A powerful and rare <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/natural-disaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earthquake</a> struck the northern African nation of Morocco late on Friday night, at least 2,000 dead and more than 1,800 injured.
The earthquake hit the western part of the nation — which is located across from Spain just south of the Strait of Gibraltar.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/09/09/world/morocco-earthquake-marrakesh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck in the High Atlas Mountains close to midnight. It was the most powerful earthquake to hit the country in more than 120 years.
The Times noted that the country is &#8220;positioned at the juncture of a slow-motion tectonic crash between the African and Eurasian plates&#8221; with the plates only colliding 4 to 6 millimeters per year. The San Andreas Fault, for comparison, shifts approximately 50 millimeters per year, the report said.
The U.S. Geological Survey says that the most likely accurate estimate for the number of fatalities from the incident could be as high as 10,000.
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Morocco&#8217;s King Mohammed VI held a meeting where he issued orders directing his government&#8217;s response to the tragedy, including instructions to “immediately set up an inter-ministerial commission responsible for deploying a relief program, emergency rehabilitation and assistance in the reconstruction of destroyed housing in disaster areas, as soon as possible.”
The Biden administration also issued a statement offering support to the country.
&#8220;We are deeply saddened by the loss of life from yesterday’s earthquake in Morocco and extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of those affected,&#8221; said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. &#8220;We offer our support and solidarity to our Moroccan partners at this tragic time.&#8221;
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We are deeply saddened by the loss of life from yesterday’s earthquake in Morocco and extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of those affected. We offer our support and solidarity to our Moroccan partners at this tragic time.
&mdash; Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1700499840357089405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Multiple nations offered support to Morocco following the earthquake, including Turkey, which is still recovering from a devastating earthquake that it experienced back in February, killing more than 50,000 people.
Moroccan soccer team star Achraf Hakimi posted to social media a request for people to donate blood to help the victims of the earthquake.
&#8220;We are living in difficult times and our thoughts are with the injured and the families of the victims,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;Let&#8217;s all cooperate and contribute to saving the wounded by donating blood. To God we belong and to him we shall return.&#8221;
This is a developing news story; refresh the page for updates.

MOROCCO-QUAKE

Rare Powerful Earthquake Strikes Morocco, Leaves 2,000+ Dead

Africa

Disasters

Natural Disaster

Spain

World

Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz is calling for accountability from the Pentagon following a string of coups in Africa by mutinous soldiers that had previously been trained or funded by the United States. 
In an <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/08/30/coup-leaders-us-military-training-matt-gaetz/?utm_campaign=theintercept&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with The Intercept, Gaetz said his proposed amendment to the 2024 national defense spending bill would collect data on military members who take part in coups and require the Pentagon to submit that information to Congress. The move comes as African countries have experienced two coups in just two months – <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/niger-coup-military-explainer.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Niger</a> in July and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/military-leaders-declare-coup-in-central-african-nation-vow-to-dissolve-all-institutions-of-the-republic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gabon</a> on Wednesday.
“The Department of Defense, up until this point, has not kept data regarding the people they train who participate in coups to overthrow democratically elected — or any — governments,” Gaetz told the outlet. “And that’s why in this National Defense Authorization Act … I have legislation that demands a collection of that data and a report to Congress about those outcomes.”
The House Armed Services Committee has already approved Gaetz’s legislation, but its fate will ultimately be decided after legislators return to the Capitol in September. Under the amendment, the Pentagon would be required to disclose each instance of a U.S. “trained or equipped” person who “subsequently engaged in a coup, insurrection, or action to overthrow a democratically-elected government, or attempted any such action” since January 2000. 
A spokesperson for the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) told The Intercept in 2022 that they don’t “actively track” people after they receive U.S. training and make no record of how many coups have involved them. 
“If the true desired end state was really to strengthen national borders and national capabilities, we would definitely follow who broke bad,” Gaetz said. “But that isn’t the desired end state. Just being there is the desired end state — which is a betrayal of our national interest.”
The State Department tracks data on U.S. trainees but would not provide any information to the outlet on the number who went on to attempt to overthrow their governments. 
According to data analyzed by The Intercept, 15 military officers who were involved in 12 coups in West Africa and the Sahel region “benefitted from U.S. security assistance” during the War on Terror, including in Burkina Faso, Gambia, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. Five U.S.-trained coup leaders in Niger ultimately went on to appoint five governors who were also previously trained by the U.S., the outlet reports. 
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“Literally as this story was being published, there was another African coup, led by people the US trained,” Gaetz <a href="https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1696907194099458335" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> to X on Wednesday, referring to a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/military-leaders-declare-coup-in-central-african-nation-vow-to-dissolve-all-institutions-of-the-republic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coup in Gabon</a>. “Our Africa Strategy is a hot mess,” he added. In another post, Gaetz said he <a href="https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1696911623481614662" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opposed</a> using “American taxpayer funds for training the people who execute destabilizing coups in Africa.”
Gaetz placed some of the blame on the Biden administration, saying that under Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s “<a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz/status/1696985607199752700" target="_blank" rel="noopener">abysmal tenure</a>,” seven coups have taken place in Africa – all of which, Gaetz says, were “connected to people trained by US Taxpayer funds.” 
“Wanna know where we can cut spending? How about we spend less training people who overthrow elected governments?” the Florida congressman said.

House Judiciary Committee On Oversight Of Department Of Homeland Security – Matt Gaetz

Matt Gaetz Calls For Pentagon Accountability Over U.S.-Trained Coup Leaders

Congress

Matt Gaetz

Pentagon

Politics

Top military leaders from Gabon, a central <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">African</a> nation, declared a coup on Wednesday shortly after the country re-elected its president in what&#8217;s been called a fraudulent election.
Military officers <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/30/africa/gabon-military-officers-say-power-seized-election-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> the coup on state television Wednesday just hours after the country declared President Ali Bongo Ondimba – whose family has ruled Gabon for over 50 years – the winner of the disputed election. Bongo was detained on Wednesday and placed under house arrest. The unrest follows a string of similar actions taken in other African countries and would mark the eighth coup in the region since 2020 if successful, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/white-house-us-is-deeply-concerned-by-situation-gabon-2023-08-30/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Reuters.
“Today the country is undergoing a severe institutional, political, economic, and social crisis,” the military officers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/30/gabon-coup-military-takeover-gabonese-election-disputed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a video message announcing the attempted coup. “On behalf of the Gabonese people and guarantor of the protection of institutions, CTRI [the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions] has decided to defend peace by putting an end to the regime in place,” an officer <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/30/africa/gabon-military-officers-say-power-seized-election-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>.
During the address, the mutinous officers said that Bongo had been placed under house arrest and that the results of the election had been “<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gabon-coup-attempt-military-officers-say-election-cancelled-west-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">canceled</a>.” In an <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/30/africa/gabon-military-officers-say-power-seized-election-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">address</a> of his own, Bongo said that he was being detained in his residence while his wife and son were taken to separate locations.
The coup leaders also arrested Bongo&#8217;s inner circle, alleging “high betrayal of state institutions, massive embezzlement of public funds (and) international financial embezzlement,&#8221; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/gabon-mutiny-elections-power-a61d03963f75ae93ba85a4ba7eec3c71" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Associated Press.
“Nothing is happening, I don’t know what’s going on,” Bongo said, calling on his supporters to “make noise.” Despite the call to action from Bongo, the demonstrations appeared to be in support of the military coup, with crowds celebrating in the streets and thanking the army, the AP reports.
Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, head of the Republican Guard unit which is tasked with protecting the president, was named the leader of the military junta and transitional government; Oligui is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/gabon-mutiny-elections-power-a61d03963f75ae93ba85a4ba7eec3c71?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> the cousin of Bongo. Following the address, footage shows the military leader being paraded through the streets while fellow soldiers cheered and civilians shouted “freedom,” according to The New York Times.
On Wednesday, Bongo was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/30/world/africa/gabon-coup-election.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">named</a> the winner of the country’s presidential election, which took place on Saturday, garnering 65% of the vote, according to The New York Times. The election was <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/gabon-president-ali-bongo-wins-third-term-after-disputed-election-2023-08-30/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">widely viewed</a> as fraudulent within Gabon due to voting delays, a lack of international election observers, foreign broadcasts being suspended, and the government cutting internet service for days following the vote.
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Shortly after Bongo was declared the winner, gunfire could be heard in the capital of Libreville, followed by the television address announcing the coup by 12 officers, according to the Times. The group behind the coup refers to themselves as the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, and they <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gabon-military-officers-announce-seized-power-rcna102493" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vowed</a> to “dissolve all institutions of the republic” during their address.
“There was discontent in Gabon,” Oligui <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/30/world/africa/gabon-coup-election.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Le Monde, a French newspaper. “So the army decided to turn the page and do something.”
In 1960, the country <a href="https://uca.edu/politicalscience/home/research-projects/dadm-project/sub-saharan-africa-region/gabon-1960-present/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gained independence</a> from France. Bongo’s father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, became president in 1967, and Ali Bongo was elected after the elder Bongo’s death in 2009. During his two terms, he has been accused of corruption, and survived a previous coup attempt in 2019.
Even though Gabon is an oil-rich country, roughly one-third of the country’s population lives in poverty, according to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13376333" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the BBC</a>.
This past December, Bongo visited Washington where he met with President Joe Biden at the White House, Today News Africa <a href="https://todaynewsafrica.com/white-house-says-u-s-monitoring-developments-in-gabon-amid-coup/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Following the news of the coup, White House national security spokesman John Kirby called the events “deeply concerning,” and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/white-house-us-is-deeply-concerned-by-situation-gabon-2023-08-30/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the U.S. will “remain a supporter of the people in the region, a supporter of the people of Gabon and of their demand for democratic governance.&#8221;
Last month, military leaders in Niger <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-officials-missionaries-evacuated-from-niger-as-military-seizes-power" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seized power</a> and installed General Abdourahmane Tchiani as president.

Gabonese soldiers announce they have seized power

Military Leaders Declare Coup In Central African Nation, Vow To ‘Dissolve All Institutions Of The Republic’

Democracy

Global Politics

Political Violence

A wealthy Pennsylvania dentist was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for killing his wife in 2016 while the two were on an African safari.
Larry Rudolph, 68, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/millionaire-dentist-convicted-of-killing-his-wife-during-african-safari" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was convicted</a> one year ago on one count of killing his wife Bianca and one count of mail fraud for collecting more than $4.8 million in life insurance claims related to her death.
“Even Judas would be afraid to be in your company,” Bianca’s brother, Vincent Finizio, said in a victim impact statement ahead of sentencing, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/08/22/pennsylvania-dentist-larry-rudolph-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-killing-wife-during-african-safari/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Rudolph had claimed his wife accidentally shot herself while hurriedly packing a gun on their African safari, but prosecutors alleged that Rudolph shot her and put the gun back in its case to stage the scene.
“This result shows that no matter how much money, prestige, or power you have, you will be held accountable for your crimes,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado Cole Finegan said in a statement. While Rudolph&#8217;s dental empire was in Pennsylvania, he was living in Colorado.
Rudolph was sentenced to life in prison for killing a U.S. national in a foreign country and a concurrent 20-year sentence for the mail fraud conviction. He will also be required to pay nearly $5 million in restitution and an additional $2 million in fines. He must also forfeit two homes, his cars, including an Aston Martin DB-11 and Bentley Bentayga, and any other assets he bought with the insurance money, the Post reported. According to the defense, those assets totaled almost $9 million.
Rudolph maintains his innocence.
On October 11, 2016, Rudolph and Bianca were packing to return home from a big-game hunting trip in Zambia, The Daily Beast <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/millionaire-denver-dentist-larry-rudolph-guilty-of-killing-wife-bianca-rudolph-on-zambia-vacation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Rudolph testified at trial that he was in the bathroom when he heard his wife say, “Come here and help me.” Shortly after, he said he heard a gunshot and found his wife lying in a pool of blood. He claimed that the scene looked as though Bianca accidentally killed herself with a shotgun while packing it, with the bullet going through the gun case and landing in her chest.
“I did not murder my wife. I could not murder my wife. I would not murder my wife,” he said at his trial, according to The Daily Beast.
With his testimony deemed valid by the initial investigators, the Zambian government, and the insurance investigators at the time of the shooting, Rudolph was able to collect a $4.8 million life insurance policy on his wife.
To Bianca’s family and friends, however, Rudolph’s story and subsequent behavior seemed questionable. For example, one of Bianca’s friends found it peculiar that Rudolph had his wife’s body cremated so quickly after her death while still in Zambia, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-rudolph-found-guilty-in-wifes-death-on-2016-african-safari/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to</a> CBS’ “48 Hours.” This same friend called the FBI to express her concerns about Rudolph, telling the agency that Rudolph had had an affair and was verbally abusive toward his wife. In addition, this friend told the FBI that the couple fought about money.
After Bianca’s death, family members said that Rudolph didn’t grieve; instead, he booked a trip to Las Vegas shortly after Bianca’s burial and filed the insurance claim one day before her funeral. He also regularly went out with Lori Milliron, the manager of his dental franchise in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with whom he had an affair while Bianca was still alive.
Another witness also told the FBI that they overheard Rudolph tell Milliron at a restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona, that “I f***ing killed my wife for you” during an argument. At trial, Rudolph claimed the person misheard and that he actually told Milliron: “The FBI think I f***ing killed my wife for you.” The couple were reportedly in Phoenix because they had bought a house together near Paradise Valley.
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Rudolph also said in his testimony that he and his wife agreed in 2000 to have sex with other people and that Bianca knew about Milliron. He claimed the couple were “relatively happy” thanks to their open marriage.
At trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Rudolph provided cash payments to Milliron when Bianca was still alive, and that he gave Milliron a credit card linked to his own account after Bianca died, The Beast reported. Prosecutors also provided evidence showing the shotgun barrel was too long for Bianca to have reached the trigger and that the shot must have come from two- to three-and-a-half feet away.
Prosecutors alleged that after Bianca asked for more control over the couple’s finances and demanded that Rudolph fire Milliron, Rudolph killed his wife because he didn’t want to split his $15 million net worth with Bianca in a divorce.
Milliron was also found guilty by the same jury that convicted Rudolph. She was charged with accessory after the fact to murder, obstruction of a grand jury, and two counts of perjury before a grand jury. She was found not guilty, however, on two other counts of perjury.

Tourists On Safari

Millionaire Dentist Sentenced For Killing His Wife During African Safari

Dentist Larry Rudolph Sentenced For Killing His Wife During African Safari

Crime

Murder

The U.S. moved on Wednesday to partially evacuate its embassy in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Niger</a> as military leaders have seized power in the country, moving to remove President Mohamed Bazoum from office. 
Soldiers <a href="https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-west-africa-use-of-force-mali-burkina-faso-0b951ec77a89033c84e6f0972cc21b5f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">installed</a> General Abdourahmane Tchiani as president after Nigerian military leaders announced on July 26 that security concerns in the West African nation had led them to assert their control. In the aftermath of the coup, Europeans and Americans have left the country, and the State Department has told Americans to no longer travel there.
“Today, we ordered the temporary departure of non-emergency personnel and eligible family members from Niger. The U.S. is committed to our relationship with the people of Niger. The embassy remains open, and our leaders are diplomatically engaged at the highest levels,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken <a href="https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1686877829437218818" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a>. 
In another statement from the State Department, the U.S. voiced its opposition to the coup.
“The United States rejects all efforts to overturn Niger’s constitutional order, and stands with the people of Niger, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union, and other international partners in support of democratic governance and respect for the rule of law and human rights,” the statement <a href="https://www.state.gov/ordered-departure-of-non-emergency-u-s-government-personnel-from-u-s-embassy-niamey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
The Biden administration has demanded that Bazoum be released but has <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4135203-biden-calls-for-release-of-niger-president-family/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> avoided referring to the takeover as a “coup” partly because of the $200 million in economic aid the U.S. sent Niger. 
Nearby Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso have backed Niger’s new leadership. Mali and Burkina Faso <a href="https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-west-africa-use-of-force-mali-burkina-faso-0b951ec77a89033c84e6f0972cc21b5f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that any “military intervention” against Niger would constitute an act of war against them. 
France, which used to control Niger, condemned the coup, moving to evacuate hundreds of French nationals from the country. 
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A group of 13 Texans was on a mission trip in Niger when they <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/foreign/stranded-texas-mission-trip-evacuated-niger" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were evacuated</a> this week after getting a ride with an Italian evacuation flight arranged in part by U.S. officials. 
&#8220;The tireless dedication of the church community and the prayers of countless individuals have borne fruit as the missionary team embarked on their journey back home from Niger. Last night, the Lord&#8217;s divine providence opened a way for the team&#8217;s homeward journey, marking a joyful moment of triumph and celebration for the entire congregation,&#8221; said Harmony Hill Baptist Church, who sent the mission team, in a statement. 
The U.S. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/31/politics/us-troops-niger-american-base/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has</a> more than 1,000 troops stationed in Niger, which has struggled to contain radical Islamic violence over the last several years.

Pro-coup demonstration in Niger’s capital Niamey

U.S. Officials, Missionaries Evacuated From Niger As Military Seizes Power

State Department

The U.K. Defense Ministry intended to send a batch of emails to the Pentagon, but a typo led to the emails being sent to the government of Mali, which maintains close ties to Moscow. 
British officials mistakenly left out the “i” in the Pentagon’s domain name “.mil,” sending the military emails to Mali, which uses the domain name “.ml,” the Times U.K. <a href="https://archive.ph/yZFB5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. This is the second time this month that emails intended for the Pentagon have been mistakenly sent to Mali because of the same typing error. Millions of emails, including ones with sensitive information, that were intended for the Pentagon were sent to Mali earlier this month, according to a Financial Times <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/ab62af67-ed2a-42d0-87eb-c762ac163cf0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigation</a>. 
“We have opened an investigation after a small number of emails were mistakenly forwarded to an incorrect email domain,” a spokesman for the Defense Ministry said, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britain-investigates-after-mali-gets-defence-emails-meant-pentagon-2023-07-28/?taid=64c38269e6cfe30001c44171&amp;utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&amp;utm_medium=trueAnthem&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Reuters. 
Most of the emails sent to the Mali government contained harmless information such as the dates of when Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry employees were on vacation, but the Times reported that some of the emails mistakenly sent to the Russian ally from the British government contained detailed information on British research into hypersonic missiles — a claim the U.K. denied.
“This report misleadingly claims state secrets were sent to Mali’s email domain. We assess fewer than 20 routine emails were sent to an incorrect domain &amp; are confident there was no breach of operational security or disclosure of technical data,” the ministry <a href="https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1684858941480615937" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Friday. “An investigation is ongoing. Emails of this kind are not classified at secret or above.”
The problem arising from the similar domain names between the Pentagon and the Mali government has been an issue for a decade, according to Johannes Zuurbier, a Dutch internet entrepreneur who had a contract giving him control of Mali’s domain for the past 10 years. Since January, Zuurbier has been keeping track of misdirected emails that have gone to the “.ml” site, and held nearly 117,000 misdirected emails before control of the domain reverted back to Mali on Monday, The Financial Times reported.
“This risk is real and could be exploited by adversaries of the US,” Zuurbier wrote to the U.S. in early July. 
The Mali government was one of six African countries promised free grain by Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week, the Times U.K. reported. Colonel Assimi Goïta, who rules the country, has relied on the Russian mercenary group Wagner to help him maintain control in the unstable Western African nation.
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“Any future mistypes could be seen by the Malian government and the only way to prevent a security leak is to warn people about the dangers of using ‘ml,’” Zuurbier said. “Mali can share whatever sensitive material they receive with any adversaries of the US from now on.”

U.K./U.S. Flags

Typo Leads To U.K. Accidentally Sending Military Emails Meant For U.S. To Russian Ally

emails

Military

Russia

U.K.

U.S.

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/comer-says-fbi-caved-nixes-contempt-vote-over-biden-bribery-doc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI</a> is accused of misleading the wife of an American hostage as U.S. officials worked to release missionary Jeff Woodke, who was held captive by Islamic extremists for more than six years. 
Woodke, 62, was released in March and recounted his half-decade in captivity after being kidnapped from his home in Niger by Islamic militants in October 2016. Woodke and his wife, Els, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/hostage-jeff-woodke-africa-alqaida-white-house-dec90e5d53ebef7a9caa0ab3068c2d49" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Associated Press that they believe FBI officials withheld information and misled them about the scope of demands from the kidnappers. 
“It was hell. I think the hardest part was knowing that my family, if they were alive, they were suffering too,” Woodke said. Throughout the course of his captivity, the missionary — who <a href="https://wng.org/sift/u-s-missionary-kidnapped-in-niger-1617406596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worked</a> with U.S. non-profit Youth With A Mission — was placed in chains, subjected to beatings, and pressured to convert to Islam.
According to the Woodkes, U.S. officials poorly communicated with them on the status of the negotiations and offered little help raising money for a ransom. Els Woodke said her frustration came to a boiling point during a Zoom call with Secretary of State Antony Blinken a few weeks before her husband was released. 
“I said, if it was you that had been kidnapped, you would be free in a week because your wife is free to take from your money and buy you free,” she recalled telling Blinken. “So because you are rich, you can pay the ransom. But a poor person is never able to do that.”
Els Woodke and Robert Klamser, a private investigator she was working with, alleged that the FBI withheld important information about the negotiations and misled them about how much the terrorist group had asked for. Klamser said they learned after the fact that Woodke’s captors demanded a ransom payment of 3 million euros ($3.3 million) along with the release of prisoners from Western African jails. Negotiators working on behalf of the U.S. government got the militants to drop their demand for a prisoner release but raised the ransom price to 6 million euros ($6.5 million), a change in the negotiations that made Els Woodke’s chances of raising the money even slimmer. 
The U.S. government does not pay ransom to kidnappers but allows the families of hostages to raise money for a ransom, while still not condoning the practice. However, Els Woodke said that the FBI offered no written assurances that no one involved in raising money for the ransom would be prosecuted, which made it harder for her to get money from prospective donors. In 2021, she said that government restrictions were hindering her ability to raise money, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/africa-niger-west-africa-al-qaida-d7e640fb49e807ebe1a060fe23cae389" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the AP. 
A policy crafted by the Obama administration in 2015 attempted to reassure families of hostages that they wouldn’t be prosecuted for raising ransom money, but according to surveys conducted over the past decade, families say that the policy is confusing, despite no prosecutions since its implementation. 
Woodke was released along with a French journalist on March 20, and the White House has never fully explained how it got the American missionary home. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Woodke’s return to the U.S. was the result of “hard, grueling, deliberate work.” 
The FBI told the AP that it had worked &#8220;tirelessly&#8221; to free Woodke from his captors but did not comment on the Woodkes&#8217; claims.
“We are committed to continuing to support Jeff and his family,” the FBI said.
Woodke, now home in McKinleyville, California, is recovering from leg injuries and dealing with medical bills. Even after his return to the U.S., Woodke still feels like the U.S. government abandoned him and his family as he sat in chains in Africa. 
“We’re not things, we’re not bargaining chips, we’re not cases — we’re people,” he said. “We don’t want to sit under trees in chains. Our families don’t want to have to suffer.”

Hostage/FBI

Missionary Held Hostage By Islamic Extremists For Over 6 Years Says FBI Withheld Info, Misled Wife

Antony Blinken

Biden Administration

kidnapping

Ransom Plot

Forty-six <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/persecution" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christians were killed</a> over two days after terrorists in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nigeria" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nigeria</a> targeted Christian villages, according to a new report. 
The killings happened on June 3 and 4 in the southern Nigerian villages of Michihe, Achamegh and Mbagene Kpav, and Imande Mbakange, Morning Star News <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/46-christians-killed-amid-2-days-of-attacks-in-nigeria.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. In the wake of the killings, local leaders have accused Nigeria&#8217;s government of turning a blind eye to the violence. 
“Altogether, 46 Christians were killed by the terrorists in the two days of attacks on our communities,” a statement from the Shitile Development Association (SDA) said. “Most disturbing also is the fact that the identity of the perpetrators is known to security agencies and the Nigerian government, and yet nothing has been done to end this carnage.”
Militant Islamic Fulani herdsmen, a nomadic group that is known to frequently attack Christians in the African country, have been accused of orchestrating the attacks. The recent attack comes as some religious freedom advocates have said that the persecution of Christians in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">African</a> nation should be seen as genocide.
“As our people are fleeing, herders are occupying these areas and grazing freely on our farms,” the statement from the SDA said. “Though due to the fear of general insecurity, it is difficult to move from village to village to gather exact statistics, hordes of lives have been horrendously eliminated in several villages across the land, such that the whole land is thrown into wailing and mourning.”
Local council official Alfred Atera condemned the attacks, calling on the security agencies to end the violence. 
“These senseless killings by the terrorists are inhuman and barbaric. I call on all security agencies to double their efforts in combating these renewed attacks as a matter of urgency,” Atera said. 
Police in Benue, the state where the attacks took place, said that they had sent police and security personnel to the area to stop the violence. 
The attack in Benue follows weeks of recent attacks in the Plateau state, where 28 Christian churches were destroyed and a reported 300 Christians killed. The destruction <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/hundreds-of-christians-killed-in-3-weeks-of-attacks-in-nigeria.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> led to the displacement of about 30,000 Christians in the state.
A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-report-estimates-that-over-8000-nigerian-christians-killed-kidnapped-last-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent report put ou</a>t by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) estimated that over 5,000 Nigerian Christians were killed in 2022 while over 3,000 were kidnapped.
The perpetrators are believed to be members of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/radical-islam" target="_blank" rel="noopener">radical Islamic</a> terror groups, including Fulani herdsmen groups, Boko Haram, and ISAWP (Islamic State West Africa Province).

NIGERIA-FULANI-CONFLICT

46 Nigerian Christians Killed In Terrorist Attacks As Government Accused Of Negligence: Report

Christianity

Nigeria

Persecution

Radical Islam

A United States convoy was reportedly attacked in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nigeria" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nigeria</a> this week, resulting in three people being kidnapped and four others being killed.
CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/16/africa/nigeria-us-convoy-attack-intl-afr/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the attack took place in the southeastern Anambra state and that local officials confirmed to the network that the assailants “murdered two police operatives and two staff of the US consulate and set their bodies and their vehicles ablaze.”
The incident reportedly happened approximately 40 miles away from the state capital in the town of Atani, according to a <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/gunmen-attack-us-convoy-southeast-nigeria-2-policemen-99375265" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Associated Press. Officials have pinned the blame on separatists who want to start their own country and whose leader is currently on trial for terrorism.
John Kirby, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, said that none of those who were killed were Americans.
“No U.S. citizens were involved and therefore there were no U.S. citizens hurt,” he said. “We are aware of some casualties, perhaps even some killed.”
Local police officials told CNN that no Americans were even in the convoy.
“The security of our personnel is always paramount, and we take extensive precautions when organizing trips to the field,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack by any groups. Islamic terrorism is prevalent throughout Nigeria and the entire continent of Africa.
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Attackers carried out a separate attack in Nigeria&#8217;s central Plateau state on Tuesday, killing at least <a href="https://www.barrons.com/news/at-least-30-people-killed-in-clashes-in-central-nigeria-govt-6170a31c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">30 people</a>, most of whom were <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/armed-attackers-nigeria-kill-20-mostly-women-children-2023-05-16/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">described</a> as women and children.

TOPSHOT-NIGERIA-UNREST-DEMONSTRATION-KIDNAPPING

U.S. Convoy Attacked In Nigeria, 4 Killed: Report

Terrorism

United States

Regional sources are reporting that the rival factions in an ongoing power struggle in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sudan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sudan</a> have come to a tentative agreement that could serve as a framework for a proper peace agreement.
The Sudanese military and a paramilitary organization known as the Rapid Support Forces have been negotiating in Jeddah,  a major port city in Saudi Arabia, since Saturday. The violence erupted on April 15 after a failed attempt to integrate the RSF into the command structure of the regular army — each force is led by a rival general and over 100,000 strong, and the groups had been sharing power since a 2019 coup deposed the previous Islamist government.
“The Jeddah Declaration affirmed that the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces would refrain from any attack that would cause civilian harm,” Saudi based news outlet <a href="https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2023/05/12/Warring-Sudanese-military-factions-sign-preliminary-agreement-of-principles-in-Jeddah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Al-Arabiya</a> reported on Thursday. “They also agreed that the interests of the Sudanese people are a priority for them, and that the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces would take all precautions to spare civilians any harm.”
The conflict has killed <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sudan-death-toll-un-fighting-khartoum-de76a27db2d1f871430142d172829f6f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at least</a> 604 people and wounded over 5,100 others, according to the World Health Organization. Another 500,000 have reportedly been displaced. Much of the violence was concentrated in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, where RSF forces fought to seize control of military positions and vital infrastructure, catching many civilians in the crossfire.
The U.S. military <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-diplomats-evacuated-from-sudan-as-conflict-intensifies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">evacuated</a> diplomatic personnel from the American embassy in Khartoum on April 22, although official efforts to evacuate civilians were slower and incomplete — as of May 4, the U.S. had evacuated 1300 citizens, although the State Department estimated that as many as 16,000 U.S. citizens may have been in the country. Citizens are not required to notify the State Department when they enter or exit the country, making precise estimates of the American presence in Sudan difficult.
<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-24/japan-evacuates-45-people-from-sudan-closes-embassy#xj4y7vzkg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Japan</a>, Canada, Britain, Germany, Italy, France, Egypt, and Sweden also took efforts to <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/countries-evacuate-diplomats-citizens-out-of-sudan/7063323.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">evacuate</a> civilians and diplomatic personnel soon after the fighting began. The UN Food Programme also suspended operations in the country after three of their employees had been killed in the fighting. The UN reports that roughly ⅓ of Sudan’s population of 46 million face “acute food insecurity.”
The agreement comes in the wake of several false starts and failed ceasefires — early on in the conflict, the warring parties had agreed to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/05/us/politics/sudan-generals-peace-talks.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several ceasefires</a> to allow civilians to evacuate contested areas and to create corridors for humanitarian aid to pass through, but those agreements fell apart <a href="https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230426_N03/#:~:text=The%20Sudanese%20armed%20forces%20and,flared%20up%20again%20within%20hours." target="_blank" rel="noopener">within hours</a>.
“Both the army and the Rapid Support Forces had put forward some demands and conditions, but the mediation postponed them to limiting the agreement to a cease-fire and the opening of safe passages for the delivery of humanitarian aid,” Al-Arabiya <a href="https://www.alarabiya.net/arab-and-world/2023/05/12/%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%82-%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A6-%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%B9%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
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The negotiations were brokered by the American State Department and the Saudi Foreign Ministry. The violent power struggle drew early condemnation from the United Nations and the Arab League, of which Sudan is a member, and international observers expressed concern that the outbreak of civil war could destabilize the entire region and draw other nations such as Egypt and Ethiopia into the conflict.

SUDAN-CONFLICT-EVACUATION

Warring Sudanese Factions Make Breakthrough In Peace Negotiations

Civil War

Saudi Arabia

Sudan

American diplomats and their families have been evacuated from Sudan as fighting between rival factions has intensified.
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sudan-army-okays-foreign-evacuation-khartoum-battle-rages-2023-04-22/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a> reports that the process involved half a dozen aircraft, and was “carried out in coordination with” the Rapid Support Forces. According to earlier reporting, 70 personnel were to be evacuated — though many Americans remain in Sudan.
“The State Department acknowledges that some records show 16,000 US citizens may be in Sudan, but officials consider those figures to be inflated,” <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-government-personnel-sudan-to-be-evacuated/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS News</a> reports.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
New: Elements of the Navy’s SEAL Team Six and the Army’s 3rd Special Forces Group participated in the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, sources tell me. <a href="https://t.co/yUc4dK0ZvW">https://t.co/yUc4dK0ZvW</a>
— Jim LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimLaPorta/status/1649956279161372673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
“Other foreign nationals began evacuating from a Red Sea port in Sudan on Saturday,” Reuters noted, adding that the urban warfare has made exiting the nation increasingly difficult, leaving many stranded in the capital city of Khartoum.
On Thursday, National Security spokesman John Kirby spoke at a White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2023/04/20/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-and-nsc-coordinator-for-strategic-communications-john-kirby-12/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press briefing</a>, during which he discussed the increasingly dangerous conditions in Sudan, specifically in Khartoum.
“The focus right now is on urging both sides to stop this violence, to abide by a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to get to people that are — that are — that need it,” Kirby said. “I mean, there’s already shortages of food; there’s concern over shortages of medicine and water. The situation is dire in Khartoum. And we continue to urge both sides now to stop this violence.”
Multiple other nations have either pulled citizens out of Sudan or are planning evacuations, including Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Evacuations are exceedingly challenging as both sides involved in the conflict have failed to observe ceasefire agreements reached in order to allow for safe passage.
CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sudan-crisis-2023-fighting-continues-ceasefire-calls-death-toll-over-400/#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that over 400 people have been killed in the conflict since April 15.
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President Joe Biden released a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/04/22/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-the-situation-in-sudan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> regarding the operation to extricate the embassy personnel from Sudan, thanking service members, as well as the nations of Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia for their apparent assistance.
The president went on to condemn the ongoing violence.
“We are temporarily suspending operations at the U.S. Embassy in Sudan, but our commitment to the Sudanese people and the future they want for themselves is unending,” the statement concluded.

U.S. Diplomats Evacuated From Sudan As Conflict Intensifies

U.S. Diplomats Evacuated From Sudan As Conflict Rages

Conflicts

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/christianity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anglican</a> ministers met in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">African</a> nation of Rwanda this week to issue a rebuke against the Church of England’s recent commitment to endorse so-called <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/homosexuality" target="_blank" rel="noopener">same-sex</a> marriages.
The Church of England’s General Synod approved a <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/prayers-gods-blessing-same-sex-couples-take-step-forward-after-synod" target="_blank" rel="noopener">motion</a> earlier this year to “publicly, unreservedly, and joyfully” welcome same-sex couples into their congregations, where they can “receive God’s blessing” after a civil marriage or civil partnership, even as ministers remain unable to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies. Members of the General Synod also voted to “lament and repent” the Anglican Communion’s failure to “welcome LGBTQI+ people.”
Bishops and clergy members from the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, an alliance of conservative Anglican churches also known as GAFCON, assembled in the Rwandan capital city of Kigali this week and released a <a href="https://www.gafcon.org/news/gafcon-iv-the-kigali-commitment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> against the decision. They rejected Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, as the “first among equals” for bishops in the worldwide Anglican Communion, a body rooted in the traditions of the English Reformation, which spread across the globe amid the spread of the British Empire.
“Since the Lord does not bless same-sex unions, it is pastorally deceptive and blasphemous to craft prayers that invoke blessing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” the document said. “Refusal to follow the biblical teaching that the only appropriate context for sexual activity is the exclusive lifelong union of a man and a woman in marriage violates the created order.”
GAFCON attendees also endorsed a previous <a href="https://twitter.com/GafconGBE/status/1627622610388324355" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches, also known as the GSFA, which said that the Church of England has “disqualified herself” from serving as the Anglican Communion’s mother church.
“The Church of England has chosen to break communion with those provinces who remain faithful to the historic biblical faith expressed in the Anglican formularies,” the statement read. “Our calling to be ‘a holy remnant’ does not allow us to be ‘in communion’ with those provinces that have departed from the historic faith and taken the path of false teaching.”
Christian self-identification in the United Kingdom and other European nations has declined over the past several decades as more residents profess agnostic or atheistic beliefs. Bishops who align with GAFCON and the GSFA now represent 85% of Anglicans across the world.
The secularization of the West has forced ministers in various denominations to clarify their stances on biblical sexual ethics. Pastors in the conservative evangelical Presbyterian Church in America, also known as the PCA, narrowly approved a <a href="https://pcaga.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Overture-15-Westminster-amend-BCO-7-self-identified-homosexuals.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">measure</a> last summer affirming that “identification as a ‘homosexual’ is sinful and against nature itself, is something God detests, and is not fitting for an officer of the Church of Christ” after some contended that one could self-identify as a homosexual and serve as a pastor while remaining celibate.
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Christians in some Western nations have meanwhile faced increasing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/christians-against-the-abuse-of-power-theologians-around-the-world-sign-statement-rejecting-government-lockdowns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">backlash</a> from government officials over their stances on homosexuality and transgenderism. Officials in Canada <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/revival-and-reformation-is-needed-canadian-pastors-sound-off-on-new-law-that-threatens-to-criminalize-evangelism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enacted</a> a statute at the beginning of last year which called teaching on sexual ethics a “myth” and threatened pastors with up to five years of prison time if they called others to leave sexual lifestyle choices which conflict with biblical principles.

St Peter & St Pauls Parish Church

Conservative Anglicans Rebuke English Communion’s Approval Of Same-Sex Marriage

Christianity Today

Homosexuality

LGBTQ

Religion

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