标签： Asia

A comprehensive study released by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime reveals that Sudan’s ongoing civil war has catalyzed the development of extensive arms trafficking and mercenary networks spanning multiple African regions. The report, titled “Collateral Circuits: The impact of Sudan’s war on arms markets and mercenary networks in Chad and Libya,” documents how pre-existing smuggling routes were reactivated and expanded following the outbreak of hostilities between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023.

The research demonstrates that the conflict’s repercussions have extended beyond Sudan’s borders, significantly affecting Chad and Libya while creating ripple effects across Niger, Mali, and neighboring territories. According to the findings, the United Arab Emirates has facilitated substantial support for the RSF through these channels, despite Abu Dhabi’s continued denial of such backing despite accumulating evidence.

Emadeddin Badi, the report’s author and a senior fellow at Global Initiative, emphasized that mercenaries, arms trafficking, gold mining, and human smuggling have become fundamental components of a war economy engaging all of Sudan’s neighboring nations. This system provides financial benefits and employment opportunities for numerous individuals throughout the region.

The investigation reveals that both the outflow and inflow of weapons and combat personnel have transformed regional security architectures. Photographic evidence shows DShKM machine guns, small arms, and other military equipment available for purchase in Chadian markets and on social media platforms, illustrating the widespread proliferation of arms from Sudanese stockpiles.

Badi contends that the regional integration evident in arms and mercenary movements necessitates a holistic view of North Africa and the Sahel region rather than compartmentalized analysis. He notes that Emirati, Russian, and increasingly Turkish policies approach these theaters as interconnected landscapes, demonstrated through the continuity and complementarity of supply lines established for the RSF via Libya and Chad.

The report details how supply line functionality directly influenced military developments, including the loss of Khartoum and the capture of el-Fasher in Darfur. Key logistical hubs shifted from eastern Libya’s Kufra to Chad’s Amdjarass, where the UAE established a purported field hospital in July 2023 that reportedly served as a facilitation point.

Mercenaries have played central roles in sustaining supply pipelines, not as peripheral participants but as organizers and enablers who escort convoys, manage border access, and ensure continuous flow of materials across boundaries. The report concludes that the residual impact of this war economy will persist long after hostilities diminish, with weapons, mercenaries, and established infrastructure adapting to fulfill new functions in the region.

Yemen’s Houthi rebel faction has announced the impending release of nine Filipino maritime crew members who survived the sinking of their commercial vessel in the Red Sea last July. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Tuesday that the seafarers would be transferred from the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital of Sanaa to Oman before ultimately returning to their home country.

The crew members were aboard the Liberian-flagged cargo ship M/V Eternity C when it was attacked and sunk by Houthi forces in July, breaking a months-long hiatus in the group’s maritime operations. The Iran-backed militants previously released footage claiming to have ‘rescued’ crew members following the attack.

Philippine authorities acknowledged Oman’s diplomatic mediation in facilitating the release but declined to specify any conditions attached to the transfer or provide a precise timeline for the sailors’ repatriation. The July incident, which also involved the sinking of another vessel named Magic Seas, marked a significant escalation in maritime security concerns in the critical waterway.

The Houthis have conducted numerous attacks on commercial shipping since October 2023, asserting these actions target Israel-linked vessels in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. These disruptions have forced many shipping companies to avoid the route that typically facilitates approximately 12% of global trade.

The Philippines remains particularly affected by such incidents as Filipino nationals constitute nearly 30% of the global commercial shipping workforce. Their remittances, totaling nearly $7 billion in 2023, represent approximately one-fifth of the nation’s total remittance income.

Sri Lanka faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis following Cyclone Ditwah’s devastating landfall last week, which submerged entire communities and triggered catastrophic landslides across the nation. The disaster has claimed over 400 lives, left hundreds missing, and rendered 20,000 households uninhabitable, affecting more than one million residents in what President Anura Kumara Dissanayake describes as the country’s ‘most challenging natural disaster’.

Amidst widespread destruction, a remarkable grassroots mobilization has emerged. Citizens previously engaged in political activism during Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic crisis have repurposed their organizational skills for disaster relief. In Colombo’s Wijerama neighborhood, volunteers who once protested against former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa now operate community kitchens producing thousands of meals daily for flood victims.

Celebrities like actor-musician GK Reginold have joined the effort, navigating submerged suburbs via motorized fishing boats to deliver essential supplies to isolated families. ‘The main reason I wanted to do this is to at least help them have one meal,’ Reginold told the BBC, expressing fulfillment in providing crucial assistance.

The relief operation extends beyond physical spaces into digital realms. Social media activists have created public databases to coordinate donations and volunteer efforts, while volunteer-backed websites help donors identify specific needs across relief camps. Private companies and television channels have organized donation drives for food and basic necessities.

Despite this civilian-led response, political tensions simmer. Opposition lawmakers accuse authorities of ignoring early weather warnings and staged a parliamentary walkout alleging government attempts to limit disaster debates. President Dissanayake has appealed for unity, urging Sri Lankans to ‘set aside all political differences’ in rebuilding efforts.

Military helicopters continue rescue operations alongside incoming international aid, but the road to recovery remains long for a nation familiar with recent turmoil. As volunteer Sasindu Sahan Tharaka reflected after exhausting shifts at relief sites: ‘The empathy and capacity of our hearts is greater than the destruction that occurs during a disaster.’

In the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, Sri Lanka’s picturesque tea-growing highlands have transformed into a landscape of devastation and tragedy. Rescue teams continue their grim search through the mud-clogged mountainsides where at least 465 fatalities have been confirmed, with 366 individuals still unaccounted for following the island nation’s most severe natural disaster in decades.

The aerial assessment reveals profound destruction across the central tea region, where entire slopes have sheared away, leaving ochre scars through the once-lush vegetation. Landslides have consumed road networks, infrastructure, and complete settlements, with only occasional roof peaks visible above the mud. The renowned tea plantations, vital to Sri Lanka’s economy, now appear as extensive channels of debris and uprooted vegetation.

Military aircraft from Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan have mobilized for relief operations, transporting essential supplies to isolated communities in the Nuwara Eliya district. Helicopters modified for cargo transport are delivering water and rations to areas that remain inaccessible by ground. The full impact on the tea industry—including plantations, processing facilities, and agricultural workers—has yet to be comprehensively assessed but is anticipated to be substantial.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has declared a national state of emergency and issued an international appeal for assistance. Recovery efforts face significant challenges due to damaged infrastructure and persistent communication blackouts in remote zones. This catastrophe represents the most lethal natural event to strike Sri Lanka since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, with both landslides and flooding affecting communities nationwide.