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What did late December 2020 show about the region?
Summary
A look back at three reports from the days before 25 December 2020, touching Belarus, East Asia and Central Africa.
What was the picture on 25 December 2020, as the year drew to a close? The reports from the preceding days pointed to pressure on Minsk, military signalling over the Sea of Japan region and a widening crisis in Africa, with Russia present in two of the three.
Sanctions on Belarus
On 23 December 2020, the Trump administration imposed additional sanctions on Belarusian officials and four offices. The stated reason was human rights abuses during protests against President Alexander Lukashenko.
Joint flights near South Korea
On 22 December 2020, South Korea said it had scrambled fighter jets after four Chinese and fifteen Russian military aircraft entered its air defence identification zone. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said China had notified it in advance of a joint military exercise with Russia.
Russian troops in Central African Republic
On 21 December 2020, Rwanda deployed what it called a protection force to the Central African Republic. Its peacekeepers had been attacked by rebel forces advancing on the capital, Bangui. The Rwandan and Central African Republic governments accused former President François Bozizé of backing the rebels and plotting a coup, which he denied. Russia also sent troops and heavy weaponry to support the government.
Taken together, the three reports showed Russia involved in a joint exercise with China and in support for a government under rebel pressure, while Western sanctions on Belarus continued.
