Welcome back to This Week in Peace, where we cover recent events in global peacebuilding.
This week, there were several positive developments, but many setbacks. Ethiopia marked the one-year anniversary of a crucial peace treaty, even as an end to violence remains elusive. Formal peace between Serbia and Kosovo remains elusive, despite attempts by the European Union and its member states to mediate an agreement. Calls for peace continue as Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza nears its one-month anniversary and civilian deaths continue. Russia withdrew its ratification of a key nuclear treaty, threatening global peace as its war in Ukraine continues. And this week marks the 10th anniversary of Geneva Peace Week, an annual forum for peacebuilders from around the world.
Ethiopia
A year ago, the Ethiopian government and representatives of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation front (TPLF) signed the Pretoria Agreement in South Africa. The peace deal ended two years of war in the rebellious Tigray province, which saw the involvement of Eritrean forces and numerous war crimes committed by both sides, and left hundreds of thousands dead and over a million displaced within Tigray. While the end of the war was a positive step towards long-term peace in Ethiopia, the threat of further widespread violence remains. Tensions between the government and armed groups in the Amhara and Oromia regions, along with widespread corruption, has threatened both the general security situation, and the distribution of much-needed humanitarian aid. The UN has warned about the potential for further violence, and it is crucial that the Ethiopian government and the powerful regional governments take steps to ensure that another civil war does not erupt.
You can read more Peace News coverage of Ethiopia here.
Serbia and Kosovo
Attempts by European leaders to negotiate a normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo have been unsuccessful. Tensions have been high since September, when an ethnic Serb militant group took hostages at a monastery in Kosovo. Albin Kurti, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, accused Serbia of complicity in the attack, which was denied by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. Serbia continued to deny recognition of Kosovo, which declared its independence in 2008, following a destructive ethnic conflict in the late 1990s, during the breakup of Yugoslavia. Both states are aspiring EU members, and NATO has maintained a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo since 1999. The EU has been adamant that the issue must be resolved before either state can be considered for full membership, and has taken an active role in mediating negotiations between the two. While the current setback is unfortunate, the degree of international investment in preventing another outbreak of violence is a positive factor, and Brussels will continue its years-long initiative to normalize ties between the two Balkan states.
Growing Calls for a “Humanitarian Pause” in Gaza
The conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continued, with no sign of an end, global calls for peace have continued, some of which were covered in last week’s edition of This Week in Peace. The U.S, Israel’s most high-profile international supporter since the October 7th Hamas attack, was the latest nation to officially call for “pauses” Israel’s air and ground campaigns in Gaza, citing the urgent need to provide aid. U.S. President Joe Biden publicly endorsed the idea this week, revealing a previous agreement with Israel to briefly pause shelling in order to facilitate the release of two American hostages. The second highest-ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate, Dick Durbin, recently called for a ceasefire, which the administration currently does not support. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu recently rejected the idea of a ceaserie, and dismissed growing international criticism of the number of civilians killed by Israeli airstrikes. As the conflict continues, peace is desperately needed to protect civilians and prevent future violence. While a humanitarian pause would not resolve the conflict, it would at least allow desperately needed aid to reach Palestinian civilians, and perhaps be the first step towards long-term peace.
You can read more of our coverage of this topic here. Peace News published a story yesterday discussing the work of organizations and individuals working to build peace between Israelis and Palesitinians, which you can read here.
Russia
As talks on a proposed Ukrainian peace plan began in Malta (with Russia not in attendance), Russian President Vladimir Putin revoked the his country’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The treaty is a key Cold War-era agreement which bans nuclear explosions worldwide. The U.S. has also not ratified the treaty, but it is a signatory and has adhered to its provisions, and many other nuclear powers, including China and India, have also not ratified the treaty. Nonetheless, Russian withdrawal, which comes as its invasion of Ukraine nears the two-year mark and settles into a bloody stalemate, is a negative development. The war in Ukraine has seen Russian officials threaten the use of tactical nuclear weapons, and some in Russia have called to resume tests as a form of deterrence against Ukraine’s allies. The CTBT, despite its issues and imperfect implementation, is a necessary step towards reinforcing global peace, and this withdrawal is a worrying development. A peaceful end to the war in Ukraine is necessary to prevent further bloodshed, and actions such as this withdrawal send the wrong signal, when all involved parties should be working to come to an negotiated, mutually acceptable solution.
Geneva Peace Week
Geneva Peace Week, an annual conference focused on peacebuilding, took place this week. Organized by the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, it brings together individuals and organizations from all over the world to discuss peace. This year, events included policy briefings, panel discussions, and networking opportunities for peacebuilders. The overall theme of this year’s conference was “Building Trust, Building Peace: An Agenda for the Future”, a mission that’s more important than ever amid a recent increase in violent conflict around the world.
