World

At least 18 militia fighters killed in DR Congo: Army

DR Congo’s armed forces said Wednesday they had killed 18 militiamen and lost two soldiers in an ambush in a troubled region in the country’s eastern highlands.

Major Dieudonne Kasereka, the army’s spokesman in South Kivu province, said a unit of reinforcements came under attack while travelling though the village of Kagogo in Uvira district on Tuesday morning.

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The assailants were “militiamen of the Makanika-Twigwaneho coalition,” he said referring to an armed group claiming to represent the Banyamulenge – Congolese Tutsis of Rwandan heritage.

“In the exchange of fire, the army killed 18 militiamen,” while two soldiers died and five were seriously wounded, he said.

More than 120 armed groups are active in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to monitors, many of them a legacy of regional wars that raged in the 1990s.

The Makanika-Twigwaneho are led by an army colonel, Michel Rukundo Makanika, who deserted in early 2020 and set up a force in the Fizi highlands of South Kivu.

The area is the site of long-running feuds over land and resources between the Banyamulenge on one side and the Bembe, Fuliro and Nyindu groups on the other.

Clashes between Banyamulenge combatants and the Congolese army have increased in recent months.

On December 28, a colonel and three soldiers, as well as 12 militiamen, were killed.

World

Israel has not met requirements to join Visa Waiver Program: US

Israel has not met eligibility requirements to join the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP), the US State Department said on Wednesday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he expected his country to join soon.

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Israel is yet to grant free passage for Palestinian-Americans at its airports and into the occupied West Bank, which Washington says is required for Israel to meet the condition of reciprocity to join the program, which would allow Israelis visa-free access to the United States.

Israel “still has significant work to complete on a short timeline to meet all program requirements” by the end of the fiscal year on September 30, deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said by email.

The apparent discord came as tensions spiked between the allies over a contested Israeli judicial overhaul plan.

Netanyahu said earlier on Wednesday that new legislation meant Israel would join in September, and that Israel would in the coming months address outstanding requirements, which it did not detail.
It was unclear if Israel planned to change its approach to Palestinian-Americans.

“Participation in the VWP requires that Israel provide equal treatment and entry rights to all US citizens and nationals, at Israel’s ports of entries and checkpoints, just as the United States would grant such visa-free travel privileges to Israeli citizens,” said the State Department's Patel.

“This includes Palestinian-Americans, including those on the Palestinian Authority population registry.”

Before Netanyahu's announcement, his national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said on Twitter that parliament was due to ratify the last of four bills “that will advance us toward getting the US visa waiver for the citizens of Israel.”

That appeared to refer to the Knesset plenum’s approval in final readings on Wednesday of a law setting up a new national immigration database linked with airline passenger manifests.

Washington had previously called for greater access to databases in Israel about its travelers to the United States.

White House: US doesn’t believe civil war will break out in Israel

Israel’s President Herzog urges immediate halt to judicial overhaul

World

Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan appointed as UAE VP

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has appointed Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the country’s vice president and Minister of Presidential Court, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Wednesday.

Sheikh Mansour was appointed alongside current VP Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, according to WAM.

World

Top US general warns of high ammo use in event of major war

America’s top military officer warned Wednesday that war between the United States and another major power would see “off the charts” munitions consumption and said there is work to be done to ensure the country is prepared.

Ukraine and Russia have fired huge amounts of artillery ammunition since Moscow invaded its neighbor in February 2022, sparking concerns about the amount the United States — which has supplied large amounts of shells to Kyiv — has on hand.

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A “big lesson learned comes out of Ukraine, which is the incredible consumption rates of conventional munitions in what really is a limited regional war,” General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee.

“If there was a war on the Korean peninsula or a great power war between United States and Russia, United States and China, those consumption rates would be off the charts,” he said.

“We’ve got a ways to go to make sure our… stockpiles are prepared for the real contingencies.”

Milley’s remarks came a day after Undersecretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo said the United States aims to greatly expand the production of artillery shells.

“We’re… investing in production capacity — $1.45 billion to expand the 155 mm artillery production from 14,000 a month to over 24,000 later this year, which includes a sixfold increase in production capacity by FY28 to over 85,000 units per month,” he said at an Association of the United States Army symposium.

The country is also seeking to increase production of Javelin launchers and missiles as well as ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket launchers — equipment that has played a key role in Ukraine’s fight against Russian troops, Camarillo said.