Amnesty International responded to the enactment of Amnesty Law No. 10 of 2024 in the Autonomous Administration of North & East Syria (AANES) in a press release July 23. The rights group commended the new law, which calls for a review of convictions under the regional administration's expansive counter-terrorism laws. Aya Majzoub, Amnesty International's deputy regional director for the Middle East, said: "The general amnesty law could reduce the sentences of Syrians convicted after unfair trials in the People's Defence Courts, or, in some cases, offer them the chance to be free and resume their lives. Detainees were denied access to a lawyer and in many cases were subjected to torture or other ill-treatment to extract forced confessions."

A commander of Russia's paramilitary Africa Corps was killed along with some 50 of his fighters in an insurgent ambush amid a sandstorm in northern Mali on July 27. The attack, in Tinzaouatène district along the Algerian border northeast of the desert city of Kidal, is said to be the biggest loss ever for Russian forces in Africa. However, it is unclear who carried it out, as two mutually hostile groups have claimed responsibility. "Our forces decisively obliterated these enemy columns," said a statement by Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesman for the Permanent Strategic Cadre for Peace, Security & Development (CSP-PSD), an alliance of Tuareg rebel groups fighting for independence in Mali's north, formery known as the Coordinating Body of Azawad Movements (CMA). But a separate statement by Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, also claimed sole responsibility for the attack. The Malian regime and Russian mercenaries have been fighting both groups in the region. (CNN, BBC News, FDD, Al Jazeera)

An ambush by local militia on a weapons convoy in central Somalia has been described as the country's "single most serious incident of arms proliferation." The looted weapons included assault rifles, machine guns, and rocket-propelled grenades. The convoy had crossed from Ethiopia on July 15 when it was attacked near the border town of Abudwaq (Galmudug state). The consignment is believed to have been destined for one of the clans in the area that is allied with government forces waging a stalled offensive against the jihadist group al-Shabab. The price of an AK-47 has since dropped by one third on the local market. The weapons are not only likely to fuel inter-clan conflict, but they could also be bought by a resurgent al-Shabab or by bandits in northern Kenya. As al-Shabab wins back territory, it's prioritizing its rural political message, while continuing its campaign of bomb attacks in the capital, Mogadishu. 

Israeli warplanes hit several targets in southern Lebanon early July 28, as diplomats worked frantically to prevent a regional war after a rocket strike that killed 12 youths the previous day in the Golan Heights. Israel is blaming Hezbollah for the rocket, which struck a football field in the Druze village of Majdal Shams.

Trump and MAGA are no longer hiding their intention to instate a dictatorship if they regain power, and the most radical elements of their base are mobilizing to unleash a reign of terror on the local level from coast to coast. The Democrats, however, have regained some momentum since Biden relinquished his candidacy in favor of Kamala Harris—who is certainly compromised, but (at least!) not a fascist.  And progressives are organizing against the fascist attack on the grassroots level. But Palestine remains a wedge issue that could divide the progressive camp. In Episode 236 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg continues to look for a way forward. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon.

European governments have reacted to a growing wave of direct-action protests by climate activists with heavy-handed policing, effectively criminalizing such campaigns, seeking to dissolve groups, and imposing restrictions on basic rights, Human Rights Watch charged in a July 22 statement. "This creates serious risks to environmental activism and civil society as a whole and undercuts vital efforts to address the climate crisis," the group found. 

Amnesty International urged Malian authorities to immediately release dissident Youssouf Daba Diawara and 11 other arbitrarily detained opposition politicians in a July 19 statement. According to the statement, Mali's junta has been arbitrarily holding these political figures solely for exercising their civil rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. Diawara was coordinator of the Association of Movements, Friends & Supporters of Imam Mahmud Dicko (CMAS) until it was dissolved by the authorities in March. On July 12, armed men forced him out of his car in Bamako and took him to the Gendarmerie's Criminal Investigations Brigade. He was charged with "opposition to legitimate authority" for participating in a protest against power cuts and inflation in June. His trial is scheduled for October.

Meeting in the Chinese capital July 23, senior leaders from Fatah and Hamas as well as 12 other Palestinian factions signed a joint document called the "Beijing Declaration to End the Division & Strengthen Palestinian National Unity." A statement released by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the meeting reads: "The most important consensus from the Beijing talks is to achieve reconciliation and unity among the 14 factions; the core outcome is the affirmation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people; the biggest highlight is the agreement on establishing an interim government of national reconciliation focusing on the post-conflict reconstruction of Gaza; and the strongest call is for truly establishing an independent State of Palestine in accordance with relevant UN resolutions."