On 8 February, UNICEF issued a statement warning that an escalation of Israel's attacks in Rafah "will mark another devastating turn in a war that has reportedly killed over 27,000 people - most of them women and children." Israeli Prime Minister has stated that he ordered the military to develop a plan to both evacuate civilians from Rafah and defeat remaining Hamas battalions. There are approximately 1.5 million Palestinians in Rafah seeking refuge from Israel's military invasions in the rest of Gaza. UNICEF's Executive Director, Catherine Russell, emphasizes that "thousands more could die...
On Wednesday the United Nations appealed for $4.1bn to meet the humanitarian needs of Sudan after ten months of armed conflict have led to the world's largest displacement crisis with half of the population facing hunger. The UN has characterized the situation in Sudan as one of "epic suffering". The appeal for more aid comes as the UN World Food Programme has warned that people in Sudan are starving to death in areas that have been cut off due to fighting. Médecins Sans Frontières has described the situation as "absolutely catastrophic". The organization has stated that a child is dying of...
Sinn Féin says united Ireland 'within touching distance' as the party claim the post of Northern Ireland first minister for the first time. Northern Ireland’s devolved government has reconvened and appointed Michelle O’Neill as first minister in a historic moment for Sinn Féin and Irish nationalism. Mary Lou McDonald said last week that the expected restoration of power sharing in the wake of a deal between the Democratic Unionist party and the UK government came amid a “historical turning of the wheel” that would unite the island. “In historic terms, it is within touching distance and I...
Earlier this week the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, appealed for increased attention on Myanmar from the international community citing the rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in the country. Ahead of the third anniversary of the military coup, Türk stated “Amid all of the crises around the world, it is important no one is forgotten. The people of Myanmar have been suffering for too long." The High Commissioner highlights that fighting between the military and opposition groups has resulted in mass civilian casualties and displacement. In 2023 the number of...
Britain will consider recognising a Palestinian state as part of concerted efforts to bring about an “irreversible” peace settlement, the foreign secretary, David Cameron, has said. Palestinians must have “a political horizon so that they can see that there is going to be irreversible progress to a two-state solution”, Lord Cameron said in a speech on Monday night at a reception in London. he foreign secretary had pushed Netanyahu over a two-state solution to bring about peace for both Israeli and Palestinian people last week during a meeting in Jerusalem. Netanyahu has rebuffed efforts from...
On Wednesday, South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation said that all states should stop funding Israel's military actions in Gaza after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) determined that those actions could amount to genocide. Naledi Pandor states that the ICJ ruling "makes it clear that it is plausible that genocide is taking place against the Palestinian people in Gaza. This necessarily imposes an obligation on all states to cease funding and facilitating Israel's military actions." Last week the ICJ ordered Israel to immediately take steps to improve the...
The International Court of Justice ordered provisional measures, in South Africa's case that Israel is violating the Genocide Convention. The court adopted “provisional measures,” or binding orders, that include requiring Israel to prevent genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza, enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance, and prevent and punish incitement to commit genocide. Judges overwhelmingly voted in favour of adopting the s ix provisional measures in South Africa's genocide case against Israel. 1. The State of Israel shall, in accordance with its obligations...
In an interview with UN News, UNICEF representative in Sudan, Mandeep O'Brien, stated that the war in Sudan is a "living nightmare for children." According to O'Brien the conflict has displaced more than 3.5 million girls and boys. Further, nearly 2 million are in urgent need of lifesaving vaccines. And over 7.4 million do not have access to safe drinking water. The UN article also notes that Sudan has one of the highest rates of child malnutrition in the world. There are approximately 3 million children under the age of five who suffer from acute malnutrition. Without urgent medical...
Sixty Syrian migrants have been rescued by Cypriot authorities on Wednesday after being lost at sea for 6 days. The migrants were spotted by a merchant vessel on a small wooden fishing boat about 30 nautical miles off Cape Greco. According to Cyprus’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, all migrants have been hospitalized, including three children and one man who were found unconscious. Officials stated that they were all dehydrated. The boat reportedly left from Lebanon on 18 January. A written statement from the Cypriot Interior Minister, Constantinos Ioannou, highlights that Wednesday's...
A recent article published by Human Rights Watch (HRW) highlights the Bangladeshi police abuse occurring in Rohingya camps. In the past decade, nearly a million Rohingya have fled persecution by the Myanmar military. Those who have fled currently live in refugee settlements in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Armed Battalion (APBn) has been deployed in refugee settlements to provide security for refugees. However, HRW has reported allegations of extortion, arbitrary arrests, torture, and sexual harassment of refugees at the hands of the APBn police force. Earlier this month, a Rohingya woman...