UN Security Council extends South Sudan peacekeeping mission
16/3/2022: The UN Security Council has voted to extend the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in South Sudan for one more year, calling for political dialogue to prevent the country from returning to civil war. Since independence from Sudan in 2011, the country has seen chronic instability, including a bitter civil war between 2013 and 2018.
Source: DW
Fears grow for Syria amid deepening humanitarian crisis
9/3/2022: The latest UN Human Rights Council-mandated report on the nearly 11-year-old conflict warns that more than half of the pre-war population of Syria has been displaced. The poverty rate is an unprecedented 90 percent with 14.6 million people dependent on humanitarian aid.
Source: UN News
We need women to end wars
8/3/2022: The war in Ukraine reminds us that women and girls are disproportionately affected by conflict. Despite the UN's Resolution 1325 adopted 22 years ago recognising the urgent need to mainstream a gender perspective into peacekeeping operations, women continue to be side-lined in peace negotiations.
Source: African Arguments
International courts to investigate Ukraine invasion
7/3/2022: The International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court have both embarked on the process of investigating cases against Russia's actions in Ukraine. The Criminal Court has the stronger foundation for progress.
Source: DW
Just how far will Russian forces go in Ukraine?
3/3/2022: The executive director of Human Rights Watch draws on the evidence of Russian tactics in Syria to anticipate what happens next in Ukraine. Serious violations of the laws of war including cluster bombs and deliberately targeting civilians cannot be ruled out.
Source: The Guardian
UN General Assembly backs condemnation of Russia’s invasion
2/3/2022: 141 UN member states out of a total of 193 backed a UN General Assembly resolution to demand Russia withdraw its troops from Ukraine. It is only the 11th time such a meeting has been called in the UN's 77-year history. The resolution is not legally binding.
Source: DW
Countries request ICC inquiry into war cimes in Ukraine
2/3/2022: Thirty-eight governments have asked the International Criminal Court prosecutor to open an investigation into potential war crimes in Ukraine. Human Rights Watch and others have documented serious violations of the laws of war by Russian forces including the use of cluster munitions.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Ukraine crisis exposes ineffectiveness of UN Security Council
23/2/2022: The UN Security Council whose primary mandate is the maintenance of international peace and security has remained paralyzed in the Ukraine crisis by the double veto option of Russia and China. Civil society voices suggest that the International Court of Justice should examine whether Russia's actions can be reconciled with the UN Charter.
Source: Inter Press Service
Europe’s troop withdrawal leaves Mali in limbo
17/2/2022: The African Union chairman has called for more solidarity with Sahel states in the fight against terrorism. French President Emmanuel Macron has said that France would pull most troops out of Mali within six months.
Source: DW
Macron expected to announce Mali withdrawal
15/2/2022: President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce that French troops will be withdrawn from Mali and redeployed elsewhere in the Sahel following a breakdown in ties with the country's military regime. A pullout would amount to a major strategic shift by France provoked by two military coups in Mali.
Source: The East African