<p>Tensions have escalated in Yemen where warring sides accused each other of attack an oil pipeline in the central province of Marib.</p> <p>The attack follows&nbsp;calls from the United Nations for a global ceasefire in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Neither side has given details of the attack&nbsp;but it is known that the pipeline is operated by the Yemeni government’s Safer oil company.</p> <p>Reuters reports that no oil has been pumped for years as oil production has collapsed since 2015, when a Saudi-led military coalition attempted to restore power to Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi who was ousted by Houthi forces in Sanaa.</p>

US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has announced the reduction of US aid to Afghanistan’s security forces by $1 billion which would hamper efforts by the Afghan government to combat the Taliban and weaken its negotiating position.

Indian police fired tear gas at approximately 500 workers in the western city of Surat after stating that they could not return home despite losing their jobs.

According to Vidhi Chaudhari;

“The police tried to convince them that it is not possible since buses or trains are not available...However, the workers refused to budge, and started pelting stones at police,”

In response to a conflict between the jobless workers and police, 93 were arrested for violating curfew orders. The coronavirus has infected 1,071 separate cases and 29 people have died as a result.

US coalition troops have withdrawn from a military base in Northern Iraq.

The US withdrawal follows the assassination of senior Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

This is the third site US troops have left this month as the US aims to consolidate its forces in two central locations in Iraq. As part of the exchange the US transferred $1.1m of military equipment was granted to the Iraqis whilst 300 coalition troops withdrew.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began a number of countries around the world have released thousands of prisoners in order to stem a possible spread of the virus within prisons. According to public health experts, prisons are a ripe place for the spread of COVID-19 due to the close contact between prisoners, overcrowding and unsanitary conditions.

Human Rights Watch has expressed caution with respects to Nigeria’s plans to deploy police and soldiers to enforce social distancing warning that they have been implicated in a number of human rights abuses including “arbitrary arrests, extortion, illegal detention, and use of excessive force”.

Militants are holding Mali’s main opposition leader, Soumaila Cisse, as well as 6 members of his delegation hostage following an attack on their campaign trail.

Reuters reports that that the militants attacked Cisse during an ambush between villages in the northern region of Timbuktu.

Following calls for a global ceasefire, Yemen’s warring parties have entered into a truce as coronavirus presents an unprecedented threat to public health however the US has began to withdraw aid.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has started to withdraw aid from the Iranian back Houthi controlled regions as they claim the group has actively hindered the delivery of aid.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called upon Australia’s Defence Department to re-examine previously dismissed cases of alleged summary executions and other war crimes in Afghanistan in light of new evidence.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) broadcasted an episode on March 16^th reporting on the possible war crimes of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan and showed footage where an Australian soldier, from the Special Air Service (SAS), is shown to kill an unarmed Afghan civilian during a raid on a village in 2012.

<p>Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned that migrants, stateless people and refugees are at an “extra risk” of COVID-19 and has called on Malaysia took take actions to ensure healthcare services are readily available for these migrants without the risk of arrest or deportation.</p> <p>Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, warned that this was a matter of public safety stating;</p> <blockquote><p>