Mali, Syria, Ghana.

Today's three stories you should know.

Jun 21, 2022

Mali

It’s the worst atrocity in Mali’s recent history. Some 132 civilians were killed in coordinated attacks on several neighboring villages in the country’s central region. Mali’s government is engaged in a grinding war with armed groups linked to ISIS and al-Qaeda and the violence has been escalating again in recent months. As mentioned in previous newsletters, the war has since spread into Burkina Faso and Niger. Civilians, as with every conflict, find themselves caught in the middle. The UN estimated in March that almost 600 civilians had been killed in Mali in 2021.

Syria

Belgium today flew back from Syria six Belgian women and their 16 children born to ISIS fathers. Belgian broadcaster RTBF said the mothers had already been convicted of participating in the activities of a terrorist group, and were handed over to the court services. The children are to be taken into care. It is the second such operation Belgium has undertaken from Syria, making it something of an outlier among countries whose nationals went to fight with ISIS. Many ex-ISIS fighters who are citizens of other nations remain held in prison camps run by Kurdish groups.

Ghana

A phone technician has been sentenced to 14 years in prison in Ghana for sharing on social media naked photos he found on a woman’s phone. Solomon Doga, 22, had been paid by the Lebanese woman based in the capital Accra to unlock her phone. He blackmailed her after finding the photos and, when she refused to pay, he published them. Ghana introduced new cybersecurity laws two years ago after a surge in blackmail and revenge porn. The publication of nudes carries a 5 - 25 year sentence.