Global military spending surges amid war and insecurity
22/4/2024: Total global military expenditure reached $2,443 billion in 2023, an increase of 6.8 per cent in real terms from 2022. This was the steepest year-on-year increase since 2009 according to new data on global military spending published today by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Europe’s indifference to Rwanda’s atrocities is costing Congolese lives
19/4/2024: A decade ago, Europe responded to Rwanda’s incursions into the Democratic Republic of Congo with sanctions. Today, it’s turning a blind eye – with devastating consequences for the Congolese. Rwanda continues to receive unprecedented sums from Europe and the UK for development, despite evidence that the M23 rebel group has again led a military assault in eastern DRC.
Source: African Arguments
War in Sudan is ‘a crisis of epic proportions’ as atrocities abound
19/4/2024: Top UN and African Union officials have warned the Security Council that the world must rethink the way it supports the Sudanese people. Efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in the year-long war have been hampered by the support that rival armies obtain from outside Sudan, flouting the Council’s sanctions regime. Meanwhile, extreme food insecurity has prompted UN agencies to launch a famine prevention plan.
Source: UN News
Sudan’s year of war: why there’s no hope for a cease-fire
14/4/2024: After a year of war in Sudan, the call to negotiate an immediate cease-fire by Norway and other Western governments has gone unheeded. As more local and international actors get involved, the outlook remains grim despite the suffering of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Source: DW
Deaths of peacekeepers underline concerns over Congo mission
10/4/2024: Three Tanzanian soldiers have been killed whilst deployed by the Southern African Development Community's (SADC) mission to defeat M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The SADC force is considerably smaller than the 5,000 military personnel originally pledged and lacks vital support and equipment. The UN has started pulling out its 15,000 peacekeepers after Congo's government asked it to leave.
Source: DW
Germany faces top UN court over Gaza genocide claims
8/4/2024: The International Court of Justice in The Hague is about to hear a case brought by Nicaragua that Germany "has "failed to fulfill its obligation to prevent the genocide committed and being committed against the Palestinian people." Germany is hardly Israel's only ally but has been a major supplier of weapons since the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
Source: DW
Rwanda marks 30 years since 1994 genocide of Tutsis
7/4/2024: April 7 marks 30 years since the start of a genocide that would see nearly 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus murdered in Rwanda. The Rwandan diaspora is now the greatest challenge for stability — the people who did not participate in Rwanda's efforts to push for reconciliation between survivors and those who perpetrated the genocide.
Source: DW
How the Myanmar regime is surviving
3/4/2024: Despite some major wins by insurgent groups, the junta remains strong due to its control of arms and air power. International sanctions on aviation fuel supplies to Myanmar appear to be ineffective to date.
Source: The Interpreter
UN Security Council holds rare disarmament debate
3/4/2024: A high-level UN Security Council meeting on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation has underscored the urgency of addressing the growing threats posed by nuclear weapons. It also highlighted the chronic divisions among key states on disarmament and nonproliferation issues.
Source: Arms Control Association
ICJ orders Israel to take action to address famine in Gaza
28/3/2024: Judges at the International Court of Justice have unanimously ordered Israel to ensure that basic food supplies arrive without delay to the Palestinian population in Gaza. In its legally binding order, the Court observed that worsening conditions of life and famine and starvation are spreading.
Source: Al Jazeera