Excluded Headlines: Niger coup, 50 million mangroves from Saudi Arabia, US involvement in PNG and Peru...
Stay up to date on the global news stories the US- and Eurocentric media overlooks, with journalist and author, Tamara Pearson.
In this week’s Global South news, downplayed or ignored by the English-language mainstream media:
Sudan war passes 100-day mark - Mediation attempts haven’t yet brokered a solution to the civil war in Sudan. Food insecurity and lack of access to health and other basic needs, is increasing as food stocks are low and supply channels aren’t functioning. Source.
Soldiers mutiny in US-allied Niger - The coup in Niger has been covered by the mainstream media, but minimally and with little context, compared to how a coup in Europe or the US would be covered. According to The Intercept, Wednesday’s mutiny is the latest of various military uprisings in West Africa, many of them led by U.S.-trained officers. It isn’t yet clear if any of the Nigerien troops involved were trained or mentored by the United States, but the U.S. has trained members of Niger’s presidential guard recently. Coup supporters set fire to the ruling party’s offices, the president was ousted, and the coup is now the seventh in the west-central African region in just three years. The armed forces have subscribed to the coup declaration by the defence and security forces. Source, source, source.
Mali drops French as official language - Over 60 years after declaring independence from France, Mali has voted for a new constitution, which recognises 13 national languages but now sees French as a working language only. Source.
Saudi Arabia aims to combat desertification with 50 million mangroves - Saudi Arabia opened its first mangrove nursery on Wednesday, and it is aiming to plant the 50 million mangroves by 2030. Mangroves can absorb five to 10 times more carbon than other plants. Source.
US uses Papua New Guinea in order to increase its military presence in the area - The US will deploy a coastguard ship to PNG next month, based on a military agreement signed between the two countries. Source.
Infiltrating police in Peru protests were financed by coup government - A human rights defender has spoken out, revealing that during the repression of protests in January, people participating in the protests and were injured, turned out to be police who were receiving a special payment from the government. Source.
Peruvian coup government authorised US troops to enter the country - The current, unelected government of Peru allowed 1,172 US troops to enter the country, under the pretext of joint training. Source.
Protests break out across India against BJP government's inaction in Manipur - For approximately three months, the Indian state of Manipur in the northeast has been experiencing appalling incidents of ethnic and religious conflict. An explicit video showing the brutal mistreatment and public humiliation of two women in Manipur went viral, sparking demonstrations throughout the nation. Source.
Egyptians warned not to use lifts due to heatwave - Egypt is having to implement hourly power cuts due to the high use of air-conditioning to combat extreme heat. When the power is out, for 20 minutes each hour, people can’t use lifts. Source.
Useful reads:
An Afrofeminist Reading from Venezuela: A Conversation with Merlyn Pirela
The heavy toll of violence at the Syria-Türkiye border
The Future of Sudan's Resistance Committees
Uruguay’s missing women may have been trafficked - A 12-month investigation into cases of nine women reveals years of failure by police and prosecutors