Exiled Yemeni President Backs out of Peace Talks

By Brittani Howell

Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East

SANA’A, Yemen – On Sunday, Yemen’s exiled President, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, announced that he will not participate in United Nation’s peace talks with the Houthi rebels. President Hadi stated that there will only be peace talks with the rebels in the event that the Houthis withdraw from the areas they seized and surrender any weapons.

Nader Mohammed, a doctor in Sana’a, in his apartment after an airstrike. (Photo Courtesy of New York Times)

The self-exiled government is making plans to return to the city of Aden by the end of this month. Over 200 soldiers from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, have travelled to Aden in order to secure the city so that the exiled government can return. Currently, part of Aden is under the control of al-Qaeda.

Previous attempts to end the conflict and to enter into peace-talks have all failed. Over 4,500 people have been killed since the conflict began. According to the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, from the start of the Saudi-led offense and through June 30, 1,527 civilians have been killed. Of the 1,527 killed, 941 deaths were caused by airstrikes.

The Saudi-led coalition’s strikes have strayed from military targets and have struck civilian areas, causing many to accuse the coalition of punishing all who reside in areas under Houthi rebel control. Residents in northern Yemen, largely Shi’ite Muslims, have claimed the Saudi-led coalition attacks are a sectarian purge, as the coalition is largely Sunni Muslim.

“They kill innocents and claim to be killing Houthis. They are targeting the whole population.” Stated Adam Mujahid Abdullah, a survivor of an airstrike that targeted residential homes overlooking a university that had been used as a base for Houthi rebels.

Many people have been forced to take shelter in the mountains, as a result of the frequent airstrikes. Dr. Natalie Roberts, from Doctors Without Borders, stated “It’s no kind of life. Waiting in a cave to see if you’re going to get bombed.” Others have been forced South, most forced to walk on foot.

In the province of Marib, 25 fighters from both the rebels and the coalition were killed when the Saudi-led coalition advanced and cut off the Houthi rebels supply lines.

On Saturday, it was alleged that a United States drone attack killed 4 people in the province of Hadramawt. Security officials stated that masked gunmen prevented access to the site of the attack as the victims had been buried near by.

The United Arab Emirates on Saturday mourned the loss of 52 soldiers, who were killed in a Houthi rebels’ missile attack on September 5, 2015. This was the heaviest loss the country has seen since 1971.

For more information, please see:

Los Angeles Times – Yemen’s Exiled President Backs Out of Talks With Rebels – 13 September 2015

Reuters – Exiled Yemeni Government Pulls out of Planned Peace Talks – 13 September 2015

The Associated Press – Yemen’s Exiled President Backs out of Talks With Rebels – 13 September 2015

The New York Times – Airstrikes Take Toll on Civilians in Yemen War – 12 September 2015

UN General Assembly Adopts Resolution for International Day of Commemoration of Victims of Genocide

September 11, 2015

Today the UN General Assembly passed a resolution establishing 9 December as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect commends the Republic of Armenia for their leadership on this issue as well as the more than 80 member states who co-sponsored the resolution. On 9 December the Global Centre will join the international community in commemorating and honoring the victims of this most horrific crime.

As the resolution notes, the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide calls for memorialization of genocide as a means for preventing the future perpetration of this crime. This call was echoed in the UN Secretary-General’s 2013 report on the Responsibility to Protect where it was noted that many states, including Cambodia, Germany, Poland and Rwanda, have institutionalized the memory of past mass atrocity crimes as an element of preventive action, promoting greater understanding of the nature and legacy of such crimes.

During 2014 and 2015 the international community commemorated significant anniversaries of the most atrocious crimes of the last century including, the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, 40th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge’s atrocities in Cambodia and the 20th anniversaries of the genocide in Rwanda and at Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the aftermath of these tragedies the UN and its member states have sometimes undertaken initiatives to respond to past failures, including the 2005 adoption of the principle of the Responsibility to Protect. But ongoing crises today underline the need for effective action to prevent the perpetration of genocide and other mass atrocity crimes wherever and whenever they occur.

This annual day of commemoration will serve as an opportunity for member states to annually address some of the core aims of the Responsibility to Protect – including preventing the incitement and enabling of genocide and ensuring justice for all victims of genocide. As we prepare for the inaugural day of commemoration, we also call upon all member states to sign and ratify the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

This Week in Syria Deeply September 11, 2015

WEEKLY UPDATE

September 11, 2015
Dear Readers,

Welcome to the weekly Syria Deeply newsletter. We’ve rounded up the most important stories and developments about Syria and the Syrians in order to bring you valuable news and analysis. 

Syrians Risk Lives to Reach Europe

More than 2,500 Syrians died throughout the summer as they tried to brave the Mediterranean Sea in order to reach the shores of Europe, where they hope to obtain asylum. Syria Deeply met with many of those refugees in Turkey, and spoke to a peoples muggler who facilitates their dangerous journeys.

Syrians Endure ‘Endless’ Agony Waiting for ‘Disappeared’ Relatives

Umm Ayman hasn’t seen her son since he was arrested by the Syrian government in February 2013. He is one of tens of thousands of Syrians who have “disappeared” and cannot be accounted for since the outbreak of the country’s civil war in March 2011.

Syrian Refugees Find Shelter in Lebanon’s Palestinian Camps

Umm Ali and her 10-member family fled Syria under barrel bombs and shells, only to find themselves in Shatila, a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon. They are among the 45,000 Palestinian refugees who fled the camps in Syria to end up in poverty-stricken camps in neighboring Lebanon. Syria Deeply met her and others in Shatila.

More recent stories to look out for at Syria Deeply:

Find our new reporting and analysis every weekday at www.syriadeeply.org.
You can reach our team with any comments or suggestions at info@newsdeeply.org.

North and South Korea to Allow Reunion of Some Families Split up During Korean War

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

SEOUL, South Korea –

Authorities in both North and South Korea have agreed to allow reunions of families split up during the Korean War. 100 people from each side will be allowed to reunite with their family members and other relatives from October 20-26 in North Korea.

During talks on Tuesday in the border village of Panmunjom, Red Cross Delegates from both Koreas discussed an agreement allowing families to reunite. The agreement states that North and South Korea will work to resolve humanitarian issues, according to South Korea’s Unification Ministry. The agreement was part of a deal ending the Koreas’ military standoff, which began when South Korea blamed North Korea for the deaths of two South Koreans in a land mine explosion.

North and South Korean Red Cross delegates making agreement to allow families to reunite. (Photo courtesy of Reuters)

There are many in North and South Korea who do not know whether their family members and other relatives are still alive because they are prohibited by their respective governments from attempting communication.

200 people were allowed to reunite for six days in February 2014 as a result of a previous agreement between North and South Korea. Emotions ran high as family members were reunited with each other. However, the meetings were brief, limited to just a few days. Families also had little privacy due to North Korean workers listening to their conversations.

It is not clear how North Korea chooses the people who will meet their families. There is a great deal of uncertainty for those in South Korea because they are required to participate in a lottery for the chance to meet their families. The South Korea Unification Ministry reports on its website that around 130,000 South Koreans have registered for the chance to meet their families since 1988. Out of that number, only 66,000 people are believed to still be alive. Many of the 66,000 are in their 80s and 90s. In the past, many older Koreans have died before they have the chance to reunite with their families.

During the Korean War, the Korean peninsula was split into North and South Korea. The war is technically still ongoing because instead of a formal peace treaty, the two sides agreed to a truce through the Korean Armistice Agreement of 1953.

Since the Korean Armistice Agreement, there have been other reunions in which around 22,500 Koreans have participated. Out of that number, around 18,822 people met with family members in person, while the remaining people reunited through video conferencing. None of the 22,500 have been allowed a second chance to see their relatives, according to South Korea’s Red Cross Delegation.

 

For more information, please see:

International Business Times – North and South Korea Agree to Hold Family Reunion for the Second Time After Split – 9 September 2015

CNN – North and South Korea Agree to Family Reunions in October – 8 September 2015

Reuters – North, South Agree to Hold Family Reunions in October: South – 8 September 2015

The New York Times – South Korea: North Agrees to Reunions – 7 September 2015

Reuters – North Korea Agrees to Talks With South on Family Reunions – 29 August 2015

 

 

UN Authorizes Investigation of Alleged Chemical Attacks

By Brittani Howell

Impunity Watch News Desk Reporter

DAMASCUS, Syria –   On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council announced it will authorize an international body to investigate who is behind the chemical warfare in Syria and Iraq. Prior to this announcement, the United Nations has only been able to investigate without assessing blame for the attacks.

Russia’s United Nations Ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, at a Security Council Session in July. (Photo Courtesy of The Los Angeles Times)

Russia decided to not use its veto power and had its U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, deliver a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in support of the joint investigative unit. The investigative unit will be able to go anywhere in Syria to conduct its investigation.

U.N. disarmament chief Kim Won-soo stated that “access will be a very challenging issue” particularly because of the Islamic State’s involvement in Syria.

The Iraqi government, on Monday, stated they were sending a team of experts to investigate the allegations that chemical weapons had been used on the Kurdish Forces. It is suspected that the Islamic State has access to chemical weapons, which have not been used in fighting conflicts in Iraq since 2003.

Kurdistan Regional Government officials stated that lab tests showed positive for the chemical agent chlorine. The use of Chlorine as a weapon is forbidden under the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention. Chlorine is lethal if inhaled, as it turns into hydrochloric acid and causes an individual’s lungs to burn which causes a build up of fluids and results in the drowning of the individual.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has destroyed known stockpiles of chemical weapons in both Syria and Iraq.

According to a United States official, the Islamic State has been using mustard agents in both Iraq and Syria.

The United Nations investigative body will begin in the next few weeks and will have its first report within 90 days of being operational. The investigative body is authorized for one year with the possibility for extensions.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – US Official: ‘IS Making and Using Chemical Weapons in Iraq and Syria’ – 10 September 2015

The Associated Press – UN Security Council OKS Syria Chemical Probe – 10 September 2015

The Los Angeles Times – New U.N. Probe of Syrian Chemical Weapons use to Name Perpetrators – 10 September 2015

Reuters – Iraqi team to Probe Alleged IS Chemical Attacks on Kurds – Diplomats – 7 September 2015