Our editors’ weekly take on humanitarian news, trends, and developments from around the globe.
On our radar
More than 700 killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon
More than 700 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes throughout Lebanon with thousands more wounded this week. Over 550 were killed on 23 September alone, in what experts said was one of the heaviest days of aerial bombardment ever carried out in modern warfare. Israel says that it is targeting the leadership and infrastructure of Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese political party and paramilitary group. But hundreds of civilians have been killed and injured as well, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced from the south of Lebanon, where the bombardment has been the most intense. Hezbollah has continued to launch rockets into Israel, as it has been doing since 8 October last year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a US-backed ceasefire proposal, and Israeli military leaders have told soldiers to prepare for a potential ground invasion of southern Lebanon, likely aimed at pushing Hezbollah away from Israel’s northern border and creating a buffer zone. For more on how the situation is affecting some of the most vulnerable in Lebanon, read: Lebanon’s migrant workers left stranded and homeless by Israeli attacks.
Sudan’s army on the offensive in Khartoum, besieged in El Fasher
Sudan’s army has launched a major campaign in Khartoum against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has controlled the capital for the duration of the 17-month conflict, inflicting a dire toll on millions of civilians. Heavy fighting was reported as the army carried out air strikes, captured key bridges, and began advancing towards the presidential palace. Meanwhile, in Darfur, concerns are growing around reports of a full-scale RSF assault on the city of El Fasher, which paramilitary fighters have been besieging for several months, seeking to dislodge the army and aligned armed groups from their last holdout in the western region. UN chief António Guterres said he was “gravely alarmed” by the reports, and called on the RSF to halt its offensive. The paramilitary group is being covertly supported by the United Arab Emirates, which uses a hospital (run by the Emirates Red Crescent) in eastern Chad as cover to smuggle weapons and drones into Darfur. States with leverage over the UAE, like the US, have been reluctant to call out Abu Dhabi. Instead, presidents Joe Biden and Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan pledged to deepen ties at a meeting in Washington this week.
Global South leaders demand real UN reform
Analysts may carve up the map along geopolitical fault lines, but this year’s soon-to-finish UN General Assembly high-level week shows the divides may be more fundamental: between Global South and Global North; between breaking the system and latching on to the status quo. Some of the week’s most powerful speakers are Global South leaders with roadmaps for change. They’re warning of the “death sentence” of rising seas and climate change; they’re calling for accountability for Israel’s destruction of Gaza; and they’re demanding reforms of the UN and the multilateral system itself. “The tentacles of power today remain almost as it was a century ago,” said Mia Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados. In separate sideline comments, South Africa’s minister for international relations, Ronald Lamola, spoke of challenging Israel over Gaza at the International Court of Justice, COVID-19 vaccine inequity, climate financing, and the recently adopted Pact for the Future – in the span of a few minutes. The Pact for the Future was billed as a chance to save multilateralism and rebuild global trust. As G20 host next year, Lamola said South Africa plans to push for the implementation of some of its more reform-minded action points.
Haiti multinational force gets more backing
The underfinanced multinational security force in Haiti is set for a boost. The United States – the mission’s largest funder – pledged an additional $160 million at a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. At least seven other countries – plus the European Union – have also promised more money, equipment, or personnel to help the understaffed force battle gang violence, according to the Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste. Ahead of this week’s UN gathering, President William Ruto of Kenya – the country leading the mission – visited Haiti and announced the deployment of an additional 600 police officers in the coming weeks. He also claimed Haiti’s security had “significantly improved”. But as of early September, over 700,000 people had been displaced – 22% more than in March – the International Organisation for Migration reported, and new UN figures show that at least 3,661 people have been killed since January. Meanwhile, Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille said in New York that his country's crisis “has been grossly underestimated”. For more on the Haiti crisis, read our coverage here.
Crucial Kashmir elections
Indian-administered Kashmir is set to have its first regional election since Narendra Modi’s government revoked its special autonomous status in 2019. Under that special status, the “union territory” of Kashmir and Jammu had its own constitution, flag, and local officials were empowered to create their own laws. However, since Article 370 cancelled the region’s statehood – a status that had existed since 1949 – the region has been led by a representative from Delhi. The assembly elections will be carried out over three phases and conclude on 1 October, with vote counting expected to start by 8 October. Though Modi has promised to restore the region’s semi-autonomy, several opposition parties are challenging his Bharatiya Janata Party’s dominance. One influential opponent is the pro-Kashmir independence MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, who was recently released from prison. The Muslim-majority Kashmir and the Hindu-majority Jammu will choose between 873 candidates across 90 constituencies.
Global truce for COP29
The Azerbaijan government hopes it can achieve what no one else has: global peace. To mark the upcoming climate summit in Baku, it has released a ‘Joint Solemn Appeal for a COP29 Truce’, which calls on countries to “transcend political challenges, stand in unity and commit to the truce during the month of COP29”. The 184 word statement makes a useful link between conflict and greenhouse gas emissions. But it may cause some awkwardness for officials and environmentalists at the summit in November. Just last year, the Azerbaijan government was accused of war crimes after 100,000 ethnic Armenians were displaced from their homes in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. An earlier blockade of the territory led to severe shortages of food and medical supplies.
Weekend read
Do ‘good rebels’ exist in Myanmar?
‘To engage the country responsibly in a post-junta context, international stakeholders must appreciate the nuance of each ethnic armed group’s unique history, cultural identity, and ideological goals.’
A briefing that explains who the different ethnic armed groups are, what abuses they stand accused of, and what they are seeking.
And finally…
Blinken side steps warning from US agencies to continue arming Israel
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected reports from two government departments that Israel has intentionally blocked the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza, ProPublica reported on 24 September. The move has allowed the administration of President Joe Biden to continue arming Israel during its assault on Gaza, in which at least 40,000 people have been killed. In late April, USAID recommended that Blinken pause arms sales to Israel given the country’s killing of aid workers, blocking of supply trucks, and bombing of hospitals, ambulances, and agricultural facilities. That same month, the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration refused to sign off on the transfer of almost $830 million in aid to Israel on the grounds that Israel had been restricting aid. Despite these warnings, Blinken informed Congress in May: “We do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of US humanitarian assistance.” US lawmakers and activists have repeatedly invoked Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act and other rules to restrict military support to Israel over its blocking of humanitarian aid, a potential war crime. For more on how Israel’s attacks on Gaza have left people on the brink of starvation, read this piece.
