Iran nuclear talks end as EU submits ‘final text’
8/8/2022: Diplomats involved in the negotiations in Vienna to revive the Iran nuclear deal have returned to their capitals with a draft for a new agreement. Iran has massively expanded its nuclear activities since the pact collapsed in 2018 following Washington's decision to pull out.
Source: DW
Nuclear-free world is possible, test-ban treaty chief says
5/8/2022: A UN conference is under way to review progress towards implementing the 50-year-old Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Although only one country has tested weapons this millennium, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty has not been ratified due to a small number of hold-out countries.
Source: UN News
Nuclear weapons a ‘loaded gun’, UN chief warns in Hiroshima
6/8/2022: On the 77th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, UN head Antonio Guterres warned of the risk posed by nuclear weapons held in state arsenals worldwide. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, President Vladimir Putin has made thinly veiled threats to deploy tactical nuclear weapons.
Source: CNA
South Sudan extends transitional government by two years
4/8/2022: South Sudan’s leaders have failed to achieve their timetable for organising elections in accordance with the 2018 peace agreement. The troika of the US, UK and Norway, donors of the peace process, boycotted the announcement of an extension of the transitional government.
Source: The East African
Yemen truce renewed for another two months
2/8/2022: The UN-brokered truce that first came into effect on 2 April has been extended to October, marking the longest period of relative calm in Yemen in more than seven years of conflict. The extension includes a commitment by the Government and Houthi rebels to intensify negotiations to reach an expanded agreement.
Source: UN News
DRC loses faith with UN peacekeeping mission
3/8/2022: The UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been in the DRC since 2010 but recent incidents have undermined confidence. Citizen protests may prompt greater involvement of East African peacekeeping resources.
Source: The East African
Accusation of war crimes for use of landmines in Myanmar
20/7/2022: The Myanmar military is committing war crimes by laying antipersonnel landmines on a massive scale in and around villages in Kayah State, according to Amnesty International. Antipersonnel landmines are inherently indiscriminate and their use is internationally banned.
Source: Amnesty International
Simplifying peacemaking in a complex world
12/7/2022: Since the early-2000s, the world has become more complex with a range of new actors complicating efforts to achieve peace, compounded by the inadequacy of the UN. Three former heads of state of Nigeria, South Africa, and Ethiopia reflect on what it takes to end conflict in a meaningful way.
Source: African Arguments
Biden should not renew arms sales to Saudi Arabia
14/7/2022: Reports suggest that the ban on US sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia will be reviewed during the forthcoming visit of President Biden. Since the beginning of the war in Yemen, Human Rights Watch and other groups have documented how the Saudi- and UAE-led coalition has used US weapons in apparent unlawful airstrikes.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Probe into war crimes in Ukraine needs coordination
14/7/2022: A conference hosted by the International Criminal Court has agreed to coordinate efforts to bring perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine to justice. There are concerns that too many organisations are investigating the evidence.
Source: DW