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☆ Myanmar junta says facing 'heavy assault' from insurgents in three states
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said the military was facing "heavy assaults from a significant number of armed rebel soldiers" in Shan State in the northeast, Kayah State in the east and Rakhine State in the west. Zaw Min Tun said some military positions had been evacuated and the insurgents had been using drones to drop hundreds of bombs on military posts. "We are urgently taking measures to protect against drone bomb attacks effectively," the junta spokesperson said late on Wednesday. Western governments have re-imposed sanctions on the Myanmar junta in response to the coup and crackdowns on protests and demanded the release of Suu Kyi and other pro-democracy politicians and activists. The junta spokesperson denounced the group saying it was "destroying" Rakhine State.

Persons: Zaw Min Tun, Tin, Swe, Nobel, Aung, Suu Kyi, General Antonio Guterres, Kanupriya Kapoor, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Naypyitaw, Reuters, military's, Administration Council, SAC, Arakan Army, AA, National Defence Force, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, Zokhawthar, Champhai, India's, Mizoram, India, Shan State, Kayah State, Rakhine State, Zaw, Naypyitaw, Suu, Chin State, Rakhine

☆ UN experts say war crimes committed in Ethiopia despite formal end to conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

GENEVA, Sept 18 (Reuters) - War crimes and crimes against humanity are still being committed in Ethiopia nearly a year after government and regional forces from Tigray agreed to end fighting, U.N. experts said in a report published on Monday. Thousands died in the two-year conflict, which formally came to an end in November last year. "I must admit the worst of this was that perpetrated by Eritrean forces in Tigray. Though, of course, Ethiopian forces were also responsible," she said, adding that Tigrayan forces had also perpetrated sexual violence in Amhara. Authorities from the Ethiopian region of Amhara have also denied that their forces committed atrocities in neighbouring Tigray.

Persons: Thousands, Mohamed Chande Othman, Yemane Ghebremeskel, spokespeople, Radhika Coomaraswamy, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Andrew Heavens, William Maclean Organizations: International Commission of Human, Eritrean Defence Forces, EDF, Ethiopian, Reuters, Eritrean, Ethiopian National Defence Forces, Hereward, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Ethiopia, Tigray, Eritrea, Amhara, Ethiopian, Geneva, Hereward Holland, Nairobi

China's Great Wall has been pierced by Genghis Khan, the Manchus, and now, allegedly, a couple of construction workers named Zheng and Wang who wanted a shortcut. Authorities in China arrested two people for smashing a path through a section of the ancient wall, a cultural icon and United Nations protected heritage site. The area of the breach was a broken-down section far from the restored segments most Chinese and foreign tourists are familiar with. The pair wanted a shorter route for some construction work they were doing in nearby towns, the reports said. The Youyu County government said the arrests were made after a report of the breach was received on August 24.

Persons: Genghis Khan, Zheng, Wang, ” Organizations: Communist, UNESCO Locations: China, Nations, Youyu County, Beijing, Youyu

☆ South Africa says inquiry found no evidence of arms shipment to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks, as China's President Xi Jinping listens, at the Union Buildings ahead of the opening remarks of the BRICS emerging economies meeting, in Pretoria, South Africa August 22, 2023. The U.S. accusations raised questions over South Africa's professed stance of non-alignment and neutrality over Russia's war in Ukraine and concerns of possible Western sanctions. "The panel found that there was no evidence to support the claim that the ship transported weapons from South Africa destined for Russia," Ramaphosa said. He said he could not reveal details of the equipment offloaded because that could compromise important military operations and put South African soldiers' lives at risk. When the accusations were made, South African officials were quick to reject the claims, and Ramaphosa launched the independent inquiry led by a retired judge.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Xi Jinping, Alet Pretorius, Reuben Brigety, R, South Africa's, Ramaphosa, Olivia Kumwenda, Andrew Cawthorne, Ros Russell, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, South, South African National Defence Force, Thomson Locations: Pretoria, South Africa, Rights JOHANNESBURG, Russian, Russia, U.S, Cape Town, Ukraine, South

☆ Ethiopian military pushes back militiamen in two Amhara towns
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A partial view of the Lalibela town in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia, January 25, 2022. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri//File PhotoADDIS ABABA, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's military has pushed local militiamen out of two towns in the Amhara region, residents said on Wednesday, in its first big battlefield breakthroughs since fighting erupted last week. A local official in Gondar said the military was "almost in full control of the city". Another Gondar resident said he had seen the military enter the city centre on Tuesday afternoon. Two Lalibela residents told Reuters that ENDF troops entered the town on Wednesday morning following intense fighting on Lalibela's outskirts the previous day.

Persons: Amhara's, Africa's, Spokespeople, Fano, ENDF, Bahir Dar, Aaron Ross, William Maclean, Peter Graff, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Tiksa, Ethiopian National Defence Force, Ethiopian Airlines, Bahir, Reuters, Fano, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Amhara Region, Ethiopia, ADDIS ABABA, Amhara, Gondar, Lalibela, Fano, Tigray, Lalibela's, Bahir

☆ Ethiopia accuses Amhara militia of trying to overthrow government
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File PhotoADDIS ABABA, Aug 7 (Reuters) - A senior Ethiopian official accused militiamen in the Amhara region of seeking to overthrow the regional and federal governments following days of fighting that led the authorities to declare a state of emergency. Clashes between Fano militiamen and the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) continued over the weekend. The conflict has quickly become Ethiopia's most serious security crisis since a two-year civil war in Tigray region, which neighbours Amhara, ended in November. Fano is a part-time militia that draws volunteers from the local population and was an ally of the ENDF during the Tigray war. Violent protests erupted across Amhara in April after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered that security forces from Ethiopia's 11 regions be disbanded and integrated into the police or national army.

Persons: Abi Adi, Amhara's, Temesgen Tiruneh, Temesgen, Legesse Tulu, Abiy Ahmed, Dawit Endeshaw, George Obulutsa, Aaron Ross, Nick Macfie Organizations: Ethiopian National Defence Force, Amhara Special Forces, REUTERS, Tiksa, Ethiopian, Fana Broadcasting, Protesters, Thomson Locations: Tigray, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, ADDIS ABABA, Amhara, Fano, Gondar, Ethiopia's

☆ Ethiopia declares state of emergency following militia clashes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A partial view of the Lalibela town in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia, January 25, 2022. Picture taken January 25, 2022. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File PhotoADDIS ABABA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's federal government on Friday declared a state of emergency following days of clashes in the Amhara region between the military and local militiamen. The statement by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office announcing the state of emergency did not say whether it applied only in Amhara or across the country. Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Abiy, Dawit Endeshaw, Aaron Ross, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, Tiksa, Ethiopian National Defence Force, Thomson Locations: Amhara Region, Ethiopia, ADDIS ABABA, Amhara, Fano

☆ South Africa deputy president's police escorts face charges after being filmed attacking motorists
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The plainclothes officers then proceeded to kick and stomp on the two men. “One of the occupants in the SUV was pointing a firearm at the victims’ vehicle. The victims’ vehicle was subsequently boxed in by more SUVs and forced, in formation, to the left side of the N1 highway,” the statement said. “The occupants of the SUVs exited their vehicles surrounding the victims’ vehicle and attempted to smash the windscreen of the victims’ vehicle. Upon not being successful in that attempt, the assailants proceeded to smash the back window of the victims’ vehicle and assault the occupants of that vehicle,” it continued.

Persons: Paul Mashatile’s, It’s, Mashatile, “, abhors, Athlenda Mathe, ” Mathe, ”, Bheki Cele Organizations: CNN, South, South African National Defence Force, VIP, National, Independent Police, Directorate, South Africa . Police Locations: Johannesburg, Pretoria, South Africa, Africa’s

U.N. investigators in 2012 concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe shabbiha militias committed crimes against humanity, including murder and torture, and war crimes such as arbitrary arrest and detention, sexual violence and pillaging. PAPER TRAILSome human rights scholars who have studied the role of the shabbiha in the Syrian war say the Assad regime initially used the groups to distance itself from violence on the ground. CIJA is a nonprofit founded by a veteran war crimes investigator and staffed by international criminal lawyers who have worked in Bosnia, Rwanda and Cambodia. While there is no international war crimes court with jurisdiction over Syria's conflict, there are a number of so-called universal jurisdiction cases in countries like the Netherlands, Sweden, France and Germany which have laws allowing them to prosecute war crimes even if they are committed elsewhere. Ghany said the documents were "necessary" pieces of evidence linking the shabbiha to the state in international justice cases.

Persons: shabbiha, Assad, CIJA, Bashar al, Ugur Ungor, Fadel Abdul Ghany, Nerma Jelacic, Ghany, Stephanie Van Den Berg, Maya Gebeily, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: UN, Reuters, Commission, International Justice, Committees, Assad's Baath, Popular Committees, Crisis Management, Dutch NIOD Institute for, Studies, Syrian Network for Human Rights, National Defence Force, Thomson Locations: HAGUE, BEIRUT, U.S, CIJA, Bosnia, Rwanda, Cambodia, Syria, Germany, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Karm, Homs, al, Adawiya

☆ S.Africa's army chief visits Moscow for bilateral talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JOHANNESBURG, May 15 (Reuters) - The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said on Monday that its army chief, Lawrence Mbatha, was in Moscow for a bilateral meeting, where he will visit Russian military academies and hold talks with officials. "It must be noted that South Africa has military-to-military bilateral relations with various countries in the continent and beyond," the SANDF said in a statement, adding that the meeting in Russia was planned well in advance. Brigety was summoned on Friday to meet South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor and he apologised "unreservedly" to the government and the people of South Africa, a foreign ministry statement said. "I was grateful for the opportunity to speak with Foreign Minister Pandor ... and correct any misimpressions left by my public remarks," Brigety said in a tweet that did not confirm whether he had apologised. South Africa, which has abstained from voting on U.N. resolutions on Russia's war in Ukraine, says it is impartial.

☆ Factbox: Petteri Orpo, Finland's likely next prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HELSINKI, April 2 (Reuters) - Here is a profile of Finland's conservative National Coalition Party leader Petteri Orpo, who said he would have the first chance of forming a coalition government after his party looked set to win the most seats in parliament in Sunday's election. FISCAL CONSERVATIVEBorn in 1969 in rural south-west Finland, the 53-year-old Orpo has a university degree in political science. He has been a member of parliament since 2007 and became head of the National Coalition in 2016 after challenging his predecessor Alexander Stubb, a former prime minister, for the party leadership. Considered a moderate and a smooth negotiator, Orpo has held several government posts, including as minister of agriculture and forestry from 2014 to 2015, interior minister from 2015 to 2016 and finance minister from 2016 to 2019. Married and with two children, he is also a reserve officer in Finland's national defence force.

☆ South Africa's naval exercise with Russia, China raises Western alarm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Carien Du Plessis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"These exercises are going to be a lightning rod," said Steven Gruzd, of the South African Institute of International Affairs. "South Africa, like any independent and sovereign state, has a right to conduct its foreign relations in line with its ... national interests," South Africa's defence ministry said last month. Russia's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment, and South Africa's National Defence Force has denied the TASS report. China is now Africa's top bilateral trading partner, but the EU is by far the largest market for South African exports. Domestic critics of South Africa's push to deepen ties with Russia and China say that economic reality alone should be enough to give the government serious pause.

☆ One peacekeeper killed in Congo after U.N. chopper comes under fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo Feb 5 (Reuters) - One U.N. peacekeeper from South Africa was killed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday when a helicopter operated by the peacekeeping force came under fire while in mid-air, the U.N. mission in Congo and South Africa's military said. The helicopter came under fire after taking off from the city of Beni in the early afternoon. The U.N. peacekeeping mission of around 18,200 personnel has been deployed in eastern Congo since taking over from a previous U.N. operation in 2010. Eight peacekeepers were killed last year when their helicopter crashed in a part of North Kivu province, where the Congolese army was fighting a rebel group known as the M23. Reporting by Fiston Mahamba, Erikas Mwisi Kambale, Sonia Rolley Editing by Alessandra Prentice and Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ WHO says it still does not have full access to Ethiopia's Tigray
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Bhanvi Satija | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Tiksa NegeriBENGALARU, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Friday it still does not have the unfettered access to Ethiopia's northern Tigray region stipulated in a truce signed a month ago. Troops from Eritrea, to the north, and forces from the neighbouring Ethiopian region of Amhara, to the south, fought alongside Ethiopia's military in Tigray but were not party to the ceasefire. "That peace process has not yet resulted in the kinds of full access, unfettered access and in the massive scale of medical and health assistance that the people of Tigray need," WHO's emergencies director Mike Ryan said. Ethiopia's Minister of Health Lia Tadesse, State Minister Redwan Hussien, and government spokesperson Legesse Tulu did not respond to requests for comment. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in October accused Ethiopia's government of using the denial of food and healthcare as weapons of war in Tigray.

[1/3] A destroyed tank is seen in a field in the aftermath of fighting between the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) forces in Kasagita town, in Afar region, Ethiopia, February 25, 2022. Earlier on Wednesday, the AU had invited media to what it described as a briefing by Obasanjo. It was only when the event began, about three hours behind schedule, that it became clear a truce was about to be signed. Implementation of the peace agreement signed today is critical for its success," said Obasanjo, adding that this would be supervised and monitored by a high-level AU panel. Neither Eritrea nor the regional forces participated in the talks in South Africa and there was no mention at Wednesday's ceremony of whether they would abide by the truce.

☆ Ethiopia government, Tigray forces to meet for first peace talks since conflict began
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File PhotoNAIROBI, Oct 24 (Reuters) - An Ethiopian government delegation and rival Tigray forces were due to meet in South Africa for the first formal peace talks since war broke out two years ago. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe conflict has killed thousands, displaced millions and left hundreds of thousands on the brink of famine. Kindeya Gebrehiwot, a spokesman for the Tigray forces, said the Tigrayan delegation had already arrived. Both sides had committed to the talks in South Africa earlier this month, but they were delayed for logistical reasons. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Nairobi Newsroom Editing by Alexander WinningOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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