Tehran, Iran | AFP | Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani phoned his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday to congratulate him on the impending defeat of rebel forces in the battleground city of Aleppo, his website said. “The victory in Aleppo… constitutes a great victory for the Syrian people against terrorists …
Read More »M16: Britain facing ‘unprecedented’ terror threat
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain faces an “unprecedented” terror threat that will not subside until the Syrian civil war ends, the head of foreign intelligence service MI6 said Thursday. In a rare speech for an intelligence chief, Alex Younger said British authorities had foiled 12 terrorist plots since …
Read More »UN rights team says ‘ethnic cleansing’ under way in S.Sudan
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | UN human rights experts on Thursday said “ethnic cleansing” was under way in South Sudan after visiting the country where violence has soared since a peace deal collapsed in July. “There is already a steady process of ethnic cleansing underway in several areas of …
Read More »South Sudan government agrees to deploy regional force
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | The South Sudan government has agreed to accept the deployment of a UN-mandated regional force in Juba after months of hesitation, a spokesman said. “I would like therefore to inform the people on behalf of the transitional government of national unity that your cabinet …
Read More »Fears grow for Aleppo civilians as Syria regime advances
Aleppo, Syria | AFP | Syrian government forces and allied fighters advanced quickly inside rebel-held Aleppo on Monday, pressing an offensive in defiance of international concern for the fate of the city and its civilians. The recapture of the rebel-held east, which fell from government control in 2012, would be …
Read More »Mustard gas: a legacy of WWI
Paris, France | AFP | Mustard gas, which a watchdog on Friday said the so-called Islamic State group may have manufactured and used in Syria and Iraq, first terrorised battlefields during World War I. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons also said IS was behind a mustard gas …
Read More »US seeks sanctions against Machar and Malong
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Friday proposed that South Sudan’s rebel leader Riek Machar as well as the army chief and information minister face UN sanctions for their role in fueling violence in the war-torn country. The names of Machar, President Salva Kiir’s army …
Read More »US seeks UN arms embargo against South Sudan
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Thursday launched a bid at the Security Council to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan following UN warnings that the war-torn country could descend into genocide. US Ambassador Samantha Power said a draft resolution will be presented to …
Read More »Torn between army and rebels, S.Sudan refugees speak out
Yumbe, Uganda | AFP | South Sudanese refugees in Uganda have described being forced to flee soaring ethnic violence at the hands of the South Sudanese army while avoiding forced conscription into rebel forces. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled the world’s newest country since renewed fighting broke out …
Read More »Syria regime bombs rebels as Aleppo food aid runs out
Aleppo, Syria | AFP | Syrian government and Russian warplanes pounded rebel-held parts of northern Syria Wednesday, including battered second city Aleppo, where food aid rations were near-depleted after months of regime siege. The renewed bombardment killed at least 35 people in Aleppo city in 24 hours, and sparked anger …
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