14, February 2024
North Korea fires several cruise missiles into Sea of Japan 0
North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles Wednesday, Seoul’s military said, part of a string of weapons tests this year that have accompanied increasingly aggressive rhetoric from leader Kim Jong Un.
So far this year, Kim has declared South Korea his country’s “principal enemy”, jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war over “even 0.001 mm” of territorial infringement.
Pyongyang has also ramped up weapons tests, including cruise missiles, an “underwater nuclear weapon system” and a solid-fuelled hypersonic ballistic missile.
“Our military detected several unknown cruise missiles over the waters northeast of Wonsan around 09:00 today (1200 GMT) and South Korea-US intelligence authorities are conducting a detailed analysis,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
It added that the military was “strengthening surveillance and vigilance, and closely watching for any additional signs and activities from North Korea”.
Earlier this week, North Korea announced it had tested a new control system for a multiple rocket launcher it said would have an “increased” battlefield role.
The cruise missile launches have prompted speculation from experts that it is testing the weapons before shipping them to Moscow for use in Ukraine.
Pyongyang and Moscow have bolstered ties in recent months, with leader Kim Jong Un making a rare trip to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin in September.
Seoul and Washington have accused the North of supplying Russia with weapons in exchange for technical support for Kim’s nascent satellite programme, which would violate a raft of UN sanctions on both regimes.
Unlike their ballistic counterparts, the testing of cruise missiles is not banned under current UN sanctions on Pyongyang.
Cruise missiles tend to be jet-propelled and fly at a lower altitude than more sophisticated ballistic missiles, making them harder to detect and intercept.
“It is believed that North Korea exported large quantities of multiple rocket launchers to Russia last year,” Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP.
He added that there may have been quality issues with some of the exported weapons and that the recent spate of testing could be leader Kim “taking action to address the issue”.
‘Put an end’ to South Korea
Kim repeated last week that Pyongyang would not hesitate to “put an end” to South Korea if attacked, calling Seoul the North’s “most dangerous and first enemy state and invariable arch-enemy”.
In January, North Korea fired an artillery barrage near two South Korean border islands, prompting a live-fire drill by the South and evacuation orders for residents.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed a strong response if Pyongyang attacks, calling on his military to “act first, report later” if provoked.
The hawkish Yoon has bolstered defence cooperation with the United States and Japan since coming to office in 2022, including expanding joint drills, to counter Pyongyang’s growing threats.
With a US presidential election later this year, the North could potentially ramp up its provocations to take advantage of American political gridlock, Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Center for Korean Peninsula Strategy at the Sejong Institute, wrote in a report.
North Korea could “conduct attacks on (South Korea’s) Baengnyeong Island, Daecheong Island, and Socheong Island based on their confidence in the advancement of nuclear and missile capabilities,” he wrote.
Pyongyang has drawn closer to Moscow in areas beyond defence, with a group of Russian tourists — the first known foreign tour group since before pandemic-linked border closures in 2020 — arriving in the North Friday for a four-day visit.
It has become harder for Russians to travel to Europe and the United States since sanctions were imposed following the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who has also visited Pyongyang, said last year that the North could be recommended as a tourist destination, Tass reported.
Source: AFP
14, February 2024
Ambazonia: Vice President Yerima makes statement on Ngarbuh 0
REMEMBERING THE MASSCRE OF NGARBUH
Paul Biya’s genocidal war in Ambazonia brought and continues to bring the destruction of lives, families, and communities just as we witnessed at Nkambe central Donga Mantung County a few days ago. Today marks four years since the Ngarbuh massacre. Let us reflect on that incident which at least 22 people were killed, including 14 children, 9 of whom were younger than 5 and an unborn child, examining the profound impact it had on our nation and the broader implications it holds for humanity. This should always remind us of our collective responsibility to fight for justice and peace to return to our communities and our nation.
Our villages and cities are battlegrounds for this war of genocide, and nobody can assure the safety of our citizens because Biya’s invading military have resulted to looting, targeting civilians, civilian areas, institutions such as schools, churches, and hospitals. Among the casualties we see on daily basis form the invading military of French Cameroun are mostly young men, women, and children. The images that emerged from the scenes are always haunting: rubble-strewn homes, burnt homes with human lifeless bodes inside, lifeless bodies of the innocent strewn around our communities, some in rivers and in some cases mass graves to hide the hallmarks of genocide.
As we grapple with the aftermath of the massacre of Ngarbu today, let us reflect on the very essence of humanity. How could such senseless violence be unleashed upon those who posed no threat? How many more of such incidents will be carried out in our territory before this war of extermination comes to an end? The faces of the victims, frozen in time, haunt our dreams, reminding us of the fragility of life and the brutality of Biya’s senseless war in Ambazonia. The pain and suffering inflicted upon the innocent leave scars in us that may never fully heal.
These incidents serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need for justice and peace which can only come through dialogue, without preconditions, and addressing the root causes of the senseless war of extermination in Ambazonia. They underscore the importance of safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable during times of war and holding perpetrators of violence accountable for their actions. Furthermore, they highlight the critical role of remembrance in honoring the memories of those we have lost, preventing future atrocities to occur in our communities through the best means possible and as a people, stay focused, determined, and resilient to our quest for a free and peaceful Ambazonia.
In remembering the tragedy of Ngarbu and many that claimed the lives of our citizens in the ongoing Biya’s senseless war, we are compelled to confront the harsh realities of armed conflict, fight for justice and peace and strive for a future where such senseless violence is but a distant memory. As we honor the victims and their families, let us renew our commitment to fight for a free Ambazonia and contribute to building a world where peace reigns supreme, and the horrors of war are relegated to the pages of history.
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God bless the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.
Dabney Yerima
Vice President
Federal Republic of Southern Cameroons/Ambazonia