Off Leash Update: Baltic Cable Incident, Mozambique Unrest and Regional Political Crises

Off Leash update 27 Dec

Russia •Finland's coast guard seized an oil tanker that it says is part of Russia's "shadow fleet" of vessels evading sanctions. Police claim the vessel was involved in another incident of "aggravated vandalism" that severed the Estlink 2 undersea cable between Finland and Estonia (and damaged four other subsea cables). Mozambique •Cautious reports from Mozambique suggest that post-election violence has escalated sharply since Monday, when the country's top court upheld the ruling Frelimo party's win - and opposition runner-up Venancio Mondlane urged his supporters to protest the ruling. •Much of the latest violence occurred during the prison riots reported yesterday, but separate incidents around the country added to the week's death toll - which one NGO estimated at 125. •Zimbabwe's Pres Mnangagwa - who currently chairs the Southern African Development Community (SADC) - said the SADC is standing by to help Mozambique resolve its turmoil...if Frelimo is willing to engage in talks. So far Frelimo hasn't even acknowledged that there's anything to discuss with the opposition. DRC •Following DRC's lawsuit accusing Apple subsidiaries of using conflict minerals from DRC, Apple said it would stop buying minerals that can be traced back to DRC and Rwanda. •The tricky thing about the minerals in question - tantalum, tungsten, and tin - is that supplies from all over the world get smelted together (often in China) before being sold to intermediaries and parts suppliers, so by the time a mineral-containing product gets to Apple, it's impossible to tell whether the mineral content came from DRC or anywhere else. I.e., short of capturing the entire supply chain (which Apple doesn't do), there's no way Apple can guarantee its minerals aren't coming from DRC. Somalia •Al Shabaab issued a statement eulogizing Mohamed Mire, a senior leader who served in a quasi-interior minister capacity. Shabaab's statement claimed Mire was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Lower Shabelle on Tuesday night, and that's probably correct - though the Pentagon hasn't yet confirmed whether it carried out strikes there this week. Other News •South Korea's parliament voted to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo for allegedly stalling the process of impeaching his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol. That throws the executive branch back into disarray, with no clear leader to guide through the crisis. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok will likely become acting president now.