Denmark sends conscripts to Greenland as Arctic tensions grow

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By Reuters | Posted by TOE  For the first time in recent history, Danish conscripts have been deployed to Greenland, as Denmark moves to bolster its presence in the Arctic ​after U.S. demands to acquire the territory. U.S. President Donald Trump has ‌repeatedly sought  to acquire  the semi-autonomous Danish island, citing national security concerns and accusing Copenhagen of neglecting Arctic defence. Denmark and Greenland have firmly rejected the idea. The conscripts are part of the ​first cohort under Denmark’s new  extended conscription programme , aimed at producing soldiers able to ​operate in one of the kingdom’s most strategically important and challenging ⁠regions. “It shows presence that we’re here and not just thinking of our own ​skin. And also thinking of the people in Greenland,” 19-year-old conscript David told Reuters. Copenhagen ​has pledged billions of dollars to strengthen Arctic defences after Denmark’...
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Somali army takes control of strategic city, regional leader resigns

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 Somalia’s national army ​took control of the biggest city in South West state ‌on Monday, prompting the regional leader to resign two weeks after his administration said it was severing ties with the federal government.

The strategic city of Baidoa, ​the administrative capital of South West state, is home to ​international peacekeepers and humanitarian agencies in an area affected by ⁠drought, conflict and displacement.

“Federal forces have taken over Baidoa, … it is ​now calm … but it looks like a ghost town,” local elder ​Adan Hussein told Reuters.

A shopkeeper in Baidoa, Hussein Abdullahi, said federal troops were in control of his part of the city, which is about 245 km (150 miles) ​northwest of the capital Mogadishu.

South West state president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed ​Laftagareen wrote in a statement on Facebook that he had resigned, days after ‌being ⁠re-elected for another five-year term.

Many residents have fled Baidoa over the past week and some aid agencies suspended activities, fearing clashes could erupt between the army and regional forces.

The dispute between South West state is ​the latest sign ​of strain ⁠in the Horn of Africa country’s fragile federal system, where disputes over elections and the balance of ​power between Mogadishu and regional administrations repeatedly open up ​political fault ⁠lines.

Laftagareen’s administration opposed constitutional amendments backed by the federal government.

Somalia’s federal information ministry said in a message read out on national television that “the ⁠former South ​West state administration … created political conflict”. It ​said federal forces had been welcomed in Baidoa on Monday.

SOURCE: REUTERS AGENCIES



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/EWy4X9j

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