The Vatican announced that transgender people can be baptized in the Catholic Church, witnesses at religious weddings, and become godparents on Wednesday, representing the continued liberalization of the Christian denomination under Pope Francis‘s premiership.
The decision, approved by the Pontiff on October 31, was announced in response to six questions sent to the Vatican by Brazilian Bishop Jose Negri of Santo Amaro, who sought clarification regarding LGBT involvement in the church.
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“A transgender person, even if they have undergone hormone therapy and sex-reassignment surgery, can receive baptism under the same conditions as other faithful, if there are no situations in which there is a risk of generating a public scandal or disorientation among the faithful,” the Vatican stated.
However, priests may refuse to baptize a transgender person if “there is a danger of scandal, undue legitimisation or disorientation in the educational sphere of the church community.”
The church also now permits gay people to be witnesses at Catholic weddings but does not allow them to be godparents to baptized children.
The announcement comes soon after Pope Francis suggested he was open to blessing same-sex relationships on a case-by-case basis last month.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: An illegal immigrant working as a police officer in Illinois was released from federal detention after being granted a $2,500 immigration bond.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Radule Bojovic, a 25-year-old illegal immigrant from Montenegro, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and Democrat Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Bojovic was arrested in Illinois last month, with his deportation case ongoing.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Radule Bojovic violated our nation’s laws and was living ILLEGALLY in the United States for 10 years—what kind of police department gives criminal illegal aliens badges and guns?” – Tricia McLaughlin, DHS Assistant Secretary.
🎯IMPACT: The case raises questions about sanctuary policies and their implications for law enforcement and public safety.
IN FULL
Illegal immigrant Radule Bojovic, who was working as a police officer in Illinois, was released from federal detention last month after an immigration judge granted him a $2,500 bond. Bojovic, a 25-year-old from Montenegro, had overstayed a B2 tourist visa that required him to leave the United States on March 31, 2015, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Despite his immigration status, Bojovic worked as a police officer with the Hanover Park Police Department. During his arrest, he stated that he was authorized to carry a firearm while on duty and claimed to have a permit to work in the United States. The Hanover Police Department claims that Bojovic had presented a valid Work Authorization Card issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at the time of his hire.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin criticized the state’s sanctuary policies, saying, “Governor J.B. Pritzker doesn’t just allow violent illegal aliens to terrorize Illinois’s communities, he allows illegal aliens to work as sworn police officers.” She added, “Radule Bojovic violated our nation’s laws and was living ILLEGALLY in the United States for 10 years — what kind of police department gives criminal illegal aliens badges and guns? It’s a felony for aliens to even possess a firearm.”
Bojovic was approved by the Pension Fund Board of Trustees in January 2025, with a starting salary of $78,955.70. His 2025 earnings totaled $205,707, including FICA/Medicare taxes. The Hanover Police Department defended its decision to hire him, citing background checks conducted with the Illinois State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), as well as a memorandum from the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) confirming his ability to carry a firearm while on duty.
The Trump administration recently launched “Operation Midway Blitz” to address illegal immigration in Illinois. Federal agents have faced resistance, including threats from anti-ICE agitators and cartels. Over the weekend, Border Patrol agents were shot at while conducting raids in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, though the shooter remains unidentified.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Venezuela’s Defense Minister, Vladimir Padrino López, has announced the mobilization of an estimated 200,000 military personnel in the country as part of military exercises.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Vladimir Padrino López, Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s military, pro-Maduro militias, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy, and President Donald J. Trump.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The Ford entered the area of control of the Southern Command in the Atlantic on November 11, 2025, sparking Venezuela’s call-up of 200,000 military personnel.
🎯IMPACT: While President Donald J. Trump has not given an indication as to when—or if at all—he might order strikes against Maduro, there is increasing speculation that military installations in the country used by drug cartels will be targeted.
IN FULL
Venezuela’s Defense Minister, Vladimir Padrino López, has announced the mobilization of an estimated 200,000 military personnel in the country as part of military exercises. The move comes as the increasingly sizable U.S. naval presence near Venezuela is about to be joined by the USS Gerald R. Ford and its carrier strike group. Notably, the Ford is not just the largest aircraft carrier in the world, but the largest warship ever built.
The carrier strike group, which recently crossed the Atlantic after a tour of duty in the eastern Mediterranean during heightened tensions in the Middle East, will participate in ongoing U.S. counter-narco actions in the Caribbean. While President Donald J. Trump has not given an indication as to when—or if at all—he might order strikes against Venezuela’s dictator Nicolás Maduro, there is increasing speculation that military installations in the country used by drug cartels will be targeted.
Importantly, the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns)—which has been directly tied to Maduro—is believed to use Venezuelan military installations as bases of operation. In conjunction with other criminal gangs, like Tren de Aragua, Soles is able to move deadly narcotics out of Venezuela and into the United States, where the drugs are sold and line the pockets of Maduro.
For months, the Trump administration has conducted military strikes against drug boats moving narcotics from mainland Venezuela into the Caribbean for eventual transport to the U.S. On Sunday, the United States carried out the 18th of such strikes, killing six aboard two boats.
Already, the U.S. Navy has positioned significant assets off the coast of Venezuela. The National Pulse reported on October 31 that satellite images show the USS Iwo Jima and her Arleigh Burke-class destroyer escort heading westward after being spotted off the coast of Grenada. This places the Iowa Jima and destroyer escort around 124 miles from Venezuela’s La Orchila Island—home to one of the country’s key airbases and radar facilities.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: House Democrats released emails involving deceased pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who trafficked victims for him, and author Michael Wolff.
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Michael Wolff, and the House Oversight Committee.
📍WHEN & WHERE: November 12, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump.” – Karoline Leavitt
🎯IMPACT: The emails appear to show Epstein and Wolff discussing how they might blackmail President Donald J. Trump. White House dismissed the release as a distraction from Trump’s accomplishments.
IN FULL
Democrats from the House Oversight Committee have made public a series of 2015 emails between deceased pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and author Michael Wolff, concerning President Donald J. Trump. However, while the Democrats are promoting the redacted emails in an attempt to damage Trump, what they actually appear to show is Epstein confirming to Wolff that Trump “asked [G]hislaine to stop,” and Wolff advising Epstein on how he could blackmail the America First leader by “generating a debt.”
“Trump said he asked me to resign [from the Mar-a-Lago club], never a member ever,” Epstein claims in one of the released emails to Wolff, adding, “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked [G]hislaine to stop.”
In another exchange, Wolff writes to Epstein, “I hear CNN planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you–either on air or in scrum afterwards.” Epstein responds, “[I]f we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?”
At this point, Wolff advises Epstein at length on how to manipulate the situation, writing, “I think you should let him hang himself. If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency. You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you, or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt. Of course, it is possible that, when asked, he’ll say Jeffrey is a great guy and has gotten a raw deal and is a victim of political correctness, which is to be outlawed in a Trump regime.”
The emails reference an Epstein victim whose name has been redacted being at Mar-a-Lago. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt identified her as the late Virginia Giuffre, stressing that Giuffre had “repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever and ‘couldn’t have been friendlier’ to her in their limited interactions.”
Notably, Giuffre did report seeing former Democrat President Bill Clinton and former Democrat Vice President Al Gore on Epstein’s private island, Little St. James, dubbed ‘Pedo Island’ by the media.
“The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago for being a creep to his female employees, including Giuffre,” Leavitt said, adding: “These stories are nothing more than bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’s historic accomplishments, and any American with common sense sees right through this hoax and clear distraction from the government opening back up again.”
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump declared “Anti-Communism Week” to remember the approximately 100 million victims of communist regimes.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, the White House, and advocacy organizations like the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Proclamation issued on November 7, 2025, coinciding with the National Day for the Victims of Communism.
💬KEY QUOTE: “We honor the victims of oppression by keeping their cause alive and by ensuring that communism and every system that denies the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness will find their place, once and for all, on the ash heap of history.” – Donald Trump
🎯IMPACT: The proclamation aims to reaffirm America’s commitment to liberty and to counter the spread of communist ideologies globally.
IN FULL
President Donald J. Trump released a proclamation on November 7 designating “Anti-Communism Week” to honor the roughly 100 million lives lost to communist regimes. The declaration aligned with the National Day for the Victims of Communism.
“This week, our Nation observes Anti-Communism Week, a solemn remembrance of the devastation caused by one of history’s most destructive ideologies,” the proclamation states. Trump underscored the lasting toll of communism from the Bolshevik coup in Russia in 1917, following the collectivist principles outlined in The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
The proclamation spotlights how such regimes have dismantled families, stifled freedoms, and wiped out religious rights, with Trump saying of their victims, “As we honor their memory, we renew our national promise to stand firm against communism, to uphold the cause of liberty and human worth, and to affirm once more that no system of government can ever replace the will and conscience of a free people.”
The text notes advances following the Soviet Union’s fall in 1991, but cautions against ongoing dangers from communist ideas, which are often masked as “social justice” or “democratic socialism.” It also flags how disinformation and societal division seep into Western cultures via communist ideology,
Today, about 1.5 billion individuals endure communist rule, mainly in China but also in countries like Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam. Organizations such as the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation stress how communism clashes with freedom and economic growth, warning, “Communism has always been, and will always be, incompatible with liberty, prosperity, and the dignity of life.”
❓WHAT HAPPENED: A woman was stabbed in the chest without provocation on a railway platform near the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC).
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The victim, a 27-year-old woman, and an unidentified suspect described as a black male approximately six feet tall.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Saturday night at the UIC-Halsted Blue Line platform in Chicago.
🎯IMPACT: The suspect remains at large; the incident adds to growing concerns about violent transit crimes.
IN FULL
Chicago police are searching for a man accused of stabbing a 27-year-old woman in the chest Saturday night on the UIC-Halsted Blue Line platform. Authorities said the attack appeared unprovoked as the victim sat on a bench at the station. The woman was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was reported to be in reasonably good condition.
Police described the suspect as a black man, approximately six feet tall, and weighing between 160 and 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing white pants, sneakers, an orange hoodie, a brown jacket, and a pink beanie. Investigators said he carried a knife and a gray backpack and fled the scene on foot, heading north on South Morgan Street. Surveillance footage captured the suspect at about 11:15 PM on November 8. As of Tuesday morning, he remained at large.
This attack is one of several recent incidents of random violence on public transportation. In August, 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed in the neck while riding a Charlotte, North Carolina, commuter train by a black male who declared “I got that white girl” after he struck. The suspect in that case, Decarlos Brown Jr., reportedly had a criminal history with more than a dozen prior charges. Another stabbing on a Charlotte commuter bus on November 6 left a man seriously injured.
The Chicago stabbing comes amid ongoing concerns about crime in the Windy City. Over the first weekend of October, more than 30 people were shot, and five were killed in a surge of violence. Earlier reports noted that endemic theft and violent crime have driven several major retailers, including Walmart and Whole Foods, to close stores in the city’s South and West sides. The closures prompted officials to explore the idea of government-owned grocery stores to ensure food access in crime-ridden neighborhoods.
Nevertheless, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) is vigorously opposing federal anti-crime operations in the city, criticizing supposedly heavy-handed tactics under the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz.” He compared the crackdown to actions by authoritarian regimes like the Nazis.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: A newly constructed bridge in China’s Sichuan province partially collapsed following heavy landslides, just months after its opening.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Local authorities in Maerkang city, Sichuan Road & Bridge Group, and rescue teams.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The Hongqi Bridge in Shuangjiangkou, Sichuan Province, collapsed on Tuesday after being closed to traffic the day prior.
🎯IMPACT: No injuries or fatalities were reported, but the collapse underscores poor oversight in infrastructure projects.
IN FULL
A section of the newly constructed, 758-metre Hongqi Bridge in China’s Sichuan province collapsed on Tuesday. The bridge was hailed as a major achievement in China’s national highway system, and served as a key connection point between China’s Sichuan province, Tibet, and its technology center in Shenzhen.
In viral footage, a section of the bridge appears to be crushed under a landslide, causing an additional length of its span to collapse. Officials in nearby Maerkang city stated that the landslide was triggered by a destabilization of the mountain above the bridge. They contend that an accumulation of water from a nearby reservoir caused cracks in the earth, which resulted in the landslide.
Why can’t we build beautiful bridges in a few m9nths, like Chiana?
Ask a chorus of imbeciles on X almost daily.
Because we build them to last, cretins.
Another triumph of Socialism! The Hongqi bridge in Sichuan did not make it to its first birthday. pic.twitter.com/R85W8EJPVv
Prior to the collapse, police had closed the bridge, citing the landslide risk. Videos circulating online show the moment the bridge gave way, with dust billowing into the air before the road fell hundreds of meters. Additional footage shows large sections of the bridge missing and the remaining roadway hanging precariously over the river below.
By Tuesday afternoon, worsening conditions on the mountainside led to landslides that caused the approach bridge and roadbed to give way. Local officials say that no injuries or fatalities were reported.
The Hongqi Bridge, constructed by Sichuan Road & Bridge Group, was completed earlier this year and celebrated as a milestone in connecting Sichuan with the Tibetan Plateau. An investigation into the cause of the failure is currently underway.
Notably, China has a long history of construction collapses caused by cost-saving and corner-cutting measures. Additionally, the use of substandard concrete is a major problem in China, with some saying the material is more akin to Play-Doh than actual concrete.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Beyond Meat reported a $110.7 million loss for the July-to-September quarter, alongside a 10 percent drop in sales, leading to an eight percent plunge in its stock value.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Beyond Meat, its CEO Ethan Brown, and analysts like Jerry Thomas and Neil Saunders.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The financial results were reported on Monday, November 10, 2025, by the El Segundo, California-based company.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Beyond Meat suffers from taste and texture issues, high prices, and perhaps an ‘ultra-processed food’ image. The chances of the company surviving are meager.” – Jerry Thomas, CEO of Decision Analyst.
🎯IMPACT: Beyond Meat’s stock value has collapsed, with shares closing at just $1.22, leaving the company nearly worthless compared to its peak valuation of $8 billion.
IN FULL
Beyond Meat, the plant-based food company once hailed as a disruptor to the beef industry, has reported significant financial struggles. The company revealed a $110.7 million loss for the third quarter of 2025, with a 10 percent drop in sales compared to the previous quarter. This news prompted an eight percent decline in its stock value, which closed at just $1.22 per share.
Analysts have identified several factors contributing to Beyond Meat‘s decline, including issues with taste and texture, high prices, and a perception of being ultra-processed. Jerry Thomas, CEO of Decision Analyst, remarked, “The chances of the company surviving are meager.” Neil Saunders of GlobalData echoed these sentiments, stating that consumers view the product category as “highly processed” and “not particularly natural.”
The company, which first launched its products in 2013, initially experienced rapid growth, spurred by high-profile endorsements from figures like Kim Kardashian and Martha Stewart. Its stock soared over 350 percent in 2019, and major fast-food chains like McDonald‘s, Burger King, and Dunkin’ began offering its plant-based products. However, weak sales led McDonald’s and Dunkin’ to discontinue Beyond Meat items, leaving Burger King as the only major chain still carrying its products.
Beyond Meat’s CEO, Ethan Brown, acknowledged the challenges, alluding to a “meaningful next step.” Domestic revenue dropped 21 percent in the last quarter, although international sales declined by just one percent, likely pushing Beyond Meat to focus on its foreign footprint rather than American sales. The company also warned of further revenue decreases in the fourth quarter, estimating $60 million to $65 million in sales.
Once valued at nearly $8 billion, Beyond Meat’s stock has plummeted to near-worthless levels. Retail investors briefly rallied behind the company, pushing it into meme-stock territory, but that momentum was short-lived.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Violent left-wing activists disrupted a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event, leaving at least one Charlie Kirk supporter injured after a brawl broke out.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Antifa activists, Turning Point USA event attendees, University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) campus police, and federal authorities.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Monday at the University of California, Berkeley, during TPUSA’s American Comeback Tour.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Antifa is breaking through police barricades and threatening our event attendees.” – Mikey McCoy, TPUSA chief of staff
🎯IMPACT: Federal authorities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)-led Joint Terrorism Task Force, are investigating the incident as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to combat political violence.
IN FULL
On Monday, clashes broke out at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) gathering at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), as Antifa agitators interrupted the American Comeback Tour. At least one Charlie Kirk supporter suffered injuries amid the melee.
Video clips captured activists railing against assassinated TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk. One event attendee, clad in a red shirt emblazoned with “freedom” on the front, similar to the one Kirk was wearing when he was murdered, was seen with blood streaming from his face in footage of the chaos.
Mikey McCoy, TPUSA’s chief of staff, remarked, “Right now at our Turning Point USA campus tour stop at UC Berkeley… Antifa is breaking through police barricades and threatening our event attendees.” Photos shared with his comment showed demonstrators brandishing placards and brawling with law enforcement.
A 45-year-old male ended up in the hospital after being hit by a glass bottle. Police detained two people on charges of public brawling, but released one upon learning he was a conservative trying to recover a neckchain stolen by an agitator.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi noted that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Force has launched a probe into the incident, stressing “the need to dismantle violent networks like Antifa.”
UC Berkeley released a statement claiming, “There is no place at UC Berkeley for attempts to use violence or intimidation to prevent lawful expression or chill free speech.” The school says it is working alongside federal investigators to pinpoint “outside agitators” involved in the fray.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Germany has announced plans to deport Syrian migrants, citing the end of the civil war in Syria.
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, and Syrian migrants.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Germany, following the conclusion of the Syrian civil war in December 2024.
💬KEY QUOTE: “There are now absolutely no grounds for asylum in Germany, and therefore we can begin deportations.” – Friedrich Merz
🎯IMPACT: The policy could lead to mass deportations.
IN FULL
Germany is set to begin deporting Syrian migrants following the end of the Syrian civil war. Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that the government now considers Syria safe for return, saying, “The civil war in Syria is over. There are now absolutely no grounds for asylum in Germany, and therefore we can begin deportations.” He explained that Berlin would first promote voluntary repatriation, potentially with financial incentives, but warned, “Those who then refuse to return from Germany, we can, of course, deport them in the near future.”
The decision follows the conclusion of Syria’s long-running conflict in December 2024, when Bashar al-Assad was deposed after more than fifty years of family rule. A ten-day offensive brought to power Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda terrorist. His rise marked the formal end of hostilities and the beginning of a fragile transitional government. Chancellor Merz cited the political change as justification for ending asylum protections granted during the war.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul acknowledged, however, that returning refugees could face serious challenges rebuilding their lives. He cautioned that it would be “difficult to restore a life of dignity there,” pointing to widespread damage to infrastructure and persistent shortages of housing, electricity, and healthcare.
Germany currently hosts one of the world’s largest Syrian diasporas. Reports estimate that roughly one in twenty Syrians now lives in Germany. More than half are said to be dependent on welfare benefits such as the government’s “Bürgergeld.” Critics argue that the welfare burden and integration problems have fueled growing public resentment toward the migrant population.
Security concerns have further intensified the debate. According to recent data, Syrian nationals have been suspected in criminal cases at a rate more than five times higher than German citizens, with one report claiming that a crime involving a Syrian suspect occurs roughly every 39 minutes on average. High-profile incidents, including a July 2025 hammer attack on a Bavarian train in which four people were injured, have reinforced calls for stricter immigration enforcement.
Supporters of deportations argue that restoring national security and easing pressure on social services requires returning Syrians home now that the war is over. Chancellor Merz maintains that the policy represents a necessary shift in line with the new reality in Syria, insisting that Germany can no longer provide asylum when the original grounds for protection no longer exist.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: A jihadist terror group affiliated with al Qaeda is on the brink of seizing control over the African nation of Mali.
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin and the country of Mali.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Late October into November 2025.
🎯IMPACT: If JNIM captures Bamako, this would be the first time a U.S.-designated terrorist organization controlled a nation.
IN FULL
A jihadist terror group affiliated with al Qaeda is on the brink of seizing control over the African nation of Mali. Late last week, the group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin—which translates as Support Group for Islam and Muslims—settled in for a long-term siege of the country’s capital, cutting it off from access to food and electricity.
Already, JNIM—which was formed in 2017 after the merger of several al Qaeda groups—has seized large swaths of Mali. Areas under JNIM’s control have been subjected to barbaric Islamic law, with a popular TikTok star in the country, Mariam Cisse, having been kidnapped and beheaded by the group in a public square last Friday.
The United Nations (UN) considers JNIM to be the most well-organized and well-armed of the jihadist groups in the Sahel region of Africa. It is widely believed that should they maintain their siege of Mali’s capital Bamako for an extended period, the city will likely fall. If JNIM captures Bamako, this would be the first time a U.S.-designated terrorist organization controlled a nation.
Concerningly, it is believed that the JNIM group maintains close ties to central al Qaeda figures in Afghanistan and in Pakistan. This has resulted in their fighters receiving advanced training in tactics and bomb-making skills, which have allowed them to overrun Mali’s defense forces quickly.
While the rapid expansion of JNIM’s territory appears to be a relatively sudden event, in fact, it coincides with the decline of the Russian mercenary presence in the region. The National Pulse reported in March of 2024 that satellite imagery showed renewed Russian construction at a military base previously used by the Russian Wagner Group at Mali’s Modibo Keita International Airport. However, as Russia’s war in Ukraine has dragged on, the country has shifted resources from its Africa ventures, leaving a power vacuum that JNIM has filled.
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