Genocide Watch issued the Genocide Emergency Alert below on October 15, 2023. It is still relevant today. Hamas still holds over 100 Israeli hostages. Hamas still launches missiles into Israel. Israel has invaded and bombed Gaza, killed 40,000 Palestinians, destroyed 70% of Gaza homes, and blocked sufficient food for two million Gazans. Both Hamas and Israel have committed war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Genocide Emergency Alert: Israel and Gaza Bodies at Kfar Aza kibbutz massacre site. credit: Al Jazeera Genocide Emergency Alert: Israel and Gaza 15 October 2023 Genocide Watch is declaring a Genocide Emergency Alert for Israel and Gaza due to the war between Israel and Hamas. On October 7, 2023, coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, Hamas launched a coordinated assault by over 1500  heavily armed Hamas terrorists who murdered over 1400  Israeli civilians, including 200  men, women, and children in two kibbutzim and 260 civilians attending an outdoor music festival. Hamas abducted over  150 hostages , including children. Hamas launched over six thousand missiles   supplied by Iran  into cities all over Israel. Hamas targeted Israelis simply because they were Israelis. It was the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have expressed their genocidal intent  to destroy the nation of Israel. The massacres by Hamas constituted acts of genocide . The attacks were also crimes against humanity and war crimes . Israel has declared war on Hamas and embarked on an aerial bombing campaign on Gaza. Over 2300 Palestinians in Gaza have died in the first week of bombing. Gaza’s only power station has shut down because Israel has cut off fuel deliveries. Without electricity, water cannot be pumped. Gaza is running out of food.   Israel asserts that it is the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. Israel’s recognition by the United Nations followed the Holocaust. The UN explicitly intended to recognize a nation- state where Jews could defend themselves after thousands of years of exile and genocide. Many Jews came to Israel because they were persecuted in Arab countries , the Soviet Union , and other nations. As a nation-state recognized by the United Nations, Israel has full rights under Article 51 of the UN Charter  and international law to defend itself. The legitimacy of Israel’s creation was rejected by Palestinians, most Arab countries, and many Islamic nations. These countries consider Israel’s territory to have been stolen from the Palestinian people. Iran , Hamas , and many people in the Arab world  still deny the Holocaust. Since 1948, Israel has had to defend itself against numerous invasions by its Arab neighbors.  Following its victories in the wars against it, Israel took effective control in 1967 of the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights. UN recognition did not include those territories as part of Israel. Legally they are “occupied territories.” The Palestine Liberation Organization and Hamas were founded in response to Israeli occupation. Since its founding in 1987, Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by Israel, Egypt, and many Western nations. In its charter, Hamas declares its intent to destroy the nation of Israel, a declaration of genocidal intent. Hamas is funded by Iran.  The Gaza government of Hamas is heavily funded by Qatar . Following many terrorist attacks by Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank, Israel occupied both territories. Israel ceased occupation of Gaza in 2005. Israel and Egypt have blockaded Gaza since 2007. Israel severely restricts movement of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million Palestinians. Israel still occupies the West Bank. 700,000 Israelis live in settlements that violate Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention , prohibiting “transfer [of] parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” Israeli settlers believe their settlements are justified by God’s promise that Jews have the right to all the ancient lands of Judah and Israel. This settler ideology is supported by Likud, the party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is committed to further settlement expansion . Like the American ideology of “manifest destiny,” this settler ideology is used to justify forced displacement of Palestinians who have lived in the occupied territories for thousands of years. Forced displacement is a crime against humanity prohibited by Article 7(1)(d)  of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Dehumanization of the enemy is common in wars and genocides. It is already evident in this war, with Hamas militants spitting on and mutilating bodies  of their victims and the Israeli Defence Minister calling Hamas “ human animals .” Dehumanization is a stage of genocide . From 2008 - 2022, Israeli attacks in Gaza and the West Bank killed  6407  Palestinian civilians. over half killed by Israeli bombs and missiles. During the same period, 308  Israeli civilians have died from Palestinian attacks. In 2022, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed an estimated  204  Palestinians. Most deaths occurred during military raids against suspected Palestinian militants. The October 2023 terrorist attacks by Hamas and bombing of Gaza by Israel Defense Forces have caused over 2670 civilian deaths in Gaza and 1400  civilian deaths in Israel in just the first week of the war. Both Israel and Hamas are committing war crimes. As of October 13, 2023, more than 150 civilian hostages have been taken from Israel and are being held in Gaza by Hamas. Taking of hostages is prohibited by Common Article 3, and the Fourth Geneva Convention , and Additional Protocols I and II of the Geneva Conventions , and is a war crime under Article 8(2)viii of the ICC Statute . Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza  until all hostages are returned, prohibiting the entry of water and fuel. 50,000 pregnant women  lack access to essential health services and more than a million children  are among the Palestinians trapped in Gaza. Israel's massive bombing of Gaza has indiscriminately killed civilians . Israel called for the relocation of 1.1 million civilians  to south Gaza within 24 hours for safety, an order that Hamas ordered Palestinians to ignore. The UN urged Israel to withdraw this order due to the “devastating humanitarian consequences”  from an evacuation that could not be completed before Israeli bombing and invasion begin. Israel extended the evacuation deadline but over a million civilians are still trapped. As a nation state, Israel has the right to self-defence . Both Israel and Hamas are obligated by international law to protect civilians. Israeli invasion of Gaza will inevitably result in more war crimes by both Israel and Hamas . Genocide Watch considers the war in Israel and Gaza to be at Stage 3: Discrimination, Stage 4: Dehumanization, Stage 5: Organization, Stage 6: Polarization, Stage 8: Persecution, and Stage 9: Extermination. Genocide Watch recommends: All hostages held by Hamas must be freed immediately and returned to Israel. The Israeli blockade of medicines, food, and water to Gaza should end immediately. Military aid to Israel should be conditional on Israel’s adherence to the laws of war. Humanitarian corridors to safe areas must be free from bombing and ground attacks. Hamas and Israel must halt all attacks that kill or injure civilians. Reports of Israel’s use of incendiary weapons  must be investigated by the UN. Israeli officials in the occupied West Bank must ensure the safety of all civilians. Israel should not invade Gaza unless Israel lifts its blockade, stops its bombing, and enforces rigorous rules of engagement to prevent civilian casualties. Genocide is Never Justifiable: Israel and Hamas in Gaza By Grace Condon and Frankie Condon Genocide Watch February 4, 2024 The UN estimates there are 1.7 million displaced people in Gaza, many of whom have fled the fighting around Khan Younis and are now in Rafah, which Israel has now begun to invade. Source: Reuters   The 7 October assault by Hamas on Israel enacted long-established genocidal intent by Hamas against the people of Israel. Under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter every state has the right to defend itself against attack and to protect its people against the threat of genocide.   However, crimes against humanity and genocide undertaken by one organization or state should never be used by another state or organization as justification for retaliatory crimes against humanity, war crimes, and acts of genocide.   We note Israel’s asymmetrical warfare in Gaza. Israel has committed multiple war crimes and crimes against humanity. Its warfare has also included many acts of genocide.   Israel launched its first strikes against Gaza on 27 October 2023. Prior to its first assault, Israeli Defense Forces called for over a million Palestinians in northern Gaza to evacuate  to the south within 24 hours. Electricity had been cut, making electronic communications difficult across Gaza. Humanitarian aid organizations argued that the timeline was too short for so many civilians to be moved away from the field of war.   The Israeli Defense Forces then released a second message to Gazans stating: "Urgent warning! To the residents of Gaza: your presence to the North of Wadi Gaza is putting your lives at risk. Anyone who chooses not to evacuate from the North of the Gaza Strip to the South of the Gaza Strip may be identified as a partner in a  terrorist organization ."   Since Israel’s invasion began, humanitarian organizations and the world press have reported the widespread bombing of civilian targets , including but not limited to apartment complexes, mosques, roads used by civilians to escape the fighting, and hospitals.   At this writing , over 1.7 million people in Gaza have been displaced since October 7. Over 26,000 civilians  have been killed. According to the United Nations, of the civilians killed over ten thousand (41%) are children and over 6500 (25%) are women. At least 200 medics and more than 135 UN staff have been killed. None of these dead could possibly be considered combatants. How much "collateral damage" justifies killing so many children? When is "collateral damage" so disproportionate that it makes thousands of children orphans?   The World Health Organization has issued dire warnings  about the threat of epidemics as displaced Palestinians are crowded together in tents and makeshift shelters without sanitation facilities and clean water. The WHO has called for orders of protection of humanitarian personnel following detentions of medical personnel at Israeli checkpoints.   Genocide Watch bases its analyses of genocides on our understanding that genocide is a process that unfolds in stages. Each stage is, itself, a process, and the progression of stages may be non-linear and recursive. That is, stages of genocide may overlap, occur simultaneously, or repeat. The stages of genocide defined and elaborated by Genocide Watch President, Dr. Gregory Stanton, are described more fully on the Genocide Watch  website.   Israel has long made a practice of classification  and discrimination against Palestinians. With regard to classification  which involves the denial of citizenship and the rights and protections attending citizenship, Haaretz  reported in 2022, that since 2002 the Israeli Ministry of Population and Immigration Authority has made the application for citizenship in Israel increasingly difficult for Palestinians. Only 38% of the 16,573 applications for Israeli citizenship by Palestinians during the last two decades have been approved. Although 39% of the population of Jerusalem were Palestinian in 2022, only 5%  of those were Israeli citizens.   The Israeli Ministry of Population reports some of the most common  reasons for denial : failure to demonstrate primary residence and employment in Jerusalem; lack of fluency in Hebrew; refusal to renounce citizenship in Jordan; criminal records; security concerns.   Refusal of citizenship for Palestinians living in Israel means that they are not permitted to vote, ensuring political disempowerment. Palestinians without citizenship cannot obtain passports and are denied certain jobs. Adi Lustigman, a lawyer representing Palestinians seeking Israeli citizenship, says noncitizenship  denies Palestinians in Israel the security that accompanies citizenship. " In a world of nation-states. there is no protection for human rights and no personal security without citizenship.”   In February of 2022, Amnesty International issued a report charging Israel with maintaining an apartheid  system against Palestinians. Amnesty International found that Israel has intentionally created a system of domination and oppression that includes “territorial fragmentation; segregation and control; dispossession of land and property; and denial of economic and social rights.” Such practices combine classification  and discrimination  to create a hierarchical system of oppression like the apartheid system in South Africa or the old segregation system in the southern United States.   Political rhetoric by Israeli government and military leaders has crossed the line from expression of righteous anger to the rhetoric of dehumanization  and polarization . Since the 7 October assault by Hamas on Israel, Israel’s political leaders and Israeli Defense Forces have repeatedly used dehumanizing and polarizing language to refer to Palestinians.   Israel's President, Isaac Herzog, stated that “an entire nation out there is responsible” for the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.” “The ‘rhetoric’ about innocent civilians is ‘absolutely not true.’     The Peoples Dispatch quotes Israel's Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, referring to Palestinians as “ human animals ,” and boasting of having “released all the restraints” on Israeli forces. Minister Gallant asserted, "we will eliminate everything’ in Gaza.” The Israeli army’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Major General Ghassan Alian said that “human animals must be treated as such.”   Dehumanizing language is often used to justify war crimes and genocide. The People’s Dispatch quotes Israeli army spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, proudly announcing  the dropping of “thousands of tons of munitions” on Gaza in the first days of the war. He asserted, “We’re focused on what causes maximum damage, rather than ‘accuracy'." Major General Alian informed Gazans that “there will be no electricity and no water, there will be only destruction .”   The Peoples Dispatch reported that in late October, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared Palestinians “with the biblical enemy of the Jews, the Amalekites." Netanyahu quoted  from 1 Samuel 15:3, in which Samuel tells King Saul, "Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'I will punish what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way, when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them; but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.’” In 1 Samuel 33, after Israel has slaughtered all the Amalekites, Samuel himself summoned Agag, the Amalekite king. Samuel then personally "hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal."   This Biblical passage is a divine order to commit genocide. That the President of Israel invoked this divine mandate for genocide is evidence of his genocidal intent to destroy in part the Palestinian people of Gaza. The historical parallel is precise: Palestinians in Gaza live in nearly the same area as the ancient Amalekites.   The preparation  stage of genocide involves both militarization and indoctrination of citizens with fear of the threatening group. Four wars by its neighbors since 1948, all aimed at annihilating Israel, have required Israel to maintain its military in a state of constant alert.   Israelis are justifiably fearful of the genocidal intentions of Hamas, as proven by its 7 October attack. Political rhetoric by Israeli government and military leaders is now aimed at generalizing fear of Hamas to a fear of the Palestinian people as a whole.   Israel's deployment of its Defense Forces in Gaza and in “police actions” in the occupied West Bank portend a bleak future for Palestinians. Israel's protection of Israeli settlers' confiscation of Palestinian land, and the IDF's toleration of settler assaults on Palestinian families in the West Bank are reminiscent of the forced deportations of Indigenous populations in the U.S., Australia, Armenia, Myanmar, Bosnia, Darfur, and Artsakh.   The Palestinian people in Gaza now suffer persecution  at the hands of the Israeli Defense Forces. Israel has long tolerated and actively encouraged the illegal expropriation  of Palestinian lands by settlers in the West Bank. Israel now seems intent on forcing Gazans into smaller and smaller enclaves in tent cities in Gaza without clean water, food, fuel, or healthcare. Famine and disease are spreading, with children, women, and the elderly suffering the greatest danger.   Palestinian men and boys have been rounded up , stripped of their clothing, marched through the streets, and imprisoned without charge. Survivors of a December round up report being blindfolded and tortured before being released without explanation.   Israel’s political leaders, including Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, vehemently deny any violations of international law, asserting that the war by Israel must continue until Hamas is totally defeated. The Israeli military regularly releases videos of Hamas-built tunnels as justification for their ongoing operations in Gaza.   These are the signs of the genocidal process in Israel's war in Gaza:   Israel's leaders persist in conflating all Palestinian people with Hamas. [ classification ]; Israel’s leaders incite genocide against Palestinians by dehumanizing Palestinians as “human animals” and by summoning Biblical justification for genocide [ dehumanization, polarization ]; Israel collectively punishes all Gazans for the actions of Hamas. Israel’s leaders deny that there are any innocent civilians in Gaza. This falsehood denies any duty to obey the laws of war, which require avoidance of attacks on civilians. [ dehumanization, polarization ]; This collective punishment is used to justify the bombing and killing of tens of thousands of Palestinian women, children, and noncombatants, including at least 85 journalists [ persecution, extermination ]; Israel has forcibly displaced 1.7 million Gazans from their homes into tent cities [ persecution ]; Israel bombs and assaults hospitals where wounded civilians seek medical care and shelter [ persecution, extermination ]; Israel bombs Palestinian refugee camps in Gaza [ persecution, extermination ]; Israel bombs and attacks areas in Gaza to which it has directed civilians for their “safety” [ persecution, extermination ]; Israel bombs “escape routes” it has designated for Palestinians fleeing Israeli attacks [ persecution, extermination ]; Israel's blockade and siege of Gaza is producing widespread famine [ persecution, extermination] .   Together, these actions demonstrate intent to commit genocide, the intentional destruction in part of the Palestinian people of Gaza.   Until the Israeli invasion of Gaza ends with a permanent ceasefire, Israel will continue to commit four of the acts of genocide enumerated in Article 2 of the Genocide Convention:   Israel's carpet bombing of Gaza, including of so-called "escape corridors," and "safe areas" to which it has directed Gazans, is intentionally killing members of the Palestinian ethnic and national group. Israel's displacement of 1.7 million Gazans and its blockade of food, water, fuel, and healthcare is causing serious bodily and mental harm to members of the Palestinian ethnic and national group. Israel's blockade of food, water, and fuel, its destruction of eighty percent of Gaza's homes, and its destruction of all but seven of Gaza's hospitals is deliberately inflicting on the Palestinian group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part. Israel's bombing has destroyed most of the hospitals of Gaza where Palestinian mothers could safely give birth to their babies, thus imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.   There is a growing consensus among international lawyers that Israel is perpetrating a genocide against the Palestinians of Gaza. A United Nations panel  held by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) recently concluded with a determination that Israel’s war against Gaza is genocidal by intent .   We urge: an immediate, permanent ceasefire, release of all hostages held by Hamas, lifting of the Israeli blockade of Gaza, deployment of United Nations peacekeeping troops to Gaza, Arab and Palestinian recognition of the legitimacy of the State of Israel, U.N. and international support for a sustainable diplomatic resolution to the conflict.   The need for these actions grows increasingly urgent with each passing day as political instability grows across the Middle East.  The U.N., U.S., Israel, Arab League, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, European Union, NATO, and other powers must not allow this crisis to widen into a regional or international war.

September 6, 2024   United Nations Security Council 405 East 42nd Street New York, NY 10017 Re: Urgent Appeal for Stronger Action in Sudan & Addressing Gaps in UNSC Resolution 2736 Dear Members of the UN Security Council: We, the undersigned, are a group of individuals and organizations that advocate for human rights and religious freedom around the world. We represent diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds but are united in our goal of promoting freedom of religion and human rights for all. We are writing to you to express our concern regarding the deteriorating situation that is currently unfolding in Sudan. We appreciate the passing of UN Security Council Resolution 2736   on June 13, 2024. The resolution addresses some of the concerns that we have about Sudan. The ending of the siege of El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces, protection of civilians, and opening of humanitarian corridors so people can leave El Fasher are key elements in the resolution. However, we have significant concerns about what the resolution failed to address. Regarding the resolution’s call for lifting of the siege of El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), we have two questions.   First, what is the deadline for lifting the RSF siege? UNSC Res. 2736 contains no specific deadline for when this siege should be lifted. How much time does the RSF have to lift this siege? Respectfully, we urge the Security Council to set a deadline for the RSF to lift its siege of the beleaguered city.   Second, where is the enforcement mechanism to enforce the lifting of the siege? Resolution 2736 did not authorize any enforcement by the United Nations or African Union if the RSF refuses or fails to lift its siege.   We also have two other concerns. The resolution failed to address the brazen flouting of the arms embargo currently in force for Darfur. The arms embargo should be extended to all of Sudan. The Security Council should call for sanctions on UN members that violate the embargo.   The resolution also fails to call for accountability by both the RSF led by General Hamdan and the Sudanese Armed Forces led by General Burhan. The war crimes and crimes against humanity against the civilian population by both forces should be tried in the International Criminal Court, the courts of Sudan, and courts with universal jurisdiction around the world.   Human Rights Watch  has called for the African Union to work with the United Nations to deploy a Civilian Protection Mission to Sudan. Genocide Watch  has called for such a UN/AU peacekeeping mission since July 2023.   We, the undersigned, agree with these proposals made to the UN Security Council and the AU Peace and Justice Council. We encourage you to authorize, mandate, and fund these proposals for a strong UN and AU peacekeeping mission in Sudan.   We ask that a new UN Security Council Resolution be drafted, debated, passed, and implemented in time to save the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people now trapped by the civil war in Sudan.   Attached to this letter is a Draft UN Security Council Resolution on Sudan that we hope the United Nations Security Council will introduce and adopt.   We thank you for your consideration in this critical situation.   Respectfully,   ORGANIZATIONS Genocide Watch Africa Working Group IRF Roundtable Coalition for Genocide Response Law and Liberty Trust NEVER AGAIN Association Karwan e Mohabbat (Caravan of Love), India Doctors Against Genocide Waging Peace No Business With Genocide Jubilee Campaign World Without Genocide FIACONA Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) International Association of People's Lawyers (IAPL) Monitoring Committee on Attacks on Lawyers Crane Center for Mass Atrocity Prevention Nadia's Initiative Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide, Jerusalem  Council for Global Cooperation (CGC) International Committee on Nigeria Working Group Recognition - Against Genocide, for International Understanding The Regional Centre for Training and Development of Civil Society (RCDCS) Genocide.krd Voice of Ezidis UK Freedom of Religion or Belief Forum Isaaq Genocide Foundation Leah Foundation Advocates For Faith and Justice in Vietnam (AFJV) Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience Ariel University Center for the Research and Study of Genocide Montagnards stand for Justice (MSFJ) Parity Prayer Pioneers Papillon Academy Journal of Social Encounters Council of Nations and States (CNS) Pax Christi New York State Shai Fund American Sikh Council Friends Thien Am Zen Monastery Stichting Stabij   INDIVIDUALS Gregory H Stanton, Founding President, Genocide Watch Chair, Alliance Against Genocide Ewelina U Ochab, Co-Founder, Coalition for Genocide Response Co-Chair, Genocide Working Group Areeka Khan, Sudan Task Force Leader, Genocide Watch Scott Morgan, Co-Chair, Africa Working Group IRF Roundtable Rebecca Tinsley, Founder, Waging Peace Lauren Homer, President, Law and Liberty Trust Ellen J. Kennedy, Executive Director, World Without Genocide Israel Charny, Director, Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide, Jerusalem Samuel Totten, Professor Emeritus, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Robert Melson, Professor Emeritus, Purdue University Rafal Pankowski, Co-Founder, NEVER AGAIN Association Eyal Mayroz, University of Sydney Abid Shamdeen, Co-Founder, Nadia's Initiative Hala AlKarib, Regional Director, The Strategic initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) Harsh Mander, Karwan e Mohabbat (Caravan of Love), India Stuart Russell, Co-Chair, International Association of People's Lawyers (IAPL) Nidal Jboor, Co-Founder, Doctors Against Genocide Saeed A Elmi, Chief Executive, Isaaq Genocide Foundation Kyle D Abts, Executive Director, International Committee on Nigeria Hilly Moodrick- Even Khen, Ariel University Center for the Research and Study of Genocide Lorna Waddington, University of Leeds Hannah Garry, Executive Director, UCLA Law, The Promise Institute for Human Rights Sonja Miley, Co-Executive Director, Waging Peace Thierry Valle, President, Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience Rev. Dr. Marian Edmonds-Allen, Executive Director, Parity Minh Le, Advocates for Faith and Justice in Vietnam (AFJV) Soumava Basu, President & Founder, Council for Global Cooperation (CGC) Gloria Samdi Puldu, President, Leah Foundation Farhad Shamo Roto, Founder & President, Voice of Ezidis Y Phic Hdok, Co-Founder, Montagnards stand for Justice (MSFJ) Jeanine Ntihirageza, Professor & Director, Center for Genocide and Human Rights Research in Africa and the Diaspora, Northeastern Illinois University Tessa Hofmann, Chairperson, Working Group Recognition - Against Genocide, for International Understanding Abdul Mutaal Girshab, Director General & Human Rights Expert, The Regional Centre for Training and Development of Civil Society (RCDCS) David Livingstone Smith, Professor of Philosophy, University of New England Kamal Fahmi, Founder, Set My People Free (SMPF) Emily Mullin, Legal Staff, Genocide Watch Susan Taylor, Congressional Working Group, International Religious Freedom Roundtable Bhaswati Bhattacharjee, Research Staff, Genocide Watch Wayne Guang-Yong Liang, Podcast & Advocacy Staff, Genocide Watch Gabrijela Papec, Legal Staff, Genocide Watch Ronald Pagnucco, Coordinating Editor, Journal of Social Encounters Ashley Makar Raziya Masumi, Legal Advisor, Genocide Watch Daniel R. Neuspiel, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, Atrium Health Joachim Savelsberg, Professor of Sociology and Law & Arsham and Charlotte Ohanessian Chair, University of Minnesota Stacey M. Mitchell, Associate Professor of Political Science, Georgia State University's Perimeter College Luciana Minassian, Assistant Professor, School of Law, University of Buenos Aires Gillian Dare, Stakeholder, UK Freedom of Religion or Belief Forum Y Bhim Nie, Dega People Activist & Independent Scholar, Council of Nations and States (CNS) Sarah Kharikian, Teacher, School District 42 Terry Nickelson Esther Brito Ruiz, American University Watchara Intrasombat, Jagiellonian University Shakhawan Shorash, Writer, Kurdistan without Genocide Melisa Mujkanovic, Lecturer, De Montford University Abdulrahman K. Darwesh, Assistant Professor, Genocide.krd Amy Hudnall, Director, Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies, Appalachian State University Jessica Kejun Xu, Administrative & Marketing Officer, Intertwine Edith P. Newman, Board Member, Pax Christi Metro New York Jared Boyce, Student Meghan Mallya, Medical Student, UTMB Nicholas Wilson, Student, Morehouse School of Medicine Antonella Giordano, Educator’s Institute for Human Rights Alfyn Steere Glenn Henry TImmermans, Associate Professor, University of Macau Kirk C Allison, Program in Health Humanities Faculty, College of Saint Scholastica Pragya Singh, Research Scholar Sabana Sultana, Language Teacher, WBBMSC Miraaal Khani, Student, CAKF Sahina Akhtar, Assistant Professor of English, Domkal Girls' College Amita Hembram, Student D Barman Christopher Harrison, Instructor, Social Justice & Human Rights, Arizona State University Dimple Dubey, Faculty, Dr. Harisingh Gour Central University, Madya Pradesh, India Sukriti Sinha Mohammad Emdadul Haque Rachel Castro Charmaine Hedding, President, Shai Fund Ashuriena Abraham, Assyrian Activist Karmella Borashan, Special Assistant to the President, Susek Evangelistic Association Dr. Uma Ray Srinivasan, Teacher, Victoria Institution (College) Lea Trigonis, Student Tanya Nguyen-Do, Coordinator, Friends Thien Am Zen Monastery Trinity Huynh, Research & Advocacy Staff, Genocide Watch Claire Kedeshian Teresa Merk, Legal Assistant, Compliance Aiden John Carlton, Research Staff, Genocide Watch Bekir Hodzic, Alliance and Advocacy & Podcast Manager, Genocide Watch Grace Harris, Early Warning Analyst, Genocide Watch Brooklyn Quallen, Lead Alliance Coordinator, Genocide Watch Lea Gruber, Legal Staff, Genocide Watch Edward D'Agostino Akbal Mohamed, Director, Stichting Stabij Thomas H. Mandi M. Rev. Margaret R. Macenna C. Pam C. Kristine A Nick R. Maxine K. Sara Pierson     United Nations S/RES/_____ (2024) Security Council Distr.: General   Draft UN Security Council Resolution on Sudan:   Adopted by the Security Council at its ______th meeting, on ___ _____, 2024   The Security Council,   Reaffirming all its previous resolutions, presidential statements and press statements concerning the situation in Sudan, and reiterating its strong commitment to the sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity of Sudan,   Reaffirming its call in UN Security Council Resolution 2736 (2024)  for the Rapid Support Forces to halt their siege of El Fasher immediately, and calling for an immediate halt to the fighting in and around El Fasher, and calling for humanitarian corridors for civilians to safely leave El Fasher,   Reaffirming UN Security Council Resolution 1556 (2004)  which placed an embargo on the sale or supply to all non-governmental entities and individuals operating in North Darfur, South Darfur, and West Darfur by their nationals or from their territories or using their flag vessels or aircraft, of arms and related materiel of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, and spare parts whether or not originating in their territories,   Underlining the duty under international humanitarian law to respect and protect humanitarian personnel and consignments used for humanitarian relief operations, and urging all parties to the conflict to protect civilian infrastructure, which is critical to the delivery of humanitarian aid, including for the provision of essential services in line with resolution 2573 (2021) ,   Reaffirming its resolutions 1325 (2000)  on women, peace, and security, 1379 (2001)  and 1460 (2003)  on children in armed conflicts, as well as resolutions 1265 (1999)  and 1296 (2000)  on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts and resolution 1502 (2003)  on the protection of humanitarian and United Nations personnel,   Reaffirming UN Security Council Resolution 1593 (2005)  referring the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court,   Reiterating its grave concern at the continuing fighting in Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) with the potential for further escalation and the risk of harm to civilians, most of whom need urgent humanitarian assistance and protection,   Expressing alarm over credible reports of ethnically motivated massacres allegedly perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces in and around El Fasher, and in El Geneina in West Darfur between 24 April and 19 June 2023,   Expressing alarm at credible reports of violations of international humanitarian law including cases of sexual and gender-based crimes, and calling for accountability for such violations,   Expressing deep concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation, including crisis-level food insecurity, and the imminent risk of famine, particularly in Darfur,   Recalling that during the conduct of hostilities, all parties are obligated to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, medical facilities, schools, places of worship, and facilities of the UN,   Recalling that all UN and humanitarian personnel, including national and locally recruited personnel, as well as medical personnel, and their means of transport, must be respected and protected, in accordance with international humanitarian law,   Condemning the looting of humanitarian stockpiles, expressing concern at the increasing mobilization of armed groups and militias, and calling on all sides to discipline and exercise strict command and control of their forces,     Recognizing the importance of de-escalatory measures and the role of local dispute resolution and ceasefire efforts in Sudan, in line with Sudanese -led and Sudanese-owned peacebuilding and peacemaking efforts,   Determining that the situation in Sudan constitutes a threat to international peace and security and to stability in the region,   Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,   1. Decides to re-establish the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) for an initial period of 6 months and further decides that UNAMID will consist of up to 10,000 military personnel and an appropriate civilian component including up to 715 civilian police personnel;   2. Requests that UNAMID closely and continuously liaise and coordinate at all levels with the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) to expeditiously provide personnel to staff UNAMID and reinforce the effort to foster peace in Darfur and Sudan;   3. Requests the Secretary-General, through his Special Representative for Sudan, to coordinate all the activities of the United Nations system in Sudan, to mobilize resources and support from the international community for both immediate assistance and long-term economic development of Sudan, and to facilitate coordination with the African Union and IGAD;   4. Calls on all parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians, including by allowing civilians wishing to move within and out of El Fasher, Khartoum, Omdurman, and other parts of Sudan to safety, and recalling that all civilians must be protected in accordance with international law;   5. Decides that the mandate of UNAMID shall be the following: UNAMID shall have the authority and responsibility to protect civilians by all means necessary, pursuant to UN Security Council resolutions; Protecting civilians shall be the first priority of UNAMID, in coordination with the Government of Sudan; UNAMID shall have the duty to protect civilians within their capabilities and areas of deployment where the Sudanese government is unable or unwilling to protect them; UNAMID shall make the protection of civilians a whole-of-mission activity, not only a military task, which embodies an active duty to protect; Protecting civilians shall be done in cooperation with humanitarian organizations and with respect for humanitarian principles; UNAMID’s protection of civilians shall be consonant with the principles of peacekeeping, impartial mandate implementation, and the use of force as authorized by the Security Council; UNAMID police shall have the authority to arrest persons charged by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Darfur, Sudan.   6. Reiterates the urgency of addressing the funding shortfall of the Humanitarian Response Plan and the Regional Refugee Response Plan and encourages Member States, international donors and partners to step up contributions to enable the scaling-up of humanitarian assistance needed to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation;   7. Calls upon all Member States to prohibit the shipment, supply, or sale of arms to parties to the conflict throughout Sudan; and to comply with their obligations under international law, including international human rights law and international humanitarian law;   8. Calls on all Member States to refrain from external interference which seeks to foment conflict and instability and instead to support efforts for a durable peace, and reminds all parties to the conflict and Member States who facilitate the transfers of arms and military materiel to Darfur and all of Sudan of their obligations to comply with the arms embargo measures as stipulated in paragraphs 7 and 8 of resolution 1556 (2004) , and reiterates that those who violate the arms embargo may be designated for targeted measures in accordance with paragraph 3 (c) of resolution 1591 (2005) ;   9. Calls on the parties to the conflict to seek an immediate cessation of hostilities, leading to a sustainable resolution to the conflict, through dialogue, with the continued support of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Sudan Ramtane Lamamra and the African Union High-Level Panel on Sudan;   10. Encourages the coordinated engagement of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Sudan Ramtane Lamamra, with the African Union, the League of Arab States and other key regional actors, to help advance peace and an inclusive and comprehensive Sudanese-led political process, with the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women, that reflects the aspirations of the Sudanese people;   11. Requests the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of all elements of this resolution within his regular updates every 90 days;   12. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

U.N. Panel Calls for International Peacekeeping Force in Sudan The New York Times Sept. 6, 2024 The country’s brutal civil war has led to the killing, rape and torture of civilians, including children, as it threatens to destabilize neighboring countries. Sudanese Armed Forces soldiers walking through the heavily destroyed streets of a historic market in Omdurman, Sudan, in April.Credit ...Ivor Prickett for The New York Times By  Nick Cumming-Bruce Reporting from Geneva A United Nations fact-finding mission on Friday called for an  international peacekeeping force  to protect civilians in Sudan, where a brutal civil war has caused the world’s largest displacement crisis, leaving millions of people homeless and starving. Both sides in the 17-month conflict — the Sudanese army and its rival, the Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries — have killed, mutilated and tortured people, including children, the three-person mission said in a report that they will present next week to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. “Given the failure of the warring parties to spare civilians, it is imperative that an independent and impartial force with a mandate to safeguard civilians be deployed without delay,” Mohamed Chande Othman, the panel’s chairman and a former chief justice of Tanzania said Friday in a news conference releasing the report. The war in Sudan, a giant nation on the Red Sea in Africa’s northeast, has threatened to destabilize its neighbors, and has drawn in other countries. The United Arab Emirates  has been supplying weapons to the Rapid Support Forces , though it has denied doing so. Egypt is a longtime supporter of the Sudanese army. “Fighting will stop once the arms flow stops,” the report says. The panel warned that states supplying arms could  find themselves complicit in international war crimes . The panel urged the U.N. Security Council to expand a longstanding embargo on supplies of weapons to the Darfur region, in the west, to cover the whole country.   Mahmoud Ismail, 39, a soldier with the Sudanese military, having his bandage changed by a doctor at a military hospital in Sudan, in April.Credit ...Ivor Prickett for The New York Times The panel accused the Rapid Support Forces, or R.S.F., and its allies of crimes against humanity, citing rampant rape and sexual slavery, the use of children under 15 in the fighting and of carrying out a widespread, systematic attack targeting the non-Arab population in West Darfur. When attacking the city of El Geneina in June 2023, the R.S.F. went door-to-door hunting down lawyers, doctors, academics and religious leaders of the Massalit community, the panel reported. The R.S.F.’s attack, on a convoy of civilians attempting to flee the violence, killed and injured thousands of people. The panel noted it had shared its report with Sudan’s government but received no response. The panel said it had been in contact with legal officers for the Rapid Support Forces, but gave no details. The deserted Souk Omdurman district of Khartoum, which has been battered by over a year of war.Credit ...Ivor Prickett for The New York Times The panel’s repeated requests to visit Sudan went unanswered by the Sudanese authorities. The report relied on direct interviews with 182 people, including refugees in neighboring countries, and interaction with regional bodies and multilateral agencies. The panel did not propose a specific approach to international intervention in Sudan, but said its findings should “serve as a wake up call” on the need for urgent action to protect Sudan’s civilians. The conflict has displaced 10 million people and left the rest of the country facing what international aid agencies this week called a “starvation crisis of historic proportions.” “Forty-six million people can’t be left on their own to face the two warring parties,” panel member Mona Rishmawi said. “We can’t have people continuing to die before our eyes and do nothing about it.” American-sponsored talks in Switzerland last month  made no progress toward a cease-fire,  but did reach commitments to allow some humanitarian aid to flow in, including opening a border crossing to allow aid trucks from neighboring Chad to enter Darfur. International aid workers have said opening one crossing is inadequate to address the scale of the crisis, and that both warring parties have failed to live up to commitments to open access for more aid. The panel has started compiling dossiers on individuals and entities responsible for abuses and called for a range of judicial initiatives to ensure those responsible for the carnage are brought to justice. The Security Council has previously given the International Criminal Court jurisdiction to prosecute crimes in Sudan’s Darfur region. The panel recommended giving the court jurisdiction over the whole country. The I.C.C., Ms Rishmawi noted, only prosecutes a few of its most serious cases, not the individual perpetrators of atrocities whose impunity in past conflicts has perpetuated the cycle of violence. To address this, the panel also called for the creation of an international tribunal that would complement the I.C.C. and prosecute such crimes. International attention should also focus on victims of atrocities, not just the perpetrators, Ms. Rishmawi added, urging the creation of another body dedicated to providing support and reparations to survivors and their families. “The rare brutality of this war will have a devastating and long-lasting psychological impact on children in Sudan,” said Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, a Nigerian law professor and the panel’s third member. Any peace process should prioritize support for children to break the cycle of violence. A man with a whip tried to control a crowd of Sudanese refugees who were jostling to receive food during an impromptu aid distribution on the outskirts of Adré refugee camp, in Chad, in July.Credit ...Ivor Prickett for The New York Times Copyright 2024 The New York Times Company Read more: War in Sudan: How Two Rival Generals Wrecked Their Country Fighting between the military and a powerful paramilitary group has led to massacres, caused millions to flee their homes and now threatens to cause a famine. Civil War in Sudan Fighting between two military factions has thrown Sudan into chaos. What to Know:  Two generals — one backed by Sudan’s army, the other by a powerful paramilitary group —  have been vying for power in the African country  in a conflict that began in 2023. Peace Talks:  American-led negotiations at a Swiss ski resort secured famine relief for needy areas but  failed to broker a cease-fire , or even to get both sides around the table, after Sudan’s military refused to show up. A Border Crossing Reopens:  Accused of blocking food aid for its starving people, Sudan’s military  reopened the main border crossing with Chad , which it had closed for six months to U.N. relief trucks. An Elusive Rebel Movement:  As the conflict rages on, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North  has built its own state within a state  — a vision of what the nation could become.

Map by Béla Müller, Genocide Watch

Map by Béla Müller, Genocide Watch

This report delves into the widespread use of rape and other forms of sexual violence as deliberate tactics in the Sudan Civil War, which began in April 2023. These acts are not random occurrences of wartime brutality but are systematically employed to terrorize and dismantle entire communities, particularly non-Arab ethnic groups like the Masalit. Women, girls, and even men are being targeted in their homes, fields, and during displacement, with many subjected to gang rape, forced pregnancies, and sexual slavery. Reports from NGOs estimate the true number of sexual violence cases to be in the thousands, with survivors often left with devastating physical and psychological trauma. The scale and intensity of these atrocities make it clear that sexual violence is being used not only as a weapon of war but as a tool for the ethnic cleansing of marginalized groups in Sudan. The ethnically targeted rape must be recognized as a form of genocide since it violates the Genocide Convention, Article II (b) (Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group), (c) (Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part), and (d) (Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group). Despite the enormity of these crimes, international legal systems have largely failed to prosecute the perpetrators or provide justice for the victims. This report seeks to uncover the reasons behind the lack of accountability, tracing the legal gaps that allow war criminals to escape punishment. The international community has been slow to respond, with insufficient mechanisms in place to prevent or punish the use of rape as a genocidal strategy. By shedding light on these failures, this report aims to contribute to the growing demand for stronger legal frameworks, better protection for vulnerable populations, and a more robust response from global institutions to prevent such atrocities from continuing unchecked. Read the full report here:

As extremists win more votes across Europe, forming moderate and effective governments is getting harder The Economist || September 4, 2024 Photograph: DPA It would be comforting to play down the significance of the votes in two German states on September 1st, when the hard-right Alternative for Germany (afd) party lost in Saxony by a whisker and scored a nine-point lead over its nearest rival in Thuringia. Yes, this victory is the first the hard right has won in a state election in Germany since the second world war. And yes, its leader in Thuringia is a nasty piece of work with two criminal convictions for using a slogan popularised by the Nazi brownshirts and banned under German law. But Thuringia is home to less than 3% of Germans. It is about as representative as Wyoming in America, where Donald Trump took 68% of the votes in 2016, or Clacton in Britain, which elected Reform uk’s leader, Nigel Farage, in July. Yet what happens in Thuringia does not stay there. Polls show support for the afd is running at 16-17% nationally, with the anti-migrant Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (bsw) at 8%, and another radical anti-capitalist party on 3%. Almost a third of Germans favour extreme parties. Germany is hardly alone. In France Marine Le Pen’s hard-right National Rally and its allies hold 25% of parliamentary seats, with another 13% for the radical-left Unsubmissive France party of Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Or look at Italy, where the hard-right parties the Brothers of Italy, led by Giorgia Meloni, and the League, led by Matteo Salvini, together took 35% of the vote in the election in 2022. Austria heads to the polls this month with the hard-right Freedom Party in the lead, on about 27%. Hungary is ruled by an ultra-nationalist who believes in antisemitic and homophobic conspiracy theories. Rising support for extremists is concerning in its own right. But it has a pernicious knock-on effect. In order to form moderate governments that exclude extremists, the diminished mainstream parties are being forced to construct ever more unwieldy coalitions that often prove bad at governing. In a vicious cycle, disappointment further fuels support for the anti-establishment parties. Germany’s national government, a hapless three-party coalition, is a case in point and next year’s federal elections may be followed by more tortuous coalition negotiations. It may take months to form state governments in Thuringia and Saxony. The same dynamic explains why it took two months after France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, held a snap parliamentary election, for him to name a prime minister, and it is doubtful that his new government will survive for long. How, then, to handle the extremes? The answer depends on just how nasty they are. In some cases the problem is surmountable. Take Italy. Ms Meloni’s party has its roots in neo-fascism, but she has been intelligent enough to moderate its policies to the extent that few could plausibly claim that her government is unacceptable in a liberal state. The lure of power is a strong incentive to evolve. In France Ms Le Pen is trying to tack towards the responsible centre. So far, no other party will formally deal with the National Rally, but in the future, perhaps under another leader, that may change. Even now, business folk in France are more worried by Mr Mélenchon’s ruinous policies than by Ms Le Pen. Another model is Sweden, where the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats support a minority centre-right government, and have moderated their conduct in return for influence. In the Netherlands the right-wing firebrand, Geert Wilders, has been tied down inside a four-party coalition led by a technocrat; he had to drop his most incendiary proposals, such as banning the Koran. Bringing extremists in from the cold is no guarantee that they will be tamed, however. It did not work with Austria’s Freedom Party, despite two spells in office. Germany is the toughest nut to crack. Deals with the leftist bsw may be deemed necessary, though risky. But the afd has a long way to go before the cordon sanitaire that keeps it out of office should be breached. It is not just individuals like the Thuringian leader who are the problem; there and in Saxony, the state-level afd outfits are designated by Germany’s intelligence service as “proven” extremists, as is the party’s national youth arm. Treating the afd like pariahs reinforces its appeal among the discontented; but the alternative is worse. The best way to grapple with the extremists is to deal with the grievances that boost their popularity. Dismissing the concerns of a third or more of the electorate is not just anti-democratic, it is anti-pragmatic. Loading the costs of the energy transition onto consumers evokes fury: central governments need to pick up more of the tab. Solving local irritants, such as a lack of teachers, can soothe voters’ general discontent. The most intractable problem, however, is immigration. Liberals shy away from getting tough. Yet the perception that migration is out of control fuels the hard right more than anything else. Reinforcing Europe’s external borders, deporting failed asylum-seekers and integrating those who stay are all difficult. But until governments look as though they are trying harder, the rise of the right will continue, and the centre will go on evaporating. © The Economist Newspaper Limited 2024

Map by Béla Müller, Genocide Watch

Map by Béla Müller, Genocide Watch

By Haruna Umar Bodies of people killed by suspected Boko Haram Islamist extremists are transported for burial, in Tarmuwa, northeast Nigeria, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024 (AP Photo/Michael Abu) MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — At least 100 villagers were killed in northeastern Nigeria when suspected Boko Haram Islamic extremists opened fire on a market, on worshippers and in people’s homes, residents said Wednesday, the latest killings in Africa’s longest struggle with militancy . More than 50 extremists on motorcycles rode into the Tarmuwa council area of Yobe state on Sunday evening and began firing before setting buildings ablaze, according to Yobe police spokesperson Dungus Abdulkarim. The police blamed the attack on Boko Haram , which since 2009 has launched an insurgency to establish its radical interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, in the region. Boko Haram has since splintered into different factions, together accounting for the direct deaths of at least 35,000 people and the displacement of more than 2 million, as well as a humanitarian crisis with millions of people in dire need of foreign aid . At least 1,500 people have so far been killed in the region this year in attacks by armed groups, according to the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, or ACLED. Yobe Deputy Gov. Idi Barde Gubana gave a much lower death toll of 34 from Sunday’s attack. Contradictory statistics are a common trend in the security crisis, with the death toll from survivors’ count often higher than the official figure. The 34 dead cited by the deputy governor were the ones buried in a single village, said Zanna Umar, a community leader, who said they have so far confirmed 102 villagers killed in the attack. Most of the others were either buried before officials arrived, or their bodies were taken to other places for burial. “We are still working to search for more because many people are still missing,” said Umar. Sunday’s attack is one of the deadliest in the last year in Yobe. The state is less frequently attacked than neighboring Borno, the epicenter of the war with Boko Haram. Local media reported that the extremists claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in reprisal for villagers informing security operatives about their activities. A number of Boko Haram members were killed as a result of the information passed on by villagers, the militants were quoted as saying. Reprisals are rampant in the northeast and villagers sometimes “pay the price” after military operations, said Confidence MacHarry with SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based security firm. “This is the first time our community has faced such a devastating attack,” said Buba Adamu, a local chief, his voice mixed with grief and fear. “We never imagined something like this could happen here.” “There are some places (in the region) totally out of the control of the Nigerian army and villagers often live in fear of reprisals,” MacHarry said. In such places, he added, Nigerian security forces only go there for operations but do not have enough manpower to remain on the ground. Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was elected last year on a pledge to end the conflict with Boko Haram, condemned the attack in a statement that tried to assure villagers of justice but was silent about security measures. Security analysts have faulted Tinubu’s security policies, saying he has not taken any bold steps so far to resolve the killings and that the problems he inherited, such as inadequate resources and manpower, remain. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

Germany's anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) is celebrating a "historic success", with a big victory for the far-right party in the eastern state of Thuringia. Paul Kirby and Jessica Parker || September 1, 2024 The AfD's highly controversial top candidate in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, hailed a "historic victory" || Reuters The AfD won almost a third of the vote, nine points ahead of the conservative CDU, and far in front of Germany's three governing parties. The result gives the far right its first win in a state parliament election since World War Two, although it has little hope of forming a government in Thuringia because other parties are unlikely to work with it. The AfD came a close second in Sunday's other big state election, in the more populous neighbouring state of Saxony. Results there gave the CDU 31.9% of the vote, just ahead of the AfD, again far ahead of the three parties running the national government - the Social Democrats, Greens and liberal FDP. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the results were "bitter" and called on other mainstream parties to form state governments without the far right. "The AfD is damaging Germany. It is weakening the economy, dividing society and ruining our country's reputation," he said in a statement to Reuters. The AfD's top candidate in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, who is a highly controversial figure in Germany, hailed a "historic victory" and spoke of his great pride. He failed to win a direct mandate for the state parliament, but secured a seat because he was top of his party list. Source:  Thuringia state preliminary result Mr Höcke's party has been designated as right-wing extremist and he has been fined for using a Nazi slogan ,  although the former history teacher denies knowingly doing so. One of Germany's best-known Holocaust survivors, Charlotte Knobloch, pointed out that the election had taken place 85 years to the day since the outbreak of World War Two. The result had left the country in danger of becoming "more unstable, colder and poorer, less safe and less worth living in", she said. With federal elections only a year away, the AfD is second in national opinion polls. Co-leader Alice Weidel said the result was a "requiem" for the three parties running Germany and it was clear that voters in both eastern states wanted her party in government. "Without us a stable government is no longer possible at all," she said. That message was repeated by Björn Höcke, who suggested there were plenty of CDU voters who would be happy if they worked together. Without the support of other parties, the AfD cannot govern in Thuringia, and the CDU has made clear it will not consider ruling with the far right. Mathematically, the conservatives will need support from parties on the left to form a majority. Some five million Germans in the east were eligible to vote on Sunday and, according to a survey for public broadcaster ZDF, 36% of under-30s in Thuringia voted for the AfD, far more than any other party. The biggest issue for AfD voters on Sunday was immigration, and in particular the issue of refugees and asylum. “Politicians have promised a lot, particularly concerning migration and foreigners," AfD voter Michael told the BBC in Thuringia's state capital, Erfurt. "But nothing happened. Nothing. Just promises came from these parties. Now I have my party. And I stand with my decision," he said, standing beside his partner Manuela, who agreed that people wanted change. The asylum issue was re-ignited nationally little more than a week before the vote, when three people were murdered at a street festival at Solingen in western Germany, and a Syrian man facing deportation was arrested on suspicion of carrying out the attack. AfD deputy leader Beatrix von Storch told the BBC's Newshour programme that political opponents had been attacking her party's asylum policies as extremist for years. "Two days ahead of the election they started to do what we always said had to be done," she said, referring to a series of government measures aimed at toughening asylum laws. The AfD also wants to stop weapons supplies to Ukraine, as does a new party heading for third place in both states, left-wing populist leader Sahra Wagenknecht's BSW. Although she has similar ideas to the AfD on Ukraine, Ms Wagenknecht has, like the other parties, refused to take part in any coalition with the far right. Provisional results in Thuringia give the AfD 32 seats in the 88-seat Thuringia state parliament, and the CDU 23 seats, with only one of the three parties in the national government represented. That gives the AfD more than a third of the seats, handing it a blocking minority on decisions that require a two-thirds majority, including changes to the state constitution or appointing judges. Chancellor Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) is set to win just six seats, with none for the Greens and liberal FDP. In Saxony, the conservatives won 42 seats, just ahead of the AfD with 41, while Sahra Wagenknecht's party is in third with 15 seats. Source:  State of Saxony Sunday's elections have underlined the unpopularity of Germany's ruling "traffic-light" coalition, so named because of the red, yellow and green of the party colours. A third eastern state, Brandenburg, is due to vote in three weeks' time and although the AfD is ahead in the opinion polls, the Social Democrats and conservatives are only a few points behind. While Björn Höcke hailed his party's victory with supporters in Erfurt, anti-AfD protesters gathered outside the Thuringia state parliament. The AfD has been classified as right-wing extremist by domestic intelligence in Thuringia as well as Saxony. In May, a German court ruled that the BfV intelligence agency was justified in placing the AfD under observation for suspected extremism. Among the protesters was Hannah, a local student, who said she was very worried by the result: "I think there are a lot of people who are aware they have Nazi policies and don't care. Germany has some kind of responsibility on that matter." The rise of Sahra Wagenknecht's populist party had a direct impact on the Left party, which won the last election in Thuringia but has now slipped into fourth place. Bodo Ramelow, the Left-party state premier of Thuringia, who had led a coalition with the SPD and Greens, said the election campaign had been characterised by fear and that he was "fighting against the normalisation of fascism". © 2024 BBC.

Germany says it has carried out its first deportation of convicted Afghan offenders since the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan three years ago. Paul Kirby || August 29, 2024 The plane reportedly carrying 28 Afghan men took off from Leipzig on Friday morning || Copyright Emmanuele Contini via Nurphoto The flight came a week after three people were fatally stabbed at a street festival in the western town of Solingen. The killings shocked Germany and sparked an intense debate over asylum rules when it emerged the main suspect was a 26-year-old Syrian refugee facing deportation. An Afghan man was detained after another deadly attack in May. The government in Berlin has already announced a series of measures ahead of elections on Sunday in eastern Germany, where the far-right Alternative for Germany is riding high in the polls. Asylum seekers facing deportation are to lose benefits and carrying knives will be banned at most public events and on public transport, ministers say. Sunday's votes in Thuringia and Saxony could end in humiliation for the three parties running the federal government as they are all running below 10% in the polls. In Thuringia, the AfD are being tipped to come first, ahead of the conservative CDU, while in Saxony, opinion polls put the two parties neck and neck. The anti-immigration party has little chance of coming to power in either state as no other group is prepared to help the AfD form a majority. The far-right Alternative for Germany is hoping to come first in Saxony and Thuringia on Sunday || Copyright Sean Gallup via Getty Images Friday's chartered flight from Leipzig shortly before 07:00 (05:00 GMT) was carrying 28 Afghan men on board a Boeing 787 to Kabul, German reports said. "These were Afghan nationals, all of whom were convicted offenders who had no right to remain in Germany and against whom deportation orders had been issued," said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit. Germany halted deportations in 2021 as the Taliban swept back to power in Afghanistan and the security situation deteriorated. Although Germany has no diplomatic relations with the Taliban government, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the deportation of Afghans and Syrians would be allowed after the knife attack in Mannheim last May in which a police officer was killed. A 25-year-old Afghan man was arrested. Last Friday's attack in Solingen,  in which three people died and eight others were wounded , has caused outrage in Germany. Issa Al H, 26, is being investigated for murder and links to militant group Islamic State (IS). The Syrian should have been deported to Bulgaria last year but German reports suggest that the attempt failed because officials had failed to find him. During a visit to Solingen this week, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the government would do all it could to ensure "those who cannot and must not stay here in Germany are repatriated and deported". Ministers from the three ruling parties - the Social Democrats, Greens and Liberal FDP - announced what they said were far-reaching measures in response to the attack. Knives are to be banned at most public events including markets and sport as well as on public transport, and there will be a blanket ban on flick knives. Foreigners ordered to leave the country will have to be deported more quickly and efficiently, they say. Anyone facing a jail term for knife crime would face fast deportation. A task force for the prevention of Islamism is being proposed and biometric facial recognition will be used to help identify suspects. IS said it was behind the Solingen attack and a day afterwards released a video purportedly showing the suspect in a mask. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said asylum seekers who had already registered in another European Union country would lose their rights to welfare benefits. Ms Faeser insisted that nobody would be left hungry or sleeping on the streets, as the other EU country would be responsible for paying their benefits. The suspect in custody in the western city of Düsseldorf had sought asylum in Germany but he was turned down because he had first entered the EU in Bulgaria. Under the EU's Dublin Regulation, an application for asylum has to be made in the country of arrival. The leader of the CDU, Friedrich Merz, who met the chancellor this week, had called for a halt on allowing refugees from Afghanistan and Syria to enter Germany, but that was rejected by Mr Scholz. All the planned measures will have to go before parliament before they come into force. © 2024 BBC.