• UK embassy closes due to threats in Cairo

    The British Embassy in Cairo was closed to the public due to concerns over suspected militant plans to target foreign embassies in Egypt, reports Reuters.

    “The decision to suspend public services at the embassy has been taken for security reasons and is in the best interests of our staff,” said an embassy spokesman.
  • Israel accused of conducting airstrikes in Syria
    The Syrian armed forces general command accused Israel of conducting two airstrikes near Damascus, in a statement made on Sunday.

    Israeli officials refused to confirm or deny responsibility for the airstrikes, and, in a statement made last week, pledged to continue to deal with regional threats, reports the New York Times.
  • Uruguay will resettle Guantanamo detainees

    Uruguay will take in six Guantanamo Bay detainees on humanitarian grounds and resettle them in the country, according to President Jose Mujica.

    Newspaper reports in the country say the detainees, who have been held in the US facility for years without trial, are due to arrive on Tuesday.

    A total of 172 men remain in the facility, with over half cleared for release but unable to leave, due to instability in their country.

  • US to keep 1,000 extra troops in Afghanistan
    The United States will keep a further 1,000 additional soldiers in Afghanistan next year, the US defence secretary announced on Saturday.

    Chuck Hagel said that additional forces were required to do unexpected delays in signing security pacts with Afghanistan.

    “The recent wave of Taliban attacks has made it clear that the international community must not waver in its support for a stable, secure and prosperous Afghanistan,” said Hagel.
  • US, South African hostages killed in rescue attempt

    An American journalist and South African teacher have been killed in Yemen, after US and Yemeni security forces launched a rescue attempt to free hostages being held by al-Qaeda militants.

    US Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed the deaths of Luke Somers and Pierre Korkie, who were being detained by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

    The bid to free the hostages also saw 10 militants killed in the raid. The operation was approved following “compelling indication that Luke's life was in immediate danger,” said the Secretary of State.

    US President Barack Obama condemned “the barbaric murder of Luke Somers at the hands of Al-Qa'ida terrorists”, adding that “the United States will spare no effort to use all of its military, intelligence, and diplomatic capabilities to bring Americans home safely, wherever they are located.” 

    “Terrorists who seek to harm our citizens will feel the long arm of American justice,” continued Obama in a statement released on Saturday.

  • ‘Suspend deportations to Libya’ says HRW, amid fears of ISIS expansion

    Human Rights Watch has called for the suspension of forcible deportations to Libya amid fears of the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.

    “The armed conflicts and lawlessness in Libya are giving rise to indiscriminate violence and widespread human rights abuses,” warned Human Rights Watch. It went on to say “anyone forcibly returned to any part of Libya would be exposed to a real risk of serious harm, which would constitute what is known as refoulement under international law.”

    The non-governmental organisation’s statement comes as the European Union coordinator for anti-terrorism Gilles de Kerchove stated that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) could expand in to Libya. The north-eastern city of Derna is thought to be under the control of Islamist militias, some of whom have pledged allegiance to the group.

    De Kerchove echoed fears raised by the commander of the US army’s Africa Command, who said that ISIS “has begun its efforts over in the east out there.” General David Rodriguez told reporters that “it’s mainly about people coming for training and logistics support right now.” 

  • Israeli president backtracks on Armenian genocide recognition

    Israel's president Reuven Rivlin has decided not to renew his signature on a petition calling on the Israeli government to officially recognise the killing of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, reports the Times of Israel.

  • Commemorations held in South Africa honouring Nelson Mandela one year after his death
    Commemorations were held across South Africa on Friday, to remember and honour anti-apartheid icon, Nelson Mandela, who died one year ago after a long period of illness, at the age of 95.

    Official ceremonies and a number of different remembrance events are set to continue over the weekend in South Africa. Mandela was elected as South Africa’s first black president in 1994 after spending 27 years in prison as a result of his role in the struggle against apartheid. Despite their political differences, various groups across South Africa and around the world paid tribute to him on Friday. 

    In a written statement, President Barack Obama and the First Lady, Michelle Obama, stated,
    “One year ago the world lost a leader whose struggle and sacrifices inspired us to stand up for our fundamental principles, whose example reminded us of the enduring need for compassion, understanding, and reconciliation, and whose vision saw the promise of a better world.”
  • Kenyatta decision marks a 'dark day' for justice says ICC prosecutor
    The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has labelled the decision to withdraw charges against Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta a “dark day for international criminal justice.”

    In an interview with Voice of America, Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said,
    “There are several reasons why we had to withdraw the charges in this case and one of them is lack of cooperation of the government of Kenya, [and] another one is intimidation of witnesses for them not to be able to come forward to give us their evidence.”
    She went on to add,
    “The fact that we are confronted with these challenges is really the reason why the charges are being withdrawn and no other reason. Not because we do not want to do justice in this case.”
    Bensouda pledged that the court would continue to strive towards justice for those killed, saying,
    “We will not forget the victims. We will keep trying. I will be receiving information, we will be assessing that information, and we will know what further steps we are going to try based on the information that we will receive.”
    Human Rights Watch also reacted to the court's decision, saying it “sets back efforts to end the country’s entrenched culture of impunity.”
  • Indian army camp attacked in Kashmir ahead of Modi visit
    An Indiam army camp was attacked in Kashmir on Friday, killing 8 army personnel and 5 police officers, ahead of a visit by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in two days and elections on December 9.

    Four militants launched a pre-dawn attack on the army camp, which is situated in Uri, within the Baramulla district, Kashmir, resulting in a gun battle between the two sides, reports Reuters.

    Five militants were killed by Indian troops during the battle, according to Indian news reports.

    "Six terrorists entered the Mahura Army camp in Rampur area of Uri at 3 in the morning. We have killed all six of them, and in the encounter eight of our soldiers and five policemen lost their lives too," a spokesperson of the Indian army told The Hindu.

  • ICC drops case against Kenyatta

    The International Criminal Court has withdrawn charges against President Uhuru Kenyatta, due to a lack of evidence against the Kenyan leader.

    A statement by the prosecutors said the evidence had "not improved to such an extent that Mr Kenyatta's alleged criminal responsibility can be proven beyond reasonable doubt".

    On Wednesday the ICC gave prosecutors a deadline of one week to provide the court with evidence against Kenyatta, or drop the charges.

    ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda previously accused the Kenyan government of withholding evidence, including items such as Kenyatta's bank statement. At least seven witnesses have also dropped out amidst allegations of bribery and intimidation.

  • Arrests over war crimes during Bosnian war

    Bosnian and Serb police have made 15 arrests suspected of committing a war crime in 1993.

    The incident during the Bosnian war saw Bosnian Serbs attack a train in the town of Strpci, near the Serbian border, killing 19 people, including 18 Bosniaks. The victims are reported to have been hauled of the train, tortured and shot, before their bodies were thrown into a river.

  • France agrees US compensation package for Holocaust victims
    France and the US have agreed a  $60m compensation fund to be paid out to families of those transported by the French state rail company SNCF to Nazi concentration camps during World War 2, reports the BBC.

    The French government confirmed on Friday that it would pay a lump sum of $60m to the US so that eligible claimants in the US can receive payments their payments.
  • UN experts express concerns over 'pattern of impunity' in US
    UN human rights experts have expressed “legitimate concerns” over US juries failing to charge policemen involved in the deaths of two black civilians Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

    Highlighting concerns over the jury decisions that saw policemen, the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Rita Izsak, said,

    “The decisions leave many with legitimate concerns relating to a pattern of impunity when victims of excessive use of force come from African-American or other minority communities.”

    “There are numerous complaints stating that African-Americans are disproportionally affected by such practices of racial profiling and the use of disproportionate and often lethal force,” the UN Special Rapporteur on racism, Mutuma Ruteere, said in a press release on Friday.

    The UN expert heading the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, added,

    “The Michael Brown and Eric Garner’s cases have added to our existing concerns over the longstanding prevalence of racial discrimination faced by African-Americans, particularly in relation to access to justice and discriminatory police practices.”

    See our earlier posts:
  • Ireland takes Britain to task over torture during Troubles

    The Irish government has decided to ask the European Court of Human Rights to revise its judgment over one of the most harrowing torture cases during the Troubles.

    Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan, will make the request in light of a recent RTÉ documentary which unearthed military documents that appear to show Britain accepted that interrogation techniques used on the men amounted to torture.

    Fourteen Irish men were detained in 1971 after the introduction of internment without trial, and were subjected to torture at the Ballykelly army base. Many of the men were hooded and flown to the location, before being thrown from hovering helicopters. Testimonials suggest the men were told they were hundreds of feet in the air, despite being only a few feet from the ground

    The ECHR admonished the UK in 1978 for its inhuman and degrading treatment of the detainees, but fell short of finding Britain guilty of torture.

Subscribe to International Affairs