The following media round up on international and foreign policy issues from around the world for the period of 22 May to 29 May 2023.
Guernica 37 will provide weekly media updates from the International Criminal Court, European Court of Human Rights, United Nations, European Union and other sources. Should you wish to contribute or submit a media summary, opinion piece or blog, please send to Ned Vucijak at nenadv@guernica37.com for consideration.
SOUTH AFRICA - 25 MAY 2023
CNN, Most wanted Rwandan genocide suspect arrested in South Africa after decades on the run.
The most wanted fugitive in the Rwandan genocide of 1994 has been arrested in Paarl, South Africa after decades on the run. Fulgence Kayishema is accused of orchestrating the killing of more than 2,000 Tutsi refugees – women, men, children and the elderly – at Nyange Catholic Church during the genocide. He has been on the run since 2001. He was captured Wednesday in a joint operation between the South African authorities and UN investigators.
See here: https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/25/africa/rwandan-genocide-suspect-south-africa-intl
ICC - 29 MAY 2023
Irish Legal News, Treaty on investigating and prosecuting international crimes adopted.
A new treaty on international co-operation to investigate and prosecute the most serious international crimes has been adopted after two weeks of intensive negotiations.
The Ljubljana-Hague Convention is the first major treaty in the field of international criminal law since the Rome Statute which established the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The initiative was led by a core group of Slovenia, Argentina, Belgium, Mongolia, the Netherlands and Senegal, and has attracted support from more than 80 states.
SUDAN - 28 MAY 2023
Al Jazeera, Sudan crisis: Darfur governor issues call to arms.
The governor of Sudan's Darfur region has urged citizens to arm themselves amid fears of escalating violence. A shaky nationwide truce is due to expire tomorrow.
SYRIA - 29 MAY 2023
Reuters, Syria says Israeli missiles target sites near Damascus.
Syrian army air defences on Sunday confronted an Israeli missile strike on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus, and there were no casualties, state media said.
YEMEN - 26 MAY 2023
UN News, Despite ‘slightly’ improved food security in Yemen, hunger stalks millions.
The United Nations and its partners made strides in rolling back the worst food insecurity last year, but these gains remain fragile, and 17 million people are still food insecure in Yemen,” said David Gressly, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the country.’
Compared to the same period in 2022, the levels of acutely malnourished people rose in 2023, indicating a need for more funding to stave off extreme hunger, according to the latest findings of a new report by three UN agencies that are closely monitoring the situation, following eight years of intense warfare.
See here: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1137107
SOMALIA - 28 MAY 2023
Reuters, Somalia says it will revert to direct vote for officials starting next year.
Somalia will start electing its president and other officials by direct vote next year, the government announced on Sunday, ending a system of indirect voting in the Horn of Africa country that has endured three decades of conflict and clan battles.
Amid widespread insecurity caused by an Islamist insurgency and weak state structures, in recent years lawmakers voted for the president, while clan heads and elders elected lawmakers in both the federal government and regional states.
UGANDA - 29 MAY 2023
Reuters, Uganda enacts harsh anti-LGBTQ law including death penalty.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has signed one of the world's toughest anti-LGBTQ laws, including the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality", in defiance of Western condemnations and potential sanctions from aid donors.
Same-sex relations were already illegal in Uganda, as in more than 30 African countries, but the new law goes much further.
It stipulates capital punishment for "serial offenders" against the law and transmission of a terminal illness like HIV/AIDS through gay sex. It also decrees a 20-year sentence for "promoting" homosexuality.
See here: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/ugandas-museveni-approves-anti-gay-law-parliament-speaker-says-2023-05-29/
EU - 24 MAY 2023
Eurojust, Eurojust steps up its role in fighting war crimes, says Agency’s Annual Report 2022.
In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Eurojust’s role in fighting core international crimes was significantly enhanced in 2022, says the Agency’s Annual Report, published today.
Just weeks after the outbreak of the war, the Agency provided essential support to the set-up of a joint investigation team (JIT) into alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Subsequently, Eurojust’s mandate was rapidly extended to allow the Agency to store and analyse evidence on core international crimes. By the end of the year, the European Commission asked Eurojust to host the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA).
RUSSIA/CHINA - 26 MAY 2023
Reuters, Russia says it discussed peace prospects for Ukraine with Chinese special envoy.
President Vladimir Putin told his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in call on Friday that Russia was open to dialogue over Ukraine, the Kremlin said, shortly after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov welcomed a Chinese peace envoy to Moscow.
Russia has repeatedly said it was open to resuming peace talks with Kyiv, which stalled a few months after Russia invaded Ukraine early last year, and has welcomed mediation efforts from both Brazil and China.