标签： Africa

A targeted car bombing in southern Moscow has claimed the life of Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, a high-ranking Russian military official, intensifying geopolitical tensions amidst ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict. The 56-year-old head of the Russian General Staff’s training department was killed instantly when an explosive device planted beneath his parked Kia SUV detonated on Monday morning.

Eyewitnesses reported a powerful explosion that rattled windows in the residential neighborhood where the attack occurred. AFP correspondents at the scene documented a severely mangled vehicle with its doors and rear window blown out, the frame twisted and charred from the blast impact. Security forces immediately cordoned off the area as investigators began forensic examination of the debris.

The assassination bears striking resemblance to previous attacks on Russian military figures that have been either claimed by or attributed to Ukrainian special operations. Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed it is examining potential involvement of Ukrainian special services in organizing the lethal attack.

General Sarvarov possessed extensive combat experience, having participated in Russia’s North Caucasus campaigns during the 1990s Chechnya conflict and commanded Russian forces in Syria from 2015-2016. His death represents the latest in a series of high-profile assassinations targeting Russian military leadership, including the April 2024 killing of General Yaroslav Moskalik and the December 2024 bombing that killed chemical weapons chief Igor Kirillov.

The assassination occurred against the backdrop of intensified diplomatic engagements, with Russian and Ukrainian delegates having concluded separate negotiations with US mediators in Miami just hours before the attack. Both sides described the talks, which included US special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential advisor Jared Kushner, as ‘productive and constructive’ despite significant ongoing disagreements regarding territorial concessions in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.

The Kremlin confirmed President Putin has been briefed on the assassination, which threatens to undermine fragile diplomatic progress. Ukrainian officials maintained their standard policy of not commenting on operations within Russian territory, while the Kremlin simultaneously denied US intelligence assessments suggesting expansionist ambitions beyond Ukraine’s eastern regions.

NAIVASHA, Kenya — Dickson Ngome’s agricultural livelihood has been literally swallowed by water. When he first leased his 1.5-acre farm near Lake Naivasha in 2008, the shoreline stood approximately 2 kilometers away. Today, his property lies completely submerged beneath the expanding waters of Kenya’s Rift Valley lake system.

The dramatic transformation occurred with startling speed. After early rains began in September and continued relentlessly for months, Ngome and his family awoke one October morning to find their home and farmland inundated with approximately a foot of water. “It seemed as if the lake was far from our homes,” recounted Rose Wafula, Ngome’s wife. “And then one night we were shocked to find our houses flooded. The water came from nowhere.”

This personal tragedy reflects a broader regional crisis. Lake Naivasha’s expansion has displaced approximately 5,000 residents this year alone, part of a concerning pattern affecting multiple Rift Valley lakes including Baringo, Nakuru, and Turkana. According to scientific analysis, these water bodies have been experiencing steady increases over the past 15 years, with some reaching their highest recorded levels.

Simon Onywere, an environmental planning expert at Kenyatta University, confirms the unprecedented scale: “The lakes have risen almost beyond the highest level they have ever reached.” Research published in the Journal of Hydrology documents that East African lake areas expanded by 71,822 square kilometers between 2011 and 2023, resulting in the displacement of over 75,000 households across the Rift Valley region by 2021.

The economic repercussions are substantial. Lake Naivasha’s surrounding horticulture industry, which generates over $1 billion annually and supplies 40% of the EU’s rose market, has suffered significant losses with three-quarters of some flower farms now underwater.

Scientific consensus points to climate change as a primary driver. Richard Muita, acting assistant director of the Kenya Meteorological Department, explains: “The Kenya Meteorological Department found that the water level rises are associated with rainfall patterns and temperature changes.” Additional factors include sedimentation from agricultural runoff, which compounds the problem by reducing lake capacity.

Complicating the situation are historical land management issues. The Ngome family’s community of Kihoto sits on riparian land that legally cannot be privately owned. Silas Wanjala of the Lake Naivasha Riparian Association traces this problem to “a mess established by the government” in the late 1960s when temporary agricultural leases were improperly converted into permanent settlements.

Local authorities are responding to the immediate humanitarian crisis. “We are tackling this as an emergency,” stated Joyce Ncece, chief officer for disaster management in Nakuru County. “The county government has provided trucks to help families relocate. We have been helping to pay rent for those who lack the finances.”

Meanwhile, scientists advocate for long-term strategies including climate change mitigation, improved forecasting, and nature-based solutions incorporating indigenous knowledge. For displaced families like the Ngomes, currently sheltering in an abandoned school, the future remains uncertain as Lake Naivasha continues its relentless expansion with no signs of reversal.