Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly summary of events in global peacebuilding.
This week, international pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza continues to grow. The conflict continues to threaten peace throughout the entire region, as the peace process in Yemen grows increasingly strained. Armenia and Azerbaijan took positive steps towards a peace treaty that could prevent further conflict in the Caucasus. And Myanmar’s military government participated in Chinese-mediated peace talks with rebel groups, which could help to end the country’s long civil war.
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International pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza
Israel continues to reject international calls to pause or end its military operation in Gaza, where over 1.8 million Palestinians have been displaced and over 18,000 estimated to have been killed. According to the UN, the healthcare system has collapsed, and there is growing concern over the spread of infectious diseases. The UN General Assembly voted this week to call for an immediate ceasefire, with only 10 countries voting against. There is broad international consensus that the end of the war must lead to a renewed peace process and a full Palestinian state, an aim endorsed even by strong supporters of Israel, including U.S. President Joe Biden and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron. Urgent action is needed to prevent further suffering in Gaza, and continued international pressure is necessary to help to find a long-term solution once the fighting ends.
We recently published a video on the long-term prospects for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, which you can see here. You can also check out our past and future stories on Israel and Palestine are available here.
Armenia and Azerbaijan
Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to an exchange of prisoners of war this week, in a further step towards a lasting peace between the two rivals. Azerbaijan’s September takeover of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, and the ensuing exodus of over 100,000 ethnic Armenians, led to fears that another full-scale war between the two neighbors could take place. Since then, discussions on a peace treaty and the normalization of relations have been troubled and marred by mutual distrust. This latest development, accompanied by progress in talks hosted in iran, is a positive sign that boosts hopes of a future peaceful relationship between the two rivals. The normalization of relations, and a formal peace treaty, will help to officially end one of Europe’s most destructive and enduring conflicts.
You can read our story on the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh here, as well as our past stories on the region.
Yemen
In Yemen, the Houthis, an Iranian-allied rebel group that controls much of the country, have continued their attacks on ships in the Red Sea, endangering a peace plan with Saudi Arabia, their most prominent opponent. Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, the Houthis have launched missiles at Israel and attacked shipping they believe is tied to the country, hijacking some merchant vessels and launching missiles at others. American and French warships have attempted to protect ships in the area, sometimes coming under attack themselves. There is some pressure in the US to designate the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, which would further complicate the peace process. In a positive sign for peace, talks to create a multinational force to protect shipping in the Red Sea may lead to cooperation between the US and China.
You can read our past stories on Yemen here.
Myanmar
In Myanmar, the military government announced that they had participated in Chinese-brokered talks with an alliance of rebel armed groups, who launched a major offensive in October 2023. The fighting, which poses a serious threat to the junta that has ruled outright since a 2021 coup, has spread to over two-thirds of the country, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. None of the involved parties provided a great deal of public information about the meeting, although there are hopes that further talks could come within the next month. The Three Brotherhood Alliance, made up of a number of armed groups, many of which draw support from ethnic minorities near the Chinese border, reaffirmed that they aimed to overthrow the junta, even after the military publicized the talks. China remains positive relations with both sides, and could act as a mediator in future talks, which could prevent further civilian suffering in a country that has been under brutal military rule for much of its existence, and where minority groups like the Rohingya have experienced significant state-sanctioned discrimination and oppression.
Peace News has written stories on Myanmar in the past, and will continue to cover further developments.
