Mass graves sites in Syria expose ousted President Assad’s ‘machinery of deat’ with about 100,00 killed
An international war crimes prosecutor said on Tuesday that evidence emerging from mass grave sites in Syria has exposed a state-run “machinery of death” under toppled leader Bashar al-Assad in which he estimated more than 100,000 people were tortured and murdered since 2013. Speaking after visiting two mass grave sites...
Syrian Christians attend Sunday services in test of Islamist rulers’ promise to protect minorities
In the coastal city of Latakia, long an Assad stronghold, Lina Akhras, a parish council secretary at the St George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, said on Sunday that Christians had been “comfortable” under his rule in terms of freedom of belief but that they just wanted to live in peace and harmony.
Forced out of school by war some 17m Sudanese children currently rely on aid groups for succour
International aid groups and UN agencies are providing some education assistance in parts of the country where there has been less fighting. And schools have also reopened in some areas that are fully controlled by the army-aligned government.
Fierce fighting intensifies between national army and rebels in eastern Congo ahead of peace talks
M23 is one of about 200 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, in a conflict that has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced.
Israeli war crimes: Neutrality principle espoused by aid agencies is deathly complicity in rights abuse
International aid groups must do what their Palestinian colleagues have been doing for a long time, and speak out – in plain language – about Israel’s war crimes in Gaza. If not, history will judge this as moral cowardice or, worse still, complicity.
Africa deserves three permanent UN Security Council seats, say African Union chair candidates
Despite the continent’s young population of 1.4 billion that is set to double by 2050, regional trade has faced challenges that were addressed in the Friday debate.
Beyond zero tolerance: Expert views on sexual abuse accountability and supporting survivors
These systemic failures in response mechanisms, from cultural taboos to operational shortcomings, create significant barriers to survivors seeking justice. This was evidenced repeatedly in the CAR investigation – for example when Jeanne* shared her experiences, noting that “If I haven’t gone to see MINUSCA, it is because I don’t know who to turn to, but also because I am afraid.”
Investigation details how UAE flights land at airstrip UN says supplies arms to Sudan rebels
Three weapons experts, two of whom have worked as UN investigators, said the crates appeared unlikely to be carrying humanitarian aid, which is often packaged in cardboard boxes wrapped in plastic and stacked high on pallets due to its light weight. The crates in the video appear to be metal and are stacked low on the pallets.
Semi-autonomous Jubbaland military claims victory over Somalia National Army, which pulled out of region
The national government in Mogadishu, led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, had tried to stop the November vote from taking place, saying it was being held without federal involvement.
Depletion of flora and fauna in Congo Forest worries greens as Chinese gold mining threatens protected UN heritage site
Spanning more than 13,000 square kilometres (5,000 square miles), the Okapi Wildlife Reserve became a protected site in 1996, due to its unique biodiversity and large number of threatened species, including its namesake, the okapi, a forest giraffe, of which it holds some 15 per cent of the world’s remaining 30,000. It’s part of the Congo Basin rainforest – the world’s second-biggest – and a vital carbon sink that helps mitigate climate change. It also has vast mineral wealth such as gold and diamonds.
