The capital of the newly formed state of South Sudan will be shifted to Ramciel - believed to be the capital envisioned by John Garang , former leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army. Ramciel is a small town north of the main city Juba. The local population are widely known to be long-standing staunch advocates of independence. “It is a beautiful land,” said Barnaba Marial Benjamin, South Sudan’s information minister. “This is a long-term plan for a capital while we continue with our priorities.” Officials stated that Juba was initially considered as the capital, however, the 12-square-mile site needed for new government buildings would have involved the uprooting of indigenous communities. “ There are indigenous communities in these areas. Unless they agree, we cannot just take their land ,” explained Benjamin.

A Rwandan genocide fugitive, who had an EU arrest warrant issued, has been extradited by French authorities to face trial in Belgium. Fabien Neretse the former head of the Rwanadan Coffee Office and influential figure in the Rwandan government was wanted by Belgium authorities for his role in the 1994 genocide of Tutsis and participation in war crimes. An arrest warrant was issued by a Belgian court earlier this year, after a criminal case was opened against him in 2004. Neretse was alleged to have been instrumental in the killing of a Belgo-Rwandan family and their neighbours, seeking...

Four former officials of the Cambodian Khmer Rouge have denied charges of genocide and war crimes, as ailing health looks set to push back their trials. Japan, France and the US, major supporters of the UN backed tribunal, have been pushing for the trial to go ahead as quickly and fairly as possible. See report by Voice of America here . The tribunal, also known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, was established after an agreement between the Government of Cambodia and the United Nations to try senior members of the Khmer Rouge for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The current judges on the Supreme Court Chamber of the tribunal includes recent Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Chandra Nihal Jayasinghe. Ou Virak, of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said of the tribunal: "[This] will be a cathartic moment for all Cambodians. While the crimes of the Khmer Rouge were committed over a quarter of a century ago, they remain ingrained in Cambodia's collective psyche. I hope that this trial – coming as it does so many years after the crimes alleged against the accused were committed – provides all victims with some sense of justice, however delayed that justice may be." This call was echoed by Andrew Cayley, the international co-prosecutor in the case, who said that the crimes were probably the "most serious crimes committed since the Second World War" and "the Cambodian people still expect answers." He went on to say, "Certainly, the relatives of those who perished and the handful of those survivors who are left are seeking justice."

The Australian High Court deemed the government's plans to ship asylum seekers to Malaysia, to be a violation of Australia's laws and the country's commitments internationally. The ruling centred on Malaysia's inability to guarantee the safety and well-being of asylum seekers in accordance with Australian law. Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention. The High Court ruled: [the country accepting Australia's asylum seekers] " must be legally bound by international law or its own domestic law to: provide access for asylum seekers to effective procedures for assessing their need for protection. " " Provide protection for asylum seekers pending determination of their refugee status. " " Provide protection for persons given refugee status pending their voluntary return to their country of origin or their resettlement in another country .”