🎙Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks at the 46th meeting of the Council of Heads of Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation under the Russian Foreign Ministry on interregional cooperation with African countries(April 8, 2026, Moscow)
💬 Russia and Africa are bound by long-standing and close ties.
Today, the countries of the continent are striving to finally overcome the remnants of colonial dependence and to strengthen their national sovereignty, above all in the economic and financial spheres.
Those who describe the current period as Africa’s “second awakening” after the decolonisation of the 1960s are right. It was then that political independence was proclaimed, above all thanks to the decisive role of the Soviet Union, which promoted the relevant declarations at the UN.
☝️Recent years have shown that neo-colonial dependence has by no means disappeared. Economically and financially, in terms of control over trade routes and financial flows, Africa still does not enjoy full independence and continues, in economic terms, to serve as a source of raw materials.
👉The lion’s share of added value is still generated elsewhere – to a large extent, and decisively so, in the former metropolitan powers.
African partners spoke about this more than once at the two Russia-African Union summits held in Sochi in 2019 and in St Petersburg in 2023. The decisions adopted at those summits should serve as guidelines in preparing for the next summit, which we plan to hold later this year.
All this will contribute to Africa’s economic emancipation, ensure that it reaps the proper returns and benefits from its natural resources, and support the emergence of the African continent as one of the centres of the rising #MultipolarWorld.
🤝 I would like to stress in particular that we are restoring our presence on the African continent fairly rapidly, after it declined sharply during the breakup of the Soviet Union. At present, Russia has 45 embassies operating across the continent, with four more set to open in the near future.
The key upcoming event on the foreign policy calendar is the third Russia-Africa Summit. It is due to be held in Moscow – this has been agreed – in late October this year. Preparations are currently underway. We count on the active participation of Russian regions in the relevant thematic sessions of this summit.
I would once again like to underscore the special importance we attach to the interregional dimension of Russia-Africa relations. It is a solid foundation which, as it grows stronger, helps ensure the steady development of relations with our partners at the national level.
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❗️ Collision entre deux avions dans un aéroport au #Myanmar
Deux avions sont entrés en collision dans un aéroport du Myanmar après une panne de freins sur un appareil, selon des informations préliminaires. L’avion en mouvement a percuté un Airbus stationné, sans s’arrêter après l’impact. Il a finalement été immobilisé après avoir heurté un chariot à bagages.
source : réseaux sociaux
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🇲🇲#Myanmar: Four people, including alleged prisoners of war, were killed after Myanmar junta fighter jets carried out airstrikes on a location in Mindat Town.
According to regional reports, the Myanmar military has conducted a total of 11 airstrikes over the past two days, with the attacks also reportedly destroying at least 15 civilian homes.
(via @pvtvmyanmar)
🇲🇲#Myanmar: Footage shows rebels from the People's Defence Forces (PDF) firing a Chinese heavy machine gun at a military aircraft operated by the Burmese military.
(via @war_noir)
🇲🇲#Myanmar: Footage from last week shows Chin Defence Forces rebels, alongside the New Society Army, launching rocket attacks on a "KaPaSa" factory, which is an arms and munitions facility operated by the military junta.
🇲🇲#Myanmar: The rebel Karen group “Cobra Column” carried out an attack on junta forces in Wawlay, launching multiple strikes with RPGs and grenade launchers.
The second part of the video shows the rebels firing at junta positions from an entrenched location.
(via @war_noir)
🇲🇲#Myanmar: Footage showing rebel fighters from various units engaging Junta positions with a PKM from inside a trench.
The videos were posted on April 18th - 20th, however, the exact dating of the events remains unclear.
🇲🇲Myanmar Junta Floats Peace Talks, Key Groups Refuse
Myanmar's military-backed president Min Aung Hlaing has called for peace negotiations with armed opposition groups by July 31, five years after his coup plunged the country into civil war. The Karen National Union and the Chin National Front — both named in the offer — have already rejected the proposal.
The outreach comes as the junta faces sustained military pressure across multiple fronts, with ethnic armed organizations and the People's Defence Force holding or contesting significant territory. Min Aung Hlaing rebranded as president under a new military-backed government structure, a move widely seen as an attempt to consolidate legitimacy rather than signal genuine reform.
With two of the named groups publicly refusing, the July 31 deadline faces immediate credibility problems before any talks begin.
#Myanmar
@asianomics
🇲🇲Min Aung Hlaing Sworn In as Myanmar President
Former military chief Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as president of Myanmar on April 10, completing a transition from junta rule to a military-led civilian government more than five years after he seized power in a 2021 coup. He received 429 of 586 parliamentary votes on April 3, with the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party and military appointees holding roughly 86 percent of seats.
Min Aung Hlaing stepped down as commander-in-chief on March 30 to comply with the 2008 Constitution, which bars serving military officers from the presidency. He handed command of the armed forces to Gen. Ye Win Oo, the former military intelligence chief who organized the arrests during the February 2021 coup. A 30-member Cabinet, composed predominantly of active or former senior military officers, was formed and approved by parliament on inauguration day.
China, Russia, Cambodia, and Thailand offered congratulations following Min Aung Hlaing's election. Western nations and Myanmar's opposition forces dismissed the transition as a means of legitimizing permanent military rule. Aung San Suu Kyi remains in detention and her National League for Democracy party has been dissolved.
#Myanmar
@asianomics
🇲🇲#Myanmar: Footage shows an anti-junta rebel training with a belt-fed machine gun, reportedly a Pakistani-made copy of the MG42 known as the MG3.
(via @war_noir)
🇲🇲Myanmar Parliament Votes for President April 3
Myanmar's Parliament is scheduled to hold a bicameral presidential vote on April 3, House Speaker Aung Lin Dwe announced on April 2. Former military chief Min Aung Hlaing is among three vice-presidential candidates eligible for the presidency.
Min Aung Hlaing stepped down as Myanmar's top military commander on March 30 after 15 years in the position. A Lower House member nominated him as a vice-presidential candidate on the same day, alongside candidates put forward by the Upper House and the military's parliamentary bloc.
The vote follows a December–January election won by the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, which the United Nations and multiple Western governments rejected as illegitimate. A joint session of both houses, including military-appointed lawmakers, is set for 10am local time on April 3.
#Myanmar
@asianomics
🇲🇲Myanmar's Spymaster Named New Military Chief
On March 30, General Ye Win Oo was appointed commander-in-chief of Myanmar's military, becoming the first intelligence chief to hold the position. The 60-year-old previously served as Chief of Military Security Affairs and personally led the contingent of troops that detained then-leader Aung San Suu Kyi during the February 2021 coup.
Analysts and a military defector describe Gen Ye Win Oo's selection as driven primarily by his close personal and family ties to outgoing commander General Min Aung Hlaing. Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who shed his uniform following a widely criticized December 2025 election, is expected to assume the presidency and will require the military's continued support in that role.
Gen Ye Win Oo's rise through the ranks, including his 2020 appointment as intelligence chief, is attributed to Gen Min Aung Hlaing's patronage. UN investigators have separately accused Myanmar's security forces of systematic torture and killings during interrogations — abuses documented in a 2025 report by the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar.
#Myanmar
@asianomics