The International Criminal Court has sentenced a militant from Mali over the destruction of shrines in Timbuktu, in a landmark case that has seen the destruction of cultural sites successfully prosecuted as a war crime by the court.

A former Serbian paramilitary commander who had fled to Australia, has begun a war crimes trial in Croatia, after being extradited last year.

Dragan Vasiljkovic pleaded not guilty to charges related to the torture and execution of Croatian soldiers during the Balkan conflict, stating that his actions were only part of protecting his homeland.

The United Kingdom has reportedly blocked efforts to establish an independent international investigation into alleged war crimes in Yemen, by refusing to support European Union efforts at the UN Human Rights Council.

Minister from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation reaffirmed their support for the self determination of the Kashmiri people this week.

In an annual meeting, 57 members of the OIC called for UN Security Council resolutions to be enforced and said the international community needed to take a more determined role in the region.

Pakisatan’s Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz criticised the Indian government’s actions in the region at the meeting.

A historic peace agreement was signed today in Cartagena, Colombia, between the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (FARC).

The foreign ministers of the United States and several European countries issued a joint statement accusing Russia of violating a ceasefire in Syria, as UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he was "appalled by the chilling military escalation" in the city of Aleppo.

Fierce fighting has taken place in the Syrian city of Aleppo, as a shaky ceasefire collapsed and the government launched a massive offensive to retake the city.

The Syrian military has gained ground in the north of the city with its fresh offensive. The east remains under Syrian opposition control, though government shelling meant that repairs at the Bab al-Nayrab pumping station, which supplies water to 250,000 people, were not carried out.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch wrote a joint letter to the UN Human Rights Council this week, urging member states to initiate an “international, independent investigation into civilian deaths and injuries in Yemen".

The merger of the German drug company Bayer, one of the world’s largest producers of crop protection chemicals, and Monsanto, a US producer of genetically modified seeds, has raised concerns amongst activists battling the problem of food insecurity around the world.

The Summit on Refugees and Migration took place yesterday at the UN General Assembly in New York this week, with world leaders pledging to adopt a plan aimed at protecting the rights of refugees and migrants. 

193 member states agreed to the “New York Declaration” – a commitment to respond to the needs of refugees and migrants, as well as to find solutions for future humanitarian disasters.

As many as five million people in Somalia do not have enough to eat, warned the UN with hundreds of thousands of children acutely malnourished and requiring urgent assistance.

A report by the global body released this week states that up to t40 percent of the population have been affected by food insecurity amidst conflict between al-Shabab and the African Union backed Somalian government.

A panel of experts warned the UN Human Rights Council of the risk of genocide in Burundi this week, calling for the establishment of a commission of inquiry.

The experts, examining events in the country over the last 14 months, said “gross human rights violations have and are taking place, committed primarily by state agents and those linked to them". "Impunity is pervasive," they added, after Pierre Nkurunziza ran for president for third term.

The war crimes trial against the former Serb paramilitary leader, Dragan Vasiljkovic began on Tuesday in Croatia. 

Mr Vasiljkovic who was a commander during Croatia's war of independence, is accused of murder of civilians, extrajudicial killing of prisoners and torture. 

He was arrested in 2006 in Australia, however was only extradited to Croatia in 2012 and officially indicted in January. In July, he pleaded not guilty, stating "I defended Yugoslavia". 

Independent United Nations investigators said they have compiled a list of suspects who should be prosecuted for possible crimes against humanity in Burundi.

Speaking on Tuesday, Independent UN investigators said that it was impossible to know the full extent of the crimes, but they had evidence of rapes, murders, disappearances, mass arrests and torture.