Fulcrum Analytics

Bottom Line Up Front  On 31 October 2025, a video allegedly from al-Qaeda's branch in West Africa, Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), circulated widely online, showing the group claim credit for its first-ever attack in Nigeria. JNIM is already active in Mali, Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Togo. JNIM's name translates as Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims. At the time of writing, JNIM's official propaganda outlet, Az-Zallaqa Media, has not released a statement about the attack and the video in question does not contain any Az-Zallaqa branding.  The video shows weapons, ammunition and military equipment seized from an attack in Nuku, Kwara State, Nigeria. At the time of this report, JNIM's official propaganda outlet, Az-Zallaqa Media, has issued no claim of credit for the attack. The video was taken in a forested area and is narrated by the cameraman. The narrator can be heard saying the words "Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin...

Author: Oyelayo Daniel Adeyinka is a student of English and International Studies at Osun State University (UNIOSUN). His academic focus extends to literary studies and the intersection of media, diplomacy, and leadership. As an aspiring diplomat and an advocate for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 4, 11, 16, & 17), he is passionate about contributing to international peace, effective communication, and global cooperation. Daniel currently serves as the Academic Coordinator and Assistant General Coordinator of the Deeper Life Campus Fellowship, UNIOSUN Ikire Chapter. Publisher: Fulcrum Analytics. Introduction The global power structure has undergone a significant transformation since the end of the Cold War (1947–1991). The unipolar world order, led and dominated by the United States, has gradually given way to a multipolar international system marked by China's emergence, Russia's re-emergence, and new regional behemoths like India and Brazil. This is largely reshufflin...

  The Night Shift Just after midnight, a small red dot flickers off on a map of Johannesburg’s northern suburbs. In a low-lit operations room, a man in a black fleece jacket leans closer to his monitor, watching the signal drop. For him, it’s not panic. It’s protocol. He’s seen this before — the moment when a vehicle’s transponder goes dark, its tracking signal swallowed by silence. He types a quick note into the system: Possible jammer. Initiate chase. Within minutes, a recovery team is in motion — two vehicles, three men, body armor under their jackets, radios hissing in the dark. They speak in shorthand, a dialect of adrenaline and routine. Coordinates, grid squares, engine codes. Each man knows his part, each kilometer a calculation of risk and chance. They are not heroes. They are technicians of crisis — private soldiers in an undeclared war. And somewhere out there, on the other end of that vanished signal, is another South African whose night has just been rewritten. The Sys...