
Rwanda-backed rebels committed possible war crimes in eastern Congo, rights group says
DAKAR, Senegal — Human rights group Amnesty International accused the M23 rebels in eastern Congo of killing, torturing and forcibly disappearing civilian detainees in two rebel-controlled cities on Tuesday.
'These acts violate international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes,' Amnesty said in a statement.
The decades-long conflict in eastern Congo escalated in January, when the Rwanda-backed M23 advanced and seized the strategic city of Goma in North Kivu province, followed by Bukavu in February.

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Washington Post
5 hours ago
- Washington Post
Wagner Group leaving Mali after heavy losses but Russia's Africa Corps to remain
DAKAR, Senegal — The Russia-backed Wagner Group said Friday it is leaving Mali after more than three and a half years of fighting Islamic extremists and insurgents in the country. Despite Wagner's announcement, Russia will continue to have a mercenary presence in the West African country. The Africa Corps, Russia's state-controlled paramilitary force, said on its Telegram channel Friday that Wagner's departure would not introduce any changes and the Russian contingent will remain in Mali.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Windsor couple joins global march to Gaza border to protest war
A Windsor Ont., couple is preparing to make the journey to the Middle East to join a peaceful global protest to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. As part of the March to Gaza demonstration, they will join potentially thousands of people in Cairo, Egypt, before taking a bus to the coastal city of Arish and then marching three days to Rafah, the border point between Egypt and Gaza. "You're watching a genocide live streamed," said Mireille Coral. "What's happening to human beings is heartbreaking." Coral and her husband Paul Chislett have been activists throughout their lives, and the crisis unfolding in Gaza has taken a strong hold over their hearts. Chislett explained that communities have been calling on governments to take action against the violence, but he said, "they refuse to." "So, what are we supposed to do? Just sit back and become an audience?" he said. "When this effort came up, we thought we really needed to go to add our voices." They've already been taking part in local protests in support of Palestinians, but they're compelled now to do even more. The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas militants killed around 1,200 people in Israel in an Oct. 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies. Many of those killed or captured were civilians. Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. They do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants but say civilians have borne the brunt of the attacks and that thousands more bodies have been lost under rubble. A December report from Amnesty International described Israel's actions as genocide. Israel disputes the report and has denied accusations of genocide. Israel lifted an 11-week blockade last month, but since then, aid has only trickled in. Experts say Gaza's entire population of some 2.1 million people is at risk of famine despite successive efforts to boost aid. Calling for an end to the violence "I think it's important from a humanitarian point of view that we come to the aid of human beings," Coral said, adding that she's concerned about the enforcement of international law. "The world that we're creating is lawless and quite frightening." She added that she resists the idea that the people of the world have abandoned Palestinians, pointing out that people have been protesting and signing petitions, but said it is "disturbing" that governments aren't listening. Amir Haddad, a Burlington resident, and one of the organizers of the Palestinian Youth Movement Toronto says as a Palestinian, he's directly impacted by what's happening in Gaza. He also plans on travelling to Egypt to join the march. "Like many others, I've spent the last 20 months or so doing everything I can to challenge the complicity of the government's enabling the genocide that's happening right now," Haddad said. "We hope that a ceasefire is reached, a complete ceasefire that would include the end of the occupation of Gaza, the lifting of the siege and the blockade on Gaza, and allowing proper aid to come in." The March to Gaza website says that the action of the demonstration aims to unblock the Rafah passage and secure a permanent humanitarian corridor. Travelling to Egypt next week While Haddad, Chislett and Coral each have some concerns for their personal safety, they all believe it is worth it in order to take action they feel is necessary. "What we suffer here is nothing to what Gaza has been through. My personal conscience and many other people's personal conscience doesn't allow them to sit while genocide continues," Haddad said. Mireille acknowledged she's a little frightened, adding that she's never been much of a traveller to begin with. "But, I think we'll be in solidarity with other people. I think there'll be a comradeship that develops, that builds," she said. "At least we can say we did what we could." Chislett agreed. "It will come home to haunt us if we don't stand up. And if governments won't, we just have to," he said. They are all travelling to Egypt next week to meet in Cairo on June 12, with the goal of arriving at the Rafah border crossing for a peaceful demonstration on June 15.


Washington Post
9 hours ago
- Washington Post
Migrants and ICE officers contend with heat, smog and illness after detoured South Sudan flight
WASHINGTON — Migrants placed on a deportation flight originally bound for South Sudan are now being held in a converted shipping container on a U.S. naval base in Djibouti, where the men and their guards are contending with baking hot temperatures, smoke from nearby burn pits and the looming threat of rocket attacks, the Trump administration said. Officials outlined grim conditions in court documents filed Thursday before a federal judge overseeing a lawsuit challenging Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts to swiftly remove migrants to countries they didn't come from . Authorities landed the flight at the base in Djibouti, about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) from South Sudan, more than two weeks ago after U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Boston found the Trump administration had violated his order by swiftly sending eight migrants from countries including Cuba and Vietnam to the east African nation. The judge said that men from other countries must have a real chance to raise fears about dangers they could face in South Sudan. The men's lawyers, though, have still not been able to talk to them, said Robyn Barnard, senior director of refugee advocacy at Human Rights First, whose stated mission is to ensure the United States is a global leader on human rights. Barnard spoke Friday at a hearing of Democratic members of Congress and said some family members of the men had been able to talk to them Thursday. The migrants have been previously convicted of serious crimes in the U.S., and President Donald Trump's administration has said that it was unable to return them quickly to their home countries. The Justice Department has also appealed to the Supreme Court to immediately intervene and allow swift deportations to third countries to resume. The case comes amid a sweeping immigration crackdown by the Republican administration, which has pledged to deport millions of people who are living in the United States illegally. The legal fight became another flashpoint as the administration rails against judges whose rulings have slowed the president's policies. The Trump administration said the converted conference room in the shipping container is the only viable place to house the men on the base in Djibouti, where outdoor daily temperatures rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), according to the declaration from an ICE official. Nearby burn pits are used to dispose of trash and human waste, and the smog cloud makes it hard to breathe, sickening both ICE officers guarding the men and the detainees, the documents state. They don't have access to all the medication they need to protect against infection, and the ICE officers were unable to complete anti-malarial treatment before landing, an ICE official said. 'It is unknown how long the medical supply will last,' Mellissa B. Harper, acting executive deputy associate director of enforcement and removal operations, said in the declaration. The group also lacks protective gear in case of a rocket attack from terrorist groups in Yemen, a risk outlined by the Department of Defense, the documents state. ___ Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana contributed to this story.