The Legal SA

Putin Rallies Africa

13:05pm, Thursday 27/07/23, Johannesburg. By Thabo Makaota, Senior International News Writer @TheLegalSA.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was today on the charm offensive as he wooed the leaders of 17 African countries including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Mali, Somalia and Egypt amongst other.

The second Russia x Africa summit seeks to strengthen bilateral ties and trade between Russia and the African continent.

In his address in St. Petersburg, President Putin moved to ease the growing fears of food insecurity on the African continent as the result of the blocking of the shipping of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea controlled by Russia.

Putin has promised up to 50 000 tons of free grain each to Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Mali, Somalia and Zimbabwe to be delivered in the next three to four months.

The leader of the Russian Federation also had moving words of unity for the African continent, rallying African leaders to join forces to establish a 'new world order'.

Putin drew on the history of brutal colonization at the hands of the West to call for deeper relationships between African countries and Russia saying "Russia needs Africa and Africa needs Russia.

On the question of the West, Putin said that the West is peddling lies about the grain deal and that it is in fact the West that is perpetuating global food insecurity though invalid and unlawful sanctions.

Armed Turmoil In Niger

114:05pm, Johannesburg, 26/07/23. Written by Thabo Makaota, Senior International News Writer @TheLegalSA.

Fears of an armed military coup are mounting in the West African country of Niger after soldiers blockaded the presidential palace in the capital Niamey early on Wednesday.

The soldiers are made up of elements from the Niger army as well as a detachment from the presidential guard of president Mohamed Bazoum.

No shots were fired as the outrage catalyzed but tensions are high as the presidential office has declared that the actions of the soldiers are a result of an 'unsuccessful attempt by the presidential guard to gain support from the military in their anti republican efforts".

Sources close to President Mohamed Bazoum himself have confirmed that negotiations between the presidency and the soldiers are ongoing after the soldiers demanded that presidential Mohamed Bazoum and his cabinet all step down.

Ministerial buildings and support offices of the executive have also been blockaded by armed soldiers with no reports of shots being fired anywhere in the country.

President Mohamed Bazoum in came into power in February 2016 under murky circumstances after being named as the successor to president Mahamadou Issoufou even before any presidential campaigning or elections had taken place.

Mahamadou Issoufou himself had became president in 2011 after deposing then president Mamadou Tandja in a military coup the year before.

Niger's presidential offices has announced that president Mohamed Bazoum is safe and well and that the actions of the soldiers are nothing but a "fit temper".

Ukrainian Grain Crisis

Written by Ntokozo Mdlovu, Senior Political Analyst and Writer, 11:30, Monday, 17/07/23.

South Africa with along with many other countries will be negatively impacted by the decision of Russia to suspend it's participation in the Black Sea Grain Deal.

The deal itself was brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye and was formulated to allow the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea.

Known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative the deal is set to expire at the end of business today.

The deal was negotiated and struck to ease the global food crises that was exacerbated by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on the 22nd of February 2022.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that his country will withdraw from the deal as terms set out in favour of his country have not been observed throughout the lifespan of the deal.

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa had last week held a telephonic discussion with both Zelenskyy and Putin about the need for consistent and sustainable movements of Ukrainian grain to international markets.

Should Russia choose not to renew the deal and effectively block the movement of Ukrainian grain the effects could devastate food security that would see food prices sky rocket especially in developing African, South East Asian and South American countries.

87 Civilian Bodies Found In Sudan Mass Grave

The United Nations Human Rights Commission is set to initiate an investigation after the discovery of a mass grave containing the bodies 87 civilians.

The United Nations' High Commissioner for Human Rights Mr. Volker Turk condemned in the strongest terms the killing of civilians and hors de combat individuals, saying that he is further appalled by the callous and disrespectful way the dead, along with their families and communities, were treated by militants.

The United Nations' High Commission says that there is strong and credible evidence that Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group was responsible for the deaths of the civilians found at the mass grave.

A statement from the United Nations Human Rights office stated that the dead included members of the Masalit ethnic group and that the bodies were found outside the city of Geneina.

The statement concluded that locals were forced to bury the bodies between June 20 and June 21.

The conflict in Sudan broke out in mid April after Sudanese Army Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces Com. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo failed to reach an understanding of how the RSF would be integrated into the army before Sudan transitions into a civilian led state.

The two generals overthrew Omar al-Bashir in a 2019 coup d'état.

The conflict has claimed the lives of more than 910 people with over 1 200 000 people displaced.

Should the UN make findings of crimes against humanity against the RSF then RSF Comm. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo will be charged with war crimes and face the wrath of the International Criminal Court.

NK ICBM Angers Japan and US

Japan and the United States of America are hot and bothered over North Korea's launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile.

North Korea fired an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) early on Wednesday.

The missile flew for over an hour, landing just short of Japanese waters.

The launch came after Pyongyang threatened retaliation against recent U.S spy plane incursions over North Korean territory.

Of Course the United States denied their spy planes havinf flown over North Korean territory.

Instead, the United States called North Koreas' ICBM launch “a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region", in the words of US National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge.

Hodge further stated that America's military exercises are in line with international law.

Meanwhile North Korea does not recognize such "international law" and has vowed to shoot down any spy planes in North Korean airspace.

An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than 5,500 kilometres and is primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery with the potential to deliver one or more thermonuclear warheads.

6 Die In China Stabbing Outrage

09:10, Monday, 10/07/23, Johannesburg. By Thabo Makaota, senior writer @TheLEgalSA.

At least six people have been killed with one other person suffering stab wounds outside of a kindergarten in Lianjiang in the south eastern province of Guangdong in China earlier this morning.

Amongst the dead are three children and three adults, a teacher at the kindergarten and two parents.

The attack is said to have occurred in the early hours of Monday morning at around 07:40am local time (00:01am CAT), just as parents were dropping their children off for class.

Law enforcement authorities in the area say that they have arrested a 25-year-old male suspect of the outrage, with the arrest having been affected at around 08:00am local time.

Lianjiang police say that the stabbing was an intentional attack notwithstanding not confirming the motive for the attack.

Lianjiang has a population of about 1.87 million residents.

China has seen a sharp spike in the spate of knife attacks in recent years with over 17 attacks recorded at kindergartens, schools and universities.

The rise in knife attacks is fueled mainly be China's ban on firearms.

BBC Suspends Top Presenter Over Sex Scandal

17:30. Sunday, 09/07/23, Johannesburg

The British Broadcasting Corporation has suspended one of its star male presenters over allegations of a sex exploitation scandal involving a teenager.

The male presenter is alleged to have paid the teenager over £34,715.07 over three years in exchange for sexually explicit photographs of the teenager.

It is believed that the teen was just 17-years-old when the alleged sexual exploitation began in 2020.

According to the mother of the child, the monies received by the child were used to fund a crack cocaine habit.

The mother says that the child would have wound up dead if the exploitation, payments and the use of the drugs continued any longer.

The BBC's Director General Tim Davie says that the broadcaster "takes any allegations seriously" and has "robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations".

The BBC website reported that the corporation is working with the police in the matter parallel to its own inquiries.

The broadcaster said that it first became aware of a complaint in May 2023 but that new allegations of a "different nature were presented this past Thursday.

The BBC says that it has been in contact with law enforcement authorities in line with its protocols.

Written by Thabo Makaota @masthibo, senior writer @TheLegalSA.

Kyiv Pushes For More Arms

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will today hold talks with the president of the Republic of Türkiye, His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

President Zelenksyy is going an a tour with western world leaders as he attempts to secure more weaponry and arms from it's allies to stave off the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy also wants to push for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to admit Ukraine as a member country with haste.

As a NATO member, Ukraine would enjoy the full protection and benefits of the armed forces and military might of NATO lead by the United States.

Todays meeting between Zelenskyy and Erdoğan comes on the eve of day 500 since Russian pushed into Ukraine in an invasion the Kremlin called rhe "denazification of Ukraine".

Russia Blocking NATO Expansion

Russian President Vladimir Zelenskyy has threatened the devastating consequences for the western world and Europe in particular should NATO admit Ukraine.

Should NATO admit Ukraine as a member state then Russia would face direct military conflict with the united military might of the NATO lead by America.

The Kremlin has openly declared that a move t admit Ukraine into NATO could lead to the use of nuclear arms as Russia would do what it needs to to defend itself against its NATO enemies.

NATO Not Ready To Admit Ukraine

Meanwhile, NATO itself has been very tentative in assessing Ukraine's NATO membership as NATO understands the threat to humanity should NATO engage Russia in all out war.

Finland became NATO's newest member on the 4th April 2023, upon depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty with the United States at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.

The admittance of Finland into NATO would've given Kyiv more daring to push for membership but NATO is likely to hold Ukraine's membership request until at least after the invasion is dealt with.

NATO will sit for it's next summit from Tuesday the 11th July 2023 to Wednesday the 12th July 2023.

NATO is a collective security system where its independent member states agree to defend each other against attacks by third parties.

Putin To Speak After Wagner Mutiny

Tuesday, 04/07/23, 12:45pm, Johanesburg

Russian President Vladimir Putin will today address a global audience for the first time since the private military company, the Wagner Group, staged an unsuccessful mutiny against the Kremlin last month.

Putin will speak virtually at the Shanghai Corporation Organization Summit and will address the leaders of China, India, Pakistan and four other central Asian countries.

The summit will discuss regional security, economy, climate change and food security.

Afghanistan's position in geopolitics will also be discussed at the summit.

Sources close to the Kremlin seem to suggest that Putin could be moving to absorb Afghani fighters to augment the compliment of Russian forces as the invasion of Ukraine continues.

The Kremlin has become weary of the Wagner forces who have not taken up the offer to be absorbed into the Russian army, as such, the Kremlin is said to be making overtures to secure more fighting men from the east.

The Wagner Group, lead by Yevgeny Prigozhin, attempted to march on Moscow before retreating into Belarus in a failed mutiny attempt on the 23rd to the 24th of June.

While Russia agreed to let the mercenaries exile in Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to punish those "who would seek the demise of Russia".

Written by Ntokozo Mldlovu, independent political anaylst.