The covert site is new evidence of how Sudan’s civil war is expanding across the region. By  Giulia Paravicini  and  Reade Levinson February 10, 2026 Source: Vantor NAIROBI/LONDON - Ethiopia is hosting a secret camp to train thousands of fighters for the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group in neighbouring Sudan, Reuters reporting has found, in the latest sign that one of the world’s deadliest conflicts is sucking in regional powers from Africa and the Middle East. The camp constitutes the first direct evidence of Ethiopia’s involvement in Sudan’s civil war, marking a potentially dangerous development that provides the RSF a substantial supply of fresh soldiers as fighting escalates in Sudan’s south. Eight sources, including a senior Ethiopian government official, said the United Arab Emirates financed the camp’s construction and provided military trainers and logistical support to the site, a view also shared in an internal note by Ethiopia’s security services and in a diplomatic cable, reviewed by Reuters. The news agency could not independently verify UAE involvement in the project or the purpose of the camp. In response to a request for comment, the UAE foreign ministry said it was not a party to the conflict or “in any way” involved in the hostilities. Sudan’s civil war erupted in 2023 after a  power struggle  between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule. It has spread famine and been marked by  racially-charged  atrocities. Millions of refugees  have fled  to Egypt, Chad, Libya and South Sudan. Both sides draw strength  from international backers , fueling the war and increasing the risk that the fighting spills over into neighbouring countries. The news agency spoke to 15 sources familiar with the camp's construction and operations, including Ethiopian officials and diplomats, and analyzed satellite imagery of the area. Two Ethiopian intelligence officials and the satellite images provided information that corroborated details contained in the security memo and cable. The location and scale of the camp and the detailed allegations of the UAE’s involvement have not been previously reported. The images show the extent of the new development, as recently as in the past few weeks, along with construction for a drone ground control station at a nearby airport. Activity picked up in October at the camp, which is located in the remote western region of Benishangul-Gumuz, near the border with Sudan, satellite images show.   New Training Area for RSF Fighters in Ethiopia Source: Open Street Maps Ethiopia’s government spokesperson, its army and the RSF did not respond to detailed requests for comment about the findings of this story. On January 6, UAE and Ethiopia issued a joint statement that included a call for a ceasefire in Sudan, as well as celebrating ties they said served the defense of each other’s security. The Sudanese Armed Forces did not respond to a request for comment. As of early January, 4,300 RSF fighters were undergoing military training at the site and “their logistical and military supplies are being provided by the UAE,” the note by Ethiopia’s security services seen by Reuters read. Sudan's army has previously accused the UAE of  supplying the RSF with weapons , a claim U.N. experts and U.S. lawmakers have found credible. Abu Dhabi has been a strong supporter of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government from his early days in office in 2018 ,  and the two countries have built a military alliance in recent years. The camp’s recruits are mainly Ethiopians, but citizens from South Sudan and Sudan, including from the SPLM-N, a Sudanese rebel group that controls territory in Sudan’s neighbouring Blue Nile state, are also present, six officials said. Reuters was unable to independently establish who was at the camp or the terms or conditions of recruitment. A senior leader of the SPLM-N, who declined to be named, denied his forces had a presence in Ethiopia. The six officials said the recruits are expected to join the RSF battling Sudanese soldiers in Blue Nile, which has emerged as a front in the struggle for control of Sudan.   Two of the officials said hundreds had already crossed in recent weeks to support the paramilitaries in Blue Nile. The internal security note said General Getachew Gudina, the Chief of the Defense Intelligence Department of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, was responsible for setting up the camp. A senior Ethiopian government official as well as four diplomatic and security sources confirmed Getachew’s role in launching the project. Getachew did not respond to a request for comment.   CONSTRUCTION OF THE CAMP The camp was carved out of forested land in a district called Menge, about 20 miles   (32 km) from the border and strategically located at the intersection of the two countries and South Sudan, according to the satellite imagery and the diplomatic cable. The first sign of activity in the area began in April, with forest clearing and the construction of metal-roofed buildings in a small area to the north of what is now the area of the camp with tents, where work began in the second half of October. The diplomatic cable, dated November, described the camp as having a capacity of up to 10,000 fighters, saying activity began in October with the arrival of dozens of Land Cruisers, heavy trucks, RSF units and UAE trainers. Reuters is not revealing the country that wrote the cable, to protect the source. Two of the officials described seeing trucks with the logo of the Emirati logistics company Gorica Group heading through the town of Asosa and towards the camp in October. Gorica did not respond to a request for comment. The news agency was able to match elements of the timeframe specified in the diplomatic cable with satellite imagery. Images from Airbus Defence and Space show that after the initial clearing work, tents began filling the area from early November. Multiple diggers are visible in the imagery. Source: Airbus DS                                                            Source: Airbus DS   An image taken by U.S. space technology firm Vantor on November 24 shows more than 640 tents at the camp, approximately four metres square. Each tent could comfortably house four people with some individual equipment, so the camp could accommodate at least 2,500 people, according to an analysis of the satellite imagery by defense intelligence company Janes. Janes said it could not confirm the site was military based on their analysis of the imagery. Source: Vantor New recruits were spotted travelling to the camp in mid-November, two senior military officials said. On November 17, a column of 56 trucks packed with trainees rumbled through dirt roads of the remote region, the officials, who witnessed the convoys, told Reuters, with each truck holding between 50 and 60 fighters, the officials estimated. Two days later, both officials saw another convoy of 70 trucks carrying soldiers driving in the same direction, they said. The November 24 image shows at least eighteen large trucks at the site. The vehicles’ size, shape and design match those of models frequently used by the Ethiopian military and its allies to transport soldiers, according to Reuters analysis. The news agency could not independently verify what the trucks carried or establish if they were the same trucks that the military officials saw in the convoys a few days earlier. Source: Vantor   Development continued in late January, the Vantor images show, including new clearing and digging in the riverbed just north of the main camp and dozens of shipping containers lined around the camp visible in a January 22 image. A senior Ethiopian government official said construction on the camp was ongoing but did not elaborate on future building plans. An Ethiopian government official said machinery for construction of the training camp, including bulldozers and diggers, was being transported through the nearby town of Asosa every day. Source: Vantor   ASOSA AIRPORT Asosa airport, 33 miles (53 km) away from the camp, has also seen new construction since August 2025. Satellite imagery shows a new hangar and paved areas near the runway known as aprons, plus what Wim Zwijnenburg, a military technology expert at the Dutch peace organisation PAX, identified as a UAV ground control station and a satellite antenna. The drone support infrastructure visible in the imagery is similar to setups at two other drone bases in Ethiopia, a Reuters review of available imagery found. Source: Vantor A senior Ethiopian government official and one of the senior military officials said the Ethiopian military planned to turn the airport into a drone operation centre, in addition to at least five other drone centres they are aware of across the country. A diplomatic source said the refurbishment of the airport was part of a wider plan by the Ethiopian military to shift aerial bases towards the country’s Western flank in order to face possible new threats along the border with Sudan and to protect critical infrastructure such as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Three regional officials and diplomats said they were concerned about the Menge camp’s proximity to the mega dam, Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam, fearing it may be damaged or targeted if fighting broke out in the area. The new camp is about 63 miles (101 km) away from the dam.   The government, which owns the dam, did not respond to a request for comment. A Western military analyst, a regional security expert and a senior Ethiopian official said construction at the airport was related to the RSF’s increased presence in the area. The analyst and the expert said the airport had become instrumental in supplying the RSF across the border in Sudan. The senior Ethiopian government official and a regional security analyst said the airport refurbishment had also been paid for by the UAE. Reuters could not independently verify the source of financing for the airport. Last month, the UAE’s Ministry of Defence published photos on X of Major General Staff Pilot Ibrahim Nasser Al Alawi (center front), Commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence, sitting next to General Abebaw Tadesse, (far left, with his arms crossed), the deputy chief of Ethiopia’s army, at a military parade in Bishoftu. Screenshot via REUTERS   Months after Abiy rose to power, the UAE  pledged  a total of $3 billion in aid and investments in a sign of confidence and support to the newly appointed leader, with $1 billion destined to Ethiopia's central bank aimed at easing the country’s severe foreign currency shortage. In 2025, the UAE and Ethiopian air forces signed a memorandum of understanding to develop both nations’ air and defence capabilities, according to news reports at the time. © 2026 Reuters. All rights reserved .

Tens of thousands of Russians have applied for political asylum in the United States since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Many detainees have been subjected to arbitrary detention (Michael M. Santiago) France has granted safe haven to an anti-Kremlin Russian activist couple detained by ICE in the United States, but his wife was nowhere to be found after he landed in Paris on Monday. After France issued the couple humanitarian visas to avoid them being deported to Russia, Alexei Ishimov, 31, arrived in Paris from Seattle on Monday morning, AFP correspondents saw. His 29-year-old wife Nadezhda, a former volunteer for the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was expected to arrive on a separate flight from Miami, also on Monday morning. But she did not show up at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport as planned. "I am in shock," a visibly distressed Alexei, who had not seen his wife for more than 20 months, told AFP at the airport. The couple were both swept up in US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, and had been held by the country's ICE agency that is leading a crackdown on immigration. Olga Prokopieva, head of the Paris-based association Russie-Libertes, which has been assisting the young couple, said Nadezhda was not allowed on the flight because she had a temporary travel document called a laissez-passer instead of a passport. Russie-Libertes and the Russian Antiwar Committee hope that Nadezhda will be allowed to travel to France soon. The couple left Russia in 2022 as the Kremlin ramped up a crackdown on opponents following the invasion of Ukraine. The couple eventually flew to Mexico and entered the United States in 2024. They were detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and sent to different detention centres as part of Trump's immigration crackdown. Alexei had spent nine months in detention in California and later in the state of Washington. In January 2025, he was released with an ankle bracelet. Nadezhda has been kept at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center for around 21 months. To avoid deportation to Russia, Alexei had contacted numerous countries. "Starting from May 2025, I wrote letters to more than a hundred countries asking for help, and essentially no one responded except France," he said. He said that French diplomats were "constantly in touch." They "worked very closely with ICE representatives, contacted me regularly, and did everything possible to help us obtain a lawful path to safety and reunification," he said. "It is hard for me to find the words to express the gratitude we feel," he added. Tens of thousands of Russians have applied for political asylum in the United States since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Many detainees have been subjected to arbitrary detention and not given a fair chance to defend themselves in court. About 1,000 Russians, many of them asylum seekers, have been deported back to Russia from the United States since 2022. Some deportees were arrested on arrival. Dmitry Valuev, head of the Russian America for Democracy in Russia (RADR) group which has followed the couple's case, said that a US judge had ordered that Nadezhda be deported to Russia. But activists hope she'll be allowed to fly to France. Alexei said he would feel at ease only when he sees his wife. "We are very tired: it has been almost two years of constant stress and pain, and separation is especially hard when you have no idea when it will end." © Agence France-Presse

World Report 2026 Published Jan. of 2026 Chinese authorities systematically deny the rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly, and religion, and persecute government critics. Tightened Chinese Communist Party (“Party”) ideological control has been accompanied by harsh forced assimilation of Tibetans and Uyghurs and by imposition of a repressive national security regime in Hong Kong. There has been no accountability for crimes against humanity in Xinjiang where several hundred thousand Uyghurs remain unjustly imprisoned.     Activists have proved willing to take enormous risks to publicly criticize the government and Party. In August 2025, an activist who had left China remotely projected a pro-democracy message from a hotel room onto a high-rise building in Chongqing ahead of Beijing’s annual military parade. Freedom of Expression  The Chinese government controls all major channels of information and implements one of the world’s most stringent surveillance and censorship regimes. It uses the Party-controlled legal system to punish, forcibly disappear, and imprison critics.    Notable cases in 2025 include the three-and-a-half-year sentence imposed on filmmaker Chen Pinlin, convicted of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” in January for making a film about the 2022 White Paper protests.    Another was the conviction of Fu Cha , a Taiwanese citizen and editor-in-chief of Gūsa Publishing , which published translated works critical of the Chinese government in Taiwan. Fu was visiting China when he was arrested and was sentenced to three years for “inciting secession” in February.     In April, authorities forcibly disappeared Mei Shilin for hanging three anti-government banners, one of them reading “the people do not need a political party with unrestrained power,” on an overpass outside Chadianzi metro station in Chengdu, Sichuan.     In July, a court reportedly sentenced “Bridge Man” Peng Lifa to nine years in prison for hanging pro-democracy banners on a Beijing bridge in 2022. Peng’s banners inspired thousands and sparked the White Paper protests of 2022.    Authorities continue to suppress public commemorations of the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre in both Hong Kong and mainland China. However, diaspora groups held 77 events in 40 cities in 10 countries.    In August, the bullying of a 14-year-old girl in Jiangyou, Sichuan province, sparked a widespread protest in the city and led to national outrage. The Chinese government censored the incident and used police with batons and electric prods to subdue protesters.     Also in August, days before the Chinese government celebrated the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in World War II with military pageantry in Beijing, an activist projected large slogans on a building in Chongqing calling on the Chinese people to “rise up against fascism” and “take back your rights.” The activist left China after putting the projector in place and operated it remotely from abroad, but the police harassed his family and friends in China.    In September, the Chinese government released a draft law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress , which seeks to justify existing repression of minorities and facilitate intensifying ideological controls both at home and abroad.     China’s censorship continues to have global impact. In September, foreign-based researchers released leaked documents showing that a major Chinese company had exported some of China’s “Great Firewall” internet censorship and surveillance technologies to other countries, including Pakistan and Myanmar. In August, Chinese and Thai officials pressured an arts center in Bangkok to remove the works of Tibetan, Uyghur, and Hong Kong artists from an exhibition. In November, authorities shut down an independent film festival in New York.    In October, Beijing announced an investigation against Taiwanese legislator Puma Shen for “separatism” under China’s judiciary guidelines on “punishing Taiwan independence separatists.”   Freedom of Religion  The Chinese government allows only five officially recognized religions and maintains tight control over their management and activities, including personnel appointments, publications, and finances.     Police harass and detain leaders and members of various “illegal” religious groups, including Catholic and Protestant congregations (known as “house churches”) that refuse to join official churches, and  disrupt their activities. In April, a court in Shanxi province reportedly sentenced over a dozen people affiliated with the Linfen Golden Lampstand Church for “fraud.” The church’s co-founder and pastor, Wang Xiaoguang , was sentenced to nine years and seven months in prison while his wife, pastor Yang Rongli , was sentenced to 15 years.    In July, authorities also reportedly detained an officially recognized priest, Ma Xianshi , in Zhejiang province, who was deemed “insufficiently loyal” to the Party.    In September, authorities issued an Online Code of Conduct for Religious Professionals, banning the circulation of unauthorized religious content online, effectively denying public access to religious teachers and teachings outside of Party control.    In October, authorities detained nearly 30 affiliates, 18 of which became official arrests in November, of the unofficial Zion Protestant Church in seven cities, including its pastor and founder Ezra Jin Mingri.    The government continues to classify some religious groups, notably the Falun Gong, as “evil cults,” and subjects their members to harassment, arbitrary imprisonment, and torture.   Human Rights Defenders  July 9, 2025, was the tenth anniversary of the “ 709 crackdown ” on human rights lawyers in China, marking a decade of persecution and silencing of lawyers who challenge official abuses.    Human rights defenders in China are frequently harassed, tortured, and imprisoned. In a statement issued in August, the UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders said she was “disturbed by consistent allegations … about the treatment of imprisoned human rights defenders in China – including in relation to torture, denial of access to adequate medical care and visitation rights.”    In April, the Chenghua District Court sentenced human rights lawyer Lu Siwei to 11 months’ imprisonment in a closed trial for “illegally crossing the border.” Lu was unlawfully repatriated from Laos in 2023 after he attempted to flee China.     In July, Macao police arrested Au Kam San , a former lawmaker and veteran pro-democracy activist, for violating article 13 of the city’s Law on Safeguarding National Security, which carries a maximum 10-year sentence. This was the first time the draconian law had been invoked in Macao.    Also in July, authorities arrested 22-year-old international student Zhang Yadi (Tara) for “inciting separatism” when she returned from France to China for a family visit. Zhang, an editor for the digital platform Chinese Youth Stand for Tibet, which promotes Tibetan rights, faces up to 5 years in prison, and up to 15 if found to be a “ringleader.”     Lawyer turned citizen journalist Zhang Zhan , released in May 2024 after spending four years in prison for her critical reporting, was arrested again in August 2024 for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” In September, she was sentenced to another four years in prison.    Women’s and Girls’ Rights  Gender discrimination in employment remains widespread . In a step forward, in March several official Chinese labor unions called on companies to stop requiring female job applicants to disclose marital and childbearing status.     The government of Xi Jinping has shown growing hostility toward women’s rights advocacy and feminism. With fertility rates hitting historical lows, it has increasingly promoted heterosexual gender norms and censored some online discourse challenging prevailing norms. In January, internet regulatory authorities cracked down on “those who propagate gender polarization, extreme feminism, and the idea of not getting married nor having children.” In Zhejiang province, authorities issued a warning in reference to comedian Fang Shaoli, stage name “Fangzhuren,” whose set about her abusive ex-husband and subsequent divorce went viral. Some of Fan’s posts on Weibo criticizing the warning were removed .     Discussions addressing gender are still mostly tolerated if they do not directly challenge the Party. In July, a Chinese news report on a Telegram chat group in which users shared sexually exploitative images of women, including private photos, AI-generated pornographic images, and hidden camera footage, generated widespread public outrage.    Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity  While public acceptance of equal rights for LGBT people is rising, authorities’ growing promotion of heterosexual gender norms has included censorship of LGBT content. In early 2025, authorities across China arrested and charged female writers with violating pornography laws for publishing homoerotic novels on Haitang Literature City, a Taiwanese platform. In September, an Australian film featuring a wedding of two men was altered to instead show a heterosexual couple.   Tibet  The Chinese government continues its highly repressive policies in Tibet, including policies that force Tibetans to assimilate, such as harassing and detaining Tibetan educators and shutting down schools that promote Tibetan language and culture.    Xi Jinping visited Tibet in August and called for Tibetan Buddhism “to adapt to socialist society,” signaling further state interference in the religion.    The authorities responded to the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday in July, celebrated internationally but banned in Tibet, with a security crackdown. The few reports that reached the outside world suggested authorities made arrests and tightened restrictions at the Kirti monasteries in Ngawa and Gannan prefectures, and at Tsang monastery in Tsolho prefecture, where official intimidation reportedly provoked the suicide of the head monk, Geshe Sherzang Gyatso, in August.    The suspicious death of a Tibetan high lama, Humkar Dorje Rinpoche , in Vietnam in March after he had reportedly fled Tibet came amid growing reports of Chinese government transnational repression.   Hong Kong  Throughout 2025, the Hong Kong government frequently invoked draconian national security laws—the 2020 National Security Law and the 2024 Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO)—to criminalize peaceful expression and activities. Since 2020, authorities have arrested at least 365 people and convicted 174 people for allegedly violating national security laws, according to official figures; nearly everyone charged eventually is convicted.    Pro-democracy activists face police surveillance and severe restrictions. The League of Social Democrats, one of Hong Kong’s last active pro-democracy parties, disbanded in June, citing “tremendous political pressure.”    In May, the government enacted subsidiary provisions to the SNSO that expanded the powers of mainland Chinese state security officers and increased the secrecy of the national security regime. In June, Hong Kong police and mainland state security officers conducted their first joint operation, arresting six people for “foreign collusion.”    In July, Hong Kong authorities amended prison rules to make it easier for prison authorities to deny visits to inmates, including by lawyers and priests, and to more strictly regulate incoming and outgoing letters and books, all ostensibly for national security.    In December, the High Court convicted Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, of “foreign collusion” and “sedition.” Lai faces a sentence of up to life imprisonment; he had been held in prolonged solitary detention, a form of torture, since December 2020.    The Hong Kong government continued to severely suppress peaceful expression. In June, police warned that anyone who downloads or shares the Taiwanese mobile roleplay game “Reversed Front,” in which players seek to “overthrow the communist regime,” may be punished under national security laws. In August, a court sentenced a student to 180 hours of community service for turning his back—thus “insulting” the Chinese national anthem—during a football match.    The government increasingly used administrative measures against those it dislikes. In May, at least eight media outlets and 20 affiliated individuals reported being asked by the government to pay what they say are bogus “back taxes.”     In some cases, the Hong Kong government acted after Beijing state-owned newspapers such as Wen Wei Po ran articles denouncing the targets. In July, an independent bookstore canceled its book fair after Wen Wei Po called the event an act of “soft resistance.” In September, after Wen Wei Po criticized a restaurant known for its pro-democracy stance, various government departments repeatedly inspected the restaurant, leading to fines and an order to remove its signpost.    As of June, the Hong Kong police national security hotline, which authorities encourage people to use to report on each other, had received over 920,000 tips since it was established in 2020. Bookshops , media outlets , and artists faced harassment from anonymous actors who sent false complaints to the government or other institutions.    Censorship is rampant. In June, the government barred at least three publishers from participating in the city’s largest book fair. In October, authorities cancelled the LGBT-themed play “We are gay” two hours before tickets were to go on sale, after Wen Wei Po accused it of “soft resistance” and “defaming Hong Kong.”    Since the government introduced political censorship requirements for film screening in 2021, 50 films had been required to be edited and 13 titles banned on “national security” grounds . In August, the Taiwanese film “Family Matters” was cut from the Hong Kong International Film Festival after it failed to meet the censorship requirements . The film “Deadline” could not screen in Hong Kong after a months-long delay in the approval process.     Academic freedom declined. In October, the Education Bureau reportedly asked university management to ensure that no faculty member would attend a conference on Hong Kong Studies hosted by Taiwan’s Academia Sinica.    The government’s transnational repression continued. In July, Hong Kong police issued baseless arrest warrants and bounties against 19 overseas activists involved in the group “Hong Kong Parliament” for “subversion.” In November, a national security judge sentenced a Hong Kong-based woman to one year’s imprisonment or promoting the group. To date, police have issued arrest warrants against 38 activists based abroad.    In May, Hong Kong authorities pressed national security charges against the father of “wanted” pro-democracy activist Anna Kwok, who grew up in Hong Kong but is living in the US. It was the first time authorities used the national security law to prosecute a Hong Kong-based family member of a critic based abroad.     In September, the Beijing-controlled Legislative Council voted down a bill to establish a legal framework for recognizing same-sex partnerships, despite the Court of Final Appeal’s order that the government do so.   Xinjiang   The Chinese government has since late 2016 committed a range of crimes against humanity in Xinjiang. The authorities conflated everyday behavior of Uyghurs, including Muslim religious practices, with extremism and terrorism, punishing and forcing Uyghurs to assimilate and become loyal subjects of the Chinese Communist Party.     Three years after a landmark UN report on Xinjiang concluded that abuses in the region “may amount to international crimes, in particular, crimes against humanity,” the Chinese government has continued to deny these abuses and harass those who speak out against them, without taking apparent actions to address them. In September, the UN Human Rights Office noted the lack of progress since the publication of their report. Rights groups have continued to appeal to the UN to provide a comprehensive update on the situation.     In October, a group of UN human rights experts “ expressed serious concern over the increasing criminalization of Uyghur and other minority cultural expression in China.”     In September, Xi Jinping attended the 70th anniversary celebration of the founding of Xinjiang as an “autonomous region” and became the first-ever general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party to do so.    Since 2022, with the apparent aim of presenting a public image of normalcy in the region, the Chinese government has permitted some Uyghurs in the diaspora to make highly restricted visits to Xinjiang, where they are required to take part in propaganda activities. Authorities have also allowed some Uyghurs to travel abroad under similarly restrictive conditions.    Investigations by foreign-based organizations in 2025 continued to reveal the government’s use of forced labor against Uyghurs, including state-sponsored labor transfer programs , and global supply chains tainted by such abuses in the production of electronics , cars , footwear , sportswear , and critical minerals .  © 2026 Human Rights Watch

World Report 2026 Published Jan. of 2026 Despite some reforms, Malaysia continues to wield repressive laws to criminalize dissent, censor critical speech, and harass human rights defenders. Refugees and migrants face indefinite detention in overcrowded, unhygienic conditions. In 2025, Malaysia assumed the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Freedom of Expression, Assembly, and Religion On February 12, police arrested Sevan Dorsaisamy, executive director of  the human rights organization SUARAM , for allegedly trespassing in a peaceful attempt to engage the Home Ministry regarding detention conditions at Sungai Buloh prison.  In February, the government announced plans to  amend the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 (PAA) and a moratorium on ongoing investigations. On July 1, Malaysia’s highest court unanimously  ruled unconstitutional section 9(5) of the act, which penalizes organizers if they fail to notify police at least five days before a peaceful assembly. On July 22, civil society groups and human rights defenders were  prevented from protesting on Parliament grounds by police and riot control forces.  In December 2024, the Malaysian parliament approved  amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 that give officials expanded authority to censor online content. In August, the Appeal Court ruled unconstitutional the words “offensive” and “annoy” in section 233, which has been regularly used to criminalize dissent. Malaysia’s government widely  censors books, including titles discussing gender and sexuality , under section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984. New laws in Terengganu state threaten prison terms of up to two years for Muslim men who miss Friday prayers without a valid reason. Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Migrants Malaysia is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and lacks domestic asylum procedures. About 210,000 refugees and asylum seekers—including over 124,000 ethnic Rohingya Muslims and some 64,800 children—are  registered with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) but not granted legal status, unable to formally work or enroll in government schools. In 2025, Malaysian authorities significantly escalated immigration raids. Between January and May, authorities arrested an  estimated 34,000 individuals. The Malaysian government was  detaining about 18,000 migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in immigration detention centers without judicial oversight, as of July 2025. Detainees are at risk of  indefinite detention . Since 2019, the government has denied UNHCR access to immigration detention centers and Baitul Mahabbah centers, dedicated facilities for children ages 10 and younger. The home minister told parliament  10 percent of detainees were children as of July 2025. Criminal Justice System Malaysia abolished the mandatory death penalty in 2023. Re-sentencing processes have significantly reduced the number of people on death row. As of January 2025, the  total was 140, down from 1,300 in November 2023.  Malaysia retains the death sentence for drug trafficking under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. Forty people remain on  death row for drug-related offenses. Corporal punishment, which amounts to torture under international law, remains a mandatory alternative punishment to the death penalty for some offenses. Malaysia detains individuals without trial under restrictive laws, such as the Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA). Following civil society pressure, the Home Ministry was finalizing its review of SOSMA at time of writing, with proposed amendments to be debated in parliament. Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity State-sponsored discrimination against LGBT people remains pervasive, including government funding of “conversion” practices. Malaysian law as well as state and federal territory Sharia (Islamic law) criminalize same-sex activity and gender nonconformity. In June, Malaysian authorities in Kelantan State raided an alleged “gay party,”  arrested 20 men, and charged three with “possession of homosexual pornographic material.” The Malaysian AIDS Council and the  Health Ministry confirmed the event was a health outreach program providing HIV-related information. The Kelantan police chief  confirmed authorities found no evidence of sexual activity.  In November, local authorities raided a gym and sauna in Kuala Lumpur suspected of “operating as a front for organizing same-sex activities.” 202 people were  arrested in the raid; 171 Malaysian men were released after 24 hours, while 31 foreigners were remanded for immigration processing. In May, organizers were forced to postpone a workshop titled “Pride Care: Queer Stories and Sexual Health Awareness” following  public condemnation from the religious affairs minister, a  police investigation , and online harassment. Women’s Rights In June, the Federal Court  partially overturned a 2014 fatwa against Sisters in Islam (SIS), a women’s rights organization. Malaysia launched its first National Women’s Policy and Women’s Development Plan in March 2025, which addresses access to education, health care, and economic and political participation.  Advocates continue to highlight   flaws in Malaysia’s Persons with Disabilities Act 2008. The Malaysia Bar has  called for an amendment to the Federal Constitution explicitly prohibiting disability-based discrimination. Environment and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights In February, the Sarawak State government announced it would no longer grant provisional leases to palm oil companies, nearly seven years after the federal government capped the expansion of oil palm plantations nationwide. In August, Malaysia launched its first National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAPBHR), which commits the government to new legislation including a climate change bill and a freedom of information act enabling access to environmental impact assessments. © 2026 Human Rights Watch

In this episode of Conversations on Genocide , Brenda and Bhaswati speak with Rebecca Deng, a South Sudanese American author and human rights advocate who survived war, displacement, and gender-based violence as one of the 89 Lost Girls of Sudan. Rebecca shares her journey from a peaceful childhood in South Sudan through life in Kakuma refugee camp to becoming a powerful voice for women and refugees worldwide. We explore the unique challenges children face in refugee camps, the devastating impact of gender-based violence in conflict zones, and Rebecca's path to healing through storytelling and advocacy. She discusses her memoir "What They Meant For Evil," the importance of forgiveness, and why survivor voices must be centered in policy-making. A moving conversation about resilience, hope, and the power of using your voice for justice. Rebecca Deng is a South Sudanese-American author, speaker, and human rights advocate. A former refugee and one of the 89 “Lost Girls of Sudan” resettled in the United States, she survived war, displacement, and gender-based violence to become a powerful voice for women and refugees worldwide. Rebecca holds a BA in International Development/Relations and MA in Organizational Leadership. She currently lives in the U.S., where she continues her advocacy for peace, gender equity, and refugee rights. Her book, What They Meant for Evil, How a Lost Girl of Sudan Found Healing, Peace, and Purpose in the Midst of Suffering can be ordered here.

A Genocide Watch Special Report By Kristie Moore February 11, 2026 A truck with refugees from Artsakh on September 28, 2023. Following the takeover of the region, thousands of refugees were forced out of their homeland overnight. Photograph: Alain Jocard/ AFP via Getty Images Following an Azerbaijani military offensive in September 2023, an estimated 115,000 ethnic Armenians fled Artsakh (often referred to as Nagorno-Karabakh). They included roughly 30,000 children,18,000 people over the age of 65, and several thousand disabled people, including those injured from fighting in the war. This attack followed a nine-month blockade of Artsakh, during which local Armenian residents were subjected to malnourishment, a lack of medical supplies, and deep psychological distress. In the early days after the clearing out of Artsakh, the Armenian government, along with international organizations and local NGOs, worked closely to provide support and aid to the refugee population. The Government of the Republic of Armenia quickly acted to address the influx of refugees, conducting a Rapid Needs assessment (RNA) to identify immediate needs like shelter, relief items, and other forms of urgent support. This was followed by an in-depth Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment (MSNA) to support mid- and long-term planning efforts. These assessments led to the Armenia Refugee Response Plan (RRP), which was launched in October 2023 in collaboration with the UN High Commission for Refugees. The Armenian government’s response was carefully coordinated and included joint efforts between different ministries and departments. It's been over two years since Artsakh was taken over, and efforts to support refugees have continued--albeit with considerable challenges. They include the lack of finances necessary to maintain the level of assistance required by refugees, the reluctance of the Artsakh Armenians to integrate into Armenian society through the acceptance of Armenian citizenship, and the disconnect between refugees’ long-term hopes and those expressed by Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan. In combination, these factors will create a long, difficult road for the Government of the Republic of Armenia. Full report available here:

Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, took the Home Office to court over their decision to proscribe the protest group under terror laws. Friday 13 February 2026, The Independent, Holly Bancroft Palestine Action ’s ban under terrorism legislation has been ruled unlawful by the High Court in a humiliating blow for the government. Huda Ammori, co-founder of the group, hailed the outcome as a “monumental victory” in her case against the Home Office. Since the proscription last July, thousands of people have been arrested for holding up placards in support of Palestine Action. Hundreds of trials are expected throughout this year for those accused of taking part in protests, but they could now be delayed or collapse entirely as a result of the High Court ruling. Justice Victoria Sharp said in her judgement on Friday that the proscription of Palestine Action “did result in a very significant interference with the right to freedom of speech and the right to freedom of assembly”. She added that “the proscription of Palestine Action was disproportionate”, saying only a very small number of Palestine Action’s activities amounted to terrorism. She said that the group’s acts “had not yet reached the level, scale and persistence to warrant proscription.” Dame Victoria Sharp, Mr Justice Swift and Mrs Justice Steyn have decided that the terror ban will remain in force until further legal hearings can take place. This means it is still a criminal offence to support or be a member of Palestine Action, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The Metropolitan Police has said that it will no longer arrest protesters showing support for Palestine Action in the wake of the ruling, saying they will instead “focus on gathering evidence of those offences...to provide opportunities for enforcement at a later date”. They admitted that these “are unusual circumstances”. Head of Counter Terrorism Policing Laurence Taylor said officers would “approach enforcement pragmatically and proportionately” as they awaited further orders by the court. Lawyers for Ms Ammori and the Home Office have till the 20 February to provide further submissions to the court ahead of more hearings that will decide whether the ban should be lifted, and whether the case will head to the Court of Appeal. In their judgement, Dame Victoria Sharp, Mr Justice Swift and Mrs Justice Steyn accepted that the terror ban had meant people were being forced to “self-censor” themselves and change their behaviour out of fear of falling foul of the law. They accepted that journalists, academics, and campaigning and civil liberties organisations could be impacted by the wide-ranging affects of the proscription. While they described Palestine Action as a group that “promotes its political cause through criminality and encouragement of criminality”, the judges said that criminal law is sufficient to prosecute these acts. The Independent revealed yesterday that the Home Office has spent £700,000 in legal fees so far fighting Ms Ammori’s case. Then-home secretary Yvette Cooper took the decision to ban the group under terror laws after activists broke into an RAF base and damaged two military aircraft. The High Court judges said in their ruling that Ms Cooper had failed to consider whether imposing a terror ban on Palestine Action was “proportionate” to the threat posed by the organisation. Justice Sharp wrote that, by doing this, Ms Cooper had made a “significant” error by failing to follow the Home Office’s own policy on proscription. The High Court judges suggested in the ruling that “the strength of the case for proscription may need to be considered further by the home secretary”. During the court case, Ms Ammori’s lawyers insisted that Palestine Action does not advocate for violence, saying any examples of serious violence against property or person “are not the norm, they are rare”. Ms Ammori responded to the news on Friday, saying that the ruling was a “monumental victory for both our fundamental freedoms here in Britain and in the struggle for freedom for the Palestinian people”. She added: “It would be profoundly unjust for the government to try to delay or stop the High Court’s proposed order quashing this ban while the futures of these thousands of people hang in the balance, many of whom are elderly or disabled and facing up to 14 years’ imprisonment for this entirely peaceful protest.” More than 2,000 people have been arrested for holding signs since the ban took affect and nearly 700 people have been charged with a terrorism offence for supporting Palestine Action, although no-one has yet been convicted. Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “disappointed” by the High Court’s ruling, adding: “I intend to fight this judgement in the Court of Appeal.” As news came through of the judges’ decision on Friday morning, about a hundred people gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice building in central London started cheering and chanting “Free Palestine”. There was confusion between Metropolitan Police officers and activists as dozens of people sat outside the building carrying signs that read “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”. One activist Grace Lally asked two liaison officers if it was illegal to hold the sign, with the officers replying: “We can ask”. Akiko Hart, director of human rights organisation Liberty, said they welcomed the court’s finding but said “the practical effect will depend on the government’s appeal”. Lui Asquith, associate in the public law team at law firm Russell-Cooke, said, while routine, the ruling was “an oddity” as “the rights-infringing proscription stands until the court stays otherwise”. She explained that the Home Office could argue for the ban to remain in place for longer until the appeal is heard. Baroness Shami Chakrabarti said the judgement made clear that “the decision to proscribe the whole organisation and its many peaceful supporters was disproportionate”, adding: “Let those engaged in criminal damage be prosecuted but don’t make peaceful protestors guilty by association”. Yasmine Ahmed, UK director of Human Rights Watch, said that the verdict was a “shot in the arm for British democracy”. © 2026 Independent Digital News and Media Limited. All rights reserved.3 Genocide Watch Comments: Although this is a significant step ahead in terms of fundamental political and civic rights such as the right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation remains in force, despite it never calling for violence. Palestine Action must not be proscribed a terrorist organisation anymore.

Experts identify potentially serious breaches over treatment of people and call for ‘one in, one out’ scheme to end 6 Feb 2026, The Guardian, Diane Taylor The UN has called on the UK and France to halt the controversial “one in, one out” asylum system, warning there could be “serious violations of international human rights law”. Nine experts, including seven special rapporteurs, wrote a 20-page letter to Downing Street and Paris on 8 December 2025 outlining detailed concerns about potential breaches of human rights they had identified in the scheme . They gave the two governments 60 days to respond and on Friday published their letter. It contains detailed case studies documenting the treatment of people placed in detention in preparation for being forcibly removed to France under the scheme. They include asylum seekers from Sudan, Gaza, Eritrea, Yemen and Iran, many of whom are survivors of torture and trafficking. The experts said the detention of torture survivors for the scheme “may in itself amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”, similarly raising concerns that there is a failure to protect people who are suicidal. The concerns expressed by the UN experts echo those raised by asylum seekers themselves. The Guardian previously revealed that one man who was returned to France came back to the UK due to fear of smugglers, while those detained issued a series of reports about their treatment in detention and staged a peaceful protest against the scheme while detained, which was responded to by Home Office contractors with riot shields, teargas and dogs . According to the letter, a man from Eritrea was not allowed to wear shoes for his removal, had a hood placed over his head and was forced to the ground with guards’ boots placed on his neck. A woman from Yemen, who said she had been enslaved since the age of three, was told by the Home Office that her account was not credible because she had not immediately disclosed her trafficking history on arrival in the UK. One of the case studies quoted was a man from Gaza who lost his family in Israeli shelling. A family member he escaped with was shot by smugglers who took pictures of all the people in the group and threatened them that if they informed anyone of the death or if they were ever seen back in France they would be killed. The letter states: “We are deeply concerned that the agreement between the [UK and France] … may result in serious violations of international human rights law,” saying they had received information concerning human rights violations of “children and those in vulnerable situations”. The letter poses a series of questions to the two governments relating to unpublished information about the scheme, such as the apparently arbitrary nature of who among small boat arrivals is selected for detention and forced to return to France and who is allowed to have their asylum claims processed in the UK. The experts also ask about protection from onward refoulement once people are sent back to France. The letter says: “We therefore respectfully call [the UK] government to end this agreement with France and ensure that migration governance measures respect, protect and fulfil human rights and not create new situations of vulnerability or exacerbate existing ones.” Bella Mosselmans, the director of the Global Strategic Litigation Council for refugee rights, backed the UN experts’ call for the scheme to be scrapped. She said: “People directly affected by these policies have stood up for themselves, speaking out about the fear, detention and harm they have endured. “The UN has now echoed those lived experiences with a clear and urgent alarm. These UN experts have documented detailed, credible cases showing that this agreement exposes people to serious human rights violations – including threats to life, torture and other ill-treatment, and the denial of due process. Continuing to implement it despite those warnings is indefensible. “We are already aware of dozens of children caught up in this scheme, despite being explicitly excluded from it, many of whom are survivors of trafficking. This letter from nine human rights experts sounds a clear alarm. The UK and France must listen, act now, and stop the harm they are causing.” A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are confident of the legal basis for this pilot which complies fully with domestic and international law.” A UNHCR spokesperson said: “We are engaged in ongoing dialogue with both the UK and France on the pilot arrangement. This includes sharing concerns and observations directly with the relevant authorities for them to address.” The French interior ministry has been approached for comment. © 2026 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr) Genocide Watch Comments: The agreement between the UK and France has the capacity to cause serious human rights violations and thus breach International Human Rights Law. Many so-called 'illegal' immigrants find themselves wedged between smugglers who threaten them with their lives if they return and being criminalised for finding htemselves in the country illegally. The result is an impossible situation.

Central African Republic Special Criminal Court in session. credit: Facebook Amnesty International warns CAR Special Court at risk of closure JuristNews February12, 2026 By Cecilia Akoko Attiogbe Atayi Amnesty International has warned that the Special Criminal Court (SCC) of the Central African Republic (CAR), a hybrid tribunal established to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity, is facing a “serious risk of closure” because of severe funding shortages. Amnesty International’s regional director for West and Central Africa, Marceau Sivieude, stated,“Victim survivors of crimes under international law have a right to truth, justice, and reparations. We call on all partner states of the Central African Republic to urgently commit financial and human resources to the SCC so that justice can be served for these victims and survivors. Without this, impunity will prevail.” This funding crisis raises concerns about justice, accountability, and the future of the rule of law in the CAR, a country scarred by decades of conflict. The special court was created as a tribunal staffed by both national and international judges. It is designed to address atrocities that domestic courts lack jurisdiction to prosecute. The court has launched investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during CAR’s civil war since 2013. The SCC opened its first trial in 2022.  36 people have been indicted as of August 2025. The court’s work has been hailed as an opportunity to end the widespread impunity that victims of violence in CAR have faced. The court may also be a model for other countries that pursue justice for international crimes in their national systems. The court is largely funded by voluntary international donors. In 2019, Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concerns over a funding gap of nearly US$1million that hinders the court’s full operation. Experts like Tetevi Davi argue that the entirely voluntary nature of the contributions has meant that the Court has struggled to secure a consistent and adequate stream of funding for its operations. The Special Criminal Court embodies the principles of the rule of law, which requires that laws are applied equally, that judicial institutions function independently, and that victims have access to remedies. Its closure would undermine CAR’s fragile justice system, erode public trust in CAR’s government institutions, and signal to perpetrators that crimes can be committed with impunity. Amnesty’s warning reflects the recognition that CAR’s national budget alone cannot sustain the court. The possible closure of the Special Criminal Court in CAR is more than a financial issue, as it threatens the rule of law and the rights of victims in the CAR and in Africa more generally. Without sustained support, CAR risks sliding back into impunity, undermining peace and reconciliation efforts.   Copyright 2026 Jurist News

By: Charlotte Lam When the Mongolian language started to disappear from classrooms in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China's north, many turned to the internet to keep their language and culture alive. A new investigation shows those remaining online spaces are being targeted by the Chinese government. Photo by BYAMBASUREN BYAMBA-OCHIR/AFP via Getty Images The Chinese government is targeting Mongolian language and culture in certain online spaces, systematically dismantling important digital communities where Mongolian identity existed, according to a new report by PEN America and the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center. For years, despite periodic digital crackdowns, the internet remained one of the only places where Mongolians from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China 's north, a region many Mongolians refer to as Southern Mongolia , could use their language freely, share music and literature, and connect as a community. In 2020, Beijing enforced a new education policy to replace Mongolian with Mandarin Chinese as the language of instruction across schools. The move sparked widespread protests. China responded with mass detentions, the introduction of re-education programmes and forcing public "confessions" from protesters. Since those demonstrations, the report found that offline repression has increasingly bled into the digital world. According to the study, entitled " Save Our Mother Tongue ", nearly 89 per cent of known Mongolian cultural websites have since been censored or shut down entirely. Online communities have also been restricted, including the most widely used Mongolian-language social media app, Bainu. The report also further uncovered a policy known as "One Province, One Newspaper, One Client,", which allows state media outlets to launch their own apps, effectively crowding out independent platforms created by Mongolian developers. Soyonbo Borjgin is a Southern Mongolian journalist now living in exile in New York. During the 2020 protests, the government closed the newspaper he worked for, The Inner Mongolia Daily, and he was sent to a re-education class for one month. He now writes to raise awareness of what he describes as systematic cultural repression. "Since the government has banned Mongolian in local schools, the digital space has become the last free public space for the Mongolian people," Borjgin told TECH 24. "It means the Chinese government is deliberately removing spaces where Mongolians can use their own language, share music, discuss history, and connect as a community." "Mongolian songs are being removed from music apps. Songs like 'Let Us Be Mongolian' and 'I Am a Mongolian' have been erased." He added that words tied to Mongolian identity, including references to Genghis Khan, are censored and labelled "separatist". "Right now, in the region where I come from, people cannot use Mongolian to discuss any topic," Borjgin said. "The entire cyberspace for the Mongolian language has disappeared." Liesl Gerntholtz, Managing Director of PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center at PEN America, told Tech 24 the findings should be a wake-up call for tech companies. "I absolutely think tech companies should be taking note," she said. "This intersection between cultural rights and digital repression is much less understood." "If internet companies are committed to an open and free internet, including the core principles that support internet freedom, they should be paying close attention to what has happened in Mongolia," she added. "It's a clear case study of how culture can be suppressed online." Advocacy group PEN America and the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center are now calling for coordinated pressure on tech companies, governments and international institutions to protect Mongolian culture online in this region.  "We want to see them (tech and social media companies) adopt a cultural rights framework in platform development, uphold their responsibility to respect human rights , and partner with independent organisations to provide digital support – particularly for impacted Mongolian communities," Gerntholtz said. Borjgin said he would never stop fighting to protect his culture.  "I'm being resilient as a Mongolian because in 2020, after going through that re-education class, what I really understood about being resilient is that you don't feel fear. It means feeling fear and continuing anyway," he said.  "I am actually able to send a powerful message to the people back at home that we don't have to be afraid of the Chinese authorities because we, as the people, have the right to use our language in digital space, in school and in society." Tech 24 contacted China's foreign ministry for comment, but it had not responded at the time of publication. © 2026 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved.

Humanitarian operations have been impeded by attacks, looting and restrictions on movement. Hunger deepens in South Sudan as fighting cuts off aid to displaced families By Mariamne Everett , Al Jazeera Staff  and News Agencies Ajok Ding Duot crouches on the dusty floor of a displacement camp in South Sudan’s Lakes State, cracking nuts open one by one. She and her family of 10 arrived here about two weeks ago, fleeing intensifying fighting between government and opposition forces in neighbouring Jonglei state. While they have found temporary shelter, Duot said there was hardly anything to eat at the camp. To survive, they rely on these nuts and wild fruits. “We don’t know anything about what the government is doing. They’re fighting, but we don’t know what the problem is,” she told Al Jazeera. “We’re in darkness. It’s only ever the humanitarian organisations who help.” South Sudan has seen renewed fighting  in recent weeks between government soldiers and fighters loyal to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO). The United Nations says an estimated 280,000 people have been displaced by the fighting and air attacks since late December, including more than 235,000 across Jonglei alone. The UN’s children agency UNICEF also warned last week that more than 450,000 children are at risk of acute malnutrition due to mass displacement and the halting of critical medical services in Jonglei. Nearly 10 million people need life-saving humanitarian assistance across South Sudan, a country still reeling from a ruinous civil war   that killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced millions between 2013 and 2018. Humanitarian operations, however, have been crippled by attacks and looting, with observers saying both sides in the conflict have prevented assistance from reaching areas where they believe civilians support their opponents. The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) suspended its activities last week in Baliet county, in Upper Nile state, following repeated attacks on a convoy carrying humanitarian assistance. The WFP said the suspension would remain in place until the safety of its staff could be guaranteed and authorities take immediate action to recover the stolen supplies. Hospitals closed Separately, medical humanitarian NGO Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, said last week a hospital in Jonglei was hit by a government air attack , marking the 10th attack in 12 months on an MSF-run medical facility in the country. In addition, the MSF health facility in Pieri, also in Jonglei, was looted by unknown assailants, forcing staff to flee. The organisation said the violence had left some 250,000 people without healthcare, as the NGO had been the only medical provider in the area. MSF said the targeted attacks on its facilities have forced the closure of two hospitals in the Greater Upper Nile and the suspension of general healthcare activities in Jonglei, Upper Nile and Central Equatoria states. Gul Badshah, operations manager for MSF, told Al Jazeera the NGO has not been allowed to access its care facilities in opposition-held areas in Jonglei since December. “We are in constructive dialogue with the government and the relevant authorities to allow us and also facilitate access” to the people seeking help at the facilities, said Badshah. Reporting from a displacement camp in Bor, Jonglei state, Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb said women there described being subjected to sexual attacks. “Two of them [the women] told us … that they had been raped as they fled, a third one said she had narrowly missed being raped by soldiers when someone came to save her,” said Webb. “Sexual violence was widely reported to have been used as a weapon of war during the last civil conflict,” added Webb, noting there are growing concerns from the international community and humanitarian groups “that rates of sexual violence are going to go up once again”. On Sunday, UN chief Antonio Guterres “strongly” condemned the escalating violence in the country and warned that civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict. In a statement, the secretary-general called on all parties “to immediately and decisively halt all military operations, de-escalate tensions through dialogue, uphold international law, protect civilians, and ensure safe and sustained humanitarian access and the security of aid workers and United Nations peacekeeping personnel and their assets”. © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network

Italy probes suspect in Sarajevo ‘sniper tourism’ during Bosnia war: Report Report says an 80-year-old suspect faces charges on several counts, including premeditated murder. 5 Feb 2026, Al Jazeera The Human Hunters of Sarajevo / True Crime Reports Prosecutors in Italy have placed a man under investigation as part of a probe into alleged “sniper tourism” in Sarajevo during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia, the Reuters news agency reports. Sources told Reuters on Wednesday that the man, the first individual to be identified in the inquiry that began last year, is an 80-year-old former truck driver who lives near the northern Italian town of Pordenone. Italian prosecutors launched an investigation last year, after it was alleged that foreigners, including nationals from Italy, had travelled to Bosnia and paid large amounts of money to shoot at civilians during the siege of Sarajevo three decades ago . The grotesque scheme has been referred to as “sniper safaris” in reference to expeditions to hunt animals in the wild, mostly in Africa. Reuters reported on Wednesday that the elderly suspect, who was not named, faces charges of several counts of premeditated murder, according to sources who spoke to the news agency. The sources did not tell Reuters whether the man is suspected of directly carrying out killings or of helping with transport and logistics for clients. The man, who remains free, has been summoned by prosecutors for questioning on February 9, the sources added. An estimated 11,000 civilians were killed by shelling and sniper fire from Bosnian Serb army positions on hills around Sarajevo city during the 1992-95 war that followed Bosnia’s declaration of independence from Yugoslavia. ‘Tourist shooters’ Milan prosecutors opened their investigation into the killing of civilians in the so-called sniper scheme after local journalist and novelist Ezio Gavazzeni filed a legal complaint over allegations that Italians and other foreigners had paid members of Bosnian Serb forces to let them take part in the shooting of people in Sarajevo. Gavazzeni said he was inspired to look into the allegations after watching the 2022 documentary “Sarajevo Safari” by Slovenian director Miran Zupanic. A witness cited in Gavazzeni’s complaint said that three men, who are now being investigated, come from the cities of Turin, Milan and Trieste. According to the Italian publication La Repubblica, “tourists” paid up to 100,000 euros ($116,000), adjusted for current inflation rates and currency change, as the euro was not introduced until 1999, to join trips to Sarajevo to commit the killings. Gavazzeni claims that participants would be given a price list for the type of kill that foreigners would pay for, including to target children, which cost the most, then men, women and elderly people, who could be killed free of charge. He said the Italians met in the city of Trieste before travelling to Belgrade, where Bosnian Serb soldiers escorted them to hills overlooking Sarajevo. It is believed that citizens of the United States and Russia also took part in the practice. In 2007, former US Marine John Jordan testified before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia that “tourist shooters” had come to Sarajevo . Serbia has denied any involvement in the alleged scheme, but investigators believe that Serbian intelligence services were aware of the tourist trips. The launch of the Italian investigation in November 2025 raised survivors’ hopes that those responsible would be brought to justice. © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network Genocide Watch Comments: Murder, when ' part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack' remains a crime against humanity. This constitutes a grave crime against humanity, a violation of international hu manitarian law (Geneva Conventions - Articles 146/147 GC IV), Customary international law, Rome Statute, The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Notice the lack of publicity that this issue has gained at a European and international level.