The Colombian government deployed tanks and troops on farmers that were striking in attempts to choke food supplies ahead of presidential elections due to take place at the end of May.

Farmers took to the street for the second time this year due to President Juan Manuel Santos’ failure to fulfil promises of rural reform, reports The Guardian.

The United Nations Security Council, Tuesday, renewed its peacekeeping MINURSO mission in the North African territory of Western Sahara for another year, reports Reuters.

The Sinn Fein president, Gerry Adams, is being questioned in police custody today, over the kidnap and murder of an alleged informant by the IRA during the Troubles, reports The Guardian.

Adams volunteered himself to the Police Service of Northern Island for questioning  after being accused of being involved in the IRA attack.

The United Nations warned today that that South Sudan was on the brink of genocide and large scale famine, reports The Times.

The UN special envoy for the prevention of genocide-, Adama Dieng, pledging to protect civilians from genocide, said,

The Hague based chemical watchdog, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will send a fact finding mission to Syria to further investigate allegations of chlorine gas attacks, reports Reuters.

The announcement of an investigation by the OPCW, follows over 3 allegations of government chemical gas attacks by the Syrian rebels.

The Palestinian president, in a statement released by the Palestinian official news agency yesterday, called the Holocaust ‘the most heinous crime in modern history’, reports The Guardian.

Mahmoud Abbas’ statement, which coincided with the Holocaust remembrance day, said,

At least 22 people including 3 workers from the medical charity Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF), were killed in an attack on a town in the Central African Republic today, officials said on Sunday.

The United States secretary of state, John Kerry, concluded in a closed door meeting today, that  a two state solution looked to be the best way to solve the tensions between the Palestinian and Israeli communities, reports The Guardian.

Reports suggest that, expressing frustration at the failing peace-talks between the two parties, Kerry said,

The US imposed further sanctions on Russia today as a warning message against Russia’s destabilising actions in Eastern Ukraine.

The sanctions targeted 17 companies linked to the Russian president’s inner circle, 3 banks and deny export licence applications to Russia, reports the Financial times.

Leaders of the G7 major economies agreed to intensify sanctions against Russia this weekend, reports The Guardian.

The Palestinian Authority today reaffirmed its commitment to seek membership of United Nations bodies and international conventions.

A statement by the central council said that the it “affirms the need for Palestinian leadership to continue membership of UN agencies and international conventions, under the Palestinian plan that was adopted.”

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The Kenyan president said that he would not let the conflict in South Sudan descend into genocide, reports Reuters today.

“We especially reject the possibility that we are creeping into genocide again in our region. We shall not stand by and allow it to happen,” Uhuru Kenyatta said, in a statement made late on Friday.

Rebels in the Central African Republic today called for secession as the conflict worsened between ethnic communities, reports The Guardian.
 

The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced today that a preliminary investigation into allegations of crimes against humanity had begun, reports Reuters.