ICRC combs streets of “deserted” Karabakh capital for stranded residents
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Only a few hundred people remain behind in the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, including the sick, disabled and elderly, an International Committee of the Red Cross official said on Tuesday, describing the empty streets as “surreal”. Azerbaijani forces took control of the enclave on its territory populated by ethnic Armenians, triggering an exodus of […]
Essay: Nagorno-Karabakh – longest war in post-Soviet space flares yet again as Russia distracted in Ukraine
In an article first published on The Conversation, STEFAN WOLFF, professor of international security at the University of Birmingham, looks at the background to the latest upsurge in violence…
Libya’s flood-ravaged Derna struggles to cope with thousands of corpses
Derna, LibyaReuters Residents and rescue workers in the devastated Libyan city of Derna are struggling to cope with the thousands of corpses washing up or decaying under rubble, after a flood that smashed down buildings and swept people to sea. The World Health Organization and other aid groups urged authorities in Libya to stop burying […]
International donors pledge $US1.5 billion in Sudan aid
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters International donors made pledges on Monday of close to $US1.5 billion in aid for Sudan and the surrounding region, about half of estimated needs for a deepening humanitarian crisis that has driven some 2.2 million people from their homes. The conflict between Sudan’s army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has turned the […]
Mines uprooted in Ukraine dam disaster could pose danger for years to come – Red Cross
Moscow, RussiaReuters Mines uprooted and dispersed by floodwaters surging downstream from the breached Kakhovka dam across swathes of southern Ukraine could pose a grave danger to civilians for decades to come, the Red Cross said. The vast Soviet-era Kakhovka dam, under Russian control, was breached in the early hours of Tuesday, unleashing floodwaters across a […]
Saudi Arabia unilaterally releases detainees to Yemen amid peace push
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesReuters Saudi Arabia on Monday released 104 detainees to Yemen, the International Committee of the Red Cross and a Saudi-led coalition said, in a unilateral move that follows simultaneous detainee exchanges between Yemen’s warring parties. The military coalition, which intervened in Yemen in 2015 after the Iran-aligned Houthis ousted the government from […]
Mexico’s deadly fire a sign to rethink migrant detention centres, Red Cross says
Mexico City Reuters The fire that led to the deaths of 40 people in a migrant detention centre in northern Mexico marks a “good moment” to consider alternatives to depriving migrants of their freedom, a senior Red Cross regional officer said. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the detainees had been unable to escape […]
Afghan hospital wards fill with children suffering from pneumonia
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters In a bitterly cold bedroom at the start of winter in Kabul, 22-year Maryam sat with her baby son bundled up in a red jumper as he coughed days after being discharged for the third time from a hospital ward for suspected pneumonia. Every time 10-month old Rahmat’s parents bring him home from […]
Russia says no ‘Christmas ceasefire’, as Ukraine downs drones; Pope urges Ukraine aid at Christmas
Kyv, UkraineReuters Moscow on Wednesday said no “Christmas ceasefire” was on the cards after nearly 10 months of war in Ukraine, where the first major drone attack on the capital Kyiv in weeks damaged two buildings but was largely repelled by air defences. The two sides are not currently engaged in talks to end the […]
First international aid arrives in Ethiopia’s Tigray since ceasefire
Nairobi, KenyaReuters Ethiopia’s Tigray region on Tuesday welcomed the first international aid delivery since a truce to end fighting, with the International Committee of the Red Cross driving two medical trucks to the capital of the war-ravaged area. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and Tigrayan forces signed a ceasefire on 2nd November to end […]