The military claims it fired warning shots at the nine-vehicle convoy carrying aid for earthquake victims after it failed to stop at a checkpoint Myanmar Now I April 2, 2025 The Chinese Red Cross convoy entered Myanmar via Ruili, Yunnan. It was carrying essential aid supplies to assist with earthquake recovery efforts in Mandalay and other affected areas. Source: Myanmar Now Myanmar’s military junta has confirmed in a statement that its troops opened fire on a Chinese Red Cross aid convoy on Tuesday as it was en route to assist victims of the earthquake that struck Sagaing and Mandalay regions last Friday. The incident occurred at around 9:30pm as the convoy, consisting of nine vehicles, was traveling in northern Shan State’s Nawnghkio Township, the statement by junta spokesperson Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun said. The location of the attack was near Ohn Ma Thee, a village located around 10 miles southwest of the town of Nawnghkio, which is currently under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), an ethnic armed group operating in the region. The area is an active conflict zone, where junta warplanes reportedly bombed two nearby villages on Monday, injuring five local civilians. According to Zaw Min Tun, the military opened fire on the convoy from a distance of about 100-200 meters as the vehicles attempted to pass through a security checkpoint. “We attempted to stop the convoy, but they refused to stop. After that, we fired warning shots from about 100 meters away, and we understand they fled back toward Nawnghkio,” the junta spokesperson said in the statement. A Chinese Red Cross convoy truck, clearly identified with signs in Chinese and Burmese. Source: Myanmar Now He further added that the convoy was using trucks with Myanmar license plates and did not have prior approval for the trip from the military authorities. He noted that the junta would launch an investigation into the incident to determine the circumstances surrounding the attack. The Chinese Red Cross convoy was carrying essential aid supplies to assist with earthquake recovery efforts in Mandalay and other affected areas. On the same day, members of the Brotherhood Alliance, a coalition of ethnic armed groups in northern Shan State, released a statement calling for a halt to the fighting after the devastating earthquake  that has claimed the lives of over 3,000 people. Location of the incident. Source: Myanmar Now In response to the attack, the TNLA issued a statement on Telegram and other social media sites confirming the incident. The relief trucks headed back to Nawnghkio under the protection of the TNLA at around 9pm, the armed group’s press team stated. This is a developing story. Copyright © 2025 Myanmar NOW. All rights reserved.

By Vibhu Mishra 2 April 2025 I   Humanitarian Aid   Affected families in Sagaing, the epicenter of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake, shelter under a tarp in a field. © UNICEF/Nyan Zay Htet. Friday’s devastating earthquakes in Myanmar not only caused mass casualties and widespread destruction, they also deepened long-standing gender inequalities – leaving millions of women and girls at heightened risk, UN aid agencies warned on Wednesday.   As emergency aid trickles in, women and girls who were already vulnerable due to years of conflict, displacement and economic instability, now face even greater risks from gender-based violence and exploitation , according  to a UN-led coalition responding to the crisis. “Girls are particularly vulnerable, especially when separated from their families or living in overcrowded shelters without adequate privacy,” it warned, stressing the need for protection measures. “With many caregivers injured or killed, urgent efforts are needed to identify, protect and reunify unaccompanied and separated children .” The coalition, formally called the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group , is co-led by UN-Women  and the UN reproductive health agency ( UNFPA ). Reports of temporary ceasefire News outlets are reporting on Wednesday that Myanmar’s military junta has announced a temporary ceasefire from 2 to 22 April to facilitate emergency relief and rescue operations. This follows an earlier ceasefire declaration by armed groups opposing the junta earlier this week. Myanmar remains engulfed in a deepening crisis since the Tatmadaw – as the military is known – overthrew the democratically elected government in 2021 , imprisoning top leaders, including President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. Pre-existing vulnerabilities While estimates indicate that up to 20 million people may be affected by the earthquakes , women and girls – who already made up more than half of the 10 million people in urgent need of aid before the disaster – face mounting challenges. More than  100,000 pregnant women have been caught up in the chaos across central Myanmar, with 12,250 expected to give birth in April. The destruction of health facilities and damage to roads and bridges have cut off access to essential reproductive health services, endangering pregnant women and survivors of gender-based violence who rely on medical support. “Prior to the earthquakes, women and girls in Myanmar were already facing significant mental health stress due to prolonged conflict, political instability, and economic challenges. The disaster has deepened this stress,” UN agencies added. In Sagiang, destroyed buildings show the aftermath of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on 28 March. © UNICEF/Nyan Zay Hte. Prioritizing action “ Women, especially from crisis-affected communities, must be actively involved in designing and implementing assessments to ensure their priorities are reflected ,” UN humanitarians underscored. Women and girls need safe shelter, clean water, and enough food. Shelters should have locks, lights and private spaces. They need secure toilets and bathing areas, along with dignity kits and menstrual hygiene products. Adequate lighting near water points and toilets can reduce the risk of gender-based violence, especially after dark, with agencies also stressing the need to involve women-led organizations in the response. Many women-led NGOs “ are on the ground and ready to provide support, drawing on their deep community ties and understanding of the context  to effectively identify and respond to the specific needs of women and girls,” the UN agencies added. Limited funding undermines relief UN relief chief Tom Fletcher has issued an urgent appeal for increased funding to support the aid effort, warning that access to survivors is severely constrained. While $5 million has been allocated from the UN Central Emergency Respond Fund ( CERF ) the response “has been hampered by a lack of funding”, he said on Tuesday, alongside disruptions to communications and transport networks. “ We are in contact with authorities on how the international community can do more. We must have unrestricted, safe access . All parties must uphold obligations to protect civilians,” he added. Meanwhile, the UN Office for Project Services  (UNOPS) has mobilized $12 million in emergency funding , which is being allocated to partners for cash and food assistance, non-food items, shelter, water, sanitation, debris removal and healthcare, including mental health support . “We deliver assistance through our valued partners and are deeply grateful to our donors for their swift support, enabling this rapid response. We are prepared to scale up our support as the full extent of the damage becomes clear,” said Sara Netzer, UNOPS Director in Myanmar. © 2025 United Nations.

IAMC lauds USCIRF’s call for sanctions against India’s spy agency & review of arms sales to India Photo: IAMC Washington, D.C. (March 25, 2025) – The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) today lauded the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for urging a review of U.S. arms sales to India in light of severe anti-minority violence, sanctions on India’s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and legislation to counter transnational repression by governments like India against individuals in the United States. These policy recommendations come alongside USCIRF’s decision to recommend India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its severe violations of human rights and religious freedoms for the sixth consecutive year. The CPC label is a designation reserved for the world’s worst violators of religious freedom.  “IAMC commends USCIRF for recommending strict and swift actions to counteract the Indian government’s suppression of minorities, which has been having ramifications on the safety and well-being of Americans as well as Indian minorities for years now,” said IAMC Executive Director Rasheed Ahmed . “It is now more important than ever for the United States to take a strong stand against transnational repression committed against its citizens by the Modi regime.” In its 2025 Annual Report , USCIRF noted that religious freedoms in India continued to deteriorate, highlighting the illegal and dangerous proliferation of anti-minority hate speech by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders during India’s 2024 general elections, discriminatory laws, punitive demolitions of mosques and places of worship, and attacks by Hindu supremacists on Muslims, Christians, and other vulnerable groups.  Illustrating the scope of anti-minority violence enabled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, the report noted, “Throughout its 10 years in power, [the government] has increasingly enforced sectarian policies seeking to establish India as an overtly Hindu state, in contrast with the secular principles of the constitution…The Indian government also continued to expand its repressive tactics to target religious minorities abroad, specifically members of the Sikh community and their advocates.” The report cited widespread “misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech by government officials” during Indian elections as being a catalyst for “various forms of attacks against religious minorities.” USCIRF also emphasized that “violent attacks against religious minorities and places of worship persisted with impunity,” citing several attacks on Christians as well as frequent cow vigilante attacks and mob lynchings targeting Muslims throughout the year.  To address the Indian government’s wide scope of repression, both national and transnational, USCIRF recommended the designation of India as a CPC, the imposition of targeted sanctions on individuals and entities including RAW, a review of arms sales to India in light of severe anti-minority violence, and the passage of the Transnational Repression Reporting Act of 2024 in the US Congress to ensure the annual reporting of acts of transnational repression by the Indian government targeting religious minorities in the United States.  IAMC echoes USCIRF for the sixth year in a row in calling on the US Department of State to immediately act on the Commission’s recommendations, take the necessary policy steps, and hold the Indian government accountable for attacking and endangering US-based individuals. IAMC also urges the Indian government to take immediate steps to address these concerns and protect the rights of all of its citizens, regardless of their religion. © 2024 Indian American Muslim Council

Port Sudan (AFP) – Sudan's gold industry has become the lifeblood of its war, with nearly all of the trade channelled through the United Arab Emirates, enriching both the army and paramilitaries, sources say. Smoke rising from the market in Omdurman in May 2023. Photograph: Video Obtained By Reuters/Reuters The two-year conflict has decimated Sudan 's economy, yet last month the army-backed government announced record gold production in 2024. Demand for the country's vast gold reserves was "a key factor in prolonging the war," Sudanese economist Abdelazim al-Amawy told AFP. "To solve the war in Sudan, we have to follow the gold, and we arrive at the UAE," said Marc Ummel, a researcher with development organisation Swissaid who tracks African gold smuggling to the Gulf country. In a statement to AFP, a UAE official rejected "any baseless and unfounded allegation regarding the smuggling or profiting of gold". But according to Sudanese officials, mining industry sources and Swissaid's research, nearly all of Sudan's gold flows to the UAE, via official trade routes, smuggling and direct Emirati ownership of the government's currently most lucrative mine. In February, the state-owned Sudan Mineral Resources Company said gold production reached 64 tonnes in 2024, up from 41.8 tonnes in 2022. Legal exports brought $1.57 billion into the state's depleted coffers, central bank figures show. But "nearly half of the state's production is smuggled across borders," SMRC director Mohammed Taher told AFP from Port Sudan. Nearly 2,000 kilometres away, on Sudan's borders with South Sudan and the Central African Republic , lie the mines controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Much of the gold produced by both sides is smuggled to Chad , South Sudan and Egypt , before reaching the UAE, according to mining industry sources and experts. Emirati assets This month, Sudan filed a case with the International Court of Justice , accusing the UAE of complicity in genocide committed by the RSF in Darfur . Abu Dhabi, which has repeatedly denied accusations of funnelling weapons to the RSF, has called the case a "publicity stunt" and said it would seek to have it thrown out. But the UAE has also played a major role in the government's wartime gold rush, indirectly helping to fund its war effort. According to Taher, 90 percent of the state's legal exports of gold go to the UAE, though the government is eyeing alternatives, including Qatar and Turkey . In the heart of army territory, halfway between Port Sudan and Khartoum , Sudan's Kush mine is the centrepiece of the government's gold industry. Evacuated when the war began, it is now back to producing hundreds of kilograms per month, according to an engineer at the Russian-built facility, owned by Dubai-based Emiral Resources. On its website, Emiral lists Kush as one of its holdings, alongside subsidiary Alliance for Mining, which it says is "the largest industrial gold producer in Sudan". According to a gold industry source, who spoke on condition of anonymity for his safety, in 2020 the mine "was bought by an Emirati investor who agreed to keep Russian management on". Underground According to data from Dubai's commodities exchange, the UAE became the world's second-largest gold exporter in 2023, overtaking Britain . It is also the leading destination for smuggled African gold, according to Swissaid. Abu Dhabi says it has adopted a "responsible gold sourcing policy", including a regulatory legal framework revised in January 2023, to develop a "well-regulated gold sector". According to Ummel, "when you look at the figures, that's not the case." "If this 'Due Diligence Regulations for Responsible Sourcing of Gold' was really implemented, all refineries in the UAE would have to do due diligence, the most basic element of which is to make sure your gold was declared in the country where it comes from," he said. In 2023, data obtained by Swissaid showed UAE gold imports from Chad – on Sudan's western border – were more than double the country's estimated maximum capacity, suggesting the majority of it was undeclared and smuggled across borders. Ummel says there is no indication the UAE's conflict-gold market has shrunk in recent years. In the vast Darfur region, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo has controlled gold mines for years. According to Sudan expert Alex de Waal, these enabled him to establish a "private transnational mercenary enterprise", mainly through his family's Al-Junaid Multi Activities Co – sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union . A UN panel of experts last year concluded that Daglo's gold wealth, through a network of up to 50 companies, helped him buy weapons and bankroll his war effort. Three former Al-Junaid engineers estimated the company's wartime earnings at a minimum of $1 billion per year, based on approximate production and gold prices. Darfur's southern border area alone produces at least 150 kilograms of gold per month, one former engineer told AFP. It is sent first to an airport in the South Sudanese town of Raga, "and then transported by plane to Uganda and Kenya , and then to the UAE", the engineer, who had taken the trip himself, said on condition of anonymity. According to Ummel, "the UAE is not really implementing their regulation, they don't carry out all the necessary controls and at the end they are continuing to fund the war." © 2025 Copyright RFI - All rights reserved

Israel killed 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers one by one, says UN Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEua-C0gVOY Members of the PRCS and other emergency services pray by the bodies of fellow rescuers killed by Israeli forces, during a funeral procession in Khan Yunis on March 31, 2025 [Eyad Baba/AFP] Fifteen Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers, including at least one United Nations employee, were killed by Israeli forces “one by one” and buried in a mass grave eight days ago in southern Gaza, the UN has said. According to the UN humanitarian affairs office (Ocha), the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) and civil defence workers were on a mission to rescue colleagues who had been shot at earlier in the day, when their clearly marked vehicles came under heavy Israeli fire in Rafah city’s Tel al-Sultan district. A Red Crescent official in Gaza said that there was evidence of at least one person being detained and killed, as the body of one of the dead had been found with his hands tied. The shootings happened on 23 March, one day into the renewed Israeli offensive in the area close to the Egyptian border. Another Red Crescent worker on the mission is reported missing. “Seven days ago, civil defence and PRCS ambulances arrived at the scene,” the head of Ocha in Palestine, Jonathan Whittall, said in a video statement. “One by one, [the paramedics and civil defense workers] were hit, they were struck. Their bodies were gathered and buried in this mass grave. “We’re digging them out in their uniforms, with their gloves on. They were here to save lives. Instead, they ended up in a mass grave,” Whittall said. “These ambulances have been buried in the sand. There’s a UN vehicle here, buried in the sand. A bulldozer – Israeli forces bulldozer – has buried them.” Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, said that one of its employees was among the dead found in Rafah. “The body of our colleague killed in Rafah was retrieved yesterday, together with the aid workers from [the Palestinian Red Crescent] – all of them discarded in shallow graves – a profound violation of human dignity,” Lazzarini wrote in a social media post. Israel’s military said its “initial assessment” of the incident had found that its troops had opened fire on several vehicles “advancing suspiciously toward IDF troops without headlights or emergency signals”. It added that the movement of the vehicle had not been coordinated with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in advance, and that the area was an “active combat zone”. The Red Crescent said the Tel al-Sultan district had been considered safe, and movement there was normal, “requiring no coordination”. On Monday the IDF issued evacuation orders covering most of Rafah, indicating it could soon launch another major ground operation, eight days after the paramedics and rescue workers were killed. The IDF did not reply on Monday to a request for comment on the reports that the paramedics and rescue workers had been buried in a mass grave at the scene of the shooting. It earlier claimed to have killed nine militants from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad on 23 March, but its statement did not make clear whether it was alleging the militants had been in the Red Crescent ambulances, or had been hit by an airstrike on Rafah earlier in the night. According to the Red Crescent, an ambulance was dispatched to pick up the casualties from the airstrike in the early hours of 23 March and called for a support ambulance. The first ambulance arrived at hospital safely but contact was lost with the support ambulance at 3.30am. An initial report from the scene said it had been shot at and the two paramedics inside had been killed. A convoy of five vehicles, including ambulances, civil defence trucks and two cars from the health ministry, were sent to retrieve the bodies. That convoy then came under fire, and the Red Crescent said most of the dead were from that attack. Eight of the dead were from the Red Crescent, six from civil defence and one was a UN employee. Dr Bashar Murad, the Red Crescent’s director of health programmes, said one of the paramedics in the convoy had been on a call to his colleagues at the ambulance station when the attack took place. “He informed us that he was injured and requested assistance, and that another person was also injured,” Murad said. “A few minutes later, during the call, we heard the sound of Israeli soldiers arriving at the location, speaking in Hebrew. The conversation was about gathering the team, with statements like: ‘Gather them at the wall and bring some restraints to tie them.’ This indicated that a large number of the medical staff were still alive.” The Palestinian Red Crescent president, Younis al-Khatib, said the IDF had impeded the collection of the bodies for several days. The IDF said it had facilitated the evacuation of bodies as soon as “operational circumstances” allowed. “The bodies were recovered with difficulty as they were buried in the sand, with some showing signs of decomposition,” the Red Crescent said. Their burial had been put off pending autopsies, Murad said. “What is certain and very clear is that they were shot in the upper parts of their bodies, then gathered in a hole one on top of another, with sand thrown over them and buried,” he said. He said the body of one of the victims was recovered from the grave with his hands still tied. The claim could not be independently confirmed. Whittall described the mission to recover the bodies as fraught. “While travelling to the area on the fifth day we encountered hundreds of civilians fleeing under gunfire,” he said. “We witnessed a woman shot in the back of the head. When a young man tried to retrieve her, he too was shot. We were able to recover her body using our UN vehicle.” “It’s absolute horror what has happened here,” he added. “This should never happen. healthcare workers should never be a target.” Jens Lærke, an Ocha spokesperson in Geneva, said: “The available information indicates that the first team was killed by Israeli forces on 23 March, and that other emergency and aid crews were struck one after another over several hours as they searched for their missing colleagues. “They were buried under the sand, alongside their wrecked emergency vehicles – clearly marked ambulances, a fire truck and a UN car.” ‘These dedicated ambulance workers were responding to wounded people,’ said the IFRC secretary general. Photograph: Red Crescent The Red Crescent named the employees killed on 23 March as Mustafa Khafaja, Ezzedine Shaat, Saleh Muammar, Rifaat Radwan, Mohammed Bahloul, Ashraf Abu Labda, Mohammed Hilieh, and Raed Al-Sharif. The incident was the single most deadly attack on Red Cross or Red Crescent workers anywhere since 2017, the IFRC said. “I am heartbroken. These dedicated ambulance workers were responding to wounded people. They were humanitarians,” said the IFRC secretary general, Jagan Chapagain. “They wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked.” According to the United Nations, at least 1,060 healthcare workers have been killed in the 18 months since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza. That began after Hamas fighters stormed communities in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people. The global body is reducing its international staff in Gaza by a third owing to staff safety concerns . © 2025 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr)

April 2025 By Olivia Cash   A vicious war continues to rage through Burkina Faso as military leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré attempts to supress an onslaught of Islamist insurgencies. Since 2016, the citizens of Burkina Faso have been terrorized by three Jihadist groups: the Group for Support of Muslims (JNIM), the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), and the Al Qaeda-affiliated Ansarul Islam. Hundreds more have been killed during retaliatory attacks by the Burkina Faso Armed Forces.  In the last few years, the rate of civilian deaths has increased. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) initiative has recorded almost 10,000 targeted civilian fatalities in Burkina Faso since 2016, but more than 60% of those have occurred just since 2022. In 2024, Jihadist groups murdered over 1,000 civilians in village massacres and door-to-door killings. Between May and August 2024, the JNIM alone claimed responsibility for four major attacks that cost at least 254 civilian lives.    Targets of the insurgents include both Christian and Muslim worshippers. In February 2024, twenty-five people were left dead following simultaneous raids on a church and a mosque . Reports by Christian aid charities indicate that Islamist terrorists massacred a further 150 residents of the predominantly Catholic town of Manni on Oct. 6, 2024.  Kidnapping is frequently used as a form of terror. The rate of abductions in Burkina Faso increased 30 times between 2017 and 2023. Human Rights Watch reported that 15 women disappeared from Djibo on Mar. 29, 2024, likely killed or kidnapped by the JNIM.  In February 2023, the Burkina Faso Armed Forces killed at least 223 civilians in an attack on the villages of Nondin and Sorro. The military disproportionately targets ethnic Fulanis: they constitute 10% of Burkina Faso’s population , yet represent over 50% of the military’s extrajudicial killings, as of 2022. In its effort to fight jihadist groups, the army has integrated the 28,000 Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDPs) into its military strategy. These untrained and unregulated local militias are now the fourth most well-armed force in Burkina Faso. They are accused of committing murder, sexual assault, kidnap, theft, and vandalism against civilians, largely ethnic Fulanis .    The military strategy against jihadist factions has not succeeded. At least 46 cities and towns across Burkina Faso are blockaded by armed jihadists, including the city of Djibo, where 350,000 civilians have been trapped for over two years. Extreme hunger pervades these locations: cut off from farmlands, the average family now relies on wild leaves for up to 85% of their dietary consumption. However, in 2023, aid workers reached only 1% of the half a million civilians requiring humanitarian assistance in the enclaved towns; 11 blockaded towns received no aid at all. Access by international aid organizations is obstructed by road mines and armed groups. Due to jihadist attacks, the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service had to suspend its operations in 2023.   Armed insurgents target healthcare facilities and water sources. Attacks have closed 426 hospitals , leaving o ver 4 million Burkinabés without access to basic medical care. In 2024, Médecins sans Frontières withdrew its services from Burkina Faso due to repeated assaults on its facilities. In 2022, attacks on water points left up to one million Burkinabés without safe drinking water.   In June 2024, the Norwegian Refugee Council named Burkina Faso the world’s "most neglected displacement crisis" , as up to 2 million people (10% of the population) are currently held in internal displacement camps. By 2022, 80% of Burkina Faso’s internally displaced persons (IDPs) were women and children, many of whom are trapped in blockaded sites.   Children in Burkina Faso are suffering disproportionately. 630,000 Burkinabé children were reported chronically malnourished in 2022-2023, an increase of 50% from the previous year. More than one million children are currently without education , after a quarter of all schools closed in 2023 due to the conflict. Since 2021, reports of child soldier recruitment have circulated, a problem likely to be aggravated by Burkina Faso’s recent withdrawal from ECOWAS and its Child Policy.    Genocide Watch deems the war in Burkina Faso to have escalated to Stage 8: Persecution.   Genocide Watch recommends that:  The U.N. must demand an immediate ceasefire.   The U.N. and the African Union (AU) must deploy a peacekeeping mission to Burkina Faso.   Captain Ibrahim Troaré must disarm the VDPs and hold them to account for their crimes.  Leaders of the JNIM, ISGS, Ansarul Islam, and the Burkina Faso Armed Forces should be tried by the ICC for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.  Police should be deployed with the U.N./AU mission and be authorised to arrest those charged by the ICC.

Story by Riaz Khan and Riazat Butt Pakistan Afghan Refugees © Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Pakistan  plans to expel 3 million Afghans  from the country this year, as a deadline for them to voluntarily leave the capital and surrounding areas expired on Monday. It’s the latest phase of a nationwide crackdown launched in October 2023 to expel foreigners living in Pakistan illegally, mostly Afghans. The campaign has drawn fire from rights groups, the Taliban  government, and the UN. Arrests and deportations were due to begin 1 April but were pushed back to 10 April because of the Eid al-Fitr holidays marking the end of Ramadan, according to government documents seen by The Associated Press. About 845,000 Afghans have left Pakistan over the past 18 months, figures from the International Organization for Migration show. Pakistan says 3 million Afghans remain. Of these, 1,344,584 hold Proof of Registration cards, while 807,402 have Afghan Citizen Cards. There are a further 1 million Afghans who are in the country illegally because they have no paperwork. Pakistan said it will make sure that Afghans do not return once deported. Authorities wanted Afghan Citizen cardholders to leave the capital Islamabad  and Rawalpindi city by 31 March and return to Afghanistan  voluntarily or be deported. Those with Proof of Registration can stay in Pakistan until 30 June, while Afghans bound for third-country resettlement must also leave Islamabad  and Rawalpindi by 31 March. Authorities have said they will work with foreign diplomatic missions to resettle Afghans, failing which they will also be deported from Pakistan. Tens of thousands of Afghans fled after the Taliban takeover in 2021. They were approved for resettlement in the US through a program that helps people at risk because of their work with the American government, media, aid agencies, and rights groups. However, president Donald Trump paused US refugee programs in January and 20,000 Afghans are now in limbo. The Taliban want Afghan refugees to return with dignity “No Afghan officials to be made part of any committee or formal decision-making process,” one of the documents said about the expulsion plans. A spokesman for Afghanistan’s refugee ministry, Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, told The Associated Press that Pakistan was taking decisions arbitrarily, without involving the UN refugee agency or the Taliban government. “We have shared our problems with them, stating that unilaterally expelling refugees is neither in their interest nor ours,” said Haqqani. “It is not in their interest because expelling them in this way raises hatred against Pakistan. “For us, it is natural that managing so many Afghans coming back is a challenge. We have requested they should be deported through a mechanism and mutual understanding so they can return with dignity.” Two transit stations will be set up in the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to help with deportations. One will be in Nasir Bagh, an area in the Peshawar  suburbs. The second will be in the border town of Landi Kotal, some 7 kilometres from the Torkham crossing. Afghans are unsure of their future in a country they don’t know   It is not clear what will happen to children born in Pakistan to Afghan parents, Afghan couples with different document types, and families where one parent is a Pakistani citizen and the other is Afghan. But officials indicated to the AP that social welfare staff will be on hand to help with such cases. Omaid Khan, 30, has an Afghan Citizen Card while his wife has Proof of Registration. According to Pakistani government policy, he has to leave but his wife can stay until 30 June. Their two children have no documents, including passports or identity cards from either country. “I am from Paktia province but I have never been there and I am not sure about my future,” he said. Nazir Ahmed was born in the southwest Pakistani city of Quetta and has never been to Afghanistan. His only connection to the country was through his father, who died in Quetta four years ago. “How can we go there?” said Ahmed, who is 21. “Few people know us. All our relatives live in Quetta. What will we do if we go there? We appeal to the Pakistani government to give us some time so we can go and find out, at least get some employment." Associated Press writer Abdul Sattar contributed to this report from Quetta, Pakistan © 2025 The Independent.

Damaged buildings are seen in the aftermath of an earthquake in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) By  GRANT PECK Updated 3:30 PM MESZ, March 30, 2025 BANGKOK (AP) — The Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar has been plagued by wars and natural disasters since it became independent from Britain in 1948, when it was still called Burma. Relief efforts from Friday’s devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake will be especially complicated with the country in embroiled in civil war, which began after the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The main resistance movement against military rule has issued a statement saying it is unilaterally initiating a two-week ceasefire  beginning Sunday in areas of the country affected by the quake. There was no immediate reaction from the military government, which even before the earthquake — in addition to employing massive repression and state violence — heavily restricted much-needed aid  to the more than 3 million people displaced by war. The army’s ability to facilitate or block food and other assistance has been described as a way of weaponizing aid. Critics of the military government have called repeatedly for outside assistance  to be delivered directly to areas under control of the resistance. Who are the protagonists in Myanmar’s armed conflict? The military, which has directly or indirectly ruled Myanmar most of the time since independence, seized power from Suu Kyi’s government as it was about to begin a second five-year term. She and leaders of her National League for Democracy party were jailed, and security forces put down pro-democracy demonstrations with deadly force, leading to the growth of armed resistance, and the army in turn escalating its violence. Despite a huge disadvantage in weaponry and manpower, pro-democracy fighters allied with ethnic minority groups seeking greater autonomy have successfully battled back , and analysts believe they control a much greater share of territory. The resistance  is coordinated by the self-styled National Unity Government , whose claim to legitimacy is that it was formed by elected lawmakers. The NUG, which operates underground, has an armed wing called the People’s Defense Force. The PDF is largely a conglomeration of locally formed defense groups, poorly armed but usually with the advantage of fighting on home ground. Their ethnic allies are much more experienced and have even managed in some cases to manufacture their own weapons. What exactly has the resistance proposed? The National Unity Government said in an announcement Saturday that the PDF will implement a two-week pause in offensive military operations starting Sunday in earthquake-affected areas, while retaining the right to self-defense. It said it would collaborate with the U.N. and international nongovernmental organizations “to ensure security, transportation, and the establishment of temporary rescue and medical camps,” in the areas it controls. It also offered to provide health care professionals loyal to its resistance movement to work with international humanitarian organizations to deliver emergency rescue and medical services in areas under the military’s control, if provided with safety guarantees. What is the significance of the resistance’s announcement? The PDF fighters rarely mount large-scale offensives, sticking mainly to defense and ambush-style attacks, so its ceasefire would be largely symbolic. By taking the moral high ground, it gives its supporters a stronger argument to push for the unrestricted distribution of aid. Although the military government has made the rare gesture of soliciting foreign emergency aid, its critics are skeptical that it will deploy it fairly and effectively. The military’s record is discouraging. For instance, it initially refused to allow in foreign rescue teams or many emergency supplies after Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which resulted in well over 100,000 deaths, and tens of thousands more left unaccounted for. Even after it agreed to accept foreign help, it was with severe restrictions. When Cyclone Mocha ripped into the coast in May 2023, the military’s relief efforts were again tardy, and as in 2008, private relief missions were discouraged, as was reporting. Property damage was heavy and while 145 deaths were officially acknowledged, independent accounts put the total at over 400. There are examples in other countries when the effort to rebuild after natural disasters have played a part in helping to restore peace to areas torn by conflict, most notably in Indonesia’s Aceh province after it was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

The military declares victory in Khartoum, retaking key positions after months of intense battles against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Sudan's military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, centre, is greeted by soldiers as he arrives at the Republican Palace, recently recaptured from the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, in Khartoum, Sudan, Wednesday, March 26, 2025 [AP Photo] The Sudanese army has claimed to have cleared Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters from the capital Khartoum , nearly two years after losing the capital to the paramilitary group. “Our forces today have … forcibly cleansed the last pockets of the remnants of the Daglo terrorist militia in Khartoum locality,” military spokesman Nabil Abdullah said in a statement late on Thursday, using the government’s term for the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, which have been battling the military since April 2023. The announcement came after army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Wednesday declared the capital “free” from the RSF while standing inside the newly reclaimed presidential palace. The army, after suffering a string of defeats for a year and a half, launched a counteroffensive that steadily pushed through central Sudan towards the capital. Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said the army was able to take full control of the city after retaking its southern Jebel Awliya area. “That is where Jebel Awliya Bridge lies, and it’s from there the RSF fighters have been escaping the capital … going westwards towards Darfur,” she said. With the army now taking control of Khartoum city and Jebel Awliya, Morgan said RSF fighters have “nowhere to go” and do not have the means to resupply themselves to fight the Sudanese armed forces. According to army sources who spoke to Al Jazeera, there were still areas in Khartoum where RSF fighters were “holed up” in residential buildings, unable to leave because they were afraid of being captured, Morgan added. However, the RSF pledged there would be “no retreat and no surrender”, saying its forces had only repositioned. “We will deliver crushing defeats to the enemy on all fronts,” it said in a statement, its first direct comment since the army’s offensive began in Khartoum this week. Blue Nile battle Hours after al-Burhan walked back into the presidential palace for the first time in two years, the RSF announced a “military alliance” with a rebel group controlling large swaths of South Kordofan and parts of Blue Nile state near the Ethiopian border. The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, had clashed with both sides before signing a political charter with the RSF last month to establish a rival government. On Thursday evening, witnesses in the Blue Nile state capital Damazin reported that both its airport and the nearby Roseires Dam came under drone attack by the paramilitaries and their allies for the first time in the war. The army’s 4th Infantry Division in Damazin said in a statement on Friday that its air defences intercepted the drones. The war has killed tens of thousands, displaced more than 12 million and created the “biggest humanitarian crisis ever recorded”, according to the International Rescue Committee. It has also split Africa’s third-largest country in two, with the army holding the north and east, and the RSF controlling parts of the south and nearly all of the vast western region of Darfur. SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

A Komodo dragon named Onyx at the National Zoo in 2022. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)   How Trump can deport all those migrant predators at the National Zoo The Washington Post April 1, 2025 By  Dana Milbank   The National Zoo can easily be converted into a symbol of American Greatness. Finally, President Donald Trump has issued an executive order we can all agree on.   He has signed one lawless order after another, most devoted to sabotaging the government and taking a chainsaw to the Constitution. But his  latest order  targeting the National Zoo is right on the mark.   The Thursday order gives Vice President JD Vance the authority to  “remove improper ideology”  from the “Smithsonian Institution and its museums, education and research centers,  and the National Zoo .” (Emphasis added.) These subversive institutions will be converted into symbols of “American greatness” charged with “instilling pride in the hearts of all Americans.”   About time, I say. The zoo boasts prominently on its website that it has  “more than 2,200 animals representing almost 400 different species.”  Could there be a more brazen embrace of DEI? Searching the zoo’s website this weekend, I found 1,110 results for “diversity” — most of them treating it as a good thing, which it most certainly is not! “Study of Diversity Among Species Helps National Zoo Scientists Breed Endangered Species,”  one page said . “Genetic diversity plays a major role in the overall health of a species,”  another announced .   There are another 3,300 hits for “biodiversity,” a woke ideology the zoo is proudly spreading across the planet — and beyond. “Smithsonian Scientists Devise Method to Secure Earth’s Biodiversity on the Moon,” one  article crowed.   Worse, the zoo is a 163-acre Sanctuary City operating in the heart of the nation’s capital. Not one of its 2,200 “residents” (as the zoo refers to them) is a citizen, a green card holder or even in possession of a student visa.   Many of these are cold-blooded killers — total animals, in fact. The zoo provides refuge to the “green anaconda” (a migrant from south of the border, ‘natch), which the zoo admits is an  “opportunistic apex predator.”  In addition, “some of the  top predators on the planet  live at the Great Cats exhibit,” migrants from Africa and Asia, predictably.   These superpredators are coddled at taxpayer expense. An entire department exists to provide them all with  “the best clinical veterinary care”  — a form of socialized medicine. The “ Africa Trail ” — packed with illegal migrants from “ s---hole countries ” — is being renovated with “roomier indoor animal stalls” and  “radiant heated floors.”  The zoo doesn’t even hide that it is “enriching” these migrants instead of taking care of America First. The zoo openly admits it tries to “give animals more choices,” and these freeloaders even get  “training sessions.”   Craig Saffoe, a lion trainer at the National Zoo, carries a curious cub to the water for a swim test in 2010. (AJ Chavar/The Washington Post)   While we all know that there are only two genders, the zoo, showing flagrant disregard for this administration’s policies, promotes nonbinary expression. “Many corals ... are hermaphrodites,”  it noted with approval , “which means they produce both male and female gametes.” Yet zoo scientists are encouraging this unnatural behavior through the zoo’s “ coral conservation ” program, which does not require these corals to use restrooms according to gender assigned at birth.   Enough is enough. I recommend that the Trump administration order that the following migrants at the zoo be  rounded up by masked federal agents,  thrown into unmarked vehicles and deported to a Salvadoran prison without a court hearing: ·       Chinese three-striped box turtle ·       Cuban crocodile ·       Iranian fat-tailed gecko (this nasty creature is known to  “wrap its tail around a predator and defecate” ) ·       Panamanian golden frog ·       Andean bear (from Venezuela) ·       African clawed frog ·       Asian water dragon ·       Persian onager (a.k.a. the  Persian wild ass ) ·       And, from South America, the  screaming hairy armadillo In addition, with immediate effect, the zoo will drain the swamp and detain the Chinese alligator, Philippine crocodile, Oriental fire-bellied toad, Asian small-clawed otter and Vietnamese mossy frog — all of which will be put on a military jet bound for Guantánamo Bay.   In place of these “residents,” the National Zoo will admit more migrants from Europe, such as the domestic pigeon and the Norway rat — and, from our new ally Russia, the Amur tiger. The zoo will also devote its remaining space to house domestic chickens, particularly high egg-producing breeds such as the Rhode Island Red, in service of the administration’s inflation-fighting agenda.   The  Migratory Bird Center , which encourages an open-border policy contrary to the national interest of the United States, will be closed, as will the  Center for Conservation Genomics , whose work on DNA probably causes autism.   Future “loans” of giant pandas from China will be hit with a 100 percent tariff.   The zoo’s participation in the globalist operation called “ International Cat Day”  will be discontinued.   The zoo’s two-toed sloths and sloth bears will be assigned work requirements if they wish to continue receiving government benefits.   In keeping with the administration’s promotion of white nationalism, grants will be canceled if they are found to be supporting non-White animals, including the red panda, red-bellied piranha, yellow-rumped warbler, black howler monkey, black-bellied whistling duck and  collared brown lemur . Populations of these residents will be reduced by admitting American alligators to their exhibits.   By contrast, the zoo will be directed to  increase asylum quotas  for white-cheeked gibbons and for South African penguins, whose abdomens are almost entirely white and who face persecution in their homeland.   An annual  Endangered Species Safari  led by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump will reduce diversity on the zoo’s Africa and Asia trails. (The American Trail will be off-limits to the hunt.) Fishing will be permitted in the Amazonia exhibit.   In Greenland on Friday, Vance explained why the United States will take control of the Danish territory, regardless of what the locals think: “ We cannot just ignore the president’s desires. ”   And we know that the president does not desire animals. He is the first president not to have a dog in the White House in more than 100 years. He refers to migrants as “animals” who “breed” and people he doesn’t like —  particularly women  — as “dogs.” The only time he seems to care about animals is when he makes up stories about them being abused by migrants: “They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats.”   Therein lies the final recommendation for returning “American greatness” to the zoo. If  radical left lunatic  judges on  rigged courts  block the deportation of the zoo’s alien residents, the public will be invited to the zoo to celebrate the end of diversity — with an all-species barbecue.      Dana Milbank is an opinion columnist for The Washington Post. He covers the White House, Congress and campaigns – along with occasional essays about his misadventures in nature. He is a New York Times bestselling author and has written five books on politics, most recently “Fools on the Hill.”  follow on X@Milbank   Copyright 2025 The Washington Post

Myanmar's military junta has banned entry of foreign media seeking to cover the earthquake-devastated areas in the country as the death toll jumps to 1700. By IBT News Desk March 31, 2025 14:31 IST Myanmar Junta blocks entry of international journalists to cover quake-affected areas. Source: IANS Myanmar's military junta has banned entry of foreign media seeking to cover the earthquake-devastated areas in the country as the death toll jumps to 1700. The junta has put the restriction, citing difficulties with accommodation, power outages, and water shortages. "It is not possible for (foreign journalists) to come, stay, find shelter, or move around here. We want everyone to understand this," said Zaw Min Tun, the regime's spokesperson, in an audio statement issued on Sunday. As local reporters face severe restrictions in Myanmar, the denial of entry to foreign media raises grave concerns about the transparency of the junta's response to the catastrophe. Several others have accused the junta of hindering humanitarian aid from reaching certain affected areas not under its direct control. Earthquake-devastated areas in Myanmar. Source: IANS Since a 2021 coup, when the military overthrew the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar has been locked in a civil war with multiple armed opposition groups. Meanwhile, several media reports also suggest that the junta has continued to conduct airstrikes in various parts of the violence and disaster-hit nation. Many in the international community are demanding unrestricted access for aid workers and independent media as the humanitarian crisis grows amid the massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake that has wrought widespread destruction across the nation, media outlet Myanmar now reported. Claiming that the military junta's crackdown on media is well documented, Myanmar Now reported that back in 2023, its photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike was arrested while reporting on the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha. He was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison. Meanwhile, Myanmar' s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology reported that 36 aftershocks, with magnitudes ranging from 2.8 to 7.5, have occurred as of Monday morning. The aftershocks followed a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that jolted Myanmar at 12:51 p.m. local time last Friday. About 1,700 people died, 3,400 were injured, and 300 remained missing in the massive earthquake in Myanmar, according to the country's State Administration Council on Sunday. A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake, followed by a 6.4 magnitude aftershock minutes later, struck Myanmar's Mandalay region on Friday, causing massive casualties and damage in multiple countries. The epicentre was only about 20 km from Mandalay, the country's second-largest city with a population of 1.5 million. In response, the National Disaster Management Committee declared a state of emergency across the Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region, Magway Region, the northeastern part of Shan State, the capital of Nay Pyi Taw and Bago Region. (With inputs from IANS) © Copyright 2025 International Business Times, India Edition.

Bodies of those killed in Bucha (Photo: Oleksandr Medvediev / NV) Author: Demian Shevko As of the end of March 2025, Ukrainian police investigators have solved 72 civilian murders committed by Russian troops in Bucha and have charged 34 Russian soldiers in connection with war crimes in Kyiv Oblast, the National Police of Ukraine told NV.  Of those charged, 23 individuals face charges related to murder, while 11 others have been accused of cruel treatment of civilians. The data covers the period starting Sept. 27, 2023, when Ukraine’s National Police received official authorization to investigate crimes committed by Russian forces during the occupation of Kyiv Oblast in 2022. The figures do not include cases investigated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Kyiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office, or other agencies. Over the past year, Ukrainian law enforcement has identified more than 1,000 service members of Russia’s 234th Air Assault Regiment, part of the 76th Air Assault Division; around 1,000 troops from the tactical group of the 656th Operational Regiment (Military Unit 6720, Rubtsovsk, Altai Krai); about 350 soldiers from the 27th Separate Special Purpose Unit “KUZBASS” (Military Unit 6607, Kemerovo); and around 200 members of consolidated OMON and SOBR riot police units from Belgorod, Vladimir, Kaluga, and Yaroslavl oblasts. Police have formally solved 72 murders committed in Bucha. Criminal cases have been submitted to court against 17 suspects accused of killing 12 people. One of these cases is proceeding in person, while all others remain at the trial stage. In late January 2025, the National Police of Ukraine unveiled a new  Strategy for Managing the Investigation of International Crimes Committed in the Context of Armed Conflict . The document was developed with input from the Prosecutor General’s Office, judicial authorities, international experts, and civil society groups, with support from the Council of Europe. The strategy outlines the factors that affect the investigation of war crimes in Ukraine and proposes a five-year roadmap built on both Ukrainian experience and international standards. It sets out six core objectives, with two marked as top priorities for 2025: holding Russian military commanders accountable and advancing technological innovation in war crime investigations. March 31 marks the third anniversary of the liberation of Kyiv Oblast from Russian occupation. During the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the city of Bucha was under Russian control for 33 days. During that time, 554 people were killed across the Bucha community — which includes the city itself, the towns of Vorzel and Babyntsi, and 11 surrounding villages. Of those killed, 396 died as a result of active combat. Ukrainian law enforcement has documented numerous cases of murder, torture, and other forms of cruel treatment of civilians by Russian troops. © 2014 - 2025, "Publishing House "Media-DC" LLC.