World news roundup: ICC convicts Malian extremist of war crimes, Sudan crisis update, UN police summit preview
Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mohamed was also convicted of crimes against humanity. According to the 822-page indictment, the charges include flogging, sexual slavery and destruction of historical sites in the ancient city of Timbuktu. judgment.
The unstable West African nation has faced a wave of armed terrorist groups over a decadeincluding those with ties to Al Qaida and the Islamic State (ISIL/Da’esh).
Amputation and flogging
Court prosecutors said the 46-year-old man, also known as Al Hassan, was a key figure in Ansar Dine, one of the armed groups that has seized power in northern Mali and orchestrated a dynasty terror across the regional capital, Timbuktu.
Based on criminal record In a trial that began in 2020, he faces charges of overseeing amputations and beatings while serving as the group’s “de facto chief of the Muslim police” from April 2012 to January 2013.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Ag Mahmoud on March 27, 2018 and he surrendered to court four days later.
He faces life in prison and sentencing will take place at a later date.
The UN is working to increase aid to the people of Sudan, which is engulfed in a humanitarian crisis.
UN humanitarian agencies and partners are working to scale up their response to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Khartoum and other “hotspots” across war-torn Sudan, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.
The situation in and around North Darfur’s besieged capital, El Fasher, where Rapid Support militias have surrounded the last government-held city in the region, remains “extremely worrying”, Stéphane Dujarric said.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stressed that more than 400 children were reported killed and injured in the recent escalation of fighting here.
Deadly conditions
“The continued use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas is posing additional risks to civilians and aid workers,” Mr Dujarric added.
Meanwhile, the World Food Program (WFP) distributed emergency food and nutrition to more than 135,000 people in Al-Jazirah state in east-central Sudan.
This is the first time WFP supplies have reached Sudan’s former food basket since conflict spread to the state capital Wad Madani last December, forcing WFP to temporarily relocate.
Elsewhere, a WFP convoy carrying more than 2,300 tonnes of food assistance for some 164,000 conflict-affected men, women and children is crossing the border from Chad into Darfur and en route to North and Central Darfur.
Some 14 million children – more than half of Sudan’s 24 million children – are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
UN Police Summit to showcase role of law enforcement for peace
Government leaders and Police Chiefs are gathering at United Nations Headquarters in New York for a summit aimed at further strengthening the role of police forces as important enablers. important for peace.
The fourth United Nations Chiefs of Police (UNCOPS) Summit begins on Thursday and aims to build on the momentum of recent high-level peacekeeping initiatives, reinforcing the importance of multilateralism.
The official theme is Advancing our Common Security: United Nations Policing for a New Era.
Participants will hold dialogues aimed at “strengthening international peace, security and development for all through the united strength and supporting role of national and Federal police forces.” United Nations”.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix (right), Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and Faisal Shahkar, UN Police Adviser, brief reporters on the Fourth United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS 2024).
Opportunity knocks
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Peace Operations, said UNPOL (the United Nations police agency) provides expertise and support to Member States upon request.
This comes with the challenge of addressing the pressures and impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, transnational crime and global terrorism.
“That is why we put a lot of emphasis, especially on capacity building activities to strengthen the rule of law capacity of the member states we work with and in particular help them better address these challenges,” said Mr. Lacroix.
