At the start of last week concluded the Summit of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES in French), in which, among other significant news, was the announcement of the creation of a unified military force for the alliance - called, rather straightforwardly, the Unified Force - which currently consists of about 5000 soldiers. Strictly speaking, joint military operations between the three countries had already been taking place for over a year before this point, but I imagine this organization streamlines the internal processes and makes it truly official.
Mali’s Goïta delivered a speech during the summit in which he stated there were three main threats to the alliance: military, economic, and media. While this new military force is a major effort to combat military threats, the three countries have also mutually launched television, radio, and print media organizations to combat disinformation and psychological warfare. The economic aspect is the most tricky aspect of all, as (albeit decaying) American hegemony is not friendly to states which seek an independent economic path, most especially if that path does not directly benefit Western international corporations. Nonetheless, the three countries are doing what they can; they mutually launched an AES passport earlier in 2025, and this month, Mali has taken a bold move, recovering $1.2 billion after renegotiating mining deals with mining corporations after a comprehensive audit. Gold mining in Mali is a major sector of the economy, comprising about 20% of annual government revenue.
The three countries have also withdrawn from ECOWAS. The remaining countries consist of a small collection of West African countries, most significantly among them Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. ECOWAS is increasingly seen by the AES leadership - quite rightfully - as an organization which seeks to contain the radical shift in West Africa and return the region to the neocolonial French-governed status quo. As I talked about in a semi-recent news megathread, Nigeria is experiencing its own suite of internal problems, so perhaps in the coming years, ECOWAS will crumble from within and the AES can push back the terrorist organizations threatening them.
Last week’s thread is here. The Imperialism Reading Group is here.
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The Zionist Entity's Genocide of Palestine
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against the temporary Zionist entity. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:
UNRWA reports on Israel’s destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.
English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.
Mirrors of Telegram channels that have been erased by Zionist censorship.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Sources:
Defense Politics Asia’s youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don’t want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it’s just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists’ side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR’s former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR’s forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster’s telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a ‘propaganda tax’, if you don’t believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
In the Chinese zodiac, 2026 is year of the effort post. DM me to feature effort posts and good threads in the newsmega/newscomm here (including your own).
Note updated comm rules in the sidebar text.
@FALGSConaut@hexbear.net with the 2026 newsbingo
I spent a couple days away from the news and hard to catch up. Please DM any good roundup posts about the kidnapping of Maduro/escalation in Venezuela.
Previous posts of the week: Oct 27 | Nov 3 | Nov 10 | Nov 17 | Nov 24 | Dec 1 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 | Dec 22
French President Emmanuel Macron argued that Edmundo González Urrutia should help oversee the transfer of power in Venezuela and ensure a “transition as soon as possible” after Nicolás Maduro was captured by the US military in the early hours of Saturday, March 3. On social media, the French president said that “the Venezuelan people are now free from the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro.” By seizing power and trampling on fundamental freedoms, Nicolás Maduro has committed a grave affront to the dignity of his own people," Macron wrote.
Honestly what is the difference between this moron and Le Pen? Both are just as reactionary as each other.
More aftermath footage out of Venezuela. Another Buk M2E/SA-17 Grizzly TEL or TELAR was destroyed around Higuerote, seperate to the first one. Mobile Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) teams using Lynx 8x8 All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and technicals/trucks for transport were also destroyed.
Lynx ATVs, technicals hit, warning Venezuelan casualties under a blanket
Maduro is reportedly on his way to the Continental United States (CONUS), first via an HC-130J, from Puerto Rico to Guantanamo Bay, and then via a Boeing 757 to CONUS.
I guess we’ll never hear about Machado ever again after this…
PSL already on the ground demonstrating in Times Square
Other demonstrations planned/ongoing today
I implore you to get out there this is an emergency situation and it is our responsibility within the imperial core to push back.
I’m pissed I’m recovering from a painful dental extraction otherwise I’d be out there right now
A meeting of Venezuela’s national security council is underway, chaired by VP Delcy Rodriguez, who Western propagandists say has fled to Russia. They don’t even know how to lie.
Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuelan VP, is live now.
As of now she seems denouncing the attack. Saying that Maduro extended a hand of peace and negotiation and was attacked for it.
She is talking about uniting the military and civil powers in defense of Venezuela.
Saying that Venezuela will never be a colony again.
Denounced the kidnapping of Maduro and calls him the sole president of Venezuela.
She delivered a decree that Maduro signed about external commotion (war?), for approval in the judiciary.
Speech ended. Doesn’t seem at all like she was conciliatory with Trump as he said.
BREAKING: High-level sources in Venezuela tell BT that Trump’s press conference was an act of “psychological warfare” and “not to believe a word” about the leadership collaborating to turn over the country to White House control.
From BreakThrough News
Maduro is the “only president of Venezuela,” says Vice President Delcy Rodríguez The country’s interim president has called for Maduro to be released immediately.
I know it will be a kangaroo court and that this is wishful thinking, but it would be very funny if Maduro was found innocent of all charges.
actually don’t really know how to process this batshit chain of events; seems extremely fantastical like go in there and get 'em vs just drone strike the palace complex or something. v weird and not at all terrifying.
Hopefully leftists can look past the clowns and know that the powers behind all of this are the executive boards of Chevron and other fossil capital industries, right?
@MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net im seeing claims on r/ukrainerussiareport that FPV drones have been used to take down helicopters in the ukraine/russia war, do you know if that is actually viable?
CNN mainly upset that the oil joker isn’t being named the new leader
