“The spirit of our endeavour is, To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield”


Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo, President

April 2026

Source: New Yorker.
Force majeure
U. Profazio
The new Gulf war, is increasingly targeting energy infrastructure across the region, drawing Gulf petro-monarchies into the crossfire. Iran’s missile attack on Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial Complex has brought the conflict to a critical threshold, with QatarEnergy considering declaring force majeure and the shockwaves already being felt in Brussels and Rome. The episode has also exposed a growing rift between Washington and Tel Aviv, after President Trump revealed he had not been informed about Israel’s strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field and urged Netanyahu to halt further attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure.
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Under The Radar

Source: The Arab Weekly.
Iraq’s Militias Defy Baghdad’s Fragile Authority
Iran-aligned Shia militias keep striking US interests inside Iraq despite Baghdad’s attempts to de-escalate, exposing the government’s inability to rein in armed factions. Caught between economic dependence on Washington and Iran-backed destabilisation, Iraq now faces the growing risk of severe American retaliation.
The Arab Weekly
Source: African Defense Forum.
Mali’s Cycle of Atrocities Intensifies
Malian Armed Forces and Africa Corps mercenaries executed seven unarmed Fulani civilians near the Mauritanian border. Al-Qaida-aligned JNIM retaliated with a deadly ambush killing nearly a dozen troops. With atrocities spreading across the border into Mauritania, Human Rights Watch is calling Mali’s military junta to account.
African Defense Forum
Source: Al Jazeera.
Gulf States Welcome the Iran-US Truce
Iran and the United States have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, reopening the Strait of Hormuz as peace talks prepare to begin in Pakistan. Gulf states, Egypt, and others have welcomed the announcement, urging all parties to build on the truce and pursue a lasting diplomatic resolution to the war.
Al Jazeera
Source: The Guardian.
Burkina Faso’s Junta Rejects Democracy
Burkina Faso’s military ruler Ibrahim Traoré has declared that democracy is “not for us”, having already banned political parties and extended his rule until 2029. While he cultivates pan-African support through anti-western rhetoric, his junta is accused of crimes against humanity, including ethnic cleansing.
The Guardian
Source: North Africa Post.
Russia’s Long Shadow Over the Sahel
Leaked internal documents from a Russian-linked network reveal coordinated propaganda and lobbying campaigns aimed at expanding Moscow’s influence across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, while pushing to weaken Western partnerships and open markets for Russian arms.
North Africa Post
Source: Il Sole 24 Ore.
Italy Commands All EU Maritime Missions
Amid mounting tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, Italy has assumed tactical command of all three EU maritime missions: Irini in the Mediterranean, Aspides in the Red Sea, and Atalanta in the Indian Ocean, overseeing a security arc stretching across key global trade chokepoints.
Il Sole 24 Ore

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