This week, Sudanese deputy chairman leaves peace forum after RSF arrives. DRC accuses Rwanda of creating barriers to peace negotiations. UN says Israeli tank fire wounded two peacekeepers in Lebanon.
Sudanese deputy chairman leaves peace forum after RSF arrives
Malik Agar, the Deputy Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, left the African Peace and Security Forum in Johannesburg after a delegation from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) arrived. The forum addressed the current conditions of peace and security in Africa, and the role of regional and international organizations in promoting stability, Sudan Tribune reported. Agar’s statement read, “Trying to force the Sudanese to coexist with the militia is unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, the RSF delegation met with South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola. The RSF’s statement said that Lamola expressed South Africa’s support for peace efforts in Sudan.
This news comes after last month, following a UN fact-finding mission that documented war crimes in Sudan, Sudan’s military-led government rejected the mission’s recommendation for deploying an international peacekeeping force to protect civilians amid the ongoing civil war.
DRC accuses Rwanda of barriers to peace negotiations
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner accused Rwanda of creating barriers to peace talks with M23 rebels. Wagner said Congo had drawn up a plan for its side of the deal, but accused Rwanda of offering only a promise of withdrawal “with no guarantees or concrete details,” Reuters reported.
She also noted that Rwanda rejected any clause in the peace agreement about Rwanda’s responsibility in the conflict, and DRC’s insistence on a regional justice mechanism. Wagner added that Rwanda was conditioning its withdrawal on the DRC first dealing with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), one of the largest foreign armed groups in DRC.
Both M23 and FDLR have committed grave war crimes and violations of international law, including unlawful killings and sexual violence. DRC’s crisis has left over 7 million people internally displaced, accounting for 10 percent of the world’s internally displaced people (IDPs). This follows a number of failed peace efforts between the DRC government and M23 rebels. To learn more about the human suffering caused by this crisis, click here.
Israeli tank fire wounds 2 peacekeepers in Lebanon, UN says
The United Nations on Thursday said that Israeli tank fire had wounded two peacekeepers at the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Naqoura. UNIFIL’s statement read:
“This morning, two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired its weapon toward an observation tower at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting it and causing them to fall. The injuries are fortunately, this time, not serious, but they remain in hospital.”
The statement also noted that escalation was causing “widespread destruction” of towns and villages in Lebanon’s southern region. The war between Israel and Lebanon has killed over 2,000 people in Lebanon. Last week, eight Israeli troops were killed in the fighting.
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
