The president of Egypt, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, has expressed his support for Somalia in a dispute over an offer by Somaliland to give land-locked Ethiopia access to its coast in exchange for recognition of its independence. In a press conference in Cairo alongside the president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Sisi said: “My message to Ethiopia is that trying to seize a piece of land to control it is something no one will agree to.” Relations between Somalia and Ethiopia have deteriorated since early January, when Somaliland and Ethiopia announced a memorandum of understanding that bypassed...
Sudan suspended its involvement in mediation efforts with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) after it invited the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to a meeting in Uganda. For nine months, the Sudanese military and the RSF have been engaged in a brutal conflict that has displaced over 7 million people and has left nearly half of Sudan's population in need of aid. IGAD has taken on the role of mediator, attempting to broker talks between the state military and the RSF. On Tuesday, Sudan suspended ties with IGAD after the East African regional bloc invited the RSF's...
China has brokered a "formal ceasefire" between a rebel guerrilla alliance and Myanmar's military. Myanmar's military took power in a coup in February 2021. The military regime, the State Administration Council, has been under pressure due to attacks from the "Three Brotherhood Alliance". The "Three Brotherhood Alliance" consisting of ethnic rebel groups has claimed they have taken over dozens of towns, including border crossings crucial for trade with China. According to Beijing's foreign ministry, representatives from the Myanmar military and the rebel alliance have agreed to "an immediate...
The Chinese military has stated that it will "crush" any efforts to promote Taiwan's independence. On Friday, hundreds and thousands of people attended pre-election rallies in Taiwan in preparation for Saturday's critical presidential and parliamentary polls. Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson, Zhang Xiaogang, stated, "The Chinese People's Liberation Army maintains high vigilance at all times and will take all necessary measures to firmly crush 'Taiwan independence' attempts of all forms." In response to a question about Taiwan's Air Force upgrading F-16 fighter jets and purchasing more...
The UK government is facing accusations of hypocrisy for not supporting South Africa's case accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Six weeks earlier, the UK submitted legal arguments to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague supporting claims that Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya ethnic group. In its submission on Myanmar, the UK argues that the threshold for determining genocide is lower if it is the case that damage has been inflicted on children as opposed to adults. Further, the submission highlights that given the rarity of...
7,000 displaced Rohingya Muslim refugees have been made homeless yet again after a fire tore through their camp in southeastern Bangladesh, according to the UN refugee agency. Fire swept through a Rohingya refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh in the early hours of Sunday, destroying about 800 shelters and rendering thousands homeless, officials said. Fire service officials and Rohingya volunteers brought the blaze under control around three hours after it hit Camp 5 in Cox's Bazar, a border district with Myanmar, shortly before 1 a.m. (1900 GMT). Apart from homes, several other facilities...
Tensions between Israel and neighbouring state Lebanon have escalated since the senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri was killed in a targeted assassination in Beirut, Lebanon on 2 January 2024. Hezbollah, Hamas' Lebanese ally and a Shia Islamist political and militant group, claim that Israel is responsible for the attacks while Isreal has denied the allegation. Following the killing, Lebanon has filed a complaint to the UN Security Council describing the incident as the “most dangerous phase” of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon. The prospect of a broader regional conflict is growing as video...
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) , also known as the 'World Court', will hold a hearing concerning the 84-page international law suit that South Africa lodged against Isreal, accusing Isreal of committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention. The complaint was filed before the ICJ on 29 December 2023. The State of Isreal was quick to deny the allegations within South Africa’s complaint as “baseless” and announced on 2 January 2024 that it will challenge the allegations of genocide before the ICJ in The Hague. The ICJ hearing is...
Sudan's army chief, Abel Fattah al-Burhan, has rejected the latest calls for a ceasefire stating that the nine-month war between the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary will continue. RSF head, Mohammed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo, agreed earlier in the week to a ceasefire under the condition that the military must cooperate. However, this was met with skepticism as the RSF has previously failed to fulfill its promises. In a video released by his office, Al-Burhan states "the whole world witnessed these rebel forces committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in West...
Taiwanese President, Tsai Ing-wen, emphasized that Taiwan's relationship with China must be determined by the will of the people and peace must be based on "dignity." These comments come in response to China's leader, Xi Jinping stating that "reunification" with the island is inevitable. Xi Jinping's comments depict a shift in tone from the previous year wherein he stated that people on either side of the Taiwan Strait are "members of one and the same family." On 13 January, democratically governed Taiwan will hold presidential and parliamentary elections. China has been ramping up military...