Latest news with #SallyHayden
DW
23-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
South Sudan: What if the UN lifts its arms embargo? – DW – 05/23/2025
The UN Security Council is due to vote in late May on whether to renew an arms embargo on South Sudan for another year. Amnesty International is warning that the conflict could worsen without it. Global concern is once again shifting to South Sudan, the world's youngest nation. The flare-up of a long-simmering conflict in the East African country has claimed thousands of lives. It has also displaced some 2.3 million people and pushed around 60,000 children into malnourishment . International efforts to end the conflict have included a UN embargo on arms transfers to the parties to the conflicts, expires on May 31. UN Security Council members are set to vote on a draft resolution to extend the South Sudan sanctions regime. According to Amnesty International, the lives of civilians are at risk without an extension of the arms embargo. "We urge the [UN] Security Council to renew the embargo, enforce it and protect civilian lives," Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said. "While the UN arms embargo has not been a panacea, the human rights situation would almost certainly be worse without it," he added. Amnesty describes as an open violation of the embargo the "deployment of armed Ugandan soldiers and military equipment to South Sudan since March 11, 2025." How instability persists in South Sudan To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Violations of UN sanctions The UN Security Council's arms embargo on South Sudan dates back to 2018 and its sanctions regime on the country to 2015. On May 30, 2024, the Council extended the sanctions for a year. In addition to the arms embargo, it also encompasses asset freezes and travel bans. At the time, the UN said it was open to reviewing the arms embargo through modification, suspension or progressive lifting. In its estimation, arms shipments violated the UN resolution to end the conflict and further contributed to the instability in the country. However, a statement by International Crisis Group says that while the sanctions "appear to have made it harder for actors to deploy heavy weapons", the country's porous borders make it difficult to enforce a small arms and light weapons ban. Civilians from South Sudan and Sudan have crisscrossed the border between their countries to escape conflicts Image: Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/ZUMA Press Wire/picture alliance In a letter to the UN in early 2024, South Sudan's First Vice President, Riek Machar, accused Uganda of "grave violation" of the arms embargo following the Ugandan armed forces deployment into South Sudan. According to Amnesty, its Crisis Evidence Lab recently verified two videos featuring Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) personnel and equipment. "The first shows dozens of UPDF soldiers arriving at Juba International Airport on March 11. The second shows armored personnel carriers and military trucks," Amnesty said. Amid the reported violations, there's growing concern over whether the UN can effectively intervene and what a renewal of the arms embargo could even mean. UN Security Council pictured during a vote on protecting civilians in South Sudan and neighboring Sudan in November 2024 Image: Lev Radin/Sipa USA/picture alliance Is UN peacekeeping working? Recently, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for 12 months, expressing "deep concern" over the deteriorating situation in the country. Amid these continued efforts, some citizens are questioning the impact of UN peacekeeping efforts. Can UN efforts prevent civil war in South Sudan? To play this audio please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 audio "The UN is here in Juba or in other parts of South Sudan. They are there, they are roaming around the streets, but they cannot take an action," Abraham Maliet Mamer, Secretary General of the South Sudan Investment Authority, told DW. "I don't believe their mandate is clear. You cannot say you are peacekeeping, what peace are you keeping? People are fighting every day and you're not doing anything about it." The UN, however, insists that it is doing all it can to stop the conflict. "This country has suffered two civil wars before its independence and two after its independence. There is no appetite for more suffering in the population. They have suffered a lot due to civil wars. So, we have to stop the civil war at whatever cost," Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian, UNMISS Force Commander, told DW. Josey Mahachi and Cai Nebe contributed to this report. Edited by: Benita van Eyssen
DW
23-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
South Sudan: What if UN fails to extend its arms embargo? – DW – 05/23/2025
The UN Security Council is due to vote in late May on whether to renew an arms embargo on South Sudan for another year. Amnesty International is warning that the conflict could worsen without it. Global concern is once again shifting to South Sudan, the world's youngest nation. The flare-up of a long-simmering conflict in the East African country has claimed thousands of lives. It has also displaced some 2.3 million people and pushed around 60,000 children into malnourishment . International efforts to end the conflict have included a UN embargo on arms transfers to the parties to the conflicts, expires on May 31. UN Security Council members are set to vote on a draft resolution to extend the South Sudan sanctions regime. According to Amnesty International, the lives of civilians are at risk without an extension of the arms embargo. "We urge the [UN] Security Council to renew the embargo, enforce it and protect civilian lives," Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said. "While the UN arms embargo has not been a panacea, the human rights situation would almost certainly be worse without it," he added. Amnesty describes as an open violation of the embargo the "deployment of armed Ugandan soldiers and military equipment to South Sudan since March 11, 2025." How instability persists in South Sudan To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Violations of UN sanctions The UN Security Council's arms embargo on South Sudan dates back to 2018 and its sanctions regime on the country to 2015. On May 30, 2024, the Council extended the sanctions for a year. In addition to the arms embargo, it also encompasses asset freezes and travel bans. At the time, the UN said it was open to reviewing the arms embargo through modification, suspension or progressive lifting. In its estimation, arms shipments violated the UN resolution to end the conflict and further contributed to the instability in the country. However, a statement by International Crisis Group says that while the sanctions "appear to have made it harder for actors to deploy heavy weapons", the country's porous borders make it difficult to enforce a small arms and light weapons ban. Civilians from South Sudan and Sudan have crisscrossed the border between their countries to escape conflicts Image: Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/ZUMA Press Wire/picture alliance In a letter to the UN in early 2024, South Sudan's First Vice President, Riek Machar, accused Uganda of "grave violation" of the arms embargo following the Ugandan armed forces deployment into South Sudan. According to Amnesty, its Crisis Evidence Lab recently verified two videos featuring Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) personnel and equipment. "The first shows dozens of UPDF soldiers arriving at Juba International Airport on March 11. The second shows armored personnel carriers and military trucks," Amnesty said. Amid the reported violations, there's growing concern over whether the UN can effectively intervene and what a renewal of the arms embargo could even mean. UN Security Council pictured during a vote on protecting civilians in South Sudan and neighboring Sudan in November 2024 Image: Lev Radin/Sipa USA/picture alliance Is UN peacekeeping working? Recently, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for 12 months, expressing "deep concern" over the deteriorating situation in the country. Amid these continued efforts, some citizens are questioning the impact of UN peacekeeping efforts. Can UN efforts prevent civil war in South Sudan? To play this audio please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 audio "The UN is here in Juba or in other parts of South Sudan. They are there, they are roaming around the streets, but they cannot take an action," Abraham Maliet Mamer, Secretary General of the South Sudan Investment Authority, told DW. "I don't believe their mandate is clear. You cannot say you are peacekeeping, what peace are you keeping? People are fighting every day and you're not doing anything about it." The UN, however, insists that it is doing all it can to stop the conflict. "This country has suffered two civil wars before its independence and two after its independence. There is no appetite for more suffering in the population. They have suffered a lot due to civil wars. So, we have to stop the civil war at whatever cost," Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian, UNMISS Force Commander, told DW. Josey Mahachi and Cai Nebe contributed to this report. Edited by: Benita van Eyssen
RTÉ News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
IDF fire shots near delegation with Irish envoys
Sally Hayden, Irish Times Correspondent in the Middle East, reports on yesterday's incident where Israeli troops fired on a European Union delegation that included two Irish diplomats visiting the occupied West Bank.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Yahoo
Scores of bodies uncovered in Libyan mass graves linked to human trafficking
Authorities in Libya uncovered nearly 50 bodies in two mass graves in the southeastern city of Kufra, officials said Sunday. The discovery followed a raid on a human trafficking site, where 76 migrants were freed and three suspects were arrested. Libya authorities have uncovered nearly 50 bodies from two mass graves in the country's southeastern desert, officials said Sunday, in the latest tragedy involving people seeking to reach Europe through the chaos-stricken North African country. The first mass grave with 19 bodies was found Friday in a farm in the southeastern city of Kufra, the security directorate said in a statement, adding that authorities took them for autopsy. Authorities posted images on its Facebook page showing police officers and medics digging in the sand and recovering dead bodies that were wrapped in blankets. The al-Abreen charity, which helps migrants in eastern and southern Libya, said that some were apparently shot and killed before being buried. A separate mass grave, with at least 30 bodies, was also found in Kufra after raiding a human trafficking center, according to Mohamed al-Fadeil, head of the security chamber in Kufra. Survivors said nearly 70 people were buried in the grave, he added. Authorities were still searching the area. (APTN) Read more on FRANCE 24 EnglishRead also:Journalist Sally Hayden on the plight of refugees and migrants trapped in LibyaMass grave of at least 65 migrants found in Libya desert, UN agency says
