Deadly Iran protests continue as Trump renews intervention threat

-
By JON GAMBRELL AP The death toll in violence surrounding protests in Iran has risen to at least 35 people, activists said Tuesday, as the demonstrations showed no signs of stopping. The figure came from the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which said more than 1,200 people have been detained in the protests, which have been ongoing for more than a week. It said 29 protesters, four children and two members of Iran’s security forces have been killed. Demonstrations have reached over 250 locations in 27 of Iran’s 31 provinces, The group, which relies on an activist network inside of Iran for its reporting, has been accurate in past unrest. A wave of protests sparked by Iran’s failing economy has continued for a ninth day, as President Donald Trump renewed his threat of US intervention. Trump warned on Sunday night that Iranian authorities would be “hit very hard” if more protesters died. “We’re watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they ...
Post a Comment

Women in Darfur report rape, lost children amid Sudan violence, UN says

-

 By Mike Heuer UPI

Women fleeing El Fasher in western Sudan are subjected to rape, starvation and deadly bombing, the United Nations reported on Tuesday.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces recently captured El Fasher after a 500-day siege and are using rape as a “weapon of war,” according to the United Nations.

“Women speaking to us from El Fasher, the heart of Sudan’s latest catastrophe, tell us that they’ve endured starvation, displacement, rape and bombardment,” said Anna Mutavati, U.N. Women regional director for East and Southern Africa.

“Pregnant women have given birth in the streets as the last remaining maternity hospitals were looted and destroyed,” she added.

“What the women tell us in that on their horrific journey, every step that they’ve taken to fetch water, to collect firewood or to stand in a food line has carried a high risk of sexual violence,” Mutavati said.

“There is mounting evidence that rape is being deliberately and systematically used as a weapon of war.”

The situation is getting worse as fighting spreads throughout El Fasher, forcing thousands of women and girls to flee the city or risk being killed, raped or otherwise brutalized by RSF forces, the United Nations reported.

El Fasher is the capital of North Darfur and was the area’s last stronghold for the Sudanese Armed Forces amid the civil war in Sudan. An estimated 89,000 people have fled El Fasher and often seek refuge in Tawila, which is about 45 miles away, as well as Korma and Malit.

Humanitarian resources are scarce in those locales, though, according to the United Nations.

Satellite images also show evidence of widespread summary executions and other likely war crimes committed by the RSF, the Australian Broadcasting Company reported.

“All of my patients, my staff and everyone else in the hospital were killed,” a medical professional identified as “Abdullah” told the ABC. “They shot them all.”

Abdullah was part of the Saudi Hospital staff in El Fasher, where the World Health Organization said more than 460 patients and their companions were killed by RSF members.

At least six healthcare workers also were taken by the RSF, according to the WHO.



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/ETRYu7Z

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Myanmar earthquake death toll rises as fresh tremors further complicate rescue efforts

-
Image
A5.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, on Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The tremor was part of a series of aftershocks following Friday’s devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which resulted in the collapse of numerous buildings and significant infrastructure damage. The death toll has risen to over 1,600, with more than 3,400 individuals reported missing; these numbers are expected to increase as rescue operations continue. Foreign rescue teams and supplies arrived in Myanmar on Sunday to help the impoverished country cope with an earthquake that killed over 1,600 and left many near the epicentre scrambling for help without proper equipment. The 7.7-magnitude quake, one of Myanmar’s strongest in a century, jolted the Southeast Asian nation on Friday, leaving 1,644 people dead, 3,408 injured and 139 missing, the military government said. India, China and Thailand are among Myanmar’s neighbours that have sent relief ...
Read more

Israel says situation on Lebanon border ‘not sustainable’

-
By James Mackenzie Reuters  Israeli officials and media reacted with satisfaction on Monday after a  long-expected missile attack  by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement appeared to have been largely thwarted by pre-emptive Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. Both Hezbollah and Israel seemed content to let Sunday’s attack, in retaliation for the  killing of a senior Hezbollah commander  in Beirut last month, count as settled for the moment. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said Hezbollah had suffered a “crushing blow” from the Israeli strikes but that a longer lasting solution was still needed. “The current situation is not sustainable,” he told a briefing, referring to the tens of thousands evacuated from their homes in northern Israel, a situation mirrored on the other side of the border in southern Lebanon. “Israel will do its duty and return its population to our sovereign territory.” Hopes that children might return for the start of the ...
Read more