We ignore Sudan at our peril
13/1/2025: Almost two years since the calamitous falling out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, Sudan is facing anarchy, famine, genocide – and ambivalence from the rest of the world. The UAE is the single biggest player in the war, providing the RSF with powerful weapons and drones.
Source: The Guardian
Rights investigators in Syria call for protection of evidence
20/12/2024: A team from the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria has called on caretaker authorities to take immediate measures to protect mass grave sites and preserve critical evidence. The Commission was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011 to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law in Syria.
Source: UN News
Legal noose tightens on Myanmar junta
19/12/2024: Following numerous atrocities including alleged genocide against the Rohingya minority, the International Criminal Court’s Prosecutor has lodged an application for an arrest warrant for Myanmar’s military junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing. But the practical impact of the potential arrest warrant remains to be seen.
Source: East Asia Forum
Israel’s crime of extermination and acts of genocide in Gaza
19/12/2024: A report by Human Rights Watch alleges that Israeli authorities have intentionally deprived Palestinian civilians in Gaza of adequate access to water since October 2023, most likely resulting in thousands of deaths and thus committing the crime against humanity of extermination and acts of genocide.
Source: Human Rights Watch
UN urges parties to re-engage on Iran nuclear deal
17/12/2024: The UN resolution that established the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the international agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, is due to expire in 2025. The UN is concerned at the diplomatic impasse on the breakdown caused by US withdrawal in 2018.
Source: UN News
Amnesty concludes Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza
5/12/2024: A report by Amnesty International concludes that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip. Israel has acted with total impunity in the wake of the deadly Hamas-led attacks in October 2023.
Source: Amnesty International
Why Russia vetoed UN ceasefire resolution for Sudan
1/12/2024: A British-backed UN Security Council draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in the civil war across Sudan was supported by 14 of the 15 Council members but vetoed by Russia. The UK’s foreign minister called the veto a “disgrace.”
Source: PassBlue
Conflict zones grow by two thirds globally since 2021
21/11/2024: Conflict-affected areas across the world have grown 65% since 2021 to encompass 4.6% of the entire global landmass, up from 2.8% three years ago, according to the Conflict Intensity Index. The Middle East and Ukraine remain the most intense theatres of war. However, Africa’s ‘conflict corridor,’ which now spans 4,000 miles from Mali in the west to Somalia in the east, has doubled in size since 2021.
Source: Verisk Maplecroft
Palestine: ICC warrants revive hope for long-delayed justice
21/11/2024: The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against senior Israeli leaders and a Hamas official, despite strong opposition. Israel has signed but not ratified the ICC treaty.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Proposed US landmine transfers gravely threaten civilians
20/11/2024: The Biden administration’s decision to transfer antipersonnel landmines to Ukraine has been criticised by Human Rights Watch. A majority of the world’s countries rejected landmines decades ago due to their indiscriminate nature. Russia has used antipersonnel landmines widely in Ukraine since its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Source: Human Rights Watch