Washington, United States | AFP | South Sudan’s warring leaders and their cronies have amassed fortunes — including foreign properties and stakes in international firms — while prosecuting a murderous conflict, George Clooney charged Monday. After presenting the results of a detailed two-year inquiry to the media, Hollywood stars Clooney …
Read More »UN: Malong and Kiir to blame for Juba violence
United Nations, United States | AFP | A UN panel of experts has concluded that heavy fighting that engulfed South Sudan’s capital Juba in July, forcing vice president and ex-rebel leader Riek Machar to flee, was “directed by the highest level” of the country’s military. The confidential report seen by …
Read More »Do more for South Sudan refugees, says a top UN official
Adjumani, Uganda | AFP | The international community must respond to the refugee crisis caused by fighting in South Sudan in the same way it responded to the crisis in Europe, the UN refugee chief said in Uganda on Monday. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says 88,533 people have fled …
Read More »About 243,000 South Sudanese refugees in Sudan
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | About 243,000 South Sudanese refugees have arrived in Sudan, including tens of thousands in war-torn Darfur, since a civil war erupted in their country in December 2013, the UN said Thursday. South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011 but two years later it fell …
Read More »Malian jihadist says sorry for destroying Timbuktu
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | A Malian jihadist pleaded guilty Monday to attacking the fabled city of Timbuktu and begged forgiveness as the world was shown sickening videos of him and other fundamentalists tearing down centuries-old Muslim shrines with pick-axes. At the opening of his unprecedented war crimes …
Read More »Kerry warns on deployment of South Sudan ‘protection force’
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Monday for the deployment of a 4,000-strong “protection force” to bolster the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. “There is absolutely no question that we need to move forward with the deployment of the regional protection force …
Read More »US pushes for African force, arms embargo on South Sudan
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States urged the UN Security Council on Friday to back a regional force for South Sudan to shore up UN peacekeepers unable to cope with the violence. The council adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the UN mission in South …
Read More »Two Dutch UN troops killed in Mali training accident
Bamako, Mali | AFP | Two Dutch UN peacekeepers were accidentally killed and one seriously wounded Wednesday in an explosion in northwest Mali during a training exercise, the Dutch defence ministry said. “During the accident, two of our men lost their lives,” said The Netherlands’ Vice Chief of Defence, Vice …
Read More »Ethiopia warns Eritrea after border clash
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Arch-rivals Ethiopia and Eritrea traded blame Tuesday for one of the fiercest border clashes since a 1998-2000 war, with Addis Ababa warning any further conflict is “up to Asmara.” The neighbours are bitter enemies, with tens of thousands of troops dug into trenches eyeing …
Read More »Gaza-Israel conflict
By Kevin Connolly It took seven days for the war that no-one seemed to want to become the war that no-one seems to know how to stop. As the first week of July ended there was a sense that the political temperature was rising sharply here but no sign of …
Read More »