Government troops—the FARDC—in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are to blame for much of the epidemic of sexual violence in the east of the country, according to US and UN reports.
The US State Department’s annual human rights report charges that Ethiopia is holding several hundred political prisoners. Ethiopia responded that the report has “erroneous claims.”
In its annual human rights country report, the US State Department accuses Eritrea of systematically abusing human rights, as well as sponsoring terrorism in the Horn of Africa.
The Israeli military has charged two soldiers with endangering the life of a Palestinian boy by using him as a “human shield” during Israel’s Gaza Strip offensive last winter.
Israeli warplanes opened fire on the southern Gaza Strip early March 12, striking two targets near the Egyptian border. There were no immediate reports of injury in the attack, which an Israeli military spokesman said targeted sites in Rafah and… Read moreIsraeli warplanes strike Gaza —again
Israel has imposed a full closure of the occupied West Bank for 48 hours. Defense Minister Ehud Barak made the move amid reports about possible new protests at al-Aqsa mosque.
Moroccan authorities “violently” put down peaceful protests in Western Sahara earlier this week, and blocked ambulances trying to take away the injured, activist Aminatou Haidar charges.
Israel’s plan to build 1,600 new housing units in occupied East Jerusalem is “dangerous” and has the potential to thwart US efforts to restart peace talks, the Palestinian Authority said.
The Afghan government should urgently act to repeal a law that provides an amnesty to perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch says.
In a surprise move, Mauritania’s Constitutional Council rejected 10 articles of a new anti-terrorism law that allowed warrantless surveillance and indefinite detention.
UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism Martin Scheinin urged the Obama administration to hold civilian trials for accused 9-11 conspirators.
The US military said 700 paratroopers withdrew from Haiti over the weekend, leaving a total of 11,000 soldiers in the country. Some 100 Canadian troops are also scheduled to leave.
