The ISIS of the Philippines

This issue brings you some good news from The Philippines and Senegal. In The Philippines, an extremely violent group that is responsible for kidnappings, suicide bombings and more, is on its way out and in Senegal, the much-awaited elections finally took place, where it's expected to be a close call between two generations. Plus, hand-picked recommendations that introduce you to an Armenian-Egyptian photographer that captured "Arab Hollywood's" biggest stars, a mini-series about feudal Japan and what it does to Western orientalist attitudes and India's most famous and recognizable voice in radio. Last week, an Iranian superstar died, and I'm paying tribute by sharing one of my favorite songs with you. Plus, news from 15+ other countries from the "Global South" to keep you updated (because, let's be honest, where else will you get this summary?).

The Philippines' "ISIS" is officially defeated, says army

What happened:
The curtain is finally drawing on Abu Sayyaf, one of the most violent jihadist groups in the southern Philippines. According to the Philippine military, the group has been "effectively dismantled", after 30 years of fighting with them.

Why this matters:
If true, this is a big win for peace in the Philippines, particularly for Mindanao, the second-largest island in the country and home to more than 20 million folks. Abu Sayyaf has links to both, al-Qaida and ISIS. The extremist group is well known for suicide bombings, kidnapping for ransom, and attacks on civilians and the army.

Tell me more:
The word from Westmincom, the folks in charge of military ops in western Mindanao, is that the Abu Sayyaf's bigwigs and key players have been all "neutralized" (and by "neutralized", we're talking about individuals being either captured, killed, or otherwise prevented from continuing, by any means necessary). A handful of members are still around in the Sulu and Basilan provinces, keeping their heads down. Efforts are underway to encourage them to surrender and reintegrate into society. However, some are skeptical about news of Abu Sayyaf being completely "dismantled" as there's been similar reports in the past.

What did the ASG do?
Oh, what did it not do? In 2004, it bombed a ferry in Manila Bay, killing 116 people -- the deadliest attack in the history of the country. In the last years, it has taken several people hostage -- Malaysian and Indonesian workers, Western tourists and one Filipina among them. Their endgame? Carving out an Islamic State in the southern Philippines. Founded in 1991 by Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, the group has its roots in the separatist insurgency there (the MNLF but they no longer talk to each other); the Mindanao island is quite an impoverished region where Muslims make up a majority of the population in contrast to the rest of the country, which is mainly Roman Catholic. Some say that the roots of Abu Sayyaf lie in the economic and political disparities between the south and other parts of the country. However, once boasting thousands of members, their numbers dwindled to less than 50 by 2021.

Details:
Journalists Sherbien Dacalanio, Alexis Bregere, Justin McCurry and Aruna Popuri for France24 last year visited the island of Jolo, once the group's capital but where Abu Sayyaf has been largely defeated today. The journalists talk to survivors and former child soldiers of Abu Sayyaf, and report on the army's program to help the group's ex-members reintegrate into society.

Dig deeper:
What is it like being taken hostage by the Abu Sayyaf? A former hostage who survived gave an interview to the National Post in 2017. Kjartan Sekkingstad, a Norwegian man, along with two Canadian men and a Filipina woman, were kidnapped for seven months. He talks about his time as a hostage, about how Norway and Canada had a 'we don't negotiate with terrorists' policy, and how he was finally released. It reads like a thriller, honestly. Out of the other hostages, only the Filipina woman made it out alive.

What now?
Experts also say that Abu Sayyaf is not the only "security challenge" in the Mindanao region. Local politicians allegedly are forming private armies. So, the plot thickens.

Here's your guide to the super important elections in Senegal

What happened:
Yesterday, people in Senegal voted to elect the next president. When I finalized this issue yesterday, it was not announced who had won. But because you're a whlw reader, you should know the what and the who, so you can contextualize the results when they do get announced.

Why this matters:
It was an election that almost didn't happen and that got everyone worried about stability in this West African nation. BBC News' West Africa correspondent Mayeni Jones explains why. For starters, the country has never delayed elections before, never had a coup (in a region where coups are deemed almost 'normal') and rightly considers itself to be a paragon of West African democracy. Some seven million people in Senegal and in the diaspora were eligible to vote yesterday.

Tell me more:
To catch you up, now-President Macky Sall really wanted to hold onto power last year as he approached his second term in office. He almost went in for a third time, but widespread protests and the 'international community' (I'm having some trouble with this term, but I trust you know what I mean by it) made him stick to the plan and step down as per constitution. Then there was the whole dilemma with a very popular politician from the opposition, Ousmane Sonko, who was in and out of prison, facing multiple criminal charges that he claims are politically motivated. One of those charges stuck, and he was disqualified from running for office. Widespread protests...