Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly summary of events in global peacebuilding.
This week, we cover a continued pause in fighting in Gaza, successful negotiations with an armed group in India, the start of peace talks in the Philippines, and a peace deal under threat in Mali.
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Israel Palestine
The most important news of the week was once again in Gaza, where a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas remains in effect. While it is not permanent, it has allowed hostages to be released, and for the Israeli bombing of Gaza to temporarily halt. The original agreement has been extended beyond the original period twice, and will now last at least 7 days. Despite continued violence in the West Bank, where two Palestinian boys were killed by the IDF, and in Jerusalem, where three people were killed in an attack on a bus stop that was claimed by Hamas. Despite the uncertainty over what comes when the truce eventually ends, the last week has been an overall positive period for peace. A prisoner exchange has seen over 90 hostages released by Hamas, including childeren and the elderly, while 200 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel have also been released, some of whom were held without charge. Negotiations are ongoing in Qatar, and the U.S., along with many other nations, has pushed for the pause to be extended, to continue the prisoner exchange and allow more aid to reach Gaza. The U.S., Israel’s most prominent international supporter, publicly called for aid deliveries to continue independent of the rest of the agreement. The next week will be crucial for peace in the region – further extensions could lay the groundwork for a more lasting ceasefire, while a return to war would make short-term peace far more difficult to achieve.
Read our recent story on how the media has covered this conflict here, and check out our past stories on Israel and Palestine here.
Philippines
The government of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front, a communist rebel organization, agreed to resume peace talks. The New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has fought the government since 1969, with tens of thousands killed in the decades of conflict. The Philippines, the U.S., and the EU consider the NPA to be a terrorist organization, and the government stated that it would not enforce a total ceasefire despite the resumption of negotiations. Previous talks ended in 2019, when the government of Rodrigo Duterte pulled out following attacks on government outposts. The current peace talks, mediated by the Norwegian government, could finally bring an end to the fighting, as the Philippines faces continued pressure from China regarding territorial claims in the South China Sea.
India
This week, the Indian government and the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), an armed group in the state of Mirapur, announced a peace deal. The UNLF has fought the government since 1964, and is currently made up of hundreds of fighters, some based in Myanmar. Under the terms of the agreement, the UNLF agreed to renounce violence and seek a peace settlement within the bounds of India’s constitution. There are hopes that other rebel groups in the region will follow the UNLF and sign deals with the government. Since 2014, Narendra Modi’s government has reached a number of peace agreements with armed groups in India’s northeast, continued engagement with these groups will help to improve the overall level of peace in the world’s largest democracy.
Mali
A peace agreement between the Malian government and Tuareg groups, in place since 2015, faces further strain. Mali, ruled by a military junta, announced an investigation into some of the signatories of the agreement, calling them “terrorists” and equating them with jihadist groups also active in the country. The groups rebelled in 2015, and some of which have separatist ambitions for an independent Tuareg state. The withdrawal of UN and French troops, the continued presence of jihadist groups, some linked to al-Qaeda, and some violent incidents carried out by both the government and Tuareg groups have threatened the fragile state of peace in the north of Mali. Some rebels have already abandoned the agreement, and the latest move by the junta makes it possible that more will follow suit.
You can read more of our stories on Mali here.
Leo Weakland
Leo Weakland graduated from the George Washington University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs. He is the Development and Operations Manager for Peace News Network, and is based in Washington, D.C. Before Peace News, he worked as a Research Assistant at GWU, for a nonprofit focused on supporting veterans running for office, and interned at the Office of the General Counsel at the Centers for Disease Control.
