How much influence does Pakistan's army have on elections?

Pakistan is about to hold another poll as the opposition complains of unprecedented political repression.

As Pakistan prepares for general elections, they are being overshadowed by concerns about fairness and political unrest.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan is in jail after being convicted on corruption charges and is barred from the vote.

Khan’s rival, Nawaz Sharif, has reconciled with army generals and appears set to win back power.

Sudan army says foreign nationals to be evacuated as Khartoum fighting continues - BBC News

 

Diplomats and nationals from the UK, US, France and China are to be evacuated from Sudan by air as fighting there continues, a statement from the Sudanese army said. Army chief Fattah al-Burhan agreed to facilitate and secure their evacuation "in the coming hours", it said. He is locked in a power struggle with the leader of a rival paramilitary faction, the Rapid Support Forces.

How Mozambique Failed a Town Attacked by Militants | Visual Investigations

 

Insurgents who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State attacked the strategic town of Palma in March. We interviewed survivors and used videos, satellite imagery and ship-tracking data to show how Mozambique’s government failed to protect its civilians — leaving thousands to fend for themselves.

America’s largest militia says it will refuse to recognise Biden as president and ‘resist’ his administration

 In the early 90's in America small groups began forming, what they called militias as a bulwark against what they believed was government overreach through laws and regulations. Some were Neo-Nazi's other's white nationalists and still others believed they were helping to stop America from being taken over by those who attacked American values because they believed in inclusion or by immigrants.  Even though these groups use the word militia to define who and what they represent they aren't. As the constitution in the 2nd amendment the word militia is used in conjunction with well regulated. Meaning that a militia would be part of the government's defense structure. You know, an army. Militia groups today while using that term are not, not have they ever mean part of the countries national defense infrastructure.  Outside of America they would be classified as what they are terrorists and treated as such. Yet the English speaking media refers to these terrorists as militias as if they have some romantic notion of the past before there was a standing army.  

‘Anything he signs into law we won’t recognise as legitimate,’ Oath Keepers founder says

The largest militia group in the US will refuse to recognise President-elect Joe Biden as the nation’s duly elected leader when he is sworn in on 20 January 2021.

The Oath Keepers, an armed right-wing organisation that boasts tens of thousands of members with law enforcement and military backgrounds, was one of several groups to demonstrate in Washington over the weekend at the “Million MAGA March” in support of Donald Trump, whom news networks project has lost the 2020 election.

“I think about half this country won’t recognise Biden as legitimate. They won’t recognise this election,” Stewart Rhodes, who founded the Oath Keepers, told The Independent on Saturday in the nation’s capital.

Donald Trump has embolden these groups through his long standing attacks on the legitimacy of American's electoral process going back to the 2016 election, where despite losing the popular vote he won enough electoral  college votes to win that election. It wasn't enough for him. staring about a year and half ago he began the process again. Following his defeat on 3 November he only amped up his attacks. Encouraging his supporters to question the legitimacy  of Joe Biden's win. In doing so he's set the stage for these groups to commit acts of violence against a government and a state they now view as legitimate.    

The Horrible Things North Korean Soldiers Have To Go Through

Life in North Korea is no walk in the park, but it’s an even more difficult situation when you’re in the military. Serving in the military is something that the majority of North Korean citizens have to do when they reach adulthood—regardless of their gender or occupation. Spending a decade of your life doing something that you don't want to do doesn’t sound good to begin with. North Koreans also have to deal with all of the terrible conditions that soldiers are forced to live through. They have to steal to avoid starvation, they're forced to attack other countries, and they're not able to say no. Life is certainly difficult if you’re in the North Korean army. The conditions are so terrible that some soldiers do their best to leave illegally, which can end horribly if they're caught.