Mali, Taiwan, Gaza

Today's three stories you should know

Mali

Self-described Islamist rebels have issued a call to Malians to rise up against the military-led government days after carrying out sophisticated attacks across the country, including in the capital Bamako. Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) launched the assault last weekend in close coordination with the Tuareg-dominated rebel group the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) in which they attacked military bases, seized the town of Kidal - forcing Russia’s Africa Corps to flee - and ​killed the defence minister. JNIM is one of several al-Qaeda- and ISIS-linked rebel groups fighting the governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

More from Reuters here.

NB: Proximities has published a deep dive on the conflict in Mali and the Sahel. You can read it here. There is also a deep dive on the wave of coups in West Africa here.

Taiwan

Taiwan has spoken out after China told the U.S. that Taiwan was the biggest threat to Beijing-Washington relations. “Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is concerned about the press release issued by China … which again unilaterally made threatening remarks,” the foreign ministry said, responding to details of the call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. China views self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway region and has not ruled out the use of military force to take it. The row comes two weeks before U.S. President Donald Trump is due in Beijing for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in which Taiwan is expected to be discussed.

More from the Guardian here.

Gaza

With the world’s eyes now focused on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, attention on Gaza has waned even as Israel continues to launch air strikes and humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian enclave remain dreadful. AP today reported that six months after Israel agreed an ostensible ceasefire with Hamas, severe water shortages are persisting. Almost 90 percent of Gaza’s water infrastructure was destroyed, according to the U.N., including desalination plants and sewage treatment facilities. “The water truck arrives, and some 500 to 1,000 people throw themselves at it,” one mother said. “They start fighting. It’s real suffering.”

More from AP here.