© Saher Alghorra for The New York Times
© Oksana Parafeniuk for The New York Times
Losing Chagos would end the claim that the sun never sets on the British Empire. From Bermuda to Pitcairn, the UK's remaining territories form an unrivalled network worth keeping, argues James Alexander.
The post The Bermuda Quadrangle? Why the UK Should Hold On to the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Press TV – October 25, 2026
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf says a United Arab Emirates diplomat’s bid to become the next United Nations secretary-general aims to clear the diplomatic runway for Israel’s expansionist and aggressive ambitions under the so-called “Greater Israel” scheme.
Qalibaf made the remarks in a post on X on Sunday, saying UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh’s candidacy for the UN’s top job also aims to whitewash Israel’s “systematic genocide” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
He added that defending the Gaza tragedy had become a résumé for the UAE’s decision to seek the UN post, drawing a comparison between the country’s pursuit of the position and a fox seeking a job guarding a henhouse.
“Defending the Gaza tragedy is the résumé; the fox is updating the LinkedIn profile to apply for the henhouse guard job,” the top Iranian parliamentarian wrote.
Qalibaf’s post came after Nusseibeh announced her candidacy for the post of United Nations secretary-general on Wednesday, becoming the first woman to seek to lead the world body in its 80-year history.
Nusseibeh, a former UAE ambassador to the UN for more than a decade, brings Palestinian roots and defense of her country’s historic relations with Israel to her candidacy.
She has also faced sharp criticism over the UAE’s alleged role in backing paramilitary fighters who have killed thousands in Sudan’s civil war. The UAE has denied the claims.
In a post on her X, Nusseibeh said she is entering the race because the UN needs to act more urgently, bring people together, and drive the work forward until it produces concrete results.
“That is how we rebuild trust in the United Nations and ensure it delivers meaningful change for the people it exists to serve,” she wrote.
More than 74,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when the Israeli regime launched its genocidal war on the beseiged territory.
About 1,500 Ukrainians held in Russia and occupied Ukraine are facing criminal prosecution even though the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has never confirmed them as prisoners, Petro Yatsenko, representative of Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, said on 19 October at an event on missing persons at UN headquarters in New York. The event was organized by the permanent missions of Ukraine and Poland to the UN.
Without ICRC confirmation, there is no official record that a person is alive or held, which leaves captives without proper protection, the headquarters said. Amnesty International calls this enforced disappearance, a practice that puts people outside the protection of the law. The ICRC itself has been shut out. Under the Geneva Conventions it is supposed to visit prisoners of war, but on 18 September it told Reuters that Russia has given it no access to Ukrainian POWs since 2024. UN investigators have gathered evidence of systematic torture in the detention centers where they are held. Russia denies torturing or mistreating POWs.
Kateryna Nazarii, who coordinates families of the 24th Mechanized Brigade, is the wife of a Ukrainian serviceman held by Russia. The ICRC has not been able to confirm his status as a prisoner of war. Russia does not let the ICRC or other humanitarian organizations into the prisons where Ukrainians are held, and does not hand over complete lists of prisoners, Nazarii said at the event. When families do find out where a relative is held, she said, that person is moved to another prison, and contact is lost again.
Many of those whose captivity Russia has not confirmed are civilians. Among them, Yatsenko said, are about 200 young people born after 2000 and nearly 400 people over 60. None of them has been confirmed through the ICRC, according to the headquarters.
Most Ukrainian POWs are cut off from the outside world. In a March 2025 report, Amnesty International found that 24 of the 43 families of confirmed POWs it interviewed had received no word at all from their relative. Counting prisoners allowed only one brief call or text at the start of captivity, 72% of those 43 were held incommunicado. The UN monitoring mission found that only 21 of 174 former POWs it interviewed had been able to correspond with their families, Amnesty noted.
Silence is what makes the abuse possible, Amnesty argues. The UN monitoring mission found that 97% of former POWs it interviewed had been tortured or ill-treated, the report notes, and methods include beatings, electric shocks, burns, and sexual violence. A UN commission of inquiry concluded in 2024 that the torture amounted to a "coordinated state policy," the report adds.
When the Red Cross did get in, it saw what Russia chose to show. An OSCE expert mission reported in September 2025 that, according to former prisoners, Russian staff presented only prisoners in relatively good physical condition during ICRC visits and kept the sick and tortured out of sight. The experts also found that Russia blocked visits to some facilities and gave incomplete prisoner lists.
The unconfirmed are not a small group. A quarter of the 3,767 POWs who returned to Ukraine by November 2024 had never been confirmed by Russia as captives, the Coordination Headquarters said, as cited by Amnesty. Hundreds or possibly thousands more may still be held without Russia notifying the ICRC, Amnesty concluded.
Those who come back describe the conditions. Anatolii Zemlianyi, a soldier of the 2nd Assault Brigade released in the May 2025 exchange, told Frontliner that he spent eight months in a hospital in occupied Donetsk with a grenade wound in his leg and got no proper treatment. In captivity, he said, prisoners drank water from puddles.
Nobody knows how many Ukrainian civilians Russia holds. "It is not known," the UN human rights office said in a September 2025 report, which cites Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office as having identified 15,250 civilians detained by Russia between February 2022 and August 2025. Exchanges bring very few of them back: of 5,941 people released from Russian captivity between February 2022 and 14 August 2025, 352 were civilians, Ukraine's human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets told The Week.
Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, an occupying power may intern civilians only for imperative reasons of security, and only under a regular procedure with periodic review, the same UN report notes. Russia instead treats detained civilians as criminals, Oleksandr Kononenko, a representative of Ukraine's human rights commissioner, told relatives of civilian hostages in 2023.
"This convention clearly states that civilian hostages should not be detained. They should be released. What is Russia doing? It 'makes all these people criminals' and accuses them of terrorism, opposition to a special military operation, and assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which is completely absurd from the point of view of an independent state and those people who are patriots of their state," Kononenko said.
Kyiv believes Russia detains civilians partly to trade them. Regular civilian swaps risk signaling to Russia that by detaining more Ukrainians it could get more Russians released, so it may seize more people to replenish its "exchange fund," Lubinets said. Ukraine therefore demands that civilians be released unconditionally. Amnesty sees a second motive. It concluded that Russia has long used arbitrary arrest, torture, and enforced disappearance to intimidate civilians in areas it controls.
On October 18, 2026, an explosive ambush in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, targeted an armored vehicle with four Salvadoran Air Force aviation technicians attached to the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force.
Forced to evacuate after their vehicle caught fire, the four support personnel were kidnapped by Haitian armed groups operating near the capital.
RELATED: Salvadoran President Bukele Issues Stern Warning to Haitian Gangs
In response, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced a military rescue operation led by Task Force Libertad II, threatening an expanded offensive against Haitian gangs if the hostages are not safely returned.
In addition, the government of Haiti stated that it will work in conjunction with the United Nations Gang Suppression Force (GSF) mission to rescue the kidnapped Salvadorans.
While the Haitian government and international bodies coordinate security protocols, Bukele’s unilateral escalation in a foreign country projects his signature “iron-fist” stance against gangs onto the international stage, all with the backing of the United States.
The UN Security Council established the “Gang Suppression Force” that operates in Haiti. Created in October 2023 as the Multinational Security Support Mission following the Haitian government, the international force was reorganized in October 2025 into the Gang Suppression Force.
As of October 2026, the authorized strength of the Gang Suppression Force stands at 5,550 personnel, though deployed uniformed troops numbered 1,563 as of mid-October.
The Gang Suppression Force mandate focuses on assisting the Haitian National Police, protecting critical infrastructure, and restoring order across urban centers controlled by armed coalitions.
The region where the October 18 ambush took place, Croix-des-Bouquets, is controlled by several prominent armed groups. Security evaluations list the Chèn Méchan, Kraze Barye, and 400 Mawozo groups among the primary organizations holding territorial control over the corridor connecting Port-au-Prince to the Dominican border.
Key leaders of these groups, including Vitelhomme Innocent of Kraze Barye and Lanmo Sanjou of 400 Mawozo, are subject to active sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council and the U.S. government.
Data released by the UN indicates that between January and mid-September 2026, Haitian gang-related violence resulted in more than 5,700 deaths and injuries, alongside more than 230 reported kidnappings. Over 1.5 million residents remain internally displaced due to gang territorial expansion.
Foreign workers, international humanitarian staff, and local civilians have consistently been targeted for kidnapping as Haitian criminal groups use hostages for financial leverage or political concessions.
President Bukele addressed the Haitian gang leaders directly, publishing a message written in Haitian Creole on October 21, 2026. Bukele stated that the four technicians were non-combatant technical personnel and warned that current operations were minor compared to potential future actions.
Addressing the gang leadership, Bukele wrote: “We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too. Return our four compatriots alive and unharmed, and everything will return to how it was before the kidnapping. The decision is in your hands”.
Reactions from official international bodies followed the announcement of the rescue campaign. At a meeting of the UN Security Council, Mike Waltz, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, condemned the ambush and affirmed that international search efforts would continue.
Waltz stated that attacks on international contingents would not compel the Gang Suppression Force to withdraw from its mandate. Simultaneously, Salvadoran Ambassador to the UN Egriselda López formally requested international coordination to secure the location and release of the four kidnapped personnel.
The Haitian government also issued an official response regarding the crisis. In an executive statement, Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé announced that securing the release of the four Salvadoran technicians was an absolute priority for the national administration.
Haiti: According to a statement issued on October 18 by El Salvador’s Armed Forces (@FUERZARMADASV), four Salvadoran aviation technicians from Task Force Libertad II were ambushed by armed gangs while returning to their camp in an armored vehicle. The vehicle was set on fire, but… pic.twitter.com/2R2TCCpkJP
— lequotidien509 in English (@lequotidien509E) October 19, 2026
The diplomatic and institutional responses to the kidnapping of the four Salvadoran technicians highlight the complex interactions between national military initiatives and international peacekeeping frameworks.
At the institutional level, the United Nations operates under structured protocols regarding force security and hostage negotiation. Officials within the UN framework maintain that search and rescue operations must adhere to rules of engagement established for the Gang Suppression Force to prevent operational conflict among contributing member states.
The Haitian government under Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has aligned its public stance with the international mission, declaring the recovery of the personnel a primary national objective.
However, the administrative capacity of the Haitian state remains restricted, as law enforcement agencies depend on foreign logistical, intelligence, and tactical support to operate within gang-controlled corridors like Croix-des-Bouquets.
Diplomatic representatives from key UN Security Council member states, including United States, have reinforced support for the mission while addressing the threats posed by armed groups. Statements issued during Security Council proceedings reaffirmed that attacks against international contingents will not alter the mandate or compel the withdrawal of the Gang Suppression Force.
To the gang bosses terrorizing Haiti, your days of operating with impunity are numbered. The Gang Suppression Force is coming for you. pic.twitter.com/lkkfJLmiO6
— Ambassador Mike Waltz (@USAmbUN) October 19, 2026
The armored vehicle transporting four aviation technicians from the Salvadoran Air Force was ambushed in Croix-des-Bouquets, a commune located near Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. Following the explosion, the four Salvadoran technicians were forced to evacuate the vehicle and were subsequently kidnapped.
Initial search and rescue efforts of the four Salvadorans faced immediate armed resistance. On October 19, a search helicopter dispatched to locate the personnel was targeted by gunfire.
Subsequent joint counter-offensives conducted by the multinational security contingent and the Haitian National Police in the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac area resulted in severe clashes, leaving several gang members dead and four multinational security personnel injured.
El Salvador deployed the missing personnel to Haiti as part of its specialized military contingent, known as Task Force Libertad II. El Salvador’s initial military involvement in Haiti began after the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly passed a decree on October 30, 2024.
That measure authorized the deployment of Salvadoran Air Force personnel, including pilots, air mechanics, and medical evacuation units, to support international security operations.
In early 2025, eight aviation technicians arrived in Haiti, followed by an additional 70 military personnel. On September 29, 2026, the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly voted to extend the military deployment through October 2027 and expanded the mandate.
The updated legislative mandate lets Salvadoran troops engage beyond medical evacuations, allowing them to deploy personnel based on operational requirements dictated by security needs in the field.
Task Force Libertad II operates under these expanded terms, providing technical aviation logistics, air support maintenance, and operational security inside the country.
The four Salvadoran kidnapped were serving as non-combatant aviation support specialists within Task Force Libertad II. Following days of uncertainty regarding their status, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele made a public statement on October 21, 2026, confirming that the kidnapping was executed by armed gangs from Haiti.
El Salvador prez announces MILITARY OP to rescue hostages kidnapped by gangs in Haiti
— RT (@RT_com) October 21, 2026
Aviation technicians 'kidnapped in a cowardly manner' — Bukele
'Today's attack is NOTHING compared to what is coming if we do not get all 4 hostages back alive' pic.twitter.com/7WkyhLvuoQ
President Nayib Bukele’s public declaration led El Salvador to escalate its physical military presence in Haiti. On October 22, 2026, the Salvadoran government deployed 100 special forces soldiers to Port-au-Prince to assist in locating and securing the release of the four missing aviation technicians.
This deployment brought additional tactical ground units to support the existing aviation support unit attached to Task Force Libertad II.
Before October 2026, the Salvadoran contingent operated primarily as an air support unit focused on logistics, maintenance, and medical evacuations. The introduction of dedicated special operations personnel expands the operational parameters of the mission, introducing direct combat and search-and-recovery capabilities alongside the Gang Suppression Force and the Haitian National Police.
The deployment of specialized personnel aims to mitigate these conditions through targeted intelligence collection and rapid-response capabilities.
While the deployment of specialized tactical units and the escalated military posture by El Salvador aim to address the immediate security emergency, long-term stabilization in Haiti depends on addressing broader structural issues.
The proliferation of heavy weaponry, sustained by international trafficking routes, continues to provide armed groups with substantial tactical capacity within urban sectors.
Furthermore, long-standing economic instability, institutional fragmentation, and high rates of poverty create conditions that enable armed organizations to maintain territorial influence despite international security deployments.
Military rescue missions and tactical escalations provide targeted responses to specific security threats, such as the kidnapping of Task Force Libertad II personnel.
However, international observers and analysts emphasize that sustainable security across Port-au-Prince and surrounding communes requires comprehensive institutional reform, economic development, and consistent administrative governance alongside law enforcement actions.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has launched a military rescue operation in Haiti following the abduction of four Salvadoran soldiers by local armed groups. In a stern statement on Wednesday, Bukele demanded the immediate, safe release of the personnel and warned of a severe… pic.twitter.com/QIQS18JGso
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 22, 2026
Sources: TeleSUR – Al Jazeera – DW – BBC – CNN – La Prensa Gráfica – elsalvador.com – EFE – El Diario de Hoy – RSF – El Faro – presidencia.gov.sv – Asociación de Periodistas de El Salvador – Dialnet – Resumen Latinoamericano.
The Cali Fund, set up to raise $1bn a year for biodiversity from drug companies, remains near empty
Big pharmaceutical companies have been accused of “free-riding on nature”, after a landmark biodiversity fund that invites businesses to put some of their profits back into conservation was left virtually empty.
The Cali Fund set out to raise $1bn (£750m) annually, by asking companies that profit from nature’s genetics to contribute towards conservation in low-income countries. But more than 18 months after the fund was launched, it remains far below this target.
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© Photograph: Rebecca Cole/The Guardian
© Photograph: Rebecca Cole/The Guardian
© Photograph: Rebecca Cole/The Guardian
The war in Ukraine can be ended permanently on terms that protect Ukraine’s statehood, meet Russia’s security concerns, and lay the foundation for a durable European security order. As another round of negotiations gears up in Norway, I propose a settlement concluded as a single package, signed by Ukraine and Russia, adopted by a vote […]
The post A viable path to peace in Ukraine appeared first on Asia Times.
Press TV – October 20, 2026
Iran’s Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN has urged the world body’s Security Council to hold an emergency meeting and condemn threats by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Islamic Republic’s territory and critical infrastructure.
Gholamhossein Darzi made the remarks in a letter dated Monday and addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the president of the Security Council.
The letter cited recent US media reports that the White House and the US Department of War had prepared fresh military options, including the possible use of the GBU-43/B, known as the Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) or so-called “Mother of All Bombs,” against Iran.
Darzi noted that US President Donald Trump had discussed the weapon in a televised interview and threatened further attacks.
The diplomat also cited remarks by Israeli minister for military affairs Israel Katz that the regime was prepared to attack the Islamic Republic and would target “all energy targets” in any renewed aggression.
The letter also pointed out how Katz had threatened to return Iran to the “Stone Age”, besides claiming that the United States and the regime had dropped a total of 35,000 bombs on Iran and that their military campaign was not over.
Darzi further denounced Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for openly declaring an intention to launch another unprovoked war against the Islamic Republic, adding that the silence and explicit support of certain Security Council members had emboldened him.
He called for immediate action against “brazen existential threats” issued by Trump and renewed Israeli threats of military aggression.
“These unabated threats, in the context of the U.S.-Israeli wars of aggression launched on 13 June 2025 and 28 February 2026 against Iran, and the deliberate attacks against Iranian civilians and critical infrastructure, pose a grave risk of further violation of international law with catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences, and serious threats to regional and international peace and security,” he wrote.
The diplomat argued that threats to destroy Iran’s civilian and energy infrastructure could cause severe and potentially long-term humanitarian and environmental damage.
He also condemned Washington and Tel Aviv for disregarding obligations under the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and customary international humanitarian law.
Darzi requested an emergency Security Council meeting, unequivocal condemnation of threats against Iran’s civilian infrastructure, and accountability and full reparation for damage resulting from Washington’s and Tel Aviv’s internationally wrongful acts.
“The Security Council cannot remain silent in the face of explicit threats of renewed aggression and the destruction of essential civilian infrastructure,” he stated.
The letter, meanwhile, reaffirmed Iran’s right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
He warned that the United States and the Israeli regime would bear responsibility for the consequences of further aggression, including “the risk of unpredictable and uncontrollable escalation.”
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides announced the planned meeting on 16 October during the European Council summit in Brussels, saying discussions would address both the resumption of negotiations over the island’s division and the possibility of improving relations between Ankara and the EU.
The initiative follows diplomatic contacts in New York involving Guterres, European institutional leaders and the Cypriot government. However, renewed differences over the conditions for negotiations have already cast doubt on whether the process can produce substantial progress.
On Sunday, 18 October, Christodoulides accused Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman of imposing preconditions before formal negotiations could resume, particularly concerning arrangements for a rotating presidency in a reunited Cyprus.
The disagreement underlines the difficulties facing an initiative intended to reconnect the UN peace process with the EU’s broader relationship with Turkey.
Christodoulides said the planned meeting between the EU and Turkey would examine how to establish the necessary conditions for negotiations to restart within the previously agreed UN framework.
He indicated that any improvement in EU–Turkey relations would be linked to progress over Cyprus.
The president’s announcement in Brussels follows months of diplomatic consultations involving the Commission, European Council and UN.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa have urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to support the renewed peace initiative.
Turkey’s relationship with the EU encompasses trade, customs cooperation, migration and regional security. Ankara remains an EU candidate country, although accession negotiations have been effectively stalled for years.
Cyprus remains one of the principal obstacles to any substantial improvement in that relationship.
The island has been divided since Turkey’s military intervention in 1974. The internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus joined the EU in 2004, but EU law remains suspended in areas where its government does not exercise effective control.
The self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognised only by Turkey.
The UN has traditionally sought a settlement based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities.
Negotiations collapsed at Crans-Montana in Switzerland in 2017 amid unresolved disputes over security guarantees, political representation, territory and the presence of Turkish troops.
Erhürman, who became Turkish Cypriot leader in 2025, has expressed support for renewed negotiations within a federal framework. However, he wants assurances about political equality and the structure of future talks.
The latest dispute concerns whether the principle of a rotating presidency between the two communities should be accepted before negotiations resume.
Christodoulides rejected that demand on 18 October, arguing that substantive questions should be negotiated together rather than settled in advance.
The Turkish Cypriot leadership regards rotating executive power as an essential element of political equality, while the Greek Cypriot side objects to making agreement on that arrangement a prerequisite for restarting discussions.
The disagreement has emerged despite recent efforts by the United Nations to improve relations between the communities.
In a statement issued on 13 October, the UN confirmed that Christodoulides and Erhürman had met in Nicosia and agreed to continue discussions, including participation in bicommunal initiatives.
The two leaders subsequently attended a joint event in Pyla, although their public differences persisted.
A Cyprus settlement would require agreement not only between the island’s communities but also on Turkey’s military presence and the system of security guarantees established at independence.
Ankara has long maintained that Turkish Cypriots require effective political equality and credible security arrangements.
Greek Cypriot leaders argue that the continuation of foreign intervention rights and Turkish military deployments would be incompatible with a fully sovereign and reunited state.
The EU cannot resolve those differences independently of the UN process, but it can influence the economic and institutional framework within which a settlement might operate.
A comprehensive agreement would affect property ownership, trade, customs arrangements, border administration and the application of European law throughout the island.
The European Commission has sought a greater role in supporting the UN-led peace process, reflecting Brussels’ interest in progress towards a settlement.
The UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy, María Ángela Holguín, has warned that the opportunity for renewed negotiations may be narrowing.
Disagreements over diplomatic representation, contacts with foreign missions and the status of Turkish Cypriot institutions have complicated relations between the two communities.
Christodoulides has also referred to a series of proposals intended to advance discussions, including the future of the fenced-off area of Varosha. Their full contents have not been publicly disclosed.
The proposed EU–Turkey meeting offers a separate diplomatic channel through which Brussels can assess Ankara’s willingness to support renewed negotiations.
No final date, detailed agenda or list of participants had been publicly confirmed by 18 October.
The immediate test will be whether the parties can agree on the basis for formal talks without attempting to settle disputed constitutional questions before negotiations begin.
This month’s biodiversity summit in Yerevan, Armenia, aims to push governments to meet the 23 targets agreed at Cop15 in 2022
This month, nearly every country on Earth will return to the question of how to stem the rapid destruction of the natural world. Humans are driving it, but so far we have not found a way to stop it.
In late 2022, governments reached an ambitious once-in-a-decade deal to better protect nature amid scientific warnings that the planet is going through the largest loss of life since the extinction of the dinosaurs. Now, they are assessing their progress on the targets for the first time.
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© Photograph: Andrej Ivanov/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: Andrej Ivanov/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: Andrej Ivanov/AFP/Getty Images
Press TV – October 18, 2026
Yemen has condemned the international community’s silence on Saudi Arabia’s ongoing aggression and blockade, saying it emboldens Riyadh to continue its atrocities.
The Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, in a statement released on Saturday, said the Saudi military continues to target ordinary people and civilian infrastructure, as it has done over the past years.
The ministry denounced Saudi strikes on civilians and non-military installations as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and Additional Protocol I of 1977.
In the latest attack, a series of Saudi airstrikes targeted a residential neighborhood in the Maqbanah district of Yemen’s southwestern Ta’izz province, killing nine civilians, including a woman and a girl, and injuring 16 others.
The statement also censured the deafening silence of the international community, which claims to uphold human rights while lecturing others about them.
It noted that such an approach would offer Saudi officials the carte blanche to keep on their brutalities, and would make the international community complicit in Riyadh’s crimes and aggression.
The Yemeni foreign ministry then called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, the Human Rights Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as human rights organizations, to abandon double standards, condemn the heinous crimes committed against Yemeni people, and pressure Saudi Arabia to honor its obligations under international humanitarian law.
The ministry finally emphasized that Saudi atrocities would not go unpunished, and that the House of Saud, “whose hands are stained with blood and whose fingers with guilt,” would be held accountable.
On July 20, the Sana’a government announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in response to “an unjust and oppressive siege” on Yemen for almost 12 years.
Subsequently, the Yemeni armed forces have reported a series of successful missions that have targeted vessels associated with Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.
In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a blockade on Yemen, initiating a comprehensive military offensive that received support in terms of military, political, and logistical assistance from the United States and several Western countries.
Tens of thousands of Yemenis have lost their lives; however, Saudi Arabia has failed to achieve its primary goal of reestablishing a puppet government that served its interests.
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