• Car bombs target Egyptian and UAE embassies in Libya

    Nov 13

    Two car bombs have exploded outside the UAE and Egyptian embassies in Libya, in an attack reportedly carried out by Islamic militant groups in Tripoli.

    The attack left two guards outside the Egyptian embassy wounded and three guards injured outside the UAE embassy. Both buildings were empty at the time of the explosion, after both countries alongside other nations, pulled diplomatic staff out of Tripoli.

  • Nigerian army recaptures Mubi from Boko Haram
    The Nigerian army has recaptured the town of Mubi from militant Islamist group Boko Haram, said government officials on Thursday.

    Mubi, the second largest town in the north-eastern Adamawa state was captured by Boko Haram in October, who renamed it Madinatul Islam - City of Islam.

    Whilst the Nigerian army has not commented on the current situations, an anonymous military source told Reuters, the army was "on the verge of recapturing Mubi and other towns and villages taken over by the insurgents".

    Adamawa State Governor Bala Ngilari told reporters that "the insurgents have been flushed out of Mubi and are on the run."

    Meanwhile the UN's special representative for central Africa Abdoulaye Bathily said he was launching "an appeal to the international community to mobilise more in support of states' efforts in the battle against this terrorist group, whose atrocities have caused a worrying stream of refugees in neighbouring countries."
  • The worst could happen' in Burundi warns UN genocide adviser
    The United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide has warned that unless there is space for greater freedom in Burundi, “the worst could happen” ahead of elections next year.

    Adama Dieng, who was speaking at a UN-backed Rwandan genocide tribunal in Tanzania, said "the forces of evil must not be allowed to push certain actors toward criminal violence."
  • India jails soldiers for Kashmir killings
    India has sentenced seven soldiers to life imprisonment for the murder of three youths in Indian-administered Kashmir four years ago.

    The seven soldiers, including two officers, were found guilty of luring the three young men from their homes, promising jobs and money, before murdering them. The soldiers then claimed that the men were Pakistani militants who they had killed in an encounter.
  • Israel denies entry to UN inquiry team
    Israel has denied entry to a UN inquiry team mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate allegations of war crimes committed by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) against the Palestinian people in Gaza earlier this year.

    Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Emmanuel Nachshon, was quoted by the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, as saying the decision to stop the team from entering was made "in view of the [UN Human Rights] Council’s obsessive hostility toward Israel, the committee’s one-sided mandate and committee chairman William Schabas’ declared anti-Israeli positions."

    "[The committee is] a pretense that some inquiry is being held before the conclusions are published,” he added.

    “While Hamas launched thousands of rockets at Israel, the UN’s Human Rights Council made a decision stating Israel’s guilt in advance and set up a probe as a rubber stamp for its known positions."

  • Myanmar reforms backsliding warns Obama
    The US President Barack Obama warned this week that Myanmar's democratic reforms has slowed down and were even backsliding in an interview with Irrawady.
  • ICC chief prosecutor warns UN Security Council of war crimes in Libya
    The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said that there were indications of war crimes being committed amidst the escalating violence in Libya.

    Speaking at the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Fatou Bensouda, noted that the last 6 months of conflict in Libya had seen signs of war crimes, reports Aljazeera.

    “There are, indeed, indications that crimes that fall within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court are being committed,” said Bensouda on Tuesday.

  • Armenia vows 'grave consequences' after Azerbaijan shoots down helicopter
    Armenia's defence minister has vowed Azerbaijan would suffer “grave consequences” for downing an Armeninan helicopter in the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.

    Azerbaijan's defence ministry said that an Armenian helicopter had “attempted to attack Azeri positions.” All three crew members on board the helicopter were killed once Azeri forces shot it down.
  • Serbian war crimes suspect receives hero's welcome
    Serbian politician Vojislav Seselj was greeted by hundreds of supporters in Belgrade on Wednesday, as he vowed to overthrow “Serbian traitors” on his return.

    Seselj, who has been released temporarily from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague to receive cancer treatment, said on his return,
    "They say it is temporary... But it will be temporary only until we overthrow from power (President) Tomislav Nikolic and (Prime Minister) Aleksandar Vucic, our renegades and Serbian traitors."
    Seselj, founder and president of the Serbian Radical Party, went on to say that the Serbian politicians in power had "sold our honour and gave up Serb nationalism to become servants of the West".

  • Russian troops are entering Ukraine says NATO, as ceasefire collapses
    Russian troops and military convoys are entering Ukraine said a senior NATO commander on Wednesday, signalling the collapse of a ceasefire between Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels.

    "Russian tanks, Russian artillery, Russian air defence systems and Russian combat troops" have been seen, said US General Philip Breedlove, from a NATO air base near Naples.

    The Reuters news agency quoted Breedlove as saying he was "concerned about the increased movement" of Russian military convoys "in the past several days".

    Earlier this week, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) warned of the "rising" risk of renewed open conflict.

  • Britain launches first drone strikes in Iraq
    Britain's Ministry of Defence announced on Tuesday that it had launched its first drone strikes in Iraq against Islamic State (IS) militants this weekend.

    An RAF Reaper fired a Hellfire missile at IS militants who were reportedly laying improvised explosive devices in Bayji, north of Baghdad.

    The MoD said,
    "A series of coalition missions were conducted near Bayji, north of Baghdad, where ISIL terrorists were laying improvised explosive devices.”

    "UK Reaper continued to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assistance to coalition aircraft which enabled them to conduct further strikes.”
    Britain last month announced that it has authorised the use of spy planes and armed drones to fly surveillance missions over Syria.

  • HRW criticises incendiary weapon use in Syria and Ukraine
    Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called for stronger international laws to govern the use of incendiary weapons in a report released in collaboration with Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic on Tuesday.

    The report highlighted the use of incendiary weapons in both Syria and Ukraine, with Bonnie Docherty, senior Arms researcher at Human Rights Watch, saying,
    “Weapons that cause terrible burns and disfigure survivors have been used against towns in both Syria and Ukraine... The recent attacks with incendiary weapons show it’s past time for nations to reassess and strengthen international law on these cruel weapons.”
    White phosphorus and ground-launched weapons should also be regulated by stronger international laws said HRW, adding “an absolute ban on incendiary weapons would have the greatest humanitarian benefits.”

  • UN Secretary-General appoints board to investigate Gaza attacks
    The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has announced a five-member panel who will investigate attacks on UN buildings during Israel's offensive into Gaza this summer.

    The appointment of the panel has been opposed by Israel, who have called on the Secretary-General to wait until the conclusion of its own government inquiry.

    The UN board of inquiry will be led by Patrick Cammaert, a Dutch general who has led several peacekeeping missions, and includes UN officials from Argentina, Canada, India and the United States.

    According to a statement from the Secretary-General's office,  the inquiry will review and investigate a number of specific incidents in which death or injuries occurred at, and/or damage was done to United Nations premises,” as well as”incidents in which weapons were found to be present on United Nations premises.”

    “The Secretary-General expects that the Board will enjoy the full cooperation of all parties concerned,” concluded the statement.
  • South Sudan clashes erupt days after ceasefire

    Rebel forces have clashed with government troops in South Sudan, only days after a ceasefire was agreed to end fighting.

    Troops clashed in Upper Nile, Jonglei and Unity states, with both sides blaming each other for restarting hostilities.

  • Conflict in Iraq and Syria leaves 13.6 million displaced says UN

    The United Nations refugee agency stated that 13.6 million people have been left displaced by fighting in Iraq and Syria, and called for greater international action as winter approaches.

    Amin Awad, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees's director for the Middle East and North Africa, said,

    "Now when we talk about a million people displaced over two months, or 500,000 overnight, the world is just not responding."

    Reuters reported, Awad going on to call for greater international action, stating,

    "Other countries in the world, especially the Europeans and beyond, should open their borders and share the burden."

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