The Philippine government and the Islamic rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) announced today that they would collaborate to reduce the amount of kidnappings occurring in the south of the country.
 
The government negotiator said that the MILF would meet with them again next week, to discuss details of an agreement that would help Filipino troops capture kidnappers and outlaws operating in territories controlled by the MILF.

Kidnappings of teachers, village leaders and journalists have seen a spike in recent years with over 100 cases recorded in the last three years.

South Sudanese rebels who recently attacked a United Nations compound, killing dozens of civilians, defended their actions and said they would continue their offensive in the oil producing area to deny the government revenue to engage Ugandan troops and Sudanese militias. See The Independent’s report.

The rebel leadership also warned that if South Sudan’s President, Salva Kir, failed to negotiate with them, opposition forces would take their fight to the capital to depose him.

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted resolution (2150) in which it called on all states to renew their commitment to prevent and fight against genocide and other serious crimes under international law.

Through the resolution, the Council also called upon States that had not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide to consider doing so as a matter of high priority.

The Council, presently under the presidency of Nigeria, was marking the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide.

Twenty-six years have passed since Saddam Hussein's campaign of mass killings against the Kurds in northern Iraq. Yet to date, no governments - except for Iraq's - have officially recognised the campaign as constituting a genocide. That allows them to avoid legal liability for supporting and arming Saddam during this time, writes Sofia Barbarani in Al Jazeera’s website.

Rwanda in partnership with Interpol hosted an international meeting this week to discuss strategies against ideologies that lead to genocide

 Participants in the April 14 - 16 meet included national law enforcement and judicial authorities as well as experts from Interpol member countries, representatives of international organisations, civil society organisations, academia and the media.

India is sending a stealth frigate to participate in an international fleet review and maritime exercise hosted by the Chinese Navy on April 23, which the United States declining to join after Japan was excluded from the event. See The Hindu’s report.

The interim Prime Minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, addressing Ukrainian parliament today, said an amnesty bill was prepared for separatists who laid down their arms and left government buildings in response to an agreement made in Geneva yesterday.

The United States, European Union, Russia and Ukraine yesterday, agreed a plan to help deescalate tensions in eastern Ukraine in Geneva.

The United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, today urged the Burmese government to intervene in the Rakhine state and end the violence between Buddhists and Muslims, reports Voice of America.

Speaking at the end of a briefing at the United Nations Security council on the situation in Burma, Power said that the United states to support Burma’s reforms but was greatly concerned by the ethnically driven violence in the country.

Gunmen in South Sudan on Thursday attacked a UN peacekeepers’ camp where thousands of people had sought safety, killing at least 58 people, the Washington Post reports.

Almost 5000 civilians were sheltering at the camp. The South Sudan government today deployed troops to provide security for UN facilities.

The United Nations said the gunmen, using a peaceful demonstration as cover, stormed the camp and opened fire after breaking through the gate.

The United Nations Security Council has  expressed outrage at the attacks.

The United Nations launched an appeal for $274 million to aid people that have fled the sectarian conflict in the Central African Republic, reports the Associated Press.

“All agencies working in the region are dramatically underfunded,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, said today.