This week, a delicate ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Civilians and hostages continue to suffer amidst slow ceasefire progress between Israel and Gaza. Amidst ‘new phase’ of Sudan’s civil war, Saudi Arabia says it will keep up peace efforts through Jeddah talks.
A Delicate Ceasefire Between India and Pakistan
The recent conflict between India and Pakistan caused death and destruction for both countries. Pakistan reported on May 13 that India’s air strikes had killed at least 51 people, including 11 soldiers and several children, while India reported that 21 people killed, including five military personnel and 16 civilians.
On May 10, the two countries managed to arrive at a US-brokered ceasefire. However, the ceasefire remains delicate, with several measures in place, BBC reports. These measures include: the suspension of the Indus waters treaty; the suspension of visas and expulsion of diplomats; the closing of borders; the closing of air space; and the suspension of trade.
These measures will greatly impact civilians. Pakistan heavily depends on the rivers in the Indus basin for its civilian water supply. The Attariwaghah border, the only land crossing between the two countries, has long been crossed by people visiting family members. Due to the closing of air space, international flights now must take longer and more expensive detours. Pakistan’s economy is already struggling, and the suspension of trade is likely to worsen the situation if Pakistan loses access to crucial goods such as medicines.
Civilians and Hostages Continue to Suffer Amidst Slow Ceasefire Progress Between Israel and Gaza
Gaza’s civilians, as well as Israeli and foreign hostages, continue to suffer amidst slow progress in reaching a ceasefire. Rescuers in the strip said that at least 80 people were killed in Israeli bombardment there on May 14. Meanwhile, 58 hostages remain held captive in Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, BBC reported on May 12.
One positive development is that Hamas has said that it will release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander as part of efforts to reach a ceasefire. A senior Hamas official told BBC earlier that it was holding direct negotiations with a US official in Qatar.
While some believed that Alexander’s release might lead the way to a ceasefire, a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stressed that the PM remained, “determined to complete all of Israel’s war goals: the release of all our hostages, the military and governmental defeat of Hamas, and a promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.”
Amidst ‘New Phase’ of Sudan’s Civil War, Saudi Arabia Says it Will Keep Up Peace Efforts Through Jeddah Talks
In the midst of what is being called a ‘new phase’ in Sudan’s relentless civil war, Saudi Arabia says it will keep up its peace efforts through the Jeddah platform. Last week, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck an army base in Port Sudan, causing a massive fire. On May 11, Al Jazeera reported that at least nine civilians, including four children, were killed and seven injured in attacks on Sunday by the RSF in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state in western Sudan, according to the Sudanese army.
On May 14, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that his country would continue efforts to end the crisis “through the Jeddah platform, which Riyadh and Washington sponsor.” The prince said that the efforts would push for a comprehensive ceasefire.
Due to the RSF and Sudanese army’s failure to implement confidence, U.S.-Saudi mediated talks in Jeddah were suspended in December 2023. One of these measures was the withdrawal of the RSF from major cities and civilian facilities.
Sudan’s civil war born out of a power struggle between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) leader Abel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. The conflict has left the country in what US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described as the “world’s largest humanitarian crisis, leaving over 25 million Sudanese facing acute food insecurity and over 600,000 experiencing famine.”
Keywords: India, Pakistan, Israel, Palestine, Sudan, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, ceasefire
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is a journalist in Bangkok. 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.
