By Rich Kozlovich
I've stored a lot of information over the last couple of months from around the world, much of it from subscription sites so I can't link the information, so you'll just have to take my word for what I'm presenting... or not.... as it pleases you. However, I think I can say without much argument, the world is a mess. More and more information links the Middle East with African nations. Some of it involving the Iran issue, and some of it involving their own internal issues, especially with western and northern African nations.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara has ended after 35 years, which wasn't all that effective anyway. Now Morocco, which controls about 80 percent of the nation, will now ultimately control all of Western Sahara claiming they will allow "limited self government" for the Polisario Front that administers the "interior/eastern territory and refugee camps", about 20 percent of the nation, but will not allow independence. The Polisario Front rejects that maintaining the "Sahrawi people", who are a distinct ethic group differing from those of Morocco, and have the sole right to self-determination." While Morocco says they support the peace fire agreement, that won't last long. Once again we see tribalism at work here, and this will not end peacefully.
There was a report that Algeria was sending troops to Niger: A Warning for Morocco and Israel, with Russia being involved in this convoluted mess, with a lot of history behind it. Ya just gotta read the article to get a glimmer of understanding of what a convoluted mess this is.Eastern Libya has taken pro-Turkish tilt with those blaming the US for being passive as "the agreement drew a new Mediterranean map, cutting across Greek islands and reflecting Turkey’s expansionist policies", yet as I see it this is just one more area where the United States has no skin in that game.
- Bernard Haykel on Saudi Arabia at War - Houthi conflict escalation: Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia surged in summer 2026, following the closure of the Hormuz Strait. The Houthis aim to establish a “bridge to Iran” for arms and supplies, complicating Saudi defense efforts and threatening vital infrastructure. Iranian influence and strategy: Iran supports the Houthis with supplies through Oman, despite blockades, bolstering their missile capabilities..
As I've said in the past, what Saudi Arabia brings to the table with the Mecca Pact, the defense agreement between them, Pakistan, Turkey, and now Syria is money, lots of money. Syria was encouraged to sign on to this "Sunni" alliance and got this in return:
"The Saudi Fund for Development signed six concessional loans worth more than $403 million. The largest loan is $105 million for 25 civil defense centers. The rest goes to hospitals and clinics, the Aleppo thermal power plant, up to 10,000 damaged homes, 300,000 smart water meters and the Finance Ministry’s digital systems. Reuters reported last month that Damascus was weighing military help for the kingdom against the Houthis."
The conflict in areas where African nations and Middle East nations interact is an on going mess and when you see what's going on it's easy to understand why the economics of these nation are in the toilet, with the exception of those nations that are oil rich. But their stability is fraying as radicals are attacking them with missiles killing civilians. And now Saudi Arabia is feeling the economic consequences of the Iran/Houthi alliance. To avoid the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz companies are building pipelines to by pass the Strait, but the Houthi are attacking oil shipments in the Red Sea and I have no doubt will attack pipelines. It appears if Saudi Arabia wants this fixed it will have organize a real war with Iran and it's proxies to bring this to an end.
- "Lebanon’s government is separating itself from Hezbollah on the Yemen front as well as the Israeli one, and the work is being done by the prime minister’s statements and a judge’s warrants rather than by the army. A state that can condemn, charge and telephone the head of the Saudi-backed government in Yemen is further along than it was a year ago. It still has not disarmed Hezbollah."...
- Lebanon wants to avoid being drug into "foreign" wars for the benefit of others, and Hezbollah is part of that problem. Red Sea’s African shore is dividing into blocs. Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea are lining up against Ethiopia, and Rabat has decided that the end of the UN mission ends UN monitoring of the ceasefire in the Sahara.
It was reported yesterday regarding the Badr Agreement which is a Sunni defense agreement between Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, and Indonesia needs to be watched, and the Mecca Pact is already fraying at the edges, which doesn't surprise me at all, and done so because "Pakistan, Turkey and Qatar each have ties to Islamist groups. Pakistan shelters Islamist militant factions. Turkey and Qatar both support the Muslim Brotherhood and host Hamas figures."
The Turkish Parliament voted on support of the Mecca Pact but "has yet to provide any offensive military support to Saudi Arabia against the Houthis in Yemen, and Pakistan’s contributions are more in homeland defense." Ethiopia, Sudan, the UAE are in conflict, and even Egypt has been drawn into this, with one observer asking Why Does Ethiopia Get the Russian Jets Washington Denied Egypt?
What's called Kurdistan isn't really a country. It's a ethnic cultural geographical region made up of parts of Turkey, Iran, Syria, and some say parts of the Caucuses, and the Kurds want their own independent nation combining those regions, all of which are in dispute. While they may not have a recognized nation, they do have a 100 seat parliament and have chosen a new Speaker, who only got 51 votes, which I think is really interesting since they don't have a country, they hate everyone and everyone hates them, and they don't seem to even be harmonious among themselves.
Israel has been given American go ahead to continue attacks against Iran on one day and then President Trump says he may not continue attacks. He's vacillated on this from the beginning, is it any wonder the American public is irritated at him over this? Is it any wonder Israel is mired in their internal politics over this. Iran's goal in the Strait has been to "frustrate efforts by the United States and its allies to bring down global oil prices”, and has been successful in sinking ships. Anyone accused of supporting Reza Pahlavi and Israel are being executed, and their internal security is so vast it's impossible to organize a movement against the Iranian tyranny.
Strikes in Gaza continue taking out senior officials working against the ceasefire agreement. How true it may be, the State Department claims “we are making real progress toward a demilitarized Gaza”. That just might be a little bit delusional.
Hamas Found to Be Storing Weapons in Mosques - Wow, who saw this coming? As everyone knows, Islam is a beautiful religion of peace, and mosques are peaceful houses of worship, akin to churches or synagogues, places of prayer, contemplation, worship, and the healing of the soul.
Anyone who thinks otherwise, and especially anyone who gets the crazy idea that mosques might have something to do with jihad violence, is just a greasy Islamophobe — right?
Well, as it turns out, Hamas is full of greasy Islamophobes. Israel National News reported Tuesday “the IDF and Shin Bet on Monday struck and destroyed five Hamas weapon storage facilities and a Hamas launch site in several strikes across the Gaza Strip.” What’s that? You thought Hamas had already turned in all its weapons, as it was supposed to do under the terms of Trump’s grand plan for lasting peace in the Middle East?
Is this the real explanation behind October 7? Rumors are rife in Israel that October 7 was indeed made possible thanks to a leftist plot to destroy Netanyahu.
Somalia is tearing itself apart, which shouldn't shock anyone, over efforts to have President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's term extended and their Supreme court says that's not legal. So, the military has surrounded their Supreme Court.... I guess they feel that's a very strong legal argument in their favor. In Nigeria their Federal High Court has "nullified the election of former Senate President David Mark as the leader of the opposition African Democratic Congress party, or ADC, and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission not to recognize any decision made under his leadership, including the nomination of Atiku Abubakar as the ADC's presidential candidate in Nigeria's Jan. 16, 2027, general election...."
What could possibly go wrong?










