Global Briefs: Afghanistan suffers from aid deficit

Fact Box Source: The World Factbook-CIA

Afghanistan

A 6.0 magnitude earthquake and series of aftershocks near Jalalabad in late August and early September highlighted the humanitarian challenges facing the terrorist-­run nation. Foreign governments were hesitant to respond to the Taliban government’s request for aid after the earthquakes destroyed thousands of mud-brick homes, killed more than 2,200 people, and injured thousands more. Meanwhile, some all-male Afghan rescue teams reportedly refused to help injured women due to Taliban rules against male-female contact. The United Nations urged countries to fund relief efforts made ­difficult by mountainous terrain and blocked roads. The U.K. and Australian governments sent money to relief organizations, but not to the Taliban. India and the UAE pledged tents and relief items. International aid to Afghanistan has plummeted since the Taliban seized control in 2021. —Elisa Palumbo

Yemen

In the capital city of Sanaa, hundreds of mourners chanted against Israel and the United States on Sept. 1 as they gathered to attend the funeral of Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and 11 other government officials killed in an Israeli airstrike. The attack a week prior came after the Houthis, an Iran-backed Islamist terror group based in Yemen, launched a cluster-bomb ballistic missile at Israel days earlier. Meanwhile, the Houthis said they were renewing their missile attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, targeting the oil tanker Scarlet Ray, owned by a company with ties to an Israeli billionaire. Houthi attacks over the past two years have increasingly disrupted maritime trade in the Red Sea. Some 12% to 15% of the world’s maritime trade—including 30% of global container traffic—passes through the region. —Jenny Lind Schmitt

Associated Press / Photo by Dita Alangkara

Indonesia

Hundreds of women wearing pink and brandishing brooms joined protesters marching in the capital city of Jakarta on Sept. 3. The Indonesian Women’s Alliance said their brooms symbolized the need to sweep out “the dirt of the state, militarism, and police repression.” The weekslong, sometimes-violent protests, driven by frustration over cost of living problems and a perception of indifference among politicians, grew after a police vehicle struck and killed a 21-year-old taxi driver. President Prabowo Subianto has promised to cut parliament members’ housing and travel allowances, but ­protesters said the concession fell short of full govern­mental reform. —Amy Lewis

Fact Box Source: The World Factbook-CIA

Norway

The Scandinavian nation and the United Kingdom have announced a warship deal and planned joint operations meant to deter Russian submarine activity in waters near Europe. Norway agreed to purchase at least five new antisubmarine frigates from the British navy for 10 billion pounds ($13.5 billion). Norway, which already has four frigate warships, will operate its fleet jointly with eight British frigates to strengthen NATO’s northern flank. Construction of the new warships is expected to last into the 2030s. Since the beginning of Russia’s war with Ukraine, Russian submarine and warship activity has increased in the North Atlantic. Russia continuously builds and commissions new submarines—including several nuclear-powered attack submarines destined for a navy base less than 40 miles from the Norwegian border. —Evangeline Schmitt

Fact Box Source: The World Factbook-CIA

Congo

A high court in Kinshasa sentenced former Justice Minister Constant Mutamba to three years of forced labor Sept. 2 after convicting him of embezzling more than $19 million in public funds. The 37-year-old former minister had pleaded not guilty to the embezzlement charges, which involved money intended for a prison project in the country’s north, and argued the accusations were part of a “political plot.” A 2023 presidential candidate, Mutamba had once campaigned as an anti-corruption advocate. In 2024, he proposed the death penalty for officials caught embezzling public funds. His case was seen by analysts as a key test in the country’s ongoing battle against deep-rooted corruption. The court also barred Mutamba from running for elections for five years after his sentence. —Olalekan Raji

Irfaan Ali Associated Press / Photo by Matias Delacroix

Guyana

President Irfaan Ali, sworn into office Sept. 7 after his reelection days earlier, will have his hands full during his second five-year term. Guyana is enjoying an offshore oil boom, and in the past five years the country’s GDP has nearly quintupled. Ali, 45, has promised to continue investing the wealth into schools, roads, and hospitals. But critics of Ali’s administration say the windfall has been shared unequally, favoring groups connected to his political party. Ali also faces an escalating territorial dispute with neighboring Venezuela. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has threatened to annex a resource-rich area that constitutes two-thirds of Guyana’s territory. Earlier this year, Venezuela held elections for officials who would govern the annexed region. —Evangeline Schmitt