Geopolitical updates
geopolupdates.bsky.social
Geopolitical updates
@geopolupdates.bsky.social
Keeps you updated w geopolitical developments and views. Focus on Africa, the Middle East, Ukraine & other hotspots. Instagram threads: geopol___updates
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The National: Cairo increases pressure on Ethiopia through port deals w #Eritrea (in #Assab) & Djibouti. Plan: to increase capacity & create berths for warships & the scope to post small elite military contingents. The discreet signing took place in Oct. when #Afwerki visited 🇪🇬
December 24, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Western intel: 12.000 North Korean workers building drones in #Russia in exchange for hard currency & tech. In #Alabuga they’re building a better version of the Iranian Shahed drone w Chinese electronics. #Pyongyang also gaining knowledge on demining & anti drone warfare
December 24, 2025 at 12:27 PM
BREAKING: Three people killed due to a car bomb explosion in #Moscow near where general #Sarvarov was killed. Two were police men.
Police officers die in detonation of explosive device in Moscow

In Moscow, two police officers and another person were killed in an explosion. Apparently not far from the place where a Russian general was killed in a bomb attack on Monday.
Russland: Polizisten sterben bei Detonation eines Sprengsatzes in Moskau
In Moskau sind bei einer Explosion zwei Polizisten und eine weitere Person getötet worden. Offenbar nicht weit von der Stelle entfernt, wo ein russischer General am Montag bei einem Bombenanschlag ums...
www.spiegel.de
December 24, 2025 at 9:59 AM
ArabWeekly: #Pakistan reached a deal worth over $4 billion to sell 16 JF17 jets & 12 trainer aircraft, co developed w China, to #Libya’s LNA led by #Haftar, despite a UN arms embargo on 🇱🇾. Its one of Pakistan’s largest arms sales ever. Its recent war w India boosted its image.
December 23, 2025 at 7:09 PM
IFAD & GEF in p’ship w the govs of #Eritrea, Malawi & Kiribati announced investments in climate resilience. It restores & conserves habitats, strengthens resilience by 20% & restores 3500 hectares of mangroves. It empowers 21320 #Eritrean households for a total invesment of $32mln. #Asmara
December 23, 2025 at 12:50 PM
#Trump named a special envoy for #Greenland: “We need it for national security, you got Russian & Chinese ships all over the place”. #Denmark summoned the US ambassador. Trump seems to be serious about Greenland. Copenhagen upped its defense budget & is building navy ships.
Trump: We need Greenland for national security. We have to have it.
December 23, 2025 at 11:52 AM
DW: A blast killed a #Russian general in #Moscow. Its the third killing of a high profile Russian officer in a year. Russia is investigating Kiev’s involvement. Gen. #Sarvarov, responsible for ops training & very experienced, fought in Syria & Chechnya.
Fanil Sarvarov, Head of the Operational Training Department of the Russian armed forces, was blown up in a car in Moscow and died.

Sarvarov took part in Russia's full-scale invasion into Ukraine, took part in wars in Chechnya and Syria.
December 23, 2025 at 9:27 AM
#Trump admitted that the US is after #Venezuelan oil. US unilaterally imposed sanctions on #Caracas & basically conducted an act of piracy & theft by entering an oil ship, ironically doing the same as Somali pirates. Any US invasion of 🇻🇪 is illegal.
Trump is preparing the US military for an invasion of Venezuela in order to steal their oil and natural resources.
December 22, 2025 at 11:17 AM
UAE proxy #STC in Yemen claims control over most of the former S. Yemen lands incl. oil reserves & major ports which strengthens them. Tensions w Saudi backed forces rising. #Houthis watching anxiously as neither STC nor the Houthis likely have the power to attack. #Hadramout
The UAE proxy #STC (Yellow) in Yemen made a strategic & very well timed move similar to Alsharaa’s successful attack on Assad in Syria. While the Saudis focused on its borders & Saudi vision 2030 & the #Yemeni gov was weak & unpopular, it attacked & took lots of territory. #Hadramout
December 21, 2025 at 2:18 PM
The UAE proxy #STC (Yellow) in Yemen made a strategic & very well timed move similar to Alsharaa’s successful attack on Assad in Syria. While the Saudis focused on its borders & Saudi vision 2030 & the #Yemeni gov was weak & unpopular, it attacked & took lots of territory. #Hadramout
December 21, 2025 at 2:11 PM
#Ukrainian (longrange) drone attacks are effectively targeting #Russian oil facilities as far as 2000km away. Russians slowly losing trust in #Putin as inflation & benzine prices affect their lives. Low cost strategy. Putin retaliates by targeting Ukrainian energy facilities.
Ukraine strikes refineries, oil infrastructure, and logistics hubs across Russia.

Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed successful strikes on the Slavyansky Oil Refinery and hits on the territory of the Nikolaevskaya refinery. Explosions and a fire were recorded in Slavyansk-on-Kuban.👇
December 20, 2025 at 4:23 PM
@criticalthreats reports that Saudi is trying to contain UAE proxies #Ethiopia & RSF. In response to RSF pressure on central Sudan, Saudi escalated peace talks & involved Trump. UAE retaliated in Yemen w its proxy STC & the sending of arms to 🇪🇹. #Tigray negotiating w #Addis
December 20, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Visit of the Swedish FM to #Asmara #Eritrea demonstrates the willingness of the EU to engage Eritrea. This comes after 10 yrs of diplomatic work put in by Stockholm & after Eritrea recently released prisoners. Italy & the US are also increasing engagement w Eritrea. #Eritrean
December 18, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Bystander disarms shooter in #Sydney #Australia. At least 10 people killed incl. one shooter police says.
WATCH: Bystander disarms active shooter at Bondi Beach in Sydney
December 14, 2025 at 11:06 AM
#Eritrea’s decision to leave #IGAD is cause IGAD is not a neutral, rule bound institution like the EU. Its secretariat driven, consensus weak, donor dependent & captured by dominant states. Its led by Addis, known for mocking law so change from within not possible now. #Asmara
December 13, 2025 at 5:43 PM
The National: Egyptian pres #ElSisi to visit Washington soon to meet w #Trump. #GERD on the agenda as Cairo will ask Trump to press Addis towards a framework where GERD will be operated jointly by basin nations & a deal where they would need to consult each other before building
December 13, 2025 at 5:23 PM
While the UN chief used balanced language its clear that the UN supports the legal border as defined by the EEBC. The EEBC border includes #Assab inside #Eritrea. Ethiopia stands alone in its illegal claim of an #Eritrean port in order to establish a navy & project power.
UN chief calls on #Eritrea, #Ethiopia to respect border pact on its 25th anniv. Noting that the treaty served to create "mechanisms for demarcating. At this milestone, the SG reiterates the steadfast UN support for the treaty. 7 yrs ago, both renewed their commitment to peace.”
December 12, 2025 at 11:04 AM
UN chief calls on #Eritrea, #Ethiopia to respect border pact on its 25th anniv. Noting that the treaty served to create "mechanisms for demarcating. At this milestone, the SG reiterates the steadfast UN support for the treaty. 7 yrs ago, both renewed their commitment to peace.”
December 12, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Analysts: #Eritrea punches way above its weight. #Eritrean president’s visit to SaudiArabia for multiple days shows #Asmara exerts outsized reg. influence due to its location, disciplined military & foreign policy. 🇪🇷 is seen as a crucial Redsea actor that can alter reg. dynamics
December 10, 2025 at 6:41 AM
If true, the #Sudanese allegation that #Ethiopia hosts #RSF facilities & supply routes could be another strategic blunder by the 🇪🇹n PM. The war could come to Ethiopia which is already a failing state & further isolate it. So far only fact is that there are more UAE flights to 🇪🇹
x.com/afrimeosint/...
x.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:34 PM
US treasury sanctions a network that recruits mercenaries for the #RSF while RSF’s backers (UAE & #Ethiopia) get a pass. Sudanese officials told Aljazeera Ethiopia hosts RSF training facilities, weapons & military vehicles and #Khartoum could open a front on the Ethiopian border.
December 9, 2025 at 7:22 PM
The US security strategy 2025 sent shockwaves through the EU & #NATO. Its seen as #Trump dumping the Europeans for letting strangers inside, for ‘escalating’ w #Russia & for not being able to defend itself. Panic in Europe as it relies on the US for defense, data clouds & energy
US named the Ethiopia #Eritrea conflict as a priority in its national security strategy 2025. Its shifts from aid to investment, minerals & strategic p’ships. #Eritrean self reliance, stability, military power, ports & minerals fit right in. Opportunities for #Ethiopia as well
December 9, 2025 at 8:08 AM
#RSF captured #Heglig; the largest #oil hub under gov control. It host the main processing facility, also for South Sudan’s oil. It cripples the oil revenue of both countries & strengthens RSF’s finances & leverage. This is hugely significant. #Kordofan
While the UAE proxy STC advances in #Hadramaut Yemen, the other UAE proxy RSF in Sudan also gained as it took ElFasher, Babanusa & the #Heglig oilfield. CT reports the RSF prepares to take #ElObeid & SAF prepares to defend & counter. Without Heglig SAF cant export oil.
December 8, 2025 at 6:33 PM
While the UAE proxy STC advances in #Hadramaut Yemen, the other UAE proxy RSF in Sudan also gained as it took ElFasher, Babanusa & the #Heglig oilfield. CT reports the RSF prepares to take #ElObeid & SAF prepares to defend & counter. Without Heglig SAF cant export oil.
December 8, 2025 at 5:59 PM
The current competition betw the UAE & Saudi in #Yemen is more than just diplomatic rivalry. They now differ in economic strategy, regional influence ambitions & preferred proxies. #Hadramaut has become the test ground for shifting Saudi Emirati power. #Eritrea
The UAE push by its proxy #STC in Yemen #Hadramaut risks escalating the diplomatic competition betw Saudi & the UAE in a military confrontation. Regional spillover & disruption of maritime routes is a big risk as well as a humanitarian crisis. The #Houthis could smell chances
December 7, 2025 at 7:29 PM