and United Kingdom in urging its citizens to leave Mali, issuing a formal advisory on Friday, November 7, warning against all travel to the West African nation and calling on its nationals to depart "as soon as possible."
www.africanews.com
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FRA media: all that chlorine ain't just purifying water in Sudan ...
www.france24.com
www.france24.com
... with a touch of backstory/refresher on the whole civil war fracas
www.bbc.com
www.cfr.org
en.wikipedia.org
The Observers - Exclusive: The first proof of the use of chemical weapons in Sudan’s civil war
An investigation by the FRANCE 24 Observers team reveals how chlorine gas was used as a weapon in the ongoing civil war in Sudan. All evidence suggests the Sudanese army used chlorine to recapture a…
www.france24.com
How did chlorine imported to Sudan for water purification end up being used as a poison gas?
Barrels containing chlorine gas were used as a chemical weapon near an oil refinery in Sudan in September 2024, as shown by the first part of an investigation by the FRANCE 24 Observers. In this second…
www.france24.com
Sudan war: A simple guide to what is happening
Sudan was thrown into disarray in 2023 when its army and a paramilitary group began a power struggle.
www.bbc.com
Civil War in Sudan | Global Conflict Tracker
As the civil war enters its third year, Sudan’s two warring factions remain locked in a deadly power struggle. Death toll estimates vary widely, with the former U.S.
Sudanese civil war (2023–present) - Wikipedia
I went to Sudan as part of the security detail for a documentary being made by an independent film-maker who had partnered with The Associated Press maybe 15-ish years ago now. (Time flies, but 15-ish sounds right-ish)FRA media: all that chlorine ain't just purifying water in Sudan ...
The Observers - Exclusive: The first proof of the use of chemical weapons in Sudan’s civil war
An investigation by the FRANCE 24 Observers team reveals how chlorine gas was used as a weapon in the ongoing civil war in Sudan. All evidence suggests the Sudanese army used chlorine to recapture a…... with a touch of backstory/refresher on the whole civil war fracasHow did chlorine imported to Sudan for water purification end up being used as a poison gas?
Barrels containing chlorine gas were used as a chemical weapon near an oil refinery in Sudan in September 2024, as shown by the first part of an investigation by the FRANCE 24 Observers. In this second…
Sudan war: A simple guide to what is happening
Sudan was thrown into disarray in 2023 when its army and a paramilitary group began a power struggle.Civil War in Sudan | Global Conflict Tracker
As the civil war enters its third year, Sudan’s two warring factions remain locked in a deadly power struggle. Death toll estimates vary widely, with the former U.S.Sudanese civil war (2023–present) - Wikipedia
I'll see what I can find in terms of pics and stuff from that trip. (This was before high quality smart phone cameras were in everybody's pocket. I DID have some pretty nifty disposable cameras tho!)
...
South Sudan hadn't become an officially recognized country yet, but was about to - and there was A LOT of ethnic violence happening in that area immediately prior to South Sudan being recognized internationally as it's own country.
These days there is a UN Peacekeeping force there (quality of troops is pretty deplorable - pls correct me if I'm wrong) and things have calmed down
But the place was a total shit show then.
And while the ethnic violence seems to have simmered down since my time there, I can't imagine its a remotely nice place to live in or grow up in.
...
I was on TF-206 & TF-110 in Afghanistan, and took my training seriously before I deployed.
I even invested in some private courses prior to deployment along with some of the other guys - and I would confidently argue that our drills, right before and during deployment, were exceptionally better than the troops who didn't get the same opportunities.
(Edmonton Police Service's Tactical Unit were awesome guys & showed us A LOT of simple yet super useful tips)
Anyways I went to Sudan near the end of 2010, and I put that training to FAR BETTER use there than I ever did in Afghanistan. And saw more shit there than I ever did in the sandbox.
(Anybody who's had to "Go check if anybody's alive at Callsign-X after an IED blast hit a LAV-3 learns quickly that sometimes the occupants are banged up, maybe require hospitalization, but mostly "okay" (okay being fairly relative...) but you may also find your friends deceased - to put that as non-graphically as possible)
Sudan was a whole new level of violence
We saw people there in the same shape (or worse, believe it or not) who hadn't driven over an IED or stepped on a landmine, but were mutilated by their fellow humans with bare hands & machetes.
All because of some cultural or religious bullshit, although the battle for basic resources was starting to shape events there beyond the religious differences between tribes.
(Although there's plenty of one-legged people there who have stepped on landmines - so many it REALLY causes one to stop & think about a lot. I think the de-mining crews have since made the populated areas fairly safe now, they were pretty clear of landmines even when I was there. Don't go for any strolls off the roads or well walked pathways tho.)
...
Sketchy place is a massive understatement. There's almost like a constant evil in the air there. This chlorine attack sounds absolutely horrid in what it did to it's victims - it doesn't surprize me in the least tho
Honestly thought chlorine attacks had already been a thing there
OldSolduer
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Sometimes failing states just need to fail.
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But I'm not sure that today's UN is ready or able to hand out "mandates" to e.g. Australia, Bhutan, Canada, Denmark and Estonia to "rule" these places as, de facto, colonies for a century or so while necessary and durable socio-political institutions are built and can take root.
OldSolduer
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The UN is worse than useless right now - its dangerous.
I would not trust the UN to run a hot dog stand. (The quote is a bastardization of one of RSM Roy Bruce's sayings. His actual quote was "Number One Guard you couldn't escort a hot dog stand" and yes I was in Number One Guard)
Halifax Tar
Army.ca Legend
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Is it our responsibility to fix every failed state ? I appreciate the compassion and empathy some have for the less fortunate around the world. But the fact is we don't all get to make it. And truly, if these states want to be better and become functioning facets of a global community they have to clean up their yard themselves.
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The UN is useless intentionally. A lot more would be able to get done if those vetos were removed allowing the worst bad actors to be held to account.
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And bring their refugees here?
The EU has discovered that it is cheaper to keep Ukraine a viable nation than it is to have to fight Russia on their own territory at a later date. By the same reasoning, it is probably cheaper and will cost fewer lives to assist where we can rather than combating dealing with the refugees and probable spill-over of war into our own backyards. Just look at what has happened in Africa with the spread of extreme Islam
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Not just this ....
... but what about letting them become havens of anti-Western bad guys?
May not be able to save everyone, but also have to be wary about unforeseen consequences, too.
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Keep in mind that South Korea was a less than perfect government and still struggles with corruption, but did improve over time. The big thing is that no one in the west wants to go there and kill people to sort things out and that is exactly what we would have to do. Not to mention we don't have an excess of males who aren't inheriting the family business/estate, or clergy to send off to Timbuktu.
The west should pick a few states in Africa that they absolutely don't want to see fail and do what it takes to keep them going, including helping them kill some bad actors, at the same time pressuring the government there not to be stupid and actually get services to the people to improve their lives.
The west should pick a few states in Africa that they absolutely don't want to see fail and do what it takes to keep them going, including helping them kill some bad actors, at the same time pressuring the government there not to be stupid and actually get services to the people to improve their lives.
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Thanks for sharing a bit of first-hand - much appreciated.I went to Sudan as part of the security detail for a documentary being made by an independent film-maker who had partnered with The Associated Press maybe 15-ish years ago now. (Time flies, but 15-ish sounds right-ish)
I'll see what I can find in terms of pics and stuff from that trip. (This was before high quality smart phone cameras were in everybody's pocket. I DID have some pretty nifty disposable cameras tho!)
...
South Sudan hadn't become an officially recognized country yet, but was about to - and there was A LOT of ethnic violence happening in that area immediately prior to South Sudan being recognized internationally as it's own country.
These days there is a UN Peacekeeping force there (quality of troops is pretty deplorable - pls correct me if I'm wrong) and things have calmed down
But the place was a total shit show then.
And while the ethnic violence seems to have simmered down since my time there, I can't imagine its a remotely nice place to live in or grow up in.
...
I was on TF-206 & TF-110 in Afghanistan, and took my training seriously before I deployed.
I even invested in some private courses prior to deployment along with some of the other guys - and I would confidently argue that our drills, right before and during deployment, were exceptionally better than the troops who didn't get the same opportunities.
(Edmonton Police Service's Tactical Unit were awesome guys & showed us A LOT of simple yet super useful tips)
Anyways I went to Sudan near the end of 2010, and I put that training to FAR BETTER use there than I ever did in Afghanistan. And saw more shit there than I ever did in the sandbox.
(Anybody who's had to "Go check if anybody's alive at Callsign-X after an IED blast hit a LAV-3 learns quickly that sometimes the occupants are banged up, maybe require hospitalization, but mostly "okay" (okay being fairly relative...) but you may also find your friends deceased - to put that as non-graphically as possible)
Sudan was a whole new level of violence
We saw people there in the same shape (or worse, believe it or not) who hadn't driven over an IED or stepped on a landmine, but were mutilated by their fellow humans with bare hands & machetes.
All because of some cultural or religious bullshit, although the battle for basic resources was starting to shape events there beyond the religious differences between tribes.
(Although there's plenty of one-legged people there who have stepped on landmines - so many it REALLY causes one to stop & think about a lot. I think the de-mining crews have since made the populated areas fairly safe now, they were pretty clear of landmines even when I was there. Don't go for any strolls off the roads or well walked pathways tho.)
...
Sketchy place is a massive understatement. There's almost like a constant evil in the air there. This chlorine attack sounds absolutely horrid in what it did to it's victims - it doesn't surprize me in the least tho
Honestly thought chlorine attacks had already been a thing there
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Fossil
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Agreed. The UN couldn’t fight it's way out of a wet paper bag at this point.
All of the western countries that used to commit troops to UN operations have all but ceased, leaving the void to be filled by the Indians, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, Cambodian, etc etc troops.
(I mention the Chinese seperately because they also commit a lot of troops to UN operations, but their troops are professional & effective. I would definitely categorize them as significantly above the norm as per UN troop quality these days. Same goes for Brazil.)
And despite Liberal promises to 'commit Canada to peacekeeping again' - we haven't, and literally don't have any plans to
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China and Russia are quite literally the choice many African countries are choosing as their partners in development, and have been giving the west the boot
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And some of them in a spectacular fashion....
Others may have different definitions of "failed state".
"President of the Chamber of Deputies, Right Honourable Mukabalisa Donatille made to Djibouti; on this Sunday March 3, 2019 . . . "
I'll concede that Rwanda