Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso’s President Roch Kabore has fired his prime minister as the security situation in the country deteriorates. As mentioned in several recent newsletters, Burkina has for years been plagued by armed groups with links to ISIS and al-Qaeda, with thousands of people killed and a million forced from their homes. Attacks by the groups have escalated in recent months, leading to widespread public anger. Kabore has been under intense pressure to get the crisis under control, and the sacking of Christophe Dabire comes after he reshuffled the leadership of the army. The conflict is part of a wider insurgency that is also being fought in Mali and Niger.
More from Reuters via US News & World Report here.
India
India’s military chief, General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other people have been killed after a helicopter they were traveling on crashed in the country’s Tamil Nadu state. “His insights and perspectives on strategic matters were exceptional,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. Rawat was highly decorated but an often controversial figure. He was slammed by rights groups, particularly for his actions in Kashmir, where rebels are fighting Indian rule. In 2017, he awarded a bravery medal to a soldier who tied a civilian to the front of his jeep in Kashmir, calling it an “innovative” move.
More from AP here.
Saudi Arabia
Rounding out yesterday’s story on France arresting a man wanted in connection with the slaying of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it appears it was a case of mistaken identity. Police said the arrested man not only had the same name as the wanted man, but the same place and date of birth, as well as bearing a physical resemblance.
More from France 24 here.