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Fear and survival: Reflections on a year under M23 rule in Goma A journalist reflects on the occupation of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’s largest city.

Check out this recent report from @newhumanitarian.bsky.social on one year of life under rebel rule in a city of 2 million people - #Goma, DR #Congo. Local reporter doesn't exotify the place at all - could be my hometown or yours (maybe it is).
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/firs...

#geography

Yemen Supplement: Who controls Socotra after UAE Pullout? Yemen's far-flung island province has been spared the violence of the last few months, but that doesn't mean nothing has changed there.

#Yemen's large island, #Socotra, was an ecotourism destination. Now its peaceful reputation is marred by infighting fueled by Saudi and Emirati influencers. This detailed report brings things up to date.

www.polgeonow.com/2026/02/who-...

Thanks for the share!

Not disagreeing, but in case you missed it, Socotra is no longer under UAE control (except possibly the outlying islands?).

Interesting and helpful article. One critique: The authors are being very generous in taking the KMT at its word that it believes in the status quo. The party includes a substantial pro-unification faction, and frequently changes the public justifications for its habitually contrarian positions.

The growing threat of conflict in the Horn of Africa With no sign yet of a diplomatic off-ramp, this analysis explores the conflict dynamics that could lead to war.

Nice piece from @newhumanitarian.bsky.social summarizing what's happened in #Tigray since 2022 ceasefire and what scenarios look likely in the near future among fears of renewed #Ethiopia-#Eritrea war. www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/202...

#HornOfAfrica #geopolitics #geography #conflict

Yemen Supplement: Who controls Socotra after UAE Pullout? Yemen's far-flung island province has been spared the violence of the last few months, but that doesn't mean nothing has changed there.

Heard a lot about recent events in #Yemen, but not much about #Socotra? We've got you covered with our new (free) supplement:

"Who controls Socotra after #UAE pullout?"

www.polgeonow.com/2026/02/who-...

#MiddleEast #geography #geopolitics #borderlands #SaudiArabia #independence MENAsky #intsec

Yemen Control Map & Report: Collapse of Separatist Control - Feb. 8, 2025 (Subscription) Just weeks after appearing victorious, Yemen's southern separatists lost almost all their territory, including what they'd controlled for years prior.

New #Yemen control map report for subscribers brings our coverage up to the present, with #SouthYemen separatists having badly lost their gambit for #independence. More info: www.polgeonow.com/2026/02/yeme...

#MiddleEast #maps #geopolitics #Saudi_Arabia #geography #defacto #map #politics #MENAsky

Many countries do treat the SMOM as "sovereign", but it's not considered to have sovereign *territory* as a "state" would. In other words, it can act like an independent country for international relations purposes, but all the land it owns is considered technically part of other countries. (2/2)

Good question! SMOM (widely known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta) is a UN observer, but not an observer *state* - the UN basically treats it as an NGO, and NGOs can have observer seats at the General Assembly. (1/2)

Very bad news for people like us who rely on the Wayback Machine to preserve research sources!

Interesting article (with map) about US law-designated "border zone" for immigration enforcement purposes, which includes most of the country's major cities and some whole states.

Meet the South Pacific Ponzi King With a Bogus Bank — and a Global Fan Club Fugitive Ponzi schemer Noah Musingku reigns over an armed “cargo cult” deep in the interior of one of the world’s most isolated islands. OCCRP went to investigate how he had attracted an international...

From last month, some more good journalism on " #KingdomOfPapaala" on #Bougainville, probably the world's most country-like #micronation, led by financial scammer Noah Musingku www.occrp.org/en/feature/m...

#independence #geography #micronations #PapuaNewGuinea #politicaleconomy #Melanesia

United States membership in the UN's World Health Organization officially ended a few days ago, at the end of the legally-required one-year waiting period from country's withdrawal announcement last year.

#intergovernmental #geopolitics #geography #UnitedNation

Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Withdraws the United States from International Organizations that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States WITHDRAWING FROM INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the withdrawal of the United

"This is rather dramatic but lost in the general media turmoil over everything else - 🇺🇸 is withdrawing from 66 international organizations and treaties, most notably everything connected with climate change, democracy and rule of law."
www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...

Game-changing international ocean treaty comes into force Almost two decades in the making, an international agreement to protect and sustainably use marine life in international waters and the international seabed is due to come into force on Saturday, mark...

Major political geography event: #BBNJ aka " #HighSeasTreaty" takes effect today, meaning new laws governing environmental protection in intl. waters are now binding on 81 countries that have so far ratified it, including #Brazil, #China, #Japan, #France news.un.org/en/story/202... #geography #ocean

For the people who think it's bad that English speakers have English names for countries that don't match the country's local-language name.

(This holds for probably every language on Earth, by the way.)

Thank you!!

Yemen Control Map & Report: Height of Southern Separatist Control - Dec. 30, 2025 (Subscription) For some weeks, Yemen's STC controlled almost all of the former South Yemen, sweeping across the east after years of mostly-unchanged control lines.

New #Yemen control #map + report for our subscribers! This one shows the height of separatist control last month (the later reversals will be covered in a future report):

www.polgeonow.com/2026/01/sout...

#SouthYemen #independence #geography #MiddleEast #RedSea #Houthis #GulfOfAden #Menasky #UAE

Dear @washingtonpost.com: Three of the US's aircraft carriers have their home port within 12 miles of the border with #Mexico (in #SanDiego). Entering "waters near #LatinAmerica" is not the story here. Did you mean #SouthAmerica?

#geography #geographyfail #factcheck #Venezuela

Egypt’s New Administrative Capital Officially Renamed ‘The New Capital’ Egypt’s Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD) has announced that the New Administrative Capital will now be officially referred to as The New Capital in all formal correspondence and g

#Egypt's New Administrative Capital has rebranded itself as "The New Capital". Officially, #Cairo is no longer the country's capital, though some government bodies still operate from there. egyptianstreets.com/2025/11/09/e... #geography #toponymy #worldmap #rename #MiddleEast #Africa

Can't wait to read this one!

Writer @rkluijver.bsky.social and editor @obianyadike.bsky.social receive PolGeoNow's periodic tip of the hat for avoiding the news media standard of calling #Puntland state "semi-autonomous". Puntland as about as autonomous you can get, not even cooperating with #Somalia govt much of the time.

Al-Shabab’s shadow state: Why Somalia’s militants are winning legitimacy The jihadist group's administrative successes pose uncomfortable questions for the international community.

Honored for our #Somalia control #map to have been featured in the second installment of @newhumanitarian.bsky.social's "rebel rule" series on #rebelgovernance in areas outside control of official govts. #geography #defactostates #AlShabaab #HornOfAfrica

www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/202...

Canada plans to recognize Palestinian state, raising allies' pressure on Israel The comment came a day after Britain said it would recognise a Palestinian state in September.

NOW (as of yesterday) #Canada really does say it's planning to recognize #Palestine as an independent country (in Sept., like #France).

www.reuters.com/world/middle...

#geography #independence #Gaza #WestBank #GazaStrip #Israel #geopolitics #PalestinianAuthority #diplomacy #MiddleEast #GazaWar

However, #USA veto at UN Security Council is already the only thing preventing #Palestine from becoming a full member of the #UnitedNations - last time it was considered, #France voted in favor and #UK abstained. press.un.org/en/2024/sc15...

#independence #geography #geopolitics #Israel #WestBank

Britain to recognize Palestine as a state unless Israel agrees to an 'immediate ceasefire' in Gaza In a statement from Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office, the government also called for the release of the remaining hostages held in the Palestinian enclave.

#UK plans to recognize #Palestine as independent country if no #Gaza ceasefire by Sept. If #France also follows through, this would leave #USA as last UN Security Council veto-holder that doesn't consider Palestine a country. www.nbcnews.com/world/united...

#geography #Israel #MiddleEast #Menasky

Thanks!

It can be used that way, but will most people use it that way?