Congo, M23 rebels to begin direct peace talks on 18th March, Angola says
Luanda, Angola Reuters Direct peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels will begin in the Angolan capital on 18th March, Angola’s presidency said in a statement on Wednesday. The Southern African country has been trying to mediate a lasting ceasefire and de-escalate tensions between Congo and neighbouring Rwanda, which has been […]
Europe talks up more defence spending as Ukraine peacekeeper plan divides
Paris, France/Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters European leaders meeting in Paris on Monday for emergency talks called for higher spending to ramp up the continent’s defence capabilities but remained split on the idea of deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine to back up any peace deal. The Paris meeting was called by French President Emmanuel Macron after US […]
Trump promises Kyiv involvement in peace talks with Russia; says Russia should be readmitted to G7
Kyiv, Ukraine/Brussels, Belgium Reuters US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Ukraine would be involved in peace talks with Russia, after Kyiv and its European allies warned against a “dirty deal” between Washington and Moscow following Trump’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said Ukraine would […]
Congo and Rwanda say peace talks in Angola will not take place
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Reuters A meeting between the presidents of Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo will not take place as planned on Sunday, both countries said, dashing hopes of a deal to curb Congo’s M23 rebel conflict that has displaced more than 1.9 million people. The event was meant to see a […]
Colombia: Meet the secretive guerrillas who could deal final blow to peace plan
LUIS JAIME ACOSTA, of Reuters, reports from Colombia’s Pacific jungle…
Gaza ceasefire talks paused with resumption planned next week
Doha, United Arab Emirates/Cairo, Egypt Reuters Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha paused on Friday with negotiators to meet again next week seeking an agreement to end fighting between Israel and Hamas and free remaining hostages, as US President Joe Biden said “we’re not there yet”. In a joint statement, the US, Qatar and Egypt said […]
Colombia government says it will not unilaterally end ELN peace talks
Bogota, Colombia Reuters Colombia’s government will not unilaterally end peace talks with rebels from the National Liberation Army (ELN), its peace delegation said on Thursday, even though a ceasefire between the two sides expired earlier this month. Vera Grabe, head of the government’s delegation, and Senator Ivan Cepeda, said it was up to the rebel […]
Sudan peace talks begin in Switzerland despite army’s no-show
Cairo, Egypt Reuters Talks aimed at ending Sudan’s shattering 16-month-old civil war began on Wednesday in Switzerland although the absence of the military dampened hopes for imminent steps to alleviate the country’s humanitarian crisis. UN officials have warned that Sudan is at “breaking point” and that there will be tens of thousands of preventable deaths […]
Battles rage around Rafah after US halts some weapons to Israel
Cairo, Egypt/Washington DC, US/Rafah, Gaza Strip Reuters Hamas battled Israeli troops on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip’s crowded southern city of Rafah on Wednesday and Washington said it had held up a shipment of powerful bombs to Israel to prevent Palestinian civilian casualties. The United States, which aims to stave off a full Israeli […]
Essay: Sudan’s civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight
In an article first published on the Conversation, JAN POSPISIL, an associate professor at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University in the UK, looks at the two-year-old conflict in Sudan and the challenges facing a peaceful resolution…