• French troops engage in combat with militant rebels in CAR

    May 23
    French peacekeeping troops in Central African Republic engaged in conflict against the Seleka rebels north of the Capital today, reports Reuters.

    The troops used helicopter gunships, after a French base last week came under fire from the rebels killing at least one peace-keeping troop.
  • Somalia's parliament stormed by Al Shabaab
    At least four people have been killed in Somalia after the armed group, Al Shabaab, stormed the parliamentary building with guns and bombs, reports Reuters.
  • Thailand must revoke abusive martial law powers says HRW
    The Thai military should immediately revoke abusive martial law powers, end censorship and release all people who have been arbitrarily detained, said Human Rights Watch in a statement released today.
  • Sikh diaspora group appeals US court dismissal of 1984 riots case
    US based diaspora group, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), has appealed against a US court decision to dismiss a case seeking justice for the 1984 riots, Times of India reports.

    Arguing that the case "touches and concerns" the United States, the SFJ is taking the case before the US Court of Appeals. The appeal also seeks to determine that the riots which left thousands of Sikhs dead was a "genocide".
  • Ceasefire in Mali after rebels seize Northern towns

    Tuareg separatists in Northern Mali have agreed to a ceasefire with the government after seizing control of several towns earlier this week, as unrest threatened to plunge the country into all out war.

  • PLO warns Israel against unilateral border moves

    The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) has warned Israel against unilateral moves to define permanent borders for the West Bank, stating that it could result in a renewed conflict.

    Speaking to Bloomberg, Hanan Ashrawi said,

  • Katanga handed 12 year sentence by ICC

    Congolese militia leader Germain Katanga has been handed a 12 year sentence by the International Criminal Court on Friday over his role in a 2003 massacre of a village.

    Katanga was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity in March over the 2003 attack, in which over 200 villagers were killed, many butchered with machetes.  

  • UN Security Council imposes sanctions on Boko Haram

    The United Nations Security Council has approved sanctions against Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram on Friday, adding it to a list of al-Qaeda-linked organisations.

    Under the UN's 1267 sanctions list, Boko Haram will be subject to an international asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.

  • Russia and China block referral of Syria to ICC
    Russia and China, using their veto powers, blocked a draft UN Security Council resolution that called for the crisis in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC), reports The Guardian.
  • Thai military launches coup, protest leaders detained
    Thailand's army launched a military coup 4.30 pm local time today, suspending the constitution and taking over control of the country, two days after martial law was imposed.
  • Russia agrees £237 bn export deal with China
    Russia and China signed a 30-year, £237 bn deal for the Russian gas giant Gazprom to deliver gas to China reported The Guardian.

    The former Russian deputy energy minister, Vladimir Milov, said the Russian deal was an attempt to open new markets in reaction to deteriorating relations with the west.
  • Justice slips away for Guatemalan genocide victims says Amnesty
    The movement towards justice for victims of crimes against humanity and genocide in Guatemala, is seriously being undermined, warned Amnesty International in a statement released this week.

    Condemning the recent annulment of a genocide case against the former president,  Amnesty’s Guatemala researcher, Seebastian Elgueta, said,
  • Former defence spokesman for Charles Taylor detained and questioned in the US
    Prosecutors in the US may consider pressing charges of war crimes against a former defence spokesman of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPLF), reports AllAfrica news.
  • US sends troops to aid hunt for Nigerian schoolgirls

    80 U.S. troops have been sent to Chad to assist in the international search and rescue effort for the schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram, the Nigerian Islamist militant group.

    A statement from the White House said that "the force will remain in Chad until its support in resolving the kidnapping situation is no longer required."

  • Russia will block UN efforts for ICC inquiry in Syria

    Russia will veto a UN Security Council resolution that would have authorised an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into atrocities committed by all sides in the Syrian conflict.

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