General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2015

May 2015

Mar 27, 2021

Eritrea Agrees to Withdraw Troops from Ethiopia's Tigray Region

Eritrea will withdraw troops from Ethiopia almost five months after a conflict started in the Tigray region, Ethiopia's Prime Minister has said.
The soldiers are there to back Ethiopia's government as it fought a group that challenged the central government's rule.
Eritrea has not confirmed the troop withdrawal from some areas across the border in Ethiopia.
The presence of Eritrean troops in Ethiopia was especially controversial because the two countries had fought a bitter border war, which was only officially ended after Abiy Ahmed became prime minister in 2018 - a move which earned him the Nobel Peace prize the following year.
The conflict began in November after the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) captured military bases in the northern Ethiopian region.

Turkey and Russia Agree to Prevent Ceasefire Violations in Syria's Idlib

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu during which they discussed measures to prevent ceasefire violations in Syria's Idlib province.
Both the leaders agreed to take measures to maintain the ceasefire.
Noting that the discussion was "constructive", the Minister said "we aim permanently to hold the ceasefire in the region", reports Xinhua news agency.
On Monday, Turkey expressed concern to the Russian envoy in Ankara over recent attacks in Idlib.
Akar also informed that more than 200 terrorists had been eliminated in anti-terror operations mostly in northern Syria since March 1.
Ankara and Moscow agreed in 2018 to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Bill Passed Enabling Putin to Run for Two more Terms Starting 2024

Russia's Lower House of parliament the State Duma approved a bill, enabling incumbent President Vladimir Putin to run for two more terms starting 2024.
The draft law on elections, which was approved in the State Duma's third or final reading, was made in pursuance of constitutional amendments adopted in a nationwide referendum in July 2020.
One of the 206 constitutional amendments stipulates that the limit of two presidential terms applies to the incumbent head of state, but without taking into account his previous terms.
In light of the amendment, the bill grants Putin the possibility of starting his presidency from scratch in 2024 and holding the office for two more terms until 2036.

Mar 26, 2021

Sudan Accepts UAE Mediation on Ethiopia Border Row

Sudan's cabinet has approved an initiative by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to mediate on the border dispute with neighbouring Ethiopia, as well as on the row over a mega dam being constructed on the Nile.
The al-Fashaga farmlands - where Ethiopia's northern Amhara region meets Sudan's Gedaref state in the east - is claimed by both nations and has recently been a source of clashes between troops, stoking fears of a wider conflict.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that his country did not want a war with Sudan over the territorial dispute.
Meanwhile negotiations over the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam have remained deadlocked for years - despite recent interventions by the US and the African Union (AU).
Ethiopia opposes any external parties other than the AU in the mediation of the dam dispute.
It has been building the mega dam on the Blue Nile River, which Sudan and Egypt oppose, to produce electricity to power its economy.
Egypt fears that the volume of water on the Nile downstream - which it relies on for almost all its water needs - would drastically reduce.
Sudan, which sides with Egypt, would benefit from reduced flooding, according to experts.

Mar 25, 2021

Niger Court Upholds Bazoum's Win

The runner-up in Niger's recent election has denounced a court ruling that upheld Mohamed Bazoum as the winner.
Mahamane Ousmane - who was President in the 1990s before being overthrown in a coup - still maintains he won.
He's called on people throughout the country to take part in a peaceful protest march.
With President Mahamadou Issoufou stepping down after two terms, the swearing in of Mr. Bazoum next month will be the first ever democratic transfer of power in Niger.

Ethiopia PM Ahmed Abiy Admits Eritrea Forces in Tigray

Ethiopia's Prime Minister has acknowledged for the first time that troops from neighbouring Eritrea have been in the Tigray region following the outbreak of conflict in November.
For months both countries have denied that troops crossed the border.
Abiy Ahmed told MPs that Eritrean forces came fearing they would be attacked by Tigray's regional fighters.
The conflict began after the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) captured military bases in the region.
The TPLF had been the ruling party in the northern Ethiopian region, but had a massive fall-out with Mr Abiy over the future of Ethiopia's ethnically based federal system and its role in government.

Senate Confirms Dr. Vivek Murthy as U.S. Surgeon General

Indian-American physician Vivek Murthy has been confirmed by the Senate as President Joe Biden's surgeon general, a role in which his top priority would be responding to the coronavirus pandemic that has severely hit the country.
Dr. Murthy would occupy the position of America's Surgeon General for the second time. In 2011, President Barack Obama tapped him to serve on the advisory group on prevention, health promotion, and integrative and public health.
In 2013, Obama nominated Dr. Murthy to be the surgeon general. He was the youngest ever to hold the office at the age of 37. However, he had to abruptly leave the position during the Trump administration.

Mar 24, 2021

Exit Polls Indicate No Clear Winner in Israeli Elections

Israeli parliamentary elections resulted in a virtual deadlock for a fourth time in the past two years, exit polls indicated, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an uncertain future and the country facing the prospect of continued political gridlock.
The exit polls indicated that both Netanyahu and his religious and nationalist allies, along with an anti-Netanyahu group of parties, both fell short of the parliamentary majority required to form a new government. That raised the possibility of an unprecedented fifth consecutive election later this year.
The election was seen as a referendum on Netanyahu's polarizing leadership style, and the initial results showed that the country remains as deeply divided as ever, with an array of small sectarian parties dominating the parliament.
The results also signaled a continuing shift of the Israeli electorate toward the right wing, which supports West Bank settlements and opposes concessions in peace talks with the Palestinians. That trend was highlighted by the strong showing of an ultranationalist anti-Arab religious party.

UNHRC Adopts Resolution against Sri Lanka's Human Rights Record

India abstained from a crucial vote on Sri Lanka's rights record at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The resolution on 'Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka' was, however, adopted after 22 states of the 47-member Council voted in its favour.
Sri Lanka, which had earlier deemed the resolution "politically motivated", was quick to reject the UN move to collect and preserve evidence of war crimes in the country, committed by the armed forces and the LTTE.

Libya's Rebel Administration Hands over Power

The rebel administration in eastern Libya has officially handed power to the country's new interim government, based in Tripoli.
A handover ceremony took place in Libya's second city, Benghazi, headquarters until now of the eastern administration.
A new Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and backed by the UN, was sworn in last week in Tripoli to replace the two rival administrations which have been fighting for control of Libya.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris will reopen its embassy in Tripoli next week, which was closed in 2014, as violence spread in the country.
Libya has been beset by violence since forces backed by NATO overthrew its leader, Muammar Gaddafi, in 2011.

Mar 23, 2021

Yemen Conflict: Saudi Arabia Puts Forward Peace Plan

Saudi Arabia has proposed a new peace plan to end nearly six years of war in Yemen.
It suggests an UN-supervised ceasefire between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Houthi rebels, who are supported by Iran.
The plan also includes the reopening of vital air and sea links, and the start of political negotiations.
Houthi rebels said that the offer did not appear to go far enough to lift the air and sea blockade in place.
The proposal was announced in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who called on the Houthis, who control large swathes of Yemen, to accept it.

EU and China Impose Tit-for-Tat Sanctions

The EU imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials, including a top security director, for human rights abuses in Xinjiang, to which Beijing responded by blacklisting Europeans in a rare escalation of diplomatic tensions. The EU has sought to avoid confrontation with Beijing, but a decision to impose the first significant sanctions since an EU arms embargo in 1989 has inflamed tensions. Accused of mass detentions of Muslim Uighurs in China, those targeted by EU include Chen Mingguo, director, Xinjiang Public Security Bureau.

Vote on Resolution against Sri Lanka at UNHRC Postponed

The vote on a critical resolution against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva has been postponed, as Colombo stepped up efforts to garner international support ahead of the voting which is being seen as an acid test for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The vote on the draft resolution titled 'Promotion of Reconciliation Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka' was to be taken on Monday but officials in Geneva said that it has been postponed to Tuesday owing to some scheduling issues.
Sri Lanka was defeated at three consecutive resolutions at the UN rights body when Mr. Gotabaya's elder brother and incumbent Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was the country's president between 2012 and 2014.
Sri Lanka has been assured of support from China, Russia and several Muslim countries including Pakistan.

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