WORLD - The African Mirror

Feb

22

2025

Trump’s threats on Greenland, Gaza, Ukraine and Panama revive old-school US imperialism of dominating other nations by force, after decades of nuclear deterrence

WORLD

IMPERIALIST rhetoric is becoming a mark of President Donald Trump’s second term. From asserting that the U.S. will “take over” the Gaza Strip, Greenland and the Panama Canal to apparently siding with Russia in its war on Ukraine, Trump’s comments suggest a return to an old imperialist style of forcing foreign lands under American control. Imperialism is when a nation extends its power through territorial acquisition, economic dominance or political influence. Historically, imperialist leaders have used military conquest, economic coercion or diplomatic pressure to expand their dominions, and justified their foreign incursions as civilizing missions, economic opportunities or national security…

Feb

21

2025

By The African Mirror

Venezuelan Doctors Saving Lives and Strengthening the Health Care System in Peru

WORLD

IN the bustling emergency unit of Lima's Jose Casimiro Ulloa Hospital, Venezuelan surgeon Yoalexis Tovar examines a young woman experiencing food poisoning. The 40-year-old doctor brings his expertise to the forefront of patient care by being part of a one-month training programme supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in agreement with Peru’s Health Ministry and the Hospital. "I bring the best of myself to save lives," says Yoalexis, who arrived in Peru in 2018. His journey has been fraught with challenges, leaving behind an economic situation that left him unable to support his three children. Venezuelan surgeon Yoalexis…

Feb

20

2025

By THIN LEI WIN

Myanmar in “polycrisis” as US aid freeze compounds long-term donor neglect

WORLD

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Thin Lei Win AS Myanmar enters a fifth year under renewed military rule, it is staring down a grim future: Fractured communities continue to be terrorised by brutal killings and repeated air raids, while dwindling humanitarian aid faces further cuts despite unprecedented needs. Half the population is in poverty, the healthcare infrastructure lies in tatters, and the currency has lost 70% of its value, even as food prices soar and infectious diseases are on the rise. There is little sign that fighting between regime and opposition forces will abate or that…

Feb

20

2025

By The African Mirror

UNHCR: After three years of war, Ukrainians need peace and aid

WORLD

THREE years on, the full-scale war in Ukraine has taken thousands of lives, caused untold destruction, torn families apart, inflicted significant psychological trauma and devastated the country’s economy and infrastructure. In the last six months alone, more than 200,000 people have fled their homes in eastern Ukraine as attacks increased. As human suffering continues, providing immediate life-saving assistance to those most affected as well as opportunities to recover is more needed than ever. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, estimates that 10.6 million Ukrainians are displaced – almost a quarter of its pre-war population. Inside Ukraine, 3.7 million have been uprooted,…

Feb

19

2025

By YLENIA GOSTOLI

US aid freezes escalate Syria’s crisis

WORLD

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Ylenia Gostoli Three weeks after US President Donald Trump’s order to freeze foreign aid, Syrians are already seeing medical clinics providing urgent assistance close, water distributions slow down, and bread distribution in many displacement camps grind to a halt. After nearly 14 years of war, the UN estimates that 16.5 million people across Syria need some sort of aid. While the December overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad is beginning to change the way aid works in the country, the need for widespread relief for those dealing with severe poverty, food insecurity,…

Feb

19

2025

By MATT FITZPATRICK

Ukraine isn’t invited to its own peace talks. History is full of such examples – and the results are devastating

WORLD

UKRAINE has not been invited to a key meeting between American and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia this week to decide what peace in the country might look like. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will “never accept” any decisions in talks without its participation to end Russia’s three-year war in the country. A decision to negotiate the sovereignty of Ukrainians without them – as well as US President Donald Trump’s blatantly extortionate attempt to claim half of Ukraine’s rare mineral wealth as the price for ongoing US support – reveals a lot about how Trump sees Ukraine and Europe.…

Feb

18

2025

By ZULAIKA ESENTAEVA

From strawberry fields to family business: a Kyrgyz couple’s entrepreneurial journey

WORLD

“IT’S important to have dreams. If you have dreams, you can achieve them,” says Ulukbek, smiling as he sweeps the floor of his newly renovated boutique. The shelves are stocked with colourful dolls, toy cars, water bottles and backpacks of all shapes and sizes. A variety of books, pyjamas and yellow rubber ducks beckon to be brought home by doting parents to join a lucky child's bedtime ritual. To some, it may appear as a typical children's clothing and toy store – but for Ulukbek and his wife, Gulkayir, this space represents a lifelong dream that has finally come true.…

Feb

18

2025

By JONATHAN ESTE

What we learned from Trump and Putin’s phone call – editor’s briefing

WORLD

ANNALENA Baerbock, the German foreign minister, spoke for much of the European diplomatic community when she reacted to news of Donald Trump’s phone chat with Vladimir Putin: “This is the way the Trump administration operates,” she declared. “This is not how others do foreign policy, but this is now the reality.” The resigned tone of Baerbock’s words was not matched by her colleague, defence minister Boris Pistorius, whose criticism that “the Trump administration has already made public concessions to Putin before negotiations have even begun” was rather more direct. Their sentiments were echoed, not only by European leaders, but in…

Feb

18

2025

By STEFAN SCHMITT

Syria’s mass graves: Accounting for the dead and disappeared is crucial for the nation to heal

WORLD

SHORTLY after the fall of Bashar Assad in Syria in December 2024, reports emerged of mass graves being uncovered in liberated areas. Grim as such discoveries are, they should come as little surprise. The scale of the regime’s torture and killings in its detention facilities became evident years earlier when in January 2014 a forensic photographer defected and left the country with a cache of 55,000 photos of people who had been tortured and died in detention. As an expert in forensic anthropology and mass casualties in conflict, I was asked to evaluate what became known as the “Caesar photographs.”…

Feb

17

2025

By ANTOINE LEMONNIER

Humanitarians in Haiti: Making a difference, one Step at a time

WORLD

FROM a young age, Rose knew she wanted to help others. This drive led her to spend over four years volunteering with the Haitian Red Cross before joining the International Organization for Migration (IOM). For her, it has always been about making life better for people in need, especially in a country like Haiti where so many face challenges every day. Civil protection staff work alongside IOM, community leaders, partners, and local authorities to assess the needs of displaced families in Haiti’s capital. Photo: IOM/Antoine Lemonnier Haiti, often called the “Pearl of the Antilles,” is a place of beauty and…