Geopolitical updates
@geopolupdates.bsky.social
Keeps you updated w geopolitical developments and views. Focus on Africa, the Middle East, Ukraine & other hotspots. Instagram threads: geopol___updates
X: Geopol_updates
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Reports from #Ethiopia indicate escalating tensions in the north: #Tigray facing restrictions on budget, food, and fuel, while large #ENDF reinforcements — including mechanized units — move north. At the same time, Fano activity is disrupting key roads. Risk of wider escalation is growing.
February 10, 2026 at 7:17 AM
#Ethiopia always had the size, air power, & resources. #Eritrea’s leadership survived Haile Selassie, was key in defeating the Derg alongside the #TPLF, later helped defeat the TPLF militarily in Tigray & built a state from guerrilla war. What’s different now is 🇪🇹’s cohesion
#Ethiopia’s latest letter ironically accuses #Eritrea of aggression while also naming #Assab as a key issue for negotiation, knowing Eritreans don’t negotiate about their land. To some observers, it looks like Addis Ababa is building a narrative that could justify future action.
February 9, 2026 at 5:50 PM
#Ethiopia always had the size, air power, & resources. #Eritrea’s leadership survived Haile Selassie, was key in defeating the Derg alongside the #TPLF, later helped defeat the TPLF militarily in Tigray & built a state from guerrilla war. What’s different now is 🇪🇹’s cohesion
🇨🇺#Cuba’s crisis deepening: long blackouts, fuel scarcity & rationing have hit daily life hard as 🇺🇸’s tightened #oil blockade cuts off lifelines. Gov warns airlines itll run out of fuel, so no refueling in #Havana or across major airports - a huge blow to tourism & connectivity
February 9, 2026 at 7:48 AM
#Pakistan faces a tough balancing act: a fragile economy, rising attacks from Baloch separatists and the TTP, tense borders with Taliban-ruled #Afghanistan, and a nuclear standoff with India. Internal insurgency is now one of the country’s biggest security challenges. #Balochistan
February 9, 2026 at 6:04 AM
#Pakistan faces a tough balancing act: a fragile economy, rising attacks from Baloch separatists and the TTP, tense borders with Taliban-ruled #Afghanistan, and a nuclear standoff with India. Internal insurgency is now one of the country’s biggest security challenges. #Balochistan
#Ethiopia’s latest letter ironically accuses #Eritrea of aggression while also naming #Assab as a key issue for negotiation, knowing Eritreans don’t negotiate about their land. To some observers, it looks like Addis Ababa is building a narrative that could justify future action.
February 8, 2026 at 5:49 PM
#Ethiopia’s latest letter ironically accuses #Eritrea of aggression while also naming #Assab as a key issue for negotiation, knowing Eritreans don’t negotiate about their land. To some observers, it looks like Addis Ababa is building a narrative that could justify future action.
The U.S. Department of #Defense says it’s ending all military training, fellowships & certificate programs with #Harvard University starting in the 2026-27 academic year — calling the institution “woke” and saying it “no longer meets the needs of the War Department.” 🇺🇸📚#Hegseth
February 7, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Ethiopia’s Abiy is being accused of enabling RSF - incl. potentially opening up territory for training & logistics — amid Sudan’s brutal civil war. #Addis’ ties w the UAE, historical border tensions over #AlFashaga & strategic concerns around Egypt & the #GERD complicate its role
February 7, 2026 at 3:39 PM
Ethiopia’s Abiy is being accused of enabling RSF - incl. potentially opening up territory for training & logistics — amid Sudan’s brutal civil war. #Addis’ ties w the UAE, historical border tensions over #AlFashaga & strategic concerns around Egypt & the #GERD complicate its role
Egypt trying to broker deeper security ties betw Saudi Arabia & #Eritrea to counter the UAE’s growing cooperation w Ethiopia & wants Riyadh to help underwrite a deal like Sudan’s rather than Cairo shouldering the costs. #Eritrean Pres #Afwerki is depicted as a skilled negotiator
February 7, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Egypt has deployed Turkish-made drones to back SAF as fighting intensifies, with SAF regaining ground in #Kordofan. Reports/claims say Egypt & Saudi are trying to squeeze alleged UAE-linked #RSF supply lines via Libya, pushing RSF to rely more on Chad/S. Sudan/ #Ethiopia routes.
February 7, 2026 at 11:05 AM
BREAKING: #Trump shared a video on #Truth Social that briefly shows Barack and Michelle #Obama ’s faces superimposed on monkeys/apes — an image widely condemned as racist and dehumanizing, drawing strong backlash from lawmakers and commentators. Critics call it offensive and demand condemnation.
February 6, 2026 at 3:44 PM
🚨#Russian media report an assassination attempt on Lt. Gen. Vladimir #Alekseyev in #Moscow on Feb 6 2026. He was shot multiple times & hospitalized after an unknown gunman opened fire near his home. Authorities are investigating & searching for the suspect. Sources: TASS/Reuters
February 6, 2026 at 9:52 AM
🚨#Russian media report an assassination attempt on Lt. Gen. Vladimir #Alekseyev in #Moscow on Feb 6 2026. He was shot multiple times & hospitalized after an unknown gunman opened fire near his home. Authorities are investigating & searching for the suspect. Sources: TASS/Reuters
📊 UN data suggests #AlQaeda & its affiliates now number ~25,000 fighters — about 50× the ~500 estimated around 9/11. The network’s global footprint has expanded significantly, though its core leadership remains dispersed. Source: The Times/#UN report. #Terrorist
February 6, 2026 at 9:29 AM
📊 UN data suggests #AlQaeda & its affiliates now number ~25,000 fighters — about 50× the ~500 estimated around 9/11. The network’s global footprint has expanded significantly, though its core leadership remains dispersed. Source: The Times/#UN report. #Terrorist
The EU–#India #trade deal could leave Türkiye at a disadvantage: Indian goods may enter the EU (and then #Türkiye) tariff-free, while Turkish exports to India still face barriers. It highlights how Ankara’s outdated customs union w the EU is becoming a growing economic liability
February 6, 2026 at 8:20 AM
#ISIS’s #Sahel affiliate is proving it can strike far beyond border zones. Recent attacks in Niger’s capital show the group remains highly active, mobile & capable of hitting strategic targets, even without holding territory. The situation in #Niger is increasingly volatile.
February 6, 2026 at 8:15 AM
📜 #Afghanistan ’s new #Taliban-imposed penal code allegedly formalises a social hierarchy — religious scholars, elites, middle class & lower class — with wildly different punishments for the same crime, reintroduces “free” vs “slave” status, curbs women’s rights & expands vague morality offences. 🇦🇫
February 5, 2026 at 6:08 PM
📜 #Afghanistan ’s new #Taliban-imposed penal code allegedly formalises a social hierarchy — religious scholars, elites, middle class & lower class — with wildly different punishments for the same crime, reintroduces “free” vs “slave” status, curbs women’s rights & expands vague morality offences. 🇦🇫
🇪🇹 Despite big ambitions like an AI university, #Ethiopia’s #education system faces deep challenges: low learning outcomes, high dropout rates, rural-urban gaps, and conflict-related school closures affecting millions. Quality must catch up with innovation. 📉📈 #Addis
February 5, 2026 at 5:53 PM
🇪🇹 Despite big ambitions like an AI university, #Ethiopia’s #education system faces deep challenges: low learning outcomes, high dropout rates, rural-urban gaps, and conflict-related school closures affecting millions. Quality must catch up with innovation. 📉📈 #Addis
After the U.S. op that ousted #Maduro, Washington has begun marketing and selling #Venezuelan crude #oil — including a reported $500M first sale & authorizing companies to export millions of barrels — w proceeds overseen by U.S. institutions.
February 3, 2026 at 5:12 PM
After the U.S. op that ousted #Maduro, Washington has begun marketing and selling #Venezuelan crude #oil — including a reported $500M first sale & authorizing companies to export millions of barrels — w proceeds overseen by U.S. institutions.
Hedge funds in 🇪🇹’s #bondholder committee plan to sue the #Ethiopian gov in English courts after China- & France-led lenders blocked a bond restructuring tied to export performance. If they win, claims could top $1.2bn, threaten overseas cashflows & lock #Ethiopia out of markets
February 2, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Hedge funds in 🇪🇹’s #bondholder committee plan to sue the #Ethiopian gov in English courts after China- & France-led lenders blocked a bond restructuring tied to export performance. If they win, claims could top $1.2bn, threaten overseas cashflows & lock #Ethiopia out of markets
