Day: April 6, 2024
Units of the Azerbaijani armed forces opened fire towards Armenian combat positions overnight, using small arms of various calibers. The intensity of the firing varied across several directions of the border.
Specifically, firing occurred towards the combat positions near Sotk (Gegharkunik Province) between 22:25 -22:50, near Verin Shorzha (Gegharkunik Province) at 23:15, near Kut (Gegharkunik Province) at 00:15, near Aravus (Syunik Province) between 23:15-23:20, near Chinari (Tavush Province) between 23:05-23:20, near Movses (Tavush Province) between 00:15-01:20.
According to the Defense Ministry, the shooting was mostly non-targeted and irregular.
Units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia observed significant vehicle movements of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces towards Ishkhanasar between 21:00 and 23:00.
“The aforementioned actions by the Azerbaijani side were evidently provocative, aiming to elicit similar counteractions by the units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia to substantiate Azerbaijani disinformation in recent period,” the Defense Ministry stated.
Assessing the situation, units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia refrained from actions that could contribute to further escalation, leading to the calming of the situation along the border.
The Ministry of Defence also reports that the Azerbaijani propaganda apparatus disseminated disinformation yesterday, misrepresenting the routine rotation of Armenian Armed Forces units as front-line build-up.
The relevant unit of the RA Ministry of Defence, which monitors and analyzes open sources, has observed an increase in the dissemination of disinformation by the Azerbaijani press regarding Armenian media in recent days.
Hence, the Ministty urges compatriots to remain vigilant and rely on official news sources. The Ministry of Defence will continue to inform the public about developments along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and contact line.
US understands that it is impossible to have lasting peace and democracy in the South Caucasus while the Aliyev regime remains in place. https://t.co/Q6vOmzmIOY
— Emin Bred (@emin_bred) April 6, 2024
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NPR News: 04-06-2024 3AM EDT
NANTES, France — Dieudonne Boutrin is a descendant of people enslaved in the Caribbean. Pierre Guillon de Prince’s ancestors, from Nantes, were ship-owners transporting those enslaved. Although contrasting, their families’ histories are linked.
They met in 2021 in Nantes, which was France’s largest port for transatlantic slavery, and have since been working together to raise awareness about the past and its legacy in today’s society.
Originally from the Caribbean island of Martinique, 59-year-old Boutrin moved to Nantes in the 1980s. It was only then that he fully learned about the true extent of slavery.
From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported by mostly European ships and sold into slavery. Researchers estimate at least 2 million people died in the grueling “Middle Passage” voyage across the Atlantic. France trafficked an estimated 1.3 million people to the Americas, including the Caribbean.
“The more I got into the story, the more anger there was,” Boutrin said. “(So) I decided to put all my energy into paying tribute to these men and women.”
Boutrin is the president of the Nantes-based Coque Nomade-Fraternité, an association that wants to “break the silence” around slavery through education.
In 2001, France officially recognized transatlantic slavery as a crime against humanity but, according to the French Foundation for the Remembrance of Slavery, racism persists.
Several cases of police using excessive force against Black people in recent years have highlighted accusations of systemic racism in the French police by human rights groups.
Boutrin’s association is raising funds to finish a 2018 project to build a replica of a 18th century ship that transported captive Africans enslaved by people such as Guillon de Prince’s ancestors. The replica will work as a learning center.
“People will be able to understand the conditions the captives lived in,” he said.
Through the association, Boutrin joined forces with Guillon de Prince, 83, to give guided tours that explore Nantes’ links to slavery. One of the stops is the city’s slavery memorial.
Guillon de Prince has always known his ancestors were involved in slavery as ship-owners, but he made the decision to look deeper into the past in 2015.
They are now encouraging other descendants to join a group they have created to continue what they have described as “memory work.”
“I feared this would be forgotten so I wanted to pass it down to my grandchildren,” Guillon de Prince said. “We will not solve issues of racism if the two (descendants of enslaved and enslavers) do not talk to each other.”