The owner of a trucking company in China landed in hot water with law enforcement after she admitted to installing GPS tracking devices on police cars in her area to help her trucks avoid them.

A woman in Xiangyang, Hubei province can consider herself lucky to have been slapped with eight days of administrative detention and a 500 yuan ($70) fine for a very serious crime – tracking the movements of police cars with the help of hidden GPS devices. Her scheme was accidentally discovered during a routine checkup when the traffic law enforcement brigade in Xiangyang found a mysterious black box attached to the chassis of one of their patrol cars. Further inspection revealed that the box contained a GPS tracker, which was subsequently found on six of the brigade’s 11 vehicles. By following the trail of the SIM cards associated with the tracking devices, authorities were able to find the culprit, a local woman named Zhu who admitted to tracking the movements of the police cars.

As the owner of a trucking fleet, Zhu came up with the idea of tracking local traffic patrol vehicles in order to increase her drivers’ chances of avoiding being pulled over and potentially fined. She admitted to carrying out the installation of the GPS trackers herself, by taking advantage of the police vehicles’ late-night parking at a Xiangzhou station.

Zhu bought six magnetic GPS trackers online for 350 yuan in June of last year and used them to track the cars via an app on her phone until late last month. She was thus able to pinpoint the locations of traffic police cars and alert her drivers to avoid them.

Such bold actions would be considered serious crimes in the Western world, but according to China Daily, Zhu only received an eith-day administrative detention and a 500 yuan fine, which sounds disproportionately trivial.

Oddity Central

It all began for me with a one-year public commitment to walk 20,000 steps a day, and to share my step count, a daily photo, and my insights on Facebook and Instagram.

I had been on a fitness journey for 10 years. I started as a runner. I eventually realized I enjoyed walking so much more so I made the decision to stop running and walk even more.

Five years later, I wanted to encourage and motivate others to do the same, so I started a blog and kicked it off with that splashy, public commitment to walk 20,000 steps every day.

The thing is, I had already been doing that for six months, and would continue for another year after the public commitment ended.

My journey started in the middle of March 2018 and in those two and a half years to August 31, 2020, I learned a great deal; in particular, five important lessons.

One: The Importance of a Pre-decision to Commit

I made a pivotal decision before starting: Whatever was going on in my life that day, I would always reach 20,000 steps. It made all the difference.

It meant I didn't wake up wondering how many steps I'd take; I just figured out how to achieve it. Even on tough days, like when my wife had breast cancer surgery, I found myself pacing the hospital's parking garage.

There was only one day, around six months in, that I was five steps short of 20,000. I didn't realize until weeks later and I think it was simply that I forgot to check my steps before I went to bed, so didn't finish the last few I needed to cross the line.

In the beginning, my emotions fluctuated each day. Some days, I was excited about reaching the 20,000 and how I was going to achieve that. Other days I just didn't feel like it.

I remember one day in particular about two months after I started. It was a cold and rainy afternoon and I still had a lot of steps to get through. I looked out the window thinking: What have I done? Why did I say I was going to do this?

But because I had already made that vital pre-decision to always follow through, I went on and did those 20,000 steps.

Two: Use the Emotional Payoff as Motivation

While the emotions on the front end of every day changed, what I felt at the end of the day having reached that goal was consistent: A sense of accomplishment and a deep satisfaction with myself.

That end-of-day feeling never changed, and it became the motivation on some days because I knew how great I would feel once I had completed all my steps.

Three: The Power of Personal Competition

I learned that competing against myself is a huge motivator. I may not be able to compete against you or other people, but I can compete against myself by setting personal challenges.

This was a powerful motivator, and it has continued to be a useful tool for me even after I stopped walking 20,000 steps a day.

For example, four years ago, my wife and I decided to drastically change our lives and move 500 miles away. I needed to do a lot of work on our house before it could sell and gave myself an unreasonable deadline to get it all done.

I was getting used to these personal challenges and actually beat my own deadline. This commitment to fitness can have far-reaching effects.

Four: The Realization I Can Do Hard Things

I walked 20,000 steps a day for two-and-a-half years. I did it. And that's hard!

I don't have a personal history of leaning into the difficult things in life. I've given up or failed at a lot of hard situations or challenges, and I've doubted my resilience.

But not this time. I did a hard thing every single day for a long period, and that consistency showed me I can do it. It is an incredibly rewarding feeling to know what you're capable of.

The day after we moved into our new house, my wife was in a terrible car crash that put her in a wheelchair for two months.

During those early weeks of recovery, she needed me to help her with just about everything. It was really hard, but I now had a history of doing hard things

Five: My True Strength

Beyond the physical benefits of walking 20,000 steps a day, and the huge improvements to my fitness, this journey made me feel emotionally and mentally strong.

I realized I could do a hard thing...and do it for a while. Before this two-and-a-half year streak began, I knew I could walk 20,000 steps in a day. I even knew I could do it for a few days.

But I didn't know if I had the mental strength to build a streak this long. This challenge flipped my internal narrative on its head. Now I know I'm capable of far more than I believed before.

Taking Control Again

With all these benefits and insights, you might wonder why I stopped at two-and-a-half years.

It wasn't due to injury or sickness. I simply decided that it was becoming too big a feature of my life, and was actually starting to control it.

I didn't want this fitness activity to control me, but rather be something that I am in control of, and using in pursuit of my health and wellness.

The decision to stop wasn't easy. But I had to make it for my own wellbeing.

The truth is that you don't need to walk 20,000 steps every day. You don't even need 10,000 steps, particularly if you're only at the beginning of your fitness journey.

Start with a commitment to walk every day for 10 minutes and stick at it so this becomes an established habit. Then you can build from there and enjoy all the benefits to your life that walking has to offer.

** David Paul hosts Walking Is Fitness, a daily ten-minute podcast helping people to begin a new fitness journey that sticks.

Newsweek

The depreciation of the naira against the United States dollar by 55 per cent at the official foreign exchange market has led to a commensurate depreciation in airfares on international routes in Nigeria.

The naira had fallen from approximately 900/dollar to over 1,400/dollar on Monday after the FMDQ Exchange, which records data the nation’s official exchange rate, reviewed its methodology for calculating the rate.

The review came after the Central Bank of Nigeria accused approved foreign exchange dealers of reporting false figures.

However, barely 24 hours after the movement of the official exchange rate, international airlines operating in Nigeria moved the exchange rate for pricing their tickets to from about N900/dollar to N1,421/dollar.

The development led to approximately 55 per cent in international airfares on Nigerian routes.

Findings by our correspondent on Wednesday showed that ticket prices on Lagos-London-Lagos, Lagos-New York-Lagos, Lagos-Johannesburg, Lagos, among other top destinations had increased commensurately.

President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies, Susan Akporiaye, who confirmed the sharp increased, said the development would compound the woes of travel agencies.

“We have been feeling the pinch for a long time, and the situation is just getting worse. People who are traveling are not doing so for fun; they are traveling for serious business like medical or even education. It’s no longer about leisure,” Akporiaye told our correspondent.

Akporiaye explained that travelers were reluctantly parting with money, and given a choice, they wouldn’t pay at all.

“For instance, an air ticket that used to cost $1000 has now surged to N1.5m. The financial strain is a necessity for travelers, forcing them to squeeze their budgets.”

She said the industry operators empathised with their situation, with some passengers resorting to appealing and offering collateral just to pursue their objectives and travel.

The president said the prices would undoubtedly decrease, adding that, “I am optimistic. It’s not the fault of the airlines; rather, it’s a reflection of the country’s economic situation.”

The NANTA leader said at the moment there was no noticeable difference between the rates in the black market and the official window of the forex market.

As such, she advised airlines to open up lower inventory options to encourage travelers already financially burdened.

“I suggest that airlines contemplate offering lower inventory options, enabling customers to access flights for maybe N1m. This customer-centric approach recognises the financial constraints faced by many travelers.

“The higher inventory, nearing almost N5m, shows variations with some options open while others remain closed. It’s crucial to emphasize that airlines are not responsible for setting the exchange rate.”

Price checks by The PUNCH revealed that the average airfare ticket to some of the high-traffic international destinations like London cost N2.77m; Dubai N2.65m; New York N3.2667m; and Johannesburg N3.05m.

For the Lagos-Johannesburg-Lagos route, depending on the travel date, Africa World Airlines charges N2.7m, while Turkish Airlines sets the price at N3.4m. The airfare for a round-trip from Lagos to Dubai is N2.3m with Turkish Airlines, and N3m with Lufthansa.

An agent at Travel and Tours Limited, Maureen Chimaobi informed The PUNCH that the naira’s exchange rate of naira to dollar is getting worse for travelers.

“As of Monday, the exchange rate was  $1 to N1450. I don’t know how much it sold today..”

“This ugly development is no longer only limited to the aviation sector, prices of goods and services have generally gone up. Even local commodities are not left out.”

On June 14, 2023, the naira fell signficantly following the decision to allow the currency to fluctuate freely, leading to a significant drop in its value. Since then, airlines and passengers have continued to struggle to bear the surging air ticket prices.

Despite the currency woes, our correspondent could not verify if there is any data to support that travel demands in Nigeria have dropped.

International Air Transport Association reported that African airlines’ annual traffic rose 38.7 per cent in 2023 versus the prior year.

“Full year 2023 capacity was up 38.3 per cent and load factor climbed 0.2 percentage points to 71.9 per cent, the lowest among regions. December 2023 traffic for African airlines rose 9.5 per cent over December 2022.”

Punch

It is estimated that about 70.92 million Nigerians are in extreme poverty, according to the World Poverty Clock. The figure translates to 11 per cent of the world’s extreme poor. This means that, at least, one out of every 10 extremely poor people live in Nigeria.

It would be recalled that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had earlier in its report said over 133 million Nigerians were multidimensionally poor.

Sulaiman Adesina Yusuf of the Department of Agriculture Economics, University of Ibadan, related the statistics yesterday in Abuja in his presentation at a one-day public lecture.

The lecture was organised by the Federal Cares Unit of the Nigeria Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme.

Yusuf, who was the guest lecturer, said Nigeria ranked 163 out of 191 countries in 2021 on the Human Development Index (HDI), and 109 out of 125 countries in 2023 on the Global Hunger Index.

Yusuf said this was not only unacceptable for a country that hopes to compete at the global stage but also calls for concern from policymakers.

While acknowledging efforts made by successive administrations in the country to fund intervention programmes, he said the major challenge has been the lack of political will on the part of the government to fully fund the programme.

The don called for the passage of the Social Protection Bill to generate the political commitment for social protection at the federal and state levels as well as realign the allocation of resources to scale up social protection.

Earlier, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, commended the work NG-CARES is doing to lift Nigerians out of poverty. He said the current administration was very passionate about poverty alleviation, a reason President Tinubu, a few weeks ago, directed a wholesale review of the national social protection scheme.

“Much as you think we have achieved progress, there is a lot that remains to be done,” he said. He promised that the federal government would do all within its power and available resources to ensure that the sad tales of poverty were reversed.

The Guardian

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has expressed full support for the creation of State Police, saying it will address the current security challenges confronting the country.

Governor of Bauchi State and Chairman of the forum, Bala Mohammed, said this on Thursday when he led his colleagues in the forum on a visit to Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau at the Government House in Jos.

Mohammed, who decried the rising security challenges across the country, said that state police would complement efforts of the conventional security agencies.

According to him, state police will provide opportunity for governors to handle the security situation in their respective states with ease.

”The ratio of police to the citizens is very low and the governors know the peculiarity of their states and how to tackle this challenge.

”So, we have been advocating for this.

“There is need for the decentralisation of the security apparatus so that we can deliver good governance by having state police.

”Again, it will give us the opportunity to engage the structure of the security agencies, training our youths and making sure the rules of engagement are not abused and there is no extrajudicial killings.

”We will work in tandem with the established best global practice than being forced to be using vigilante and even at that we are working with the secuirty agencies, but we are still being accused of pursuing our interest.

”We can see what is happening in Zamfara and the Amotekun in the South-West where citizens are sleeping with their eyes closed,” he said.

Mohmammed further said that PDP had always stood for good governance, in spite of the lean resources at their disposal.

He gave assurance that residents of PDP-controlled states would continue to enjoy the dividend of democracy.

Responding, Mutfwang thanked his colleagues for the solidarity visit, adding that it would further encourage the people to be firm at all times.

He said that the failure of previous administrations in the country toward tackling insecurity further aggravated the situation.

”Insecurity has become a serious challenge for us in this country and this is largely due to the neglect of previous governments.

”No one has been jailed in the past for these killkngs, which is why it has lingered.

”But we are not deterred. We will rebuild trust in our people because the lack of it has been one of the major issues,” Mutfwang said.

Govs. Ademola Adeleke of Osun, Sheyi Makinde of Oyo State, Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, Peter Mbah of Enugu State and Godwin Obaseki of Edo were part of the visit.

The forum donated N100 million to Plateau Government to support victims of recent attacks in the state.

NAN

Gunmen on Thursday night invaded the palace of Olukoro of Koro in Ekiti local government area of Kwara State and killed the traditional ruler of the community, Segun Aremu, a retired army general.

The gunmen also whisked away the wife of the monarch and two others.

Koro in Kwara is the neighbouring town of Irele/Oke Ako/Ipao/Oke Aiyedun and Ikole and shares boundaries with Ekiti State where two monarchs were recently killed.

Spokeswoman of the Kwara State Police command, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, confirmed the incident in a statement issued in the wee hours of Friday.

According to her, “immediate and intensive investigations are underway to apprehend those criminals for this reprehensible act.

“We assure the public that no stone will be left unturned in ensuring that the perpetrators are brought to justice swiftly.

“Security measures in the koro community have been intensified, tactical teams are being mobilised to beef up security to ensure the safety and well-being of residents”.

Toun added that the CP, Victor Olaiya, “urged the public to remain calm, vigilant, and cooperative as we work tirelessly to unravel this matter; arrest and charge the culprits to court.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq described the incident as “reckless, shocking, and abominable”.

AbdulRazaq charged the security agencies not to spare any resources to track down the perpetrators, free the spouse and others taken away, and bring them to book.

“We will certainly get the perpetrators and ensure that this is their last crime against humanity.

“My profound condolences go to the people of Koro. Our hearts are broken, and we stand by them at this time and always” the governor added in the statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye.

Daily Trust

The family of Aondoove Gwaza, a director at the Federal Housing Authority Mortgage Bank in the Federal Capital Territory, who was abducted from his home, during an attack about 200 metres close to a military base in Pwanbara in the Bwari Area Council of Abuja, have been devastated, as the bandits are yet to contact his relatives as of Thursday night.

The bandits, who struck at about 12:30 am on Thursday, shot indiscriminately, causing panic in the area, before escaping through the bushes with the abductee.

Residents who confirmed the development to our correspondent on Thursday revealed that soldiers were stationed at a military base popularly known as ‘Camp,’ which is about 200 metres away from where the director was abducted in Pambara Extension.

They further noted that residents of the area that was attacked by bandits, include military personnel, both serving and retired, and civilians.

He said, “Bandits attacked Pambara Extension over the night, at about 12:30 am today (Thursday), and they abducted one of our neighbours, Aondoove Gwaza, who is a Director in Federal Housing Authority, FCT.

“The attack happened very close to a ‘Camp,’ the military base at the entrance of Bwari, very close to Pambara Extension. The part of Pambara Extension where Gwaza was kidnapped is just about 200 metres away from the military base. But the kidnappers escaped through the bushes with the victim.”

Another resident added, “The attack is still shocking to us. Our estate is very close to the military base here known as Camp, at the entrance of Bwari, and there are also serving and retired military personnel living with us here. Yet, these bandits were bold enough to attack this place and kidnap Gwaza.”

Meanwhile, a relative who spoke with our correspondent on Thursday, lamented that the bandits had yet to contact the relatives of Gwaza as of Thursday night.

He noted, “Aondoove Gwaza is my kinsman. He was kidnapped in Bwari over the night (Thursday). Up till now, the kidnappers have not called to ask for ransom. We are very worried, but we are trusting God for his safe release.”

The FCT is facing alarming surge in insecurity, prompting growing concerns among residents and authorities. The capital city, once considered relatively immune to the prevalent security challenges in other parts of the country, is now grappling with an escalating wave of criminal activities, particularly kidnappings.

Our correspondent could not reach the spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, as text messages and phone calls to his line were not answered.

Also, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, could not be reached for comments as of press time.

Punch

Israel turns focus of Gaza attack to Rafah as Hamas weighs ceasefire proposal

Israel prepared to advance its war on Gaza farther south, close to the Egyptian border, after claiming to have dismantled Hamas in Khan Younis, as diplomatic efforts in pursuit of a ceasefire accelerated.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Thursday that success in the fight against the Palestinian militants in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where Israel launched a major ground attack last week, meant its forces could advance to Rafah on the enclave's southern border.

More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are sheltering in this area, mainly cold and hungry in makeshift tents and public buildings.

"We are achieving our missions in Khan Younis, and we will also reach Rafah and eliminate terror elements that threaten us," Gallant said in a statement.

At the same time, Qatari and Egyptian mediators hoped for a positive response from Hamas, which runs Gaza, to the first concrete proposal for an extended halt to fighting, agreed with Israel and the U.S. at talks in Paris last week.

A Palestinian official close to the negotiations told Reuters the text envisages a first phase of 40 days, during which fighting would cease while Hamas freed remaining civilians among the more than 100 hostages it still holds. Further phases would see the handover of Israeli soldiers and bodies of dead hostages.

Such a long pause would be a first since Oct. 7, when Hamas fighters attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and capturing 253 hostages, precipitating an Israeli offensive that has laid waste to much of Gaza.

Health officials in the enclave said on Thursday the confirmed Palestinian death toll had risen above 27,000, with thousands more dead still lying under the rubble.

NO RESPONSE FROM HAMAS YET TO PROPOSAL

A Palestinian official said Hamas was unlikely to reject the proposal outright, but would demand guarantees that fighting would not resume, something Israel has not agreed to.

There was brief elation in Gaza on Thursday after remarks by a Qatari spokesman at Johns Hopkins University in Washington sparked ceasefire hopes - and a drop in the price of crude oil.

But Qatari officials in the capital Doha and Taher Al-Nono, media adviser to Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, said the group had not responded yet.

Gaza residents said Israeli forces pounded areas around hospitals in Khan Younis, and stepped up attacks close to Rafah. Combat has also surged in recent days in northern areas around Gaza City that Israel claimed to have subdued weeks ago.

Osama Ahmed, 49, a father of five from Gaza City now sheltering in western Khan Younis, said there had been fierce resistance in the city, and relentless bombardment from air, ground and sea as Israeli tanks advanced.

"All we want is a ceasefire now," he told Reuters by phone.

An air strike on a house in Khan Younis wounded 13 people on Thursday, according to hospital officials.

Appeals to Israel from its main ally, the United States, show little sign of having succeeded in easing the plight of Gaza's civilians.

Washington is stepping up indirect pressure, however.

U.S. President Joe Biden issued an executive order that aims to punish Jewish settlers who attack Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in an surge of violence triggered by the war in Gaza.

Biden is also under pressure to respond to the killing of three U.S. soldiers by a drone in Jordan last week, the first U.S. deaths in an escalation of violence across the Middle East since Israel's war in Gaza began in October.

The United States, which has said it does not want to ignite a wider war, believes the drone, which also wounded more than 40 people, was made by Iran, four U.S. officials told Reuters.

CBS News reported on Thursday that targets for U.S. strikes in Iraq and Syria in response to the killings include "Iranian personnel and facilities", citing American officials.

The U.S. is continuing its strikes with allies against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen, which has attacked shipping in the Red Sea in what it says is solidarity with Gaza.

The U.S. military said it had hit up to 10 drones in Yemen being prepared for launch, while a U.S. Navy ship downed three Iranian-made drones and a Houthi anti-ship missile.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

EU agrees $54 billion in new aid for Ukraine as Hungary falls in line

European Union leaders unanimously agreed on Thursday to extend 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in new aid to Ukraine, sending a message to the United States split on whether to keep backing Kyiv in its fight against Russia's invasion.

The agreement overcomes weeks of resistance from Hungary and comes amid uncertainty over the future of U.S. aid. Kyiv relies heavily on Western support as the war, the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two, nears its third year.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he hoped the EU decision would help U.S. President Joe Biden convince Congress to follow suit.

"This ... is also a good signal towards the U.S. The American president is a good friend and ally who is working hard to win support for his demands from the Congress," Scholz said, his comments echoed by EU chiefs in Brussels.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised the EU agreement, saying the aid would strengthen his country's long-term economic and financial stability.

Ukraine's dollar bonds gained on the news and Kyiv said it expected to receive the first tranche of 4.5 billion euros from the EU in March from a total of 50 billion euros to come from the bloc's shared budget through 2027.

"The message is clear: Russia can't count on any fatigue from the Europeans in their support to Ukraine," said French President Emmanuel Macron.

The agreement comes after weeks of wrangling with Orban, who vetoed the aid last December.

On Thursday, he said he gave the green light after receiving assurances the aid would be used sensibly and would not come from EU funds that had been earmarked for Budapest from the bloc's joint coffers.

The EU executive is withholding some 20 billion euros from Hungary over widespread accusations that Orban has damaged democracy at home during his 13 years in power.

'IN OR OUT?'

Diplomats told Reuters that, in exchange for Hungary's nod, the bloc did not commit to releasing any of the billions of euros of EU funds until Budapest meets conditions.

They said the deal includes a yearly discussion of the package and the option to review it in two years "if needed", but no outright veto for Budapest.

In recent days, the EU has piled pressure on Orban to fall into line. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told Orban on Thursday time was up for "games" and that Budapest needed to pick sides in the existential challenge posed by Russia's war.

"He has to consider if he is in, or out," Tusk said.

Orban has had many bitter run-ins with the EU over the rule of law in Hungary, and has increasingly criticised Western sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine. He has also cultivated closer ties with the Kremlin than EU peers.

A German diplomat said Orban felt at the summit that his increasing isolation in the bloc was "not comfortable".

"The Hungarian economy is under pressure, that might have helped as well," said the diplomat, who spoke under condition of anonymity. "Orban knows that he needs the EU."

The EU leaders also agreed at their summit in Brussels on Thursday on an "urgent need" to accelerate the delivery of ammunition and missiles to Ukraine.

A day earlier, the EU executive said the bloc would fall far short of its target of sending Ukraine one million rounds of artillery shells by March.

The summit also stopped short of endorsing a call by some countries to inject 5 billion euros for Ukraine - on top of the 50 billion euros already agreed - into a broader military assistance fund, the European Peace Facility (EPF).

Germany has been calling for major reform of the system to take account of EU members' bilateral military aid to Ukraine and Scholz said after the summit that Germany - the EU's paymaster - cannot manage military support alone.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russia says its forces repel seven Ukrainian attacks in Kupyansk area

Russian forces repelled seven Ukrainian attacks in the Kupyansk area, eliminating more than 125 enemy troops, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily bulletin of the special military operation.

Here are the details of this and other combat actions that happened over the past day, according to the bulletin.

Kupyansk area

"Through active operations in the Kupyansk area, units of Battlegroup West, supported by aviation, repelled seven attacks by assault teams of Ukraine’s 30th and 44th mechanized brigades near Sinkovka in the Kharkov Region and Terny in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The enemy lost more than 125 troops, three armored fighting vehicles and two cars," the ministry said.

Also, a Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery mount and two Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers were hit in counter-battery fire.

Krasny Liman area

"Coordinating their actions, units of the battlegroup Center improved positions along the frontline and inflicted losses on the Ukrainian armed forces and National Guard in the area of Serebryansky Forestry," the ministry said.

The enemy’s losses amounted to more than 290 servicemen, one tank, two armored fighting vehicles, six motor vehicles and one US-made Paladin self-propelled artillery unit.

Also, Russian forces repelled three attacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian 60th and 63rd mechanized brigades near the settlements of Yampolovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic.

Donetsk area

"In the Donetsk area, Russia’s battlegroup South occupied more favorable lines and positions. <…> Four attacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian 22nd mechanized, 46th airmobile, 79th airborne assault brigades near Georgiyevka, Novomikhailovka and Krasnoye of the Donetsk People’s Republic were repelled. The enemy lost over 210 servicemen, three armored combat vehicles and six vehicles," the ministry said.

Russian forces hit the enemy’s manpower and equipment near Belogorovka, Kleshcheyevka and Kurdyumovka in the DPR and destroyed a Grad MLRS, a UK-made AS-90 self-propelled howitzer, three US-made M777 artillery systems, two Msta-B howitzers, an Akatsiya self-propelled hoqitzer, a Hyacinth-B gun, five Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers, a Bukovel electronic warfare station, and an ammunition depot.

South Donetsk area

"Russia’s battlegroup East repelled two attacks and defeated units of the Ukrainian 127th and 128th territorial defense brigades near Staromayorskoye, Urozhaynoye of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Priyutnoye of the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said.

The enemy lost up to 80 servicemen, a tank, two armored personnel carriers and two vehicles, as well as a Grad multiple launch rocket system, two UK-made FH-70 howitzers, a US-made M777 artillery system, and a D-30 howitzer.

Zaporozhye area

"Units of a Russian battlegroup, acting in conjunction with aviation, repelled an attack and delivered a strike to personnel and hardware from the Ukrainian 128th mountain assault brigade, 33rd and 65th mechanized brigades in the vicinity of the villages of Lugovskoye, Rabotino, Zherebyanki and Malaya Tokmachka. The Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 50 troops and three pickup trucks," the statement said.

During counterbattery operations, a combat vehicle of a Grad multiple launch rocket system, two D-20 howitzers and two D-30 howitzers were damaged.

Kherson area

"As a result of competent actions of units from the battlegroup Dnepr and a comprehensive firepower assault, the enemy's losses reached up to 50 soldiers, three tanks, two armored personnel carriers, two motor vehicles, and two US-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar stations," the ministry said.

Air Force and air defenses

"Operational-tactical aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, rocket forces and artillery of Russian battlegroups destroyed a radar station of the Norwegian-made NASAMS anti-aircraft missile system, a 35D6M radar for detecting air targets, two Ukrainian fuel depots, as well as military personnel and equipment in 137 areas," the ministry said.

Air defense capabilities intercepted 20 air-launched rockets and 17 rockets fired from US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems.

Russian air defense systems also destroyed 68 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Olshana, Berestovoye in the Kharkov Region; Zhitlovka, Krivosheyevka in the Lugansk People’s Republic; Yasinovataya, Makeyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic; Pologi, Gulyaipole, Tokmak in the Zaporozhye Region; and Novaya Kakhovka in the Kherson Region.

Tally of destroyed equipment

Since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed a total of 568 Ukrainian warplanes, 265 helicopters, 11,580 unmanned aerial vehicles, 457 surface-to-air missile systems, 14,877 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,214 multiple launch rocket systems, 7,931 field artillery guns and mortars and 18,124 special military motor vehicles.

Reuters/Tass

Mali and Burkina Faso obviously have a lot more in common than squaring off in a game of football like they just did in the Round of 16 knockout stage of the African Nations Cup (AFCON), in Cote d’Ivoire.

Along with Niger, these countries have been a great source of misery for the continent in the last four years, with rogue military leaders there playing a game far more deadly with the lives of their countries than anything football can ever hope to imitate.

They announced to the continent’s shock and surprise last week, that they were pulling out of the 15-member regional trading block, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

There are rules for entry and exit. But the military governments that seized power in these countries are invoking the name of citizens whose mandate they trampled upon in the first place, to break the rules. They don’t care.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are neighbours with artificial borders created for the convenience of the colonial powers. They occupy nearly half of West Africa’s landmass. They are also landlocked and among the poorest countries by many global indexes. They have other sociological similarities besides.

Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $1,510 (2020); Mali, $2,640 (2023); and Niger, ranked by worldatlas.com as the second poorest country in Africa, has a GDP of $1,410 (2020).

With their humongous acreage straddling the Sahara Desert and its southern fringes, these countries manage an estimated 72 million population combined. As though in agreement, the three have had a checkered history of military coups and are currently under military rule against the prevailing tide of multiparty democracy: Mali since 2021; Burkina Faso in 2022; and Niger, 2023.

Alliance of delinquents

The trio are members of a new “Alliance of Sahel States”, a mutual defence pact they entered into in September 2023. Like delinquents plotting to evade the consequence of mischief, they formed this alliance to ward off possible military invasion by the regional intervention force following the coup in Niger.

Their latest bluff to quit ECOWAS has elevated their plight to Siamese status. Trapped as they are in the Sahel, they may now need lifesaving surgery should ECOWAS decide to squeeze in a bit more than sanctions.

Who will bell the cat? The region is a different place today than it was in the mid-1990s when the Commonwealth punished Nigeria for the bad behaviour of the military government of General Sani Abacha that executed Ken Saro-Wiwa in defiance of global appeals. Or even under the more recent example of The Gambia’s Yahaya Jammeh who was forced to back down in 2017, after Nigeria rallied regional leaders to chase him out of office.

Root of the matter

At least three events have shaped the intransigence of the so-called “Alliance of Sahel States.” The first is the significant infiltration of the region by ISIS and ISWAP elements after the US-led military action in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan and the killing of Muammar Ghaddafi in Libya.

Arms from Syria, Iraq and Libya have flooded the Sahel, destablising the region and emboldening insurgency. Mali and Niger in particular have never quite overcome the impact of that destabilisation. Even countries farther South, like Nigeria, are still grappling with the fallout of the proliferation of light weapons, mostly through the Sahel.

The complicity of France is the second reason. It’s not just complicity in the sense of meddling, which most states do routinely. It’s the more egregious kind – pregnant complicity that straps a child on its back.

A number of Francophone countries in West and Central Africa, at least 14 of them, that are part of the rigged CFA franc zone still maintain 50 per cent of their reserves in the French treasury in Paris. Also, the profit of French state-owned atomic energy group and uranium monopoly, Areva, based in Niger, is twice the GDP of that country.

The story of ruthless exploitation, often in connivance with the elite, is pretty much the same in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and other Francophone countries. Citizens have, of course, borne the brunt and the political elite who are complicit and have used the exploitation as excuse for coups and counter-coups.

The third reason for the stubbornness of the military regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger is the expansionist ambitions of China, but more importantly, Russia, under its current President Vladimir Putin. In other to spite the West, especially since the war in Ukraine, Putin sets up a play station wherever the enemies of the West can be found, with the deadly private army, Wagner Group, as his avatar.

The Russian president has made no pretence of his support for the rogue military governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Apart from military and strategic support, he has also offered free grains to six African countries, including Mali and Burkina Faso, to hedge supply shortfalls caused by the war with Ukraine. The new military leaders in these countries believe that trading off membership of ECOWAS for the Trojan horses of Beijing and Moscow is a better bargain.

How far is too far?

But how far can they go? As far as they believe they can continue to exploit the obvious indecision of regional leaders, the most distracted of which is Nigeria. The last time a member country – Mauritania – left (although for different reasons), the regional group ECOWAS was in a much stronger, more united place.

It’s now a shambles of its old self. Members already weakened by internal crisis and political wranglings are not sure whether to use force or not even though they can see clearly that negotiations are heading nowhere.

Unfortunately, Nigeria, the regional powerhouse which should have provided leadership as it did in the past in Sao Tome, Benin, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire, is facing its own Gulliver moment. It has been pinned to the ground by a string of Lilliputian problems ranging from internal insecurity to the relatively new and fragile mandate of its president and ECOWAS leader Bola Tinubu, who faces the unpleasant task of being the leader on whose watch the community could fall apart.

Other ECOWAS countries beset by serious economic and political problems, including flawed elections which have also significantly limited the legitimacy of many current civilian leaders, are not faring better. Yet, even in the best of times, Nigeria picks about 70 percent of the community’s bills.

The rogue military leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger know that the community is in a difficult place, compounded by the decline in the influence of France, elections this year in the US and the UK, and the wars in Europe and the Middle East. They will milk these distractions.

They are betting big on Russian support and also stirring up nationalistic fervour among the local populations. It remains to be seen, however, if rhetoric will prevail over geography. Being landlocked is problematic and is a major reason 16 out of 31 landlocked developing countries, including Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, are among the world’s poorest.

Catch-22

For ECOWAS it is a catch-22 situation. While it is hoping that existing sanctions on the rogue governments, which range from the freezing of assets to the suspension of trade and the cut off of electricity supply would force the leaders to negotiate more sensibly and prevent a further contagion of coups, the community is also mindful that informal cross-border trade, largely in food, make up about 30 percent of regional trade.

To kill the precariously perched tsetse fly without hurting its own scrotum, ECOWAS needs to strengthen citizens’ voices in these countries. It needs to cut through the posturing and partisan noise and engage citizens through more trusted, independent channels. The community could also use the experience of eminent persons, led by former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Thabo Mbeki, and possibly joined by George Uppong Weah, to reset negotiations.

The longer the process takes the greater the risk of normalisation – and even worse, the danger of contagion.

** Ishiekwene is Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP