In the shoutbox, on the topic of bears, my spears came up. @"EndTheMadenssNow" asked for pictures, so here they are:

The set - 



Closer view of the head of the boar spear - 



The original handle on the boar spear was longer and heavier, but it was also warped. Cold Steel, where I got the spear, wouldn't replace it unless I sent it back to them, so rather than have a boar spear with no shaft, I just mounted it to a shovel handle... that re-mount to a shovel handle also made it lighter, and quicker to wield. Faster, sleeker, more responsive, but at the expense of having a 7 foot long, 2 inch thick ash shaft.


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Fascinating article, but much is still being hidden from us.

Quote:Despite claims by experts and historians, not all of human history can be easily explained and many mysteries still remain. Just south of Sicily, surrounded by sapphire waters and sun-soaked shores, the islands of Malta hold many secrets. Prehistoric Malta, along with her sister island Gozo, is filled with archaeological sites including dwellings, temples, and vast subterranean sanctuaries.

Within the few sites of Malta that have been excavated, many strange objects have been found ranging from votive offerings and bones of bygone animal species, to dismembered and burnt human remains, trepanned elongated skulls, stone spheres, enigmatic channels and modified teeth. Archaeologists have even discovered iconic sculptures of an obese woman, culturally linked to carvings found in caves from Spain to Siberia, dating back as far as forty thousand years.

Stranger still, once the primary hypogeum was excavated it was discovered to have unique acoustic properties which appear to have been deliberately designed. Since it’s accidental discovery in 1902, the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum has become a cauldron of speculation, myth, and scientific misconduct. Meanwhile several other sites, such as the Xaghra Hypogeum, are being suppressed entirely.



Hal Saflieni Hypogeum and Xaghra Hypogeum: Catastrophe and Misconduct on Malta

It's quite difficult to summarize the chronology of discoveries, excavations, and reconcilement of archaeological sites on Malta due to the fact that this constitutes an utter coprolite storm of catastrophes and misconduct. We can however begin in 1903 when the Maltese Jesuit archaeologist, ethnographer, and writer Manuel Magri excavated the accidentally discovered hypogeum.

It must be stressed that Magri is one of few early researchers who are excluded from charges of misconduct. Magri devoted his life to preserving knowledge and traditions from the distant past. He is now falsely accused of discarding artifacts from the hypogeum, but the reality is, that only five short years after excavating the hypogeum, Magri died “unexpectedly” and all his reports on the excavation were suspiciously “lost.” According to a May 1920 edition of National Geographic Magazine :

Quote:“In 1906 the work of exploration was begun. Most of the rooms were found to be half-filled with earth, human bones, and broken pottery. It has been estimated that the ruins contained the bones of 33,000 persons, mostly adults. Practically all were found in the greatest disorder, and there had evidently been no regular burial of a complete body” (Volume XXXVII, Number Five, page 466).

• Malta, Shrouded in Megalithic Mystery
  
• Cover Up: Very Early Human Presence in Malta Has Been Intentionally Hidden
  
• The Incredible Sound Effects of Malta’s Hypogeum Hal Saflieni
  

Although no carbon-dating results have been published, the site supposedly dates back to 4,000 BC and 2,000 tons (1,800 metric tons) of stone must have been removed in order to hollow out this three level structure. There is conjecture that there were caves here originally that were then modified, but regardless, this mammoth task combined with the megalithic surface shrines (many of which have been removed or destroyed) would have been an unimaginable task for Bronze Age Homo sapiens using only crude tools.

Similar suspicious circumstances surround the initial discovery and excavation of the Xaghra Hypogeum site on Gozo by Otto Bayer in the 1820s, who is not exempt from the charge of misconduct. Two monumental pillars originally marked the entrance to this site up until 1828, but were removed. By the late 1830s this remarkable site was reburied and its location was “lost” until being rediscovered in 1964. This excavation revealed 220,000 bones belonging mostly to dismembered human skeletons scattered throughout the site. It’s estimated that between 450 and 800 individuals were interred here along with the tusks and bones of extinct species such as dwarf elephants, hippopotamus, deer, and bears. Much of this site remains unstudied, no radiocarbon tests have been published, and this site is not open to the public.



Horrific Myths and Historic Maltese Murders 

Macabre legends and myths swirl around these little islands and if that weren’t strange enough, archaeological records that can be gleaned seem to reinforce the ominous tales. The large numbers of disheveled burials at both the sites mentioned, in archaeological terms are mass graves which typically indicate a crisis that wiped out much of the population. The large quantities alone suggest rapid burials of many individuals, but also, the fact that the remains were dismembered, strongly suggests a lack of reverence for the deceased and therefore, it can be reasonably speculated the bodies were “dumped” presumably after a massacre.

Dr. Josephine Quinn, a modern researcher and faculty member of Oxford (exempt from the misconduct) has definitively established that child sacrifice occurred on Malta. Her discoveries of urns containing burnt remains of infants have been published in the scholarly journal Antiquity. However, it should be pointed out that this practice occurred thousands of years after the hypogeum habitation periods, even taking into account the potentially compromised chronology.

Quinn’s research links the islands with the Carthaginians who are in turn linked to the Phoenicians, who at their origins, are Canaanites. In 2012, Andrew Cross of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem published a paper entitled “Child Sacrifice at the Tophet.” In it he references a Phoenician translation into Latin of a stelae from Carthaginian Malta making reference to deities and the sacrificial practices made to appease them.

Quote:“To the holy lord Saturn (Baal-hammon), a great sacrifice of nighttime (sacrum magnum nocturnum), molchomor (Moloch), breath for breath, blood for blood, life for life (Albright 1965, 235). According to the inscription, the sacrifice to Baal-hammon was made at night. This confirms the chthonic nature of this sacrifice.”

These inscriptions and the much older obese female figurines yield significant clues as to the beliefs and identity of the original inhabitants of Malta. It has been observed that of all the artifacts and artistic renderings, archaeologists haven’t unearthed any depictions of warriors and very few weapons have been discovered. Those that have (ceremonial flint daggers) clearly indicate they were utilized in a ritualistic way rather than for combat. This, along with the many Maltese temples , altars, and shrines all point to this place being a sanctuary of sorts.

Funneling Sacrificial Blood to Deities of the Underworld

Andrew Cross also identifies the name and icon of Baal-hammon’s consort Tanit frequently referenced, more so even than her male consort. These two deities were known by a variety of names as they existed in many regions, the oldest being Mesopotamia (El and Astarte) into the later Greco Roman pantheon (Cronus and Rhea). They also equate to the Egyptian deities Geb and Nut, which is noteworthy because Nut was often depicted as very large and in a prostrate position.

Furthermore, these deities were associated with the underworld, rain, fertility, and were chthonic (belonging to, or inhabiting the underworld) in nature. Cults to underworld deities often built shrines or altars in valleys, canyons, or by rivers thought to have sprung from the subterranean realm, thereby acting as a conduit. Sometimes underground pipes or channels above ground were constructed to funnel sacrificial blood down to these underworld deities in the underworld.

Mediterranean and Mesopotamian mythology is full of beliefs in bloodthirsty beings who dwelled underground or in caves. Interestingly, in Greek tradition the island of Sicily and the surrounding smaller islands were believed to be where the Cyclopes lived. Their traditions also held that the megalithic monuments scattered throughout the Mediterranean were the work of the Cyclopes, hence the term Cyclopean masonry.

Despite the most common image associated with the Cyclopes being the giant, one-eyed cave dwelling cannibal shepherds, there were three different attestations by ancient Greek authors. The first and most common and sensational is that of Homer and the Odyssey. The second comes from Hesiod’s writings, in which he relates that three brother Cyclopes dwelt with Hephaestus beneath a volcano and aided him in the forging of Zeus’s prized thunderbolts. The third is a general reference by several Greek authors to a race responsible for the megalithic constructions .

Many ancient historians like Herodotus or Josephus also make reference to the Troglodyte, a term literally meaning “cave goers.” These accounts vary slightly, but the universal parallels are relevant. In almost every account they are exterminated by the non-cave dwellers, their language is described as unknown or bizarre, they are said to eat lizards, snakes, other reptiles, as well as human beings. They are also mentioned as the inventors of certain musical instruments like the Sambuca (an Asiatic stringed instrument).




Disturbing Modern Legends of Malta’s Hypogeum

One of the most disturbing legends regarding Malta’s hypogeum may be a historical fact, that is certainly how the National Geographic reports it in August 1940 edition:

Quote:“Prehistoric man built temples and chambers in these vaults. In a pit beside a sacrificial altar lie thousands of human skeletons. Years ago one could walk underground from one end of Malta to the other. The government closed the entrances to these tunnels after school children and their teachers became lost in the labyrinth and never returned. For weeks, mothers declared that they had heard wailing and screaming from underground. But numerous excavations and searching parties brought no trace of the lost souls. After three weeks, they were finally given up for dead” (Volume LXXVIII, Number Two).

The grand prize of Mata’s horrific accounts goes to the account relayed by Ms. C. Louis Jessop who visited the hypogeum in 1940 while working for the British Embassy, seemingly just before this missing school children incident occurred. According to her story, Ms. Jessop was on a guided tour of the hypogeum with friends. When the tour guide had reached the end of the tour, Jessop inquired what was beyond the stopping point through a corridor she noticed. At which point he invited her to explore it for herself at her own risk, so she crouch-walked down into the corridor. What follows is her account quoted from Journal of Borderland Research Volume 17 No. 2:

Quote:“I came out first, onto a ledge pathway about two feet wide, with a sheer drop about fifty feet or more on my right and a wall on my left. Thinking it was quite a drop and perhaps should go no further without the guide I held up my candle. There across the cave, from an opening deep below me, emerged twenty persons of giant stature. In single file they walked along a narrow ledge. Their height I judged to be about twenty to twenty-five feet, since their heads came about half-way up the opposite wall. They walked very slowly, taking long strides. Then they all stopped, turned, and raised their heads in my direction. All simultaneously raised their arms and with their hands beckoned me. The movement was something like snatching or feeling for something, as the palms of their hands were face down. Terror rooted me on the spot. I put my left hand on the wall to steady me and stopped again. My hand wasn’t on cold rock, but something soft and wet. As it moved a strong gust of wind came out of nowhere and blew out my candle!”

She goes on to describe scurrying back up the passage completely terrified and how the tour guide seemed to be aware of what she had seen, cautioning her not to reveal it. But even more disturbing, she concludes the story with the guide inviting her to join a schoolteacher who was taking a group on an expedition to explore soon.




Archaeoacoustics and Megalithic Music

In 2014, a team led by archaeoacoustic researcher Linda Eneix, conducted sound experiments from the “oracle room” within the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum . Her team found that when sound is produced in the oracle room, the stone walls subtly vibrate creating reverberating sound waves that reach a resonant frequency of 110 megahertz. The significance of this find cannot be understated, as many other extremely ancient, sacred sites around the world also have this frequency producing effect incorporated into their design, like Newgrange, a Neolithic site at Boyne Valley Ireland, along with many others. Not only does the entire structure ring like a bell via the sound wave emissions, but the human body also resonates via the vibration of water molecules within the tissue.

Neurophysiologist Michael D. Mark has also done experiments relating to this frequency and the sensory effect that influences theta waves and binaural beats within the human brain. Utilizing an EEG (electroencephalography) machine, Mark has determined that this particular frequency stimulates the parietal lobe of the brain, and it is this region that governs a person’s senses of touch, visual and spatial expression, as well as spatial memory and awareness. Furthermore, when subjects were exposed to a wide variety of frequencies, it was this specific frequency that induced what the subjects described as an out-of-body experience.

It has been widely theorized that the sculpture of the obese woman may represent not a fertility goddess, but rather, an oracle similar to that of famed Delphi. It is curious that the common concept of an opera singer is often a pleasantly plump woman who can reach extraordinary octaves when singing, and there has been extremely loose speculation that perhaps a larger person has a correspondingly large rib cage, capable of using larger gusts of air.

Yet another curiosity that crops up in the iconography of the hypogeum are honeycomb patterns. While this may seem random, there is a connection between Greek myths involving prophecy and the female oracle who was referred to as the Delphic Bee, a term which according to Pindar predated Apollo’s usurping of the oracular shrine deity. In other words, its seems that before Apollo was the deity who blessed the Oracle of Delphi with prophecies, there was a preceding deity who was responsible and associated with bees, which seems to be reflected in this hive-like structure which revolved around an oracular queen.



A Quagmire of Questions about Prehistoric Malta

An entire encyclopedia could be devoted to this absolute mess of massive Maltese megaliths , mythology, murder, and misconduct. It is no overstatement to suggest that Malta is a fulcrum point of human history, a crossroads where science and mythology come crashing into each other shattering paradigms. Ultimately, due to the reluctance of institutions like UNESCO and Heritage Malta, only burning questions remain.

Why were all the skulls that were previously on display removed once UNESCO took over the sites in 1980? Was it to conceal the fact that they were missing the Fossa Median, the joint atop the skull? Why was the initial figure of 33,000 skeletons reduced to 7,000, then reduced again to a mere 100? How exactly could tens of thousands of skeletons so precious to human history simply vanish? Why was the Hypogeum of Santa Lucia (yet another suppressed site) never excavated and sealed shut after its discovery in 1973? Why is the Xaghra Hypogeum also sealed off and failing to be studied?

Why, after his initial discovery and excavation, were Emmanuel Magri’s reports never published before or after his death five years later? Why is it that not a single skeleton is now on display, not a single genetic test has been conducted, and not a single radiocarbon analysis published? The evidence suggests that in this instance, the integrity of both local and global institutions like are in question and that investigations of human origins could be distorted as a result.

There are stores closing all over the US. There are a number of different reasons being given for why all these stores are closing. Some of the excuses, I don't believe are at the core of these closing.

I believe online shopping and text to shop, is a far more lucrative sales model than brick and mortar stores. No utility expenses, a great reduction in the number of employees needed, no building insurance, reduced employee insurance, and the list goes on for so many other expenses that will turn to profits.

We were conditioned to online and text shopping during the lock downs, and now the beta test is over. I believe they have many things in store for us. But the stores will be virtual.

Quote:More than 1,400 stores are closing across the US in 2023. Here's the full list.

It has started.

I have, I should say "had" an excellent credit rating. It used to be in the mid 800s fluctuating up and down a point or two. I really only use the card in lieu of cash, and then I pay it off each month.

I had to make a very expensive charge a couple of weeks ago. Hearing aids for my mother. They are not cheap. Not even close to cheap. So I charged it on my credit card.

I knew it was massive, so I paid the amount right away. Well, the payment went in, five days before the doctor actually charged the card, I had a very large negative balance during those five days. When the charge finally came in, I went back to a zero balance.

I don't think it made the credit card company very happy. So they dropped my score by five whole points. I guess this was their way of telling me they were pissed.

I want to laugh, but for some reason this is making me a bit more leery than humored.

No gas stoves and no Diesel trucks coming to some states sooner than you might think. Also the video has a break down in the billions of dollars some blue states are losing in tax revenue due to residents leaving.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan kicks off a Brookings Inst talk on the New Washington Consensus.


White House Transcript


Jake Sullivan outlined an affirmative vision - long requested by allies/partners for what comes after the post Cold War US-led economic order. In a nutshell:

It is a time to build, at home and abroad. This will require a major reorientation of domestic & foreign policy.

The goal is no longer trade for trade’s sake or markets as ends unto themselves: we have larger, more urgent aims— rebuilding our energy, physical & technology infrastructure. And we’ll do it via targeted public investments that crowd in private capital to deliver good jobs.

This is the surest path to all 4 major challenges of the day: resurrecting a middle class, to sowing political support for further decarbonization; to out-competing China; and, through all of this, to repairing faith in democracy itself.

Quite extraordinary, Sullivan's speech can be summarized as "everything we've been saying and doing for 40+ years is now wrong" (markets aren't actually efficient, free trade is bad, etc.)

In short: rules of the game were good when we were winning, but now the rules must change.

Which is why this speech should be seen as America's farewell to the world: "We had this narrative of building a 'rules-based order', it failed for us, we stop the pretense and now unabashedly focus on our own self interests."

Antony Blinken and Sullivan running domestic and foreign policy. Powell is taking orders from the BIS. Intelligence agencies and their blackmail rings running '24 and the media. No need to waste energy on distraction flares. Make yourself relevant to Asian supply chains and the real economy.

The genesis of Putin and the late Soviet era: calcified & geriatric political leadership, quick fall of domination in parts of Europe, disastrous pullout of foray into the graveyard of empires [Afghanistan], an economy & military that people thought were too big to fail.

Quote:Some of America's top experts on the Soviet economy seem just as perplexed by our popular sense of an imminent collapse— especially when it centers on the Soviet economy. Vladimir Treml, a professor of Soviet economics at Duke University, says simply, "Economies this size don't collapse." John Hardt, the Congressional Research Service's top Soviet analyst, likewise sees neither imminent collapse nor any immediate threat to Gorbachev's political future.

Jerry Hough, a Brookings Institution political scientist, whose judgments about Gorbachev are highly regarded, is blunt: despite its current problems, he expects the Soviet economy to begin showing significant improvement within the next two to three years, and he says that when he raised the issue of Gorbachev's possible downfall with a broad range of Soviet citizens on a recent trip, "they looked at me with a blank stare." Hough says that "no one I talked to has the sense of an imminent popular uprising" or of widespread collapse.

The Black Box of Soviet Production

WHEN AMERICANS THINK ABOUT THE SOVIET Union, they often tend to think about scarcity. That, after all, explains the lines, the discontent, the seeming perennial shortage of goods.

The peculiar fact is that the Soviet Union produces an enormous abundance of goods. When you look at primary production (in what is still the world's second largest economy), the Soviets come out first globally year after year in things like oil, natural gas, iron ore, and steel. In 1988, for instance, they produced nearly twice as much steel as the United States did. Taken together, all the things that Marx, Smith, Ricardo, or any other classical theorist of capitalism would tell you are important to industrial success are hallmarks of the Soviet achievement. That's what makes the current disarray of Gorbachev's Russia seem so peculiar at first glance. The disarray down the line leads everyone— Soviets and Westerners alike— to debate what is going on, and why.
Inside the Collapsing Soviet Economy (June 1990)

Some of you may remember the 1995 Nellis footage that was broadcast on Hard Copy and Sightings.

The Military has confirmed this is real footage by locating the Airman who smuggled this footage oou of the base and sending him to prison.

Our Chief processor has been working  on that case ever since that day since he used to work in the same job as the radar operators you hear talking on the tapes, so he had a special interest in the case.

As computer imaging software has advanced through the years, our ability to solve that mystery has advanced as well.

We are close to finishing that project and I will share the Trailers of what we have in store for you here -

Much is a rehash of what some of the subjects and discussion we have seen on ATS and elsewhere. I have always wondered about the high levels and two hot spots on Mars of Zeon-129 which is spoken to in the video. Should we or do we trust NASA for the truth or is their "NEVER A Straight Answer" moniker deserved ? There are many links to this video's references for those who might be interested.

Quote:On July 25th, a NASA scientist was studying images of a region of Mars called "Cydonia" when something caught his eye. He had to take a second to process what he was seeing. He grabbed a magnifying glass. There was no doubt. On the surface of Mars, 140 million miles from Earth, was a structure in the shape of a human face. It was huge; about a mile wide; and showed two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Around the Face were pyramids and structures that didn't look natural. They look like they were built... by someone. The following day, NASA held a press conference. Of the thousands of photos sent back from Mars, all anyone asked about was The Face. Who built it and why? Is it a message from an advanced civilization now long extinct? Is it a religious artifact? Is it solid like the Great Sphinx? Or could it contain chambers like the Great Pyramid? Then NASA threw cold water on the speculation. They said there was a second photograph of the area taken shortly after. And that photo showed that the face was nothing more than an optical illusion. Small problem. That second photo doesn't exist. So why did NASA lie? The answer to *that* question is in the other pictures. #NASA #Mars #Conspiracy

In the Ville it is Derby season. For the month leading up to the Kentucky Derby there are parties, parades, foot races, goat races, car races, festivals, fireworks, etc. For one month they actually clean up the downtown area (which has gone to shit since covid and the Breanna Taylor protests/riots/looting in May of 2020).

Part of cleaning up downtown involves bulldozing the homeless encampments and herding the homeless out of the sight of the tourists, celebrities and high rollers that come in every year for Derby. They double down on scattering the homeless in the final two weeks before the big race which is what prompted this thread.

Having just returned from a quick run to do errands I can tell you the herding of the homeless is in full swing. We always have homeless folks wandering around our section of town but they are few compared to the hordes downtown whose numbers multiplied many times when more and more were bussed in for the "protests" and promised all kinds of free goodies. After the protests were done and the free goodies ran out they were basically stuck here permanently, no better off than they were before- and now a good many of them are running around our area. 

We are in the south end, far from all downtown foolishness, and usually only see a few homeless when we go out and about (except on paydays when you will find "extras" panhandling at the bigger traffic intersections). Today I saw no less than 30 and that was only at the two stores that I went to that are within a few blocks of where we live. I know that doesn't sound like too many but normally I only see a handful and even then only because I traveled further and to more places. None of the homeless I saw today were people I recognized at all, just like anywhere else we have the "usual suspects" that we recognize from seeing regularly- these were refugees from the downtown bulldozer exodus. There will be many, many more before Derby.

Every year this happens. Lord forbid the city lose any tourist money because they are scared of homeless people. Most of them are decent people down on their luck or mentally ill. It just makes me so sad that the city does this to them because they don't want to scare off the tourists. Funny thing about it is that if they REALLY didn't want to scare the tourists they probably shouldn't let them know that Churchill Downs is in the middle of the hood! It just makes me sick to see people lose what little they have to bulldozers and then be herded like livestock all in the name of capitalism. Fuck the Kentucky Derby!!!

Guess I should have put this in rant. Oh well, my bad! 

Round & round we go, again.

NYT skirting a little too close to the forbidden truth here...



NY Times

I think the Times got the name spelling wrong...he is "Haftar".

And guess who just appeared in the world news service about the Sudan crisis... Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar is helping the the RSF paramilitary group fighting with the current government and military leadership which recently approved a Russian Red Sea Naval Base project.

Quote:

Who leads the RSF and how large is the group?

The RSF is led by Vice President Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known universally as Hemedti.

Analysts say the group probably has about 100,000 members. Over the past two years, Hemedti ran a rapid recruitment campaign that helped grow the RSF’s ranks. Its troops come largely from western Sudan, near Darfur, and areas long neglected by the government, including regions in the east near the Red Sea and along the border with South Sudan, experts say.

Before its rapid expansion, a 2019 Congressional Research Service report said that RSF had as many as 50,000 troops, allegedly including child soldiers.

The group’s leader, Hemedti, has humble origins as a camel herder from a minority tribe in Darfur and was once a rebel. He eventually switched sides and turned the RSF into a powerful mercenary group. As he gained influence and wealth in Sudan, Hemedti grew his regional reach as well, deploying troops in Yemen on behalf of Saudi Arabia and in Libya on behalf of the United Arab Emirates.

Hemedti has also gone into business with the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary outfit, in gold mining and security operations in Sudan’s gold mining areas, according to Hudson.

Hemedti’s principal goal is to survive, Hudson said, and to be given a constitutional role in the country. He’s hired public relations firms in Canada and the United Kingdom as he tries to better his image — and the image of the RSF — in Sudan and around the world.

Who are the Rapid Support Forces clashing with Sudan’s military?

Quote:

The Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar helped to prepare the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia now fighting for control of Sudan, for battle in the months before the devastating violence that broke out on 15 April, the Observer has been told by former officials, militia commanders and sources in Sudan and the UK.

The involvement of Haftar, who runs much of the eastern part of Libya, will raise fears of a long-drawn-out conflict in Sudan fuelled by outside interests. Analysts have described a “nightmare scenario” of multiple regional actors and powers fighting a proxy war in the country of more than 45 million people.

Hemedti and Haftar have also collaborated on a range of highly profitable smuggling operations, with middle-ranking commanders in both their militias forging close links as they manage the transit of valuable illicit cargos between the two countries, experts told the Observer.

Only days before the conflict erupted, Haftar ordered the arrest of a deputy of Musa Hilal, a Sudanese militia commander who is a bitter enemy of Hemedti.

Hilal’s forces were responsible for inflicting heavy losses on Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group – another ally of Haftar – in the neighbouring Central African Republic in an ambush near the Sudanese border earlier this year.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Haftar had sent at least one shipment of arms to Hemedti, a claim denied by the LNA, while CNN described flights from LNA-run airbases organised by the Wagner group, which has a presence in both Libya and Sudan.

Russia has built close ties with both Haftar and Hemedti, but Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner group, denied the report.

The Guardian

Quote:Libya’s Haftar denies providing military support to Hemetti

April 20, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Eastern Libyan military leader Khalifa Haftar has denied claims that his Libyan National Army (LNA) provided support to the Rapid Support Forces of Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as “Hemetti,” in Sudan.

In a statement read by LNA spokesman Ahmed Al-Mismari and signed by General Haftar, the General Command refuted reports from some media outlets that the Libyan Arab Armed Forces were backing one party against another in Sudan.

“We were, are and will continue to support the stability and security of the State of Sudan and the safety of its authentic Arab-African people,” emphasized Al-Mismari.

The Wall Street Journal had reported on Wednesday that General Haftar sent military support to the paramilitary forces led by Hemetti.

According to the report, General Haftar dispatched at least one plane to fly military supplies to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, citing anonymous sources. The report also mentioned that Egypt sent warplanes and pilots to back the Sudanese military.

Previously, a Sudanese general who is a member of the Sovereign Council had stated that two neighbouring countries, one of which shares a border with western Sudan, provided support to the militia leader.

In response, Al-Mismari said that they are in touch with the belligerents, supporting efforts to reach a cessation of hostilities in Sudan.

“We are currently conducting urgent contacts with the concerned parties, and we are ready to play a mediating role between the brothers in Sudan to stop the fighting immediately and open the way for peaceful dialogue,” he said.

Haftar’s son visited Sudan, ten days ago, after his designation as honorary president of the Sudanese Mareekh Club and his donation of two million dollars to the club. During his visit, al-Sidiq Haftar met with Hemetti.

Sudan Tribune

Quote:

GENEVA, April 25 (Reuters) - There is a "high risk of biological hazard" in Sudan's capital Khartoum after one of the warring parties seized a laboratory holding measles and cholera pathogens and other hazardous materials, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva via video link from Sudan, the WHO's representative in the country, Nima Saeed Abid, said technicians were unable to gain access to the National Public Health Laboratory to secure the materials.

"This is the main concern: no accessibility to the lab technicians to go to the lab and safely contain the biological material and substances available," he said, declining to specify which side had seized the facility.

Fighting erupted between the Sudanese armed forces and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries on April 15 and has killed at least 459 people and injured 4,072, according to the WHO's latest figures. Abid said this was an undercount, adding that he had seen two bodies in the street himself in recent days.

The clashes have paralysed hospitals and other essential services, and left many stranded in their homes with dwindling supplies of food and water. The WHO has reported 14 attacks on health facilities since the clashes began and is relocating its staff to safety.

Abid said he was transferred from Khartoum to Port Sudan on Monday as part of a large convoy that drove for 30 hours through the desert.

The United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA) has been forced to cut back on some of its activities in parts of Sudan due to intense fighting.

At least five aid workers have been killed since fighting broke out and the two U.N. agencies who lost staff, the International Organization for Migration and the World Food Programme, have suspended their activities.

"In areas where intense fighting has hampered our humanitarian operations, we have been forced to reduce our footprint," said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the OCHA. "But we are committed to continue to deliver for the people of Sudan."

Patrick Youssef, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Regional Director for Africa, urged other countries to continue pressure on Sudan to find a "long-lasting solution", even after foreigners had been evacuated.

'High bio-hazard risk' in Sudan