Our editors’ weekly take on humanitarian news, trends, and developments from around the globe.
On our radar
ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant as Gaza starvation worsens
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant on 21 November for their alleged responsibility for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Israel’s war on Gaza. The court said that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant each bear criminal responsibility for “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts… [and] for the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population”. The ICC’s 124 member states are now obligated to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant if they enter their territory. Whether states will comply is an open question. The US, Israel’s main ally – which is not a member of the ICC and has provided Israel with at least $17.9 billion in military support for its wars in Gaza and Lebanon – said it rejected the ICC’s decision. A statement from US President Joe Biden labelled it “outrageous”. The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Hamas’ 7 October attacks into Israel. It is unclear whether Deif is still alive. Israel has, meanwhile, prevented virtually all aid from reaching North Gaza since the beginning of October. Availability of food throughout the rest of the enclave has also plummeted. On 16 November, a UN convoy of over 100 trucks carrying food aid was looted by armed gangs, reflecting a growing anarchy. The looting took place in an area under Israeli control. The gangs “may be benefiting from a passive if not active benevolence” or “protection” from Israel’s military, according to a UN memo obtained by the Washington Post. For more on the increasing starvation in Gaza, watch this video from Palestinian journalist and activist Maha Hussaini:
Rival UN Security Council powers torpedo Sudan, Gaza ceasefires
The system that gives five powerful nations veto power on the UN Security Council (UNSC) is once again failing people impacted by war. This week, Russia torpedoed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Sudan, where fighting that began as a power struggle between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has since uprooted over 11 million people. US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield described Russia’s veto as callous and cynical, yet her country then shot down a resolution for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in Gaza, where relentless Israeli attacks have killed more than 44,000 Palestinians. According to a September report from Oxfam, one or more of the five permanent UNSC member states vetoed 30 resolutions on protracted crises over the past decade, with Russia and the US casting 75% of all vetoes. “China, France, Russia, the UK and the US took responsibility for global security at the UNSC in what is now a bygone colonial age,” Oxfam International Executive Director Amitabh Behar said of the report. “The contradictions of their acting as judge and jury of their own military alliances, interests and adventures are incompatible with a world seeking peace and justice for all.”
That said, could there be a ceasefire in Lebanon?
Negotiations towards an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire are reportedly making progress, although keen readers of the Cheat Sheet will be forgiven for thinking they’ve heard this one before. The details of the proposal being pushed by US envoy Amos Hochstein are not public, but previous sticking points reportedly included how a truce would be supervised and what would happen if it was violated. The stakes are incredibly high, with Israel still bombing the eastern Beqaa Valley and southern Beirut. The UN’s migration agency, IOM, now reports that nearly 900,000 people have been forcibly displaced inside Lebanon, plus an estimated 540,000 who have crossed into Syria. Fleeing home under the threat of bombs is no doubt excruciating for everyone, but this week the International Rescue Committee spotlights what is happening to children who have been separated from their families. The aid group says most of the children it surveyed are now staying with extended family, neighbours, or in collective shelters, but they remain “particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse”.
Gunfire around home of former spy chief puts Juba on edge
Heavy gunfire has rung out around the Juba residence of the powerful former director general of South Sudan’s intelligence agency, the NSS. Reports suggest that the security services had sought to detain the spy chief, Akol Koor Kuc, though an army spokesperson said there was a “misunderstanding" between different groups guarding Koor's home. The gunfire comes nearly two months after Koor was dismissed from the NSS by President Salva Kiir, indicating a struggle at the highest levels of government. Koor is considered to be one of the most powerful politicians in South Sudan and has ambitions to rule the country. He had built up the NSS to have its own fighting force, which makes his dispute with Kiir all the more dangerous. The gunfire has revived memories of past fighting in Juba that ended up being triggers for civil war. The clashes also follow the government's decision to postpone long overdue elections by a further two years, a delay that critics say shows its failure to implement a 2018 peace deal.
Who is safe these days in Kenya?
Kenya used to pride itself on being a haven for people fleeing oppression – natural or man-made – from across East Africa and beyond. No longer, it seems. On 16 November, Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who was in Nairobi for a book launch, and his ally, Obeid Lutale, were kidnapped by Ugandan intelligence agents and forcibly renditioned to Uganda. They were apparently then charged with various offences, including illegally possessing pistols in Kenya, Greece, and Switzerland – although it is unclear why that would be a crime in Uganda. The incident has caused a diplomatic stink, with the Kenyan government denying involvement and promising an investigation. It is not the first time in recent months that foreign dissidents have been snatched off the streets of Kenyan cities. In July, despite having entered Kenya lawfully, 36 members of Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change were arrested in Kisumu, in the west, and deported to face terrorism charges. Last month, seven Turkish asylum seekers were abducted in Nairobi, with four of them forcefully returned to Türkiye. And in October 2022, Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif was murdered by Kenyan policemen less than three months after fleeing from his homeland fearing for his life over his anti-corruption reporting.
After two weeks of COP29 talks, frontline communities wait for action
Countries had one main objective for the COP29 climate summit: agree to a new climate finance target, dubbed the New Collective Quantified Goal or NCQG. While negotiators seemed far apart as the summit neared its frantic conclusion on 22 November, the summit also saw extensive sideline discussions that hint at where climate and humanitarian policy is heading. The two worlds are increasingly connected, but some major gaps remain – particularly around funding and political will. Humanitarians are trying to carve out room for their expertise: They see a role delivering responses financed through the new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. They also present themselves as the experts on working in conflict. Humanitarians should be the ones, they say, to help get climate programmes and cash to places that are affected by violence and beyond the reach of governments. While the climate-humanitarian policy landscape is taking shape, experts from communities facing crises say all the talk still needs to be followed by action on the ground. Read more: At a pivotal COP in Baku, humanitarians try to define their climate role. And watch out for more analysis of the key COP29 policy trends.
Event | Beyond Zero Tolerance: Closing gaps in UN peacekeeper accountability and survivor support
Join The New Humanitarian for an online event marking Monday’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women alongside leading experts and practitioners in discussing accountability and survivor support for sexual violence within UN peacekeeping operations. To read our in-depth reporting and investigations into sexual abuse and exploitation, see our full coverage page.
Weekend read
Abuse, conscription, drug addiction: Myanmar refugees speak of life in Shan State
“I don’t want to fight and kill people from my own country or community.”
Abuses by both the ruling junta and armed ethnic groups are leading many Myanmar civilians to seek refuge in neighbouring Thailand.
And finally…
“Do They Know It’s Offensive?”: Musicians push back at Band Aid
In November 1984, Bob Geldof gathered 40 musicians and recording artists, including some of the biggest stars at the time, to bring attention and raise funds for famine in Ethiopia, and the white saviour anthem “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was born. As the BBC prepares to mark the festive earworm’s 40th anniversary with a documentary and remix of the song, musical artists are asking something different: “Do They Know It’s Offensive?” Band Aid has long been criticised for being paternalistic and perpetuating stereotypes, prompting the occasional change: A line sung by U2 frontman Bono in the original – “Well tonight thank God it’s them, instead of you,” was changed to, “Well tonight we’re reaching out and touching you” in a 2014 re-record. But now, the Nigerian Afrobeats musician Fuse ODG, who refused to take part in the 2014 version, has slammed Band Aid as a campaign that “dehumanises Africans and destroys our pride and identity in the name of ‘charity’.” Ed Sheeran, who did participate 10 years ago, said he wasn’t asked if his vocals could be used this time, and would have said no. He shared a post by Fuse ODG, and wrote: “A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed.”
