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https://rsf.org/en/gambia-swiss-court-convicts-former-interior-minister-crimes-against-humanity-including-torture-two

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https://rsf.org/en/gambia-swiss-court-convicts-former-interior-minister-crimes-against-humanity-including-torture-two

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https://www.irmct.org/en/news/irmct-prosecutor-announces-all-ictr-fugitives-successfully-accounted

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Israeli Officials Believe I.C.C. Is Preparing Arrest Warrants Over War

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Israeli and foreign officials say it appears the International Criminal Court is preparing to move against top Israeli and Hamas officials. The prosecutors’ office of the court declined to comment.

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In short: Rwandan President Paul Kagame led commemoration events in Kigali on Sunday to mark 30 years since the Rwandan genocide.

He blamed the international community for allowing the genocide, something which Western leaders have expressed regret about.

What's next? While Rwanda has made progress in reducing ethnic conflict, rights groups are concerned Mr Kagame has created a climate of fear.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame blamed the inaction of the international community for allowing the 1994 genocide to happen, as Rwandans on Sunday commemorated 30 years since an estimated 800,000 people were killed by government-backed extremists.

Rwanda has shown strong recovery and economic growth in the years since, but scars remain and there are questions about whether genuine reconciliation has been achieved under the long rule of Mr Kagame, whose rebel movement stopped the genocide and seized power.

He has been praised by many for bringing relative stability to the country, but vilified by others for his intolerance of dissent.

Mr Kagame led sombre commemoration events in the capital, Kigali, to mark the anniversary. Foreign visitors included a delegation led by Bill Clinton, the United States president during the genocide, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

The killings were ignited when a plane carrying Rwanda's then-president Juvénal Habyarimana, a member of the Hutu ethnic group, was shot down over Kigali.

Members of the Tutsi ethnic group were blamed for downing the plane and killing the president, and became targets in widespread massacres led by Hutu extremists that lasted over 100 days. Some moderate Hutus who tried to protect members of the Tutsi minority were also killed.

Rwandan authorities have long blamed the international community for ignoring warnings about the killings, and some Western leaders have expressed regret.

Mr Clinton, after leaving office, cited the Rwandan genocide as a failure of his administration, while French President Emmanuel Macron, in a prerecorded video ahead of Sunday's ceremonies, said that France and its allies could have stopped the genocide but lacked the will to do so.

Mr Macron's declaration came three years after he acknowledged the "overwhelming responsibility" of France - Rwanda's closest European ally in 1994 - for failing to stop Rwanda's slide into the slaughter.

"It was the international community which failed all of us, whether from contempt or cowardice," Mr Kagame said in a speech after lighting a flame of remembrance and laying a wreath at a memorial site holding the remains of 250,000 genocide victims.

He also shared the story of a cousin whose family he tried to save with the help of United Nations peacekeepers. She did not survive.

"We will never forget the horrors of those 100 days, the pain and loss suffered by the people of Rwanda, or the shared humanity that connects us all, which hate can never overcome," US President Joe Biden said in a statement.

'Journey has been long and tough'

Rwanda's ethnic composition remains largely unchanged since 1994, with a Hutu majority. The Tutsis account for 14 per cent, and the Twa just 1 per cent, of Rwanda's 14 million people.

Mr Kagame's Tutsi-dominated government has outlawed any form of organisation along ethnic lines, as part of efforts to build a uniform Rwandan identity.

National ID cards no longer identify citizens by ethnic group, and authorities imposed a tough penal code to prosecute those suspected of denying the genocide or the "ideology" behind it.

Some observers say the law has been used to silence critics who question the government's policies.

Rights groups have also accused Mr Kagame's soldiers of carrying out some killings during and after the genocide in apparent revenge, but Rwandan authorities see the allegations as an attempt to rewrite history.

Mr Kagame has previously said that his forces showed restraint in the face of genocide.

The president said on Sunday that Rwandans are disgusted by critics who have "questioned and revised" the history of the genocide.

"Rwandans will always challenge it," he said, adding that preventing another genocide requires political measures such as those now in place.

"Our journey has been long and tough," he said.

"Rwanda was completely humbled by the magnitude of our loss, and the lessons we learned are engraved in blood. But the tremendous progress of our country is plain to see, and it is the result of the choice we made together to resurrect our nation."

He added: "The foundation of everything is unity. That was the first choice - to believe in the idea of a united Rwanda and live accordingly."

Naphtal Ahishakiye, the head of Ibuka, a prominent group of survivors, told the Associated Press that keeping the memory of the genocide alive helps fight the mentality that allowed neighbours to turn on each other, killing even children.

Mass graves are still being discovered across Rwanda 30 years later, a reminder of the scale of the killings.

"It's a time to learn what happened, why it happened, what are the consequences of genocide to us as genocide survivors, to our country, and to the international community," Mr Ahishakiye said.

He said his country had come a long way since the 1990s when only survivors and government officials participated in commemoration events.

"But today even those who are family members of perpetrators come to participate," he said.

Critics cite Kagame's 'climate of fear'

Mr Kagame, who grew up a refugee in neighbouring Uganda, has been Rwanda's de facto ruler since the genocide, first as vice-president from 1994 to 2000, then as acting president.

He was voted into office in 2003 and has since been re-elected multiple times. A candidate for elections set for July, he won the last election with nearly 99 per cent of the vote.

Rights activists and others say the authoritarian Mr Kagame has created a climate of fear that discourages open and free discussion of national issues, forcing opponents to flee, jailing or making them disappear while some are killed under mysterious circumstances.

Though mostly peaceful, Rwanda has also had troubled relations with its neighbours.

Recently, tensions have flared with Congo, with the two countries' leaders accusing one another of supporting armed groups.

Relations have been tense with Burundi as well, over allegations that Mr Kigali is backing a rebel group attacking Burundi.

And relations with Uganda are yet to fully normalise after a period of tensions stemming from Rwandan allegations that Uganda was backing rebels opposed to Mr Kagame.
AP

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Rwandan president blames world's inaction as country marks 30th anniversary of 1994 genocide

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Rwanda has shown strong recovery and economic growth in the years since the genocide, but the scars remain, and there are questions about whether genuine reconciliation has been achieved under the long rule of Paul Kagame.

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THE HAGUE, March 4 (Reuters) - Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday ruled that prosecutors can bring a hearing on charges against fugitive Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony in his absence on Oct. 15.

Kony, the founder and leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), is the ICC's longest standing fugitive. An arrest warrant was issued against him in 2005.

ICC prosecutors are looking to charge Kony with 36 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, rape, using child soldiers, sexual slavery, forced marriage and forced pregnancy.

Led by the now 62-year-old Kony, the LRA sowed fear among Ugandans for nearly 20 years as it battled the government of President Yoweri Museveni from bases in northern Uganda and neighbouring countries. It has now largely been wiped out.

About 100,000 people were killed in the conflict, according to U.N. figures.

According to prosecutors Kony had ultimate power over the entire LRA and led a coordinated campaign to abduct children to integrate them into the LRA.

The abducted children were subjected to a "carefully designed and coordinated regime of physical and psychological violence" including sometimes being forced to beat and even kill other abductees, the document containing the charges said.

Kony, who is still at large, has said he is not guilty of the allegations against him.

In late 2022 ICC prosecutor Karim Kahn requested a hearing in the case to offer a "meaningful milestone" for victims and to present the depth of evidence gathered against Kony.

It is the first time since the court became a legal reality in 2002 that ICC judges have allowed a so-called confirmation of charges hearing without the suspect present and could have implications for other cases with fugitive suspects.

Other high-profile ICC fugitives include Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is wanted on charges of child abduction in Ukraine, and former Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir, wanted for alleged genocide in Darfur.

Russia denies committing war crimes in Ukraine, while Sudanese authorities dismissed the court when the warrant against Bashir was issued in 2009.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Toby Chopra and Angus MacSwan

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

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ICC allows in absentia hearings in case against Ugandan warlord Kony

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Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday ruled that prosecutors can bring a hearing on charges against fugitive Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony in his absence on Oct. 15.

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United Nations Security Council passes resolution demanding a ceasefire

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Humanitarian pause key, then sustainable peace: UK

United Kingdom Ambassador Barbara Woodward said said her country had long been calling for an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life, as the fastest way to get hostages out and aid in.

That is what this resolution calls for and why the UK voted yes on this text. We regret that this resolution has not condemned the terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October but it sets out the urgent demand for the unconditional release of all hostages, she continue.

Now the Council must focus on an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a lasting, sustainable peace without a return to fighting.

That means the formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package, Ambassador Woodward said, and ending Hamas's ability to launch attacks.

There must be a pathway towards a two-State solution with Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in security and peace.
11:17 AM
Life and death vote: Guyana

Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Guyana, said that after more than five months of a "war of utter terror and destruction," a ceasefire is the difference between life and death for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and others.

"This demand [by the Council] comes at a significant time as Palestinians are observing the holy month of Ramadan," she said, noting continuing deaths in the enclave and families left homeless.

Voicing concern over the looming starvation in Gaza, the Ambassador also highlighted the disproportionate impact of the war on women and children.

"At the same time, the anguish of the families of the hostages held in Gaza continues to mount with no clear prospect for the return of their loved ones," she said, adding "Palestinians experience the same anguish, waiting for their relatives who are illegally detained in Israel to come home."
11:14 AM
Too late for some: China

Zhang Jun, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of China to the UN, thanked the E-10 members for their efforts on the draft.

Noting that his country's negative vote on the US-led draft resolution last Friday, he stated that a comparison of the two drafts showed the differences.

"The current draft is unequivocal and correct in its direction demanding an immediate ceasefire, while the previous one was evasive and ambiguous," he said, adding that present resolution also reflected the general expectations of the international community and enjoyed the collective support of Arab nations.

He said China had forced the US to realise it could not continue obstructing the Council.

"For the lives that have already perished, the Council resolution today comes too late", he said, but for those still living in the Strip, the resolution represents "long awaited hope."

"All harm to civilians must cease immediately" and the offensive must end, he said.
11:01 AM
Council must focus on solutions, after deafening silence: France

French Ambassador and Permanent Representative Nicholas de Rivière welcomed the adoption of the resolution, stressing that "it was high time" that the Security Council act.

"The adoption of this resolution demonstrates that the Security Council can still act when all of its members make the necessary effort to discharge their mandate," he said.

"The Security Council's silence on Gaza was becoming deafening, it is high time now for the Council to finally contribute to finding a solution to this crisis," he added, noting that it is not yet over and that the 15-member body, will have to remain mobilized and immediately get to work.

"It will have to, following Ramadan, which finishes in two weeks, [the Council] will have to establish a permanent ceasefire," the Ambassador added, stressing also the importance of the two-State solution.
10:55 AM
Resolution must make a difference: Republic of Korea

The Republic of Korea's Ambassador Hwang Joonkook, said it was the first ever resolution from the E-10 to be adopted on this Middle East agenda and represents a huge breakthrough.

But for today's resolution to have concrete significance, it must have a tangible impact in Gaza itself, he said.

"The situation must be different before and after this resolution. This will only be possible when both Israel and Hamas respect and faithfully implement this resolution."

They must understand this resolution reflects the consensus of the international community, starting right now with a ceasefire.
10:46 AM
Supporting crucial talks: US

US Ambassador and Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that in adopting the resolution, the Security Council "spoke out in support" of the ongoing diplomatic efforts led by the US, Qatar and Egypt to bring about an immediate and sustainable ceasefire, secure the immediate release of all hostages, and help alleviate the tremendous suffering of Palestinian civilians in need in Gaza.

"The United States fully supports these critical objectives," she said.

"In fact, they were the foundation of the resolution we put forward last week - a resolution that Russia and China vetoed."

Emphasizing that her country's support for the objectives "is not simply rhetorical," Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said that the US "is working around the clock to make them real on the ground, through diplomacy."

She urged Council members to be clear that a ceasefire could have come "months ago" had Hamas been ready to release the hostages, accusing the group of throwing roadblocks in the path of peace.

"So today my ask to the members of this Council...is 'speak out and demand unequivocally that Hamas accepts the deal on the table'," she said.
10:47 AM
Resolution must be implemented: UN chief

Reacting immediately after the vote, Secretary-General António Guterre s said on X that the long-awaited resolution must be implemented; the Council's failure to so "would be unforgivable."
10:40 AM
Algeria says draft will end the 'bloodbath' in Gaza

Algeria's Ambassador Amar Benjama said the draft will put an end to the massacres that have been going on for five months.

"The bloodbath has gone far too long," he said. "Finally, the Security Council is finally responding to the calls of the international community and the Secretary-General."

The draft conveys a clear message to the Palestinian people, he said.

"The international community, in its entirety, did not abandon you," he said. "Adopting today's resolution is on the beginning to meet the aspiration of the Palestinian people...to put an end of the bloodbath without any conditions."
0:39 AM
Draft resolution passes, US abstains

The Russian verbal amendment did not pass due to lack of votes.

But in the substantive vote, there were 14 in favour, with the US abstaining. The resolution therefore has passed.
10:36 AM
The sticking point is the removal of the word "permanent" from an earlier version of the draft. It now calls for an "immediate ceasefire".

Russia proposes amendment

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the fact that word "permanent" in operative paragraph one was replaced with weaker language is "unacceptable".

"We all received instructions for a vote on the text that contained the word 'permanent'" and anything else could be seen as permission for Israel to continue its attacks, he said.

As such, his delegation proposed an oral amendment to return the word "permanent" to the draft.
10:27 AM
Israel and Yemen will be taking part in the meeting together with the Observer State of Palestine.

Those who wish to make a statement before the vote are speaking.

Mozambique's Ambassador Pero Afonso is introducing the draft on behalf of the 10 elected members (E-10) of the Council.

He said it was essential to end the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, which is a matter of "grave concern to the entire international community" and a clear threat to peace and security.

There is a mandate under the UN Charter to work towards these key aims and this is the main motivation for introducing this text.

He said the E-10 group have always supported the call for an immediate ceasefire as a "fundamental" starting point. But the draft resolution also demands the immediate release of all hostages and full humanitarian access to them.

"Given the utmost urgency of the situation" we call on all members to vote in favour of the resolution and work towards a comprehensive ceasefire and a lasting peace in the Middle East, he said.
10:25 AM
The meeting has finally got underway. Ambassador Yamazaki has led a minute's silence in honour of those who died in the terrorist attack in Moscow on Friday.
10:13 AM
These are unusual scenes going on now in the Chamber. The Russian Ambassador is in a large huddle with many other top diplomats, including the Palestinian Observer and the Ambassador for Malta. There are clearly negotiations still going on over the draft that's due to be voted on.

Only a few of the ambassadors are already at the table. It looks like we won't see the gavel come down for a while yet.
10:07 AM
Japan holds the presidency of the Security Council for March. Ambassador Kazuyuki Yamazaki will get the meeting underway soon but delegations are still filing into the Council Chamber, some huddled together in animated discussion.

09:30 AM - Disagreement in the Council has seen several rounds of drafts quashed by one or more of its five veto-wielding permanent members (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States) since the war began in October following the Hamas-led terror attacks on southern Israel.

The current draft that ambassadors will consider around the iconic horseshoe table in the Security Council Chamber this morning is only four operative paragraphs long and was prepared by its non-permanent members.

Three main demands: Ceasefire, return hostages, let aid into Gaza

The resolution is a bare-bones call for a ceasefire during the month of Ramadan, which began on 11 March. It also demands the return of about 130 hostages seized in Israel and held in Gaza and emphasizes the urgent need to allow ample lifesaving aid to reach a starving population in the besieged enclave.

The demand to end hostilities has so far eluded the Council following the Israeli forces' invasion of Gaza in October after Hamas attacks left almost 1,200 dead and 240 taken hostage.

Since then, Israel's daily bombardment alongside its near total blockade of water, electricity and lifesaving aid has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the health ministry there, where a recent UN-backed report showed an imminent famine unfolding.

Growing calls to end the war

While a week-long ceasefire in November saw an exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinians detained in Israel, fighting resumed and has only escalated, as the death toll and malnutrition in Gaza continues to soar along with ever louder calls to end the war and rapidly address the stark humanitarian suffering.

Previous rejected drafts contained basically the same provisions as this new one, as did resolutions 2712 and 2720 that were adopted in late 2023, but points of contention persist among the membership while calls continue to demand that the 15-member Council take a stronger stand to end the conflict.

Read our explainer on what happens when the Security Council deadlocks here, and follow our coverage as the meeting unfolds.

What's the new draft resolution calling for?

The Council would demand "an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a permanent sustainable ceasefire"

It would also demand "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical and other humanitarian needs" and "that the parties comply with their obligations under international law in relation to all persons they detain"

Other provisions would have the Council emphasize "the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to and reinforce the protection of civilians in the entire Gaza Strip.

In this regard, the draft would have the Council reiterate its demand for the lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale, in line with international humanitarian law as well as resolutions 2712 (2023) and 2720 (2023).

A US-proposed draft to end the war in Gaza was vetoed by permanent Council members China and Russia, in a vote of 11 favour to three against (Algeria, China, Russia) and one abstention (Guyana)

Several ambassadors voiced their support for a new draft proposed by the "E-10" group of non-permanent Council members, which calls for an immediate ceasefire

The vetoed draft would have made imperative an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza, with an "urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance" to all civilians and lifting "all barriers" to delivering aid

Council members disagreed over elements of the draft, and some highlighted glaring exclusions despite having raised multiple concerns with the US during negotiations

Ambassadors largely supported swift action to bring food and lifesaving aid at scale into Gaza, where concerns of famine grew as Israel continues to block and slow walk shipments into the besieged enclave

Some Council members called for pursuing the two-State solution to the ongoing conflict

Israel's ambassador was invited to speak, calling the draft's failure to pass and condemn Hamas "a stain that will never be forgotten"

More to come...

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UPDATING LIVE: Security Council passes resolution demanding 'an immediate ceasefire' during Ramadan

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The UN Security Council on Monday passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan, the immediate and unconditional release of hostages and "the urgent need to expand the flow" of aid into Gaza. There were 14 votes in favour with the United States abstaining. Follow live coverage here.

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International Court of Justice, Carnegieplein, The Hague, Netherlands

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International Court of Justice, Carnegieplein, The Hague, Netherlands

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International Court of Justice, Carnegieplein, The Hague, Netherlands

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ICJ Hearings regarding the 'Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem'. You can read/watch the oral submissions from 19th February 2024 - 26 February 2024

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Oral proceedings

Public sitting held on Tuesday 20 February 2024, at 10 a.m., at the Peace Palace, President Salam presiding, on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem (Request for advisory opinion submitted by the General Assembly of the United Nations)

Available in:

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Oral proceedings Public sitting held on Tuesday 20 February 2024, at 10 a.m., at the Peace Palace, President Salam presiding, on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem (Request for advisory opinion submitted by the General Assembly of the United Nations) Available in:

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International Criminal Court, Oude Waalsdorperweg, The Hague, Netherlands

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International Criminal Court, Oude Waalsdorperweg, The Hague, Netherlands

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International Criminal Court, Oude Waalsdorperweg, The Hague, Netherlands

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ICC confirms Confirmation of Charges Hearing to commence against Joesph Kony (LRA, Uganda), in absentia on 15 October 2024

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ICC issues warrants of arrest: Vladimir Putin, Maria Lvova-Belova, Sergei Ivanivich Kobylash, and Viktor Nikolayevich Sokolov

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Civil unrest grows in Haiti with armed groups vying for power

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People flee their homes to escape gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 6, 2024 [Ralph Tedy Erol/Reuters]

Haitians have been plunged into a deepening crisis, as gang violence forces thousands of people to flee their homes and businesses and schools to shutter.

On Thursday, Haiti's government extended a state of emergency until April 3 in the Ouest Department, where the capital, Port-au-Prince, is located. It was first imposed on Sunday. The measure includes nightly curfews and bans on protests, although rights groups have said they have done little to stem the violence.

Keep reading

A new police station was also set on fire on Wednesday night in the Port-au-Prince neighbourhood of Bas-Peu-de-Chose, according to a statement that the leader of the SYNAPOHA police union gave to the Agence France-Presse news agency.

The surge in violence began over the weekend when armed groups launched a wave of attacks in the capital, including raids on two prisons that led to the escape of thousands of inmates.

According to a SYNAPOHA tally, at least 10 police buildings have been destroyed since the start of the unrest.

Haiti has been plagued by widespread gang violence for more than two years, particularly in the wake of the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. That killing created a power vacuum and worsened political instability in the Caribbean nation.

The country's de facto leader, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, has faced a crisis of legitimacy and continuing calls to resign. Moise chose Henry for the post just days before he was killed.

This week, the head of the powerful G9 Haitian gang alliance, Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier, warned, "If Ariel Henry doesn't resign, if the international community continues to support him, we'll be heading straight for a civil war that will lead to genocide."

IOM is deeply concerned for the people of #Haiti.

Gang attacks, kidnapping and gender-based violence have already led to thousands fleeing their homes. In recent days, we have seen further displacement, and the situation is deteriorating rapidly.

- Amy Pope (@IOMchief) March 7, 2024

Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo, reporting on Thursday from Dajabon, a Dominican town on the border with Haiti, said displaced Haitians were being prevented from entering the country.

"We're being told that the border is now closed," Bo said. "Security forces here are on high alert."

The United Nations said this week that at least 15,000 people in Port-au-Prince - where gangs are believed to control about 80 percent of the territory - have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the escalating violence.

The international organisation on Thursday warned that the country's health system was on the brink of collapse.

"What we do know is happening [in Haiti] is that there's looting going on, shooting going on. Businesses are closed. Schools, universities and most public services are not working because of the situation on the ground," Bo added.

In the meantime, uncertainty continues to build around the fate of Henry, who was out of the country when the recent wave of violence began.

The Miami Herald reported on Wednesday that the United States had asked Henry to agree to a new transitional government - and resign - amid the growing crisis.

But senior US officials, including the country's ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, denied that report.

"What we've asked the Haitian prime minister to do is move forward on a political process that will lead to the establishment of a presidential transitional council" to allow for elections, Thomas-Greenfield told reporters on Wednesday.

"We think that it's urgent ... that he moves forward in that direction and start the process of bringing normalcy back to the people of Haiti."

Henry has been in the US territory of Puerto Rico since Tuesday, apparently unable or unwilling to return to his strife-torn country. He recently visited Kenya to rally support for a multinational security force to assist in Haiti's fight against gang violence.

What comes next?

The National Human Rights Defense Network, a government accountability group, said there is little hope in stemming the violence under the current circumstances.

In a position paper released on Wednesday, the network said the unrest has been fuelled by collusion between the "hierarchy of the Haitian National Police" and criminal gangs, who continue to benefit from the "protection of Haiti's judicial and political authorities".

"Today, the facts are clear: The government authorities have resigned. The streets of the capital and the entire Ouest department are given over to armed bandits," the group said. "And the Haitian population has simply been abandoned to its fate."

The group called on "vital sectors" in Haiti to "provide the country with a non-predatory government of human rights, made up of men and women of integrity" - one that is committed to building functioning institutions, dismantling gangs and routing corruption.

For his part, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Henry by phone on Thursday, according to Brian Nichols, the US assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Blinken discussed the "urgent need to accelerate transition to a broader, more inclusive government", he said.

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Haiti extends state of emergency as violence and displacement soar

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New wave of gang violence has destroyed police stations as residents in the capital, Port-au-Prince, are forced to flee.

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International Court of Justice, Carnegieplein, The Hague, Netherlands

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International Court of Justice, Carnegieplein, The Hague, Netherlands

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International Court of Justice, Carnegieplein, The Hague, Netherlands

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Application on the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel) - Watch/read the oral proceedings from the 11th and 12th of January 2024

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Oral proceedings

Public sitting held on Thursday 11 January 2024, at 10 a.m., at the Peace Palace, President Donoghue presiding, in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel)

Available in:

Public sitting held on Friday 12 January 2024, at 10 a.m., at the Peace Palace, President Donoghue presiding, in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel)

Available in:

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Oral proceedings Public sitting held on Thursday 11 January 2024, at 10 a.m., at the Peace Palace, President Donoghue presiding, in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v.

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Australia is being urged to do more to investigate allegations of genocide and war crimes, with some legal experts calling for a specialised and permanent unit to be set up.

The calls follow Four Corners and the Guardian Australia publishing revelations this week that Rwanda is seeking two men in Australia over allegations they participated in killings during the country's 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

One of the men has previously said he was aware of false allegations and a smear campaign against him and declined to be interviewed. The other was not able to be reached.

"It is deeply concerning that alleged perpetrators of war crimes can avoid facing justice," said Greens senator and defence and justice spokesperson David Shoebridge.

"Australia's current approach is not working; we need to have the systems in place to investigate and prosecute ... We also need to work with other countries to ensure people can't escape prosecution."

Some in the Rwandan diaspora claim the allegations against the two men are politically motivated.

Four Corners and Guardian Australia does not suggest the allegations are true but that they warrant further investigation.

Australia does not currently have a specialised unit to investigate core international crimes including genocide, with responsibility falling within the AFP's Counter Terrorism and Special Investigations Command's wide remit.

Executive director of the Australian Centre for International Justice (ACIJ), Rawan Arraf, said Australia was falling behind its international counterparts.

"Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and others are all actively investigating international crimes and bringing cases to prosecution, and have dedicated, specialised investigative units to do so," she told Four Corners and Guardian Australia.

When it comes to alleged crimes such as genocide and war crimes, she said: "Failure to investigate and prosecute can also have a significant impact on victims and their families."

Senator Shoebridge said: "Australia should be extremely proud that so many people from around the world come here to build their lives, in some cases fleeing countries where they face violence and persecution.

"We owe every survivor of oppression, torture or genocide an obligation to make our society safe for them."

In the past, alleged perpetrators from conflicts including in the Balkans and Sri Lanka have found refuge in Australia.

The ACIJ argues that generalist units within the AFP are "ill-equipped" to deal with the complexities of such investigations and lack the expertise required.

Australia was slow in making genocide and war crimes a crime under domestic law, failing to adopt legislation until 2002 with the introduction of division 268 in the Criminal Code.

The laws passed are not retrospective, so a charge of genocide pre-dating 2002 could not be prosecuted under the code without legislative change, meaning conflicts including the genocide in Rwanda are exempt.

Graham Blewitt is the former director of the Special Investigations Unit, which was set up in the 1980s to probe allegations that Nazi war criminals were living in Australia.

He told Four Corners that Australia has been apathetic for decades when it comes to investigating and prosecuting alleged war crimes.

"It's just a lack of a political will to do something about it, and frankly, that has to change."

A spokesperson for the AFP rejected suggestions it lacks expertise and resources to adequately investigate international crimes.

"The AFP works closely with foreign law enforcement agencies, international bodies and mechanisms who prosecute international crimes to ensure perpetrators with a connection to Australia are held to account," they said.

"Members of the AFP's CTSI Command are highly experienced investigators, many of whom have undertaken specialised training, including through the Institute of International Criminal Investigations in The Hague."

The spokesperson said it would be inappropriate to comment on the number of war crimes investigations it has conducted in recent years.

A spokesperson for the attorney-general told Four Corners: "The Australian government is committed to tackling serious international crimes and takes allegations of genocide very seriously."

A spokesperson for the minister for Home Affairs said they do not comment on individual cases.
Watch the Four Corners and Guardian Australia documentary, 'The Wanted', now on ABC iview. Do you know more about this story? Contact Four Corners here.

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Australia urged to do more to investigate alleged genocide perpetrators in the country

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There are calls for a specialised crimes unit following revelations in a Four Corners and Guardian Australia investigation.

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(Bangkok) - Myanmar's military junta has increasingly carried out unlawful airstrikes harming civilians in its military operations against a coalition of opposition and ethnic armed groups, Human Rights Watch said today. Governments that provide transfers or assistance of arms or materiel to the junta forces risk being complicit in war crimes.

Three years since the February 1, 2021, coup in Myanmar, the junta's widespread and systematic abuses against the population - including arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, and indiscriminate attacks on civilians - amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes. In 2023, Human Rights Watch investigations found that the military's unlawful airstrikes in Sagaing Region and Kachin State were apparent war crimes.

"Concerned governments should be doing more to curb the junta's capacity to commit appalling laws-of-war violations," said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "United Nations member countries should urge the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Myanmar, including sanctions on jet fuel that facilitates unlawful air attacks on civilians."

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement on January 30 that Myanmar's deteriorating human rights situation was now in "free fall."

"The people of Myanmar have been suffering for too long," Türk said. "Since the end of October last year, their situation has deteriorated even further as a result of the long-established tactics of the military to target them."

On October 27, 2023, the Three Brotherhood Alliance - an anti-junta coalition of the Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army - began Operation 1027, an offensive that seized Myanmar military outposts in northern Shan State. The offensive also triggered opposition attacks on Myanmar security forces elsewhere in the country.

The junta responded to the attacks with military operations that have involved serious violations of the laws of war .

Amnesty International determined that junta forces most likely used cluster munitions during attacks on the town of Namkham in Shan State in early December. The use of cluster munitions, large weapons that include dozens of smaller weapons known as submunitions, is inherently indiscriminate and constitutes a war crime.

The renewed fighting within weeks displaced about 600,000 people across Myanmar. Humanitarian agencies and local organizations have struggled to respond to the surge in displacement.

An unknown number of civilians have been killed and injured in recent airstrikes. An aid worker in Muse township near the China border told Human Rights Watch that his friend fled from Namhkam after his wife was killed in a junta airstrike on December 1, an incident reported by the Shan Human Rights Foundation.

"He managed to hide their two children in the bunker when they first heard the sounds of a jet," the aid worker said. "But his wife was showering as it was morning. ... She didn't make it to the bunker and died right there when the junta dropped the bomb. He was injured too, and luckily the children are safe but now they don't have a mother."

A spokeswoman from a local ethnic and women's rights group, the Ta'ang Women's Organization, said she fled Namhkam township on December 2 after repeated junta airstrikes in her village. "At first, I hid with my family in a dirt bunker we had dug near our home," she said. "There were so many explosions ... it was hard to tell whether it was all the same attack or many planes dropping bombs. The planes came day and night, and they also circled around us repeatedly even if they weren't dropping bombs."

The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, which reports data on the Myanmar military's air and drone strikes, found strikes to have substantially increased since early 2022. This data is compiled from media reports and may significantly undercount the military's total air and drone strikes.

Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States have imposed and expanded sanctions since the coup, but sanctions on jet fuel have been inconsistent.

Canada is the only country to have imposed comprehensive sanctions on the export, sale, supply or shipment of aviation fuel to Myanmar. In 2023, the EU, UK, and US also introduced some sanctions that targeted private actors supplying fuel, arms and funds to Myanmar. However, five British companies are still providing insurance cover for deliveries of aviation fuel to Myanmar.

Governments in the region have not sent a clear message to Myanmar's junta concerning ongoing rights violations, Human Rights Watch said. Laos, as the 2024 chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), should work with other ASEAN member countries to take a more robust approach that pressures the junta to end its abuses and remove restrictions on humanitarian assistance.

The European Union, whose foreign ministers will meet with ASEAN foreign ministers on February 2, should urge ASEAN members, in particular Thailand and Singapore, to cooperate in enforcing sanctions in their jurisdictions.

The UN Security Council should meaningfully follow up on its December 2022 resolution on Myanmar by imposing an arms embargo, including jet fuel, and refer the country situation to the International Criminal Court. Russia and China, which both abstained from the 2022 resolution, should not block stronger measures by the council.

Russia and China have continued to sell weapons to Myanmar's junta since the 2021 coup, according to the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.

"Myanmar's people have been suffering for years under a junta that shows them no regard," Pearson said. "A stronger international response is still needed to press for an end to the military's abuses."

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Myanmar: Military Abuses Against Civilians Intensify

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Three years since the February 1, 2021, coup in Myanmar, the junta's widespread and systematic abuses against the population - including arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, and indiscriminate attacks on civilians - amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes.

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Prosecutor Karim Khan emphasized the "ugly and inescapable truth" that failure to act now is not only a damning verdict on the present, but will subject future generations to a similar fate.

" It cannot be a case of 'play, rewind, and repeat '," he warned.

A clear assessment by his office indicated the presence of "grounds to believe" that Rome Statute crimes - genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity - are being committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) along with affiliated groups.

"We need to do more," he stressed, urging Sudan to comply in good faith with Security Council resolutions, cooperate with and provide requested information to his office and allow investigators in the country.

Referral to the ICC

In March 2005, the Security Council referred the situation in Darfur to the ICC Prosecutor for investigations into allegations of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

During that time, the region was engulfed in a brutal war involving the military-led government, the Janjaweed militia and rebel groups, resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of civilian lives and the displacement of millions more from their homes in a campaign marked by ethnic cleansing against non-Arabs.

In July last year, Mr. Khan announced an investigation into fresh allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur against the backdrop of the ongoing war between SAF and RSF forces and their affiliated groups.

Situation 'dire by any metric'

Speaking to ambassadors via video link from N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, Mr. Khan described the situation as "dire by any metric".

Since the conflict's onset in April 2023, over 7.1 million Sudanese civilians have been displaced, with 1.5 million forced to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.

Chad, in particular, hosts more than 540,000 Sudanese refugees, a number expected to rise to 910,000 by the end of 2024.

"One in three of the population in the affected parts of Chad are refugees; they are arriving at a rate faster than Chad, faster than the United Nations can respond," Mr. Khan said, adding that many of those seeking safety show signs of serious injury and trauma.

Refugees themselves have provided chilling testimony describing sexual violence against Darfuri women and girls, brutal killings and racially motivated crimes.

Rule of law collapsing

Mr. Khan warned the Council that the crisis in Darfur was deepening, with the war impacting whole swathes of the continent, from Libya on the Mediterranean to sub-Saharan Africa and from Sudan's Red Sea coast to the Atlantic.

" We see a number of areas where conflicts seem to be triumphing against rule of law and deafening out the voices of the most vulnerable people," he said.

Stressing that judicial orders and court judgements alone cannot solve the problem, the ICC Prosecutor urged the international community to devise innovative solutions to address the "catastrophe" in Darfur and prevent the violence from spreading further.

Meeting expectations

Mr. Khan urged Council members not to lose sight of the individual human stories behind the statistics of those affected by brutal crimes and war.

"These are individuals whose lives have been torn apart, each of whom has a story of woe and of suffering," he said, emphasizing the collective responsibility of the Security Council, United Nations, Member States, regional organizations and the ICC "to live up to our promises that we have repeatedly made".

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World confronts an 'ugly and inescapable truth' in Darfur, says ICC Prosecutor

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The international community's failure to execute warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and subsequent lack of accountability are fuelling the violence stemming from the war between rival militaries in Sudan, the ICC Prosecutor told the UN Security Council on Monday.

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The International Court of Justice finding a ‘plausible risk of genocide in Gaza’

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