What many do not understand is that insurgencies typically need to be self-sufficient to survive and continue the fight. Outside support helps, but this is not always the case. ISIS and AQ have survived on their own terms for a long time, for example. Guerrilla warfare 101 calls for being…
Author: Royce de Melo
Musings and analyses related to history, conflict, terrorism, defence, security, culture, human nature, politics, the Middle East, Africa, and the odd anecdotes | Royce de Melo
Gaza
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Some International Lawyer Claims that Armed U.S. PMSCs ‘under guise of aid relief in Gaza is unlawful’… But Is It?
Read the article from ‘International News’: ‘International lawyer says deployment of armed U.S. mercenaries under guise of aid relief in Gaza is unlawful‘: New York, May 20 (RHC)– A prominent human rights lawyer and former director of the New York Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says…
Syria
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Trump Flatters Former Al Qaeda Now Syrian President al-Sharaa, Lifts Sanctions on Syria… No Mention of Minority Massacres… What’s the Game?
Trump said of the brief meeting in Saudi Arabia with the Syrian interim president and Islamist al-Sharaa that it went “great”, saying the Syrian is a “young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter.” Trump likes to flatter the leaders he meets, it’s his MO, but to…
Africa
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US Brokers a DRC-Rwanda Peace Deal; American Private and US Government Mineral interests; DRC Will Continue to Contend with Other Rebel Groups and ISIS-affiliated ADF…
If this peace deal is signed, it might not hold. Meanwhile, DRC security will remain distant. Outside of M23 rebels and their allies, and any Rwandan troops in the DRC, there are several other rebel groups for Kinshasa to deal with, including the ISIS-affiliated ADF terrorist group (a.k.a ISIS–Central Africa). Estimates…
ISIS Mozambique
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ISIS-Mozambique Attack Inside Niassa Province, Targeting A Hunting Lodge, and 2021 Niassa LI Article
Last week on the 19th of April, ISIS-Mozambique (IS-M) Islamist terrorists raided Kambako hunting area, a tourist spot, in the Niassa Special Reserve, destroyed, murdered and looted, as they do. What’s a little more unique about this attack is that they were operating in Niassa province outside of their regular…
Russo-Ukrainian War
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US-Ukraine Resource Deal Takeaways, War Debts, and Warred-Out Interest in the Russo-Ukrainian War
Whenever I post news and analysis on the Russo-Ukrainian War, it generally doesn’t generate large numbers of hits. Susan Katz Keating, publisher of Soldier of Fortune Magazine – SOF, recently said that articles related to the war are not of high interest. I don’t believe it’s that people and readership…
History, Conflict, Terrorism, Political Talk and Anecdotes
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Great ITN Footage Montage and Timeline of the Fall of Saigon, 50 Years Ago Today
After years of war, on this day, 50 years ago, Saigon, South Vietnam (officially the Republic of Vietnam [RVN]), fell to the invading communist North Vietnam Army (NVA). The South’s Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) fought hard against the NVA with limited resources and supplies– the US failed to supply…
Canada
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About Canada’s Federal Elections Yesterday, Canadian Voter Rights, Voter ID and the GTA
During Canada’s elections yesterday, I volunteered as a scrutineer (i.e. an ‘observer’) at a polling station. The rules work in the following way: if someone shows up to vote or to register to vote without a Voter Information Card, they can vote and/or register by presenting a government-issued ID, such…
Africa
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Reports: Erik Prince Reaches Mineral Wealth Deal with the DRC.
Erik Prince has been a busy guy and in the news a lot lately, from Ecuador to the DRC. See: Reuters — Exclusive: Trump supporter Prince reaches deal with Congo to help secure mineral wealthSummary◘ Blackwater founder struck agreement before M23 rebel advance◘ Focus on boosting tax collection, cutting cross-border…
History, Conflict, Terrorism, Political Talk and Anecdotes
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Was Erik Prince’s April 5 Photo Op in Ecuador During the Anti-Crime Operation ‘Apolo 13’ Just a Publicity Stunt?
The presence of Erik Prince at the ‘Apolo 13’ Anti-Crime Operation on April 5, while the Ecuador Defence Ministry PR team took the opportunity to film him, is beginning to look like it was a publicity stunt for both President Daniel Noboa and Prince. Refer and see the posting below: Noboa…