Category Archives: Near East
Dramatic drop in South Sudan political violence since peace agreement signing
Since the signing of a September 2018 deal between the South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his political rival and former deputy Riek Machar to end conflict in the country, political violence has “dropped dramatically,” David Shearer, head of the UN Mission in South Sudan told reporters on Tuesday.
Sudan human rights body condemns use of live ammunition against protesters
Sudan’s National Human Rights Commission, the top governmental human rights body, has condemned the killing “by bullets” of protesters during the ongoing wave of protests across the country, calling on the authorities to bring those responsible to justice.
Syria refugees flee as camps buried in Lebanon snow storm
Evacuations are underway in the Syrian refugee camps across Lebanon after they were hit by snow storms and floods as part of Hurricane Norma.
UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) spokeswoman Lisa Abou Khaled said this week that the storm had completely flooded or collapsed 15 informal settlements out of at least 66 that were “heavily impacted”.
German parliamentary report describes Turkey as an invader in Syria
A report drafted by the German Bundestag’s Scientific Services Department suggests that Turkey’s role in Syria qualifies as an occupying force, Deutsche Welle Turkish service reported on Wednesday, citing press agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA).
“When examined closely, Turkey’s military presence in Afrin as well as Azaz, Al Bab and Jarablus in northern Syria fits into the description of military occupation from an international law standpoint,” the report read.
