Potra’s Romanian Mercenaries Turning In To M23 Rebels. Image, The New Times News.
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
The Latest On The Romanian Mercenaries In The DRC
Romanian Horațiu Potra’s PMC men, i.e. mercenaries, have ended their contract and not on their terms. I wonder if the DRC could get a refund? 😁 G4 Media Romania— (Translation) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened the Inter-institutional Crisis Cell after the deterioration of the situation in Congo, where several…
What’s Happend To Horațiu Potra’s Romanian Mercenaries in DRC?
I wasn’t sure what was happening with Horațiu Potra’s mercenaries in the DRC since he’s been very publicly meddling in Romanian elections and politics and getting arrested. Voila, yesterday’s news, his contractors are in the DRC and continue to operate. My understanding is that Potra’s company called ‘Congo Protection’ works…
I Wonder How Much Russia Has A Hand In Instigating The Attacks On Western Embassies In Kinshasa.
Video: French Embassy being attacked in Kinshasa, DRC. The French seem to get it a lot in Africa these days. It is more likely than not that Moscow is behind these attacks on any Western embassies in Kinshasa in some way or another. LinkedIn posting: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/royce-de-melo-39172813_frenchembassy-drc-diplomaticmission-activity-7290079689581174785-7ukt?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Reuters — Summary Also…
A Vote of Confidence From SOF Mag Publisher
Susan Keating, publisher of Soldier of Fortune magazine, has given me a vote of confidence on LinkedIn in her article ‘So You Want To Be a War Correspondent’. I’m very flattered and grateful. LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/susan-katz-keating-4437b07_so-you-want-to-be-a-war-correspondent-activity-7287898864706064385-1D15?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Link to the article, ‘So You Want to Be a War Correspondent’: https://sofmag.com/how-to-be-a-war-correspondent/ –RdM
SHOT Show Activity and Ambience
Had a great meeting and conversations with US Ordnance. It’s a busy booth. I have done work for US Ordnance in Canada. US Ordnance weapon systems are well known worldwide. They are the last makers of the Mk19 automatice grenade launcher, which is extensively used in Ukraine. They also have…
Weapons, Military History
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SHOT Show 2025: DS Arms Reproduction of a T48, Prototype of the US Army FN FAL Rifle.
A DS Arms reproduction of a T48 prototype of the US FN FAL, which the US Army almost adopted as its standard rifle. It’s on display at the DS Arms booth at the SHOT Show. It’s interesting to note that this rifle had a Canadian advisory board because Canada was…
Heading to the SHOT Show in Las Vegas.
It’s quite the event. SHOT Show was originally a hunting and outdoor trade show that has become something far bigger, now involving and covering interests from law enforcement, the security and defence industry, high tech, and more. “The SHOT Show, which is an acronym for “Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show”, is an American annual trade show for the shooting sports, hunting, outdoor…
A Video of the AK-47 Busted, Missing Parts and Working, and Incredible Weird Quick Fix Solutions
For those interested in firearms, here’s a weird but fascinating video about the reliability of the AK-47 and how you can get it to work if parts and bits are missing. …I’m not sure about the stick thing, haha. But if you look carefully, the stick has rubber bands attached….
About the Alawite, Assads, Ba’athism, HTS, Sharaa, Islamists, Shia-ism, Heretics, Syria… The Middle East…
The cracks are beginning to show in Sharaa’s and HTS-dominated Syria with Alawite tensions. It suprises me that so many with an interest in counterterrorism, terrorism, especially how it relates to the Middle East (and geopolitics), and Islamist ideologies and movements, there appears to be so little interest in the…