US destroys remaining chemical weapons stockpile
7/7/2023: America's last remaining weapons containing the GB nerve agent and mustard gas were destroyed last month. The global chemical weapons watchdog said the US was the last "possessor state" and that all declared chemical weapons stockpiles globally have now been "irreversibly destroyed."
Source: DW
Mali’s MINUSMA peacekeeping mission: A foreseeable disaster
4/7/2023: Mali's relations with many of its most important partners has been deteriorating since the military coup of May 2021 and the UN Security Council has now decided to withdraw all its peacekeepers. The withdrawal will impact on the work of aid and development organizations that relied on the protection provided by the UN mission.
Source: DW
UN Security Council terminates Mali peacekeeping mission
30/6/2023: The UN Security Council has unanimously approved the complete withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces in Mali, its 15,000 personnel due to leave by the end of this year. Several Council members cautioned that the withdrawal is occurring at a time of fragility in the Sahel region, aggravated by the reported presence of armed actors, including the Wagner Group.
Source: UN News
African blocs demand withdrawal of armed DRC groups
28/6/2023: A quadripartite summit of four African regional blocs has demanded an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in an effort to end the decades-long war. The instability in mineral-rich east DRC is a concern all over the globe.
Source: The East African
Deaths from global conflict at highest in 21st century
28/6/2023: Conflict deaths are higher than they have ever been this century, the new Global Peace Index has found, with over 238,000 people killed in conflicts last year. The average level of "global peacefulness" has sunk for the ninth year in a row.
Source: DW
Mali orders UN peacekeeping mission to leave
16/6/2023: Mali's foreign minister has accused the UN mission of failing to respond to security challenges. The peacekeeping mission was established in 2013 to stabilize the country amid a jihadi insurgency. UN experts have recently pointed to human rights violations exercised by the Malian military junta.
Source: DW
Calls grow to reform UN peacekeeping missions
12/6/2023: A ministerial meeting on UN Peacekeeping has addressed recent challenges, including reputational damage and mistrust, particularly in Africa. Member countries also pledged more women's participation and providing training that would benefit troops.
Source: DW
Nuclear diplomacy takes a hit amid Ukraine war
12/6/2023: The annual assessment of the state of arms and disarmament by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute finds that there are more usable nuclear warheads in military stockpiles in the world than last year. Communication and relations between the main nuclear powers is at its lowest point for decades.
Source: DW
Top five arms exporters hit yearly sales of $85 billion
22/5/23: Global military spending reached a record $2.2 trillion in 2022, enough to cover the year’s UN global humanitarian appeal more than 42 times. Across the world, ongoing conflict has been the primary driver in pushing 117 million people in 19 countries to extreme hunger.
Source: Oxfam International
Former UN chief advocates an International Tribunal for Ukraine
23/4/2023: Ban Ki-moon, the former UN secretary-general, believes that the best way to hold the top Russian leadership accountable is through the establishment of an international tribunal on aggression, based on international law. There can be no lasting peace without justice.
Source: PassBlue