Situation Reports

Ethiopian security forces withdrew from the Tigray region's southern towns of Korem and Alamata on Jan. 28, and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, subsequently seized them, BBC Amharic reported on Jan. 30 based on reports from several local residents.

Turkey has dispatched several F-16 fighter jets and attack helicopters to Somalia, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 30, quoting sources familiar with the matter.

The Islamic State publicly claimed responsibility for the Jan. 28-29 attack on Niamey's Diori Hamani International Airport, which also houses a drone facility, according to a communique tracked by SITE Intelligence Group, Jeune Afrique reported on Jan. 30.

Panama's Supreme Court annulled the contracts held by a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison to operate two ports on both sides of the country's canal, El Pais reported on Jan. 30.

The United States will replace military and civilian leadership at the Civil-Military Coordination Center, or CMCC, a multinational monitoring body designed to oversee the Hamas-Israel ceasefire and facilitate aid into Gaza, Reuters reported on Jan. 30.

The Australian government said a U.S. decision to step back from broad government-backed minimum price guarantees for critical minerals will not derail its national critical minerals strategy, reaffirming plans for a strategic reserve and alternative demand support mechanisms, Reuters reported on Jan. 30.

In a Truth Social post on the evening of Jan. 29, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that his administration is decertifying Bombardier Global Express planes and all other aircraft made in Canada, and would impose a 50% tariff on any Canadian aircraft sold in the United States if the Canadian government did not quickly certify planes made by U.S. competitor Gulfstream.

Right-wing Goias Gov. Ronaldo Caiado joined Brazil's center-right Social Democratic Party, or PSD, and will compete with two other governors for the party's presidential nomination, g1 reported on Jan. 28.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said European countries have begun preliminarily discussing a shared nuclear deterrence framework to complement existing security arrangements with the United States, Reuters reported on Jan. 29.

Heavy clashes were reported on the night of Jan. 28-29 near Niger's Diori Hamani International Airport, with footage showing the use of air defense systems, Jeune Afrique reported on Jan. 29.