Mountains of sugar have been found in the ocean under seagrass meadows

Isabella O'Malley, M.Env.Sc -

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology report that mountains of sugar have been discovered hiding underneath seagrass meadows across the world’s oceans.

Seagrass meadows are amongst the top carbon-capturing ecosystems — just one square kilometre of seagrass stores nearly twice as much carbon as forests on land at a rate 35 times faster, according to the Institute.

To better understand these carbon-capturing powerhouses, the scientists conducted a study off the Italian island of Elba where they took samples of seagrass meadows and their surrounding sediments. Their data revealed that sugar concentrations underneath the seagrass were at least 80 times higher than those found in other marine ecosystems.

“To put this into perspective: we estimate that worldwide there are between 0.6 and 1.3 million tons of sugar, mainly in the form of sucrose,” stated Manuel Liebeke, a scientist at the Institute, in a press release.

“That is roughly comparable to the amount of sugar in 32 billion cans of Coke!”

Lush seagrass beds in the Mediterranean Sea. 

(HYDRA Marine Sciences GmbH/ Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF MICROORGANISMS

Seagrass consume significant levels of carbon dioxide because of their symbiotic relationship with bacteria in which both species benefit from each other.

Sunlight allows the plant to capture carbon dioxide from the water and convert it into sugar molecules, which are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. During periods of peak sunlight, such as the early afternoon or summer season, the plants produce more sugar than they need, so they store the extra sucrose around their roots in the seafloor.

Bacteria living around the plants’ roots consume this sugar, which gives the bacteria energy to produce more nutrients, such as nitrogen, that fertilize the seagrass meadows. This symbiotic relationship was documented for the first time by the research team and was published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.


A scientist from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen is shown sampling sucrose from a seagrass meadow.

(HYDRA Marine Sciences GmbH/ Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology)

The study reported that the giant piles of excess sugar were not being consumed by the bacteria due to phenolic compounds released by the seagrass, which cannot be digested by many microorganisms. This was a key finding for the researchers, as it confirms that the carbon in the sugar stays in these underwater ecosystems and out of the atmosphere.

The research stated that if microorganisms consumed the sucrose stored by the roots of the seagrass, at least 1.54 million tons of carbon dioxide would be released into the atmosphere, which is equivalent to the carbon emissions from by 330,000 cars in one year.

ENDANGERED HABITATS

Seagrass meadows account for 10 per cent of the ocean’s carbon storage capacity despite only covering 0.2 per cent of the seafloor. The researchers reported that despite the critical role seagrass meadows play in the global carbon cycle, they are in rapid decline due to coastal developments and stressors imposed by the changing climate.

Up to 33 per cent of global seagrass may have already been lost, which the Institute stated is “comparable to the loss of coral reefs and tropical rainforests.”

“Our study contributes to our understanding of one of the most critical coastal habitats on our planet, and highlights how important it is to preserve these blue carbon ecosystems," the study’s first author, Maggie Sogin, stated in the press release.

Thumbnail image: A Mediterranean seagrass meadow (Posidonia oceanica) in the South of France. (Arnaud Abadie/ E+/ Getty Images)

Dugongs and sea turtles at risk after Queensland floods wipe out seagrass, study shows

Researchers say sediment from floodwaters reduced exposure to sunlight and smothered seagrass the animals rely on for food

Beached turtle on sand bank that used to have seagrass. Researchers say floodwaters wiped out one of the largest seagrass meadows in eastern Australia. 

Photograph: James Cook University’s TropWATER Centre

Jordyn Beazley

THE GUARDIAN

Fri 20 May 2022 

Catastrophic floods earlier this year wiped out one of the largest and most important seagrass meadows in eastern Australia, increasing the risk that dugongs and sea turtles will become stranded, according to researchers.

Scientists from James Cook University monitored the health of seagrass meadows across 2,300 square kilometres of Hervey Bay and the Great Sandy Strait in southern Queensland.

Prof Michael Rasheed, who led the monitoring, said there has been a drastic loss compared with previous extensive mapping of seagrass cover.


Clive Palmer’s proposed open-cut mine could have ‘far-reaching impact’ on Great Barrier Reef, study finds

“Our boat surveys show there’s almost no seagrass visible in the 2m to 17m depth range for much of the deeper meadows, and these sites have previously recorded extensive areas of seagrass,” he said. “There were some areas of sub-tidal seagrass but these were confined to the deepest areas in the northern part of the bay.

Scientist from James Cook University holding seagrass. 

Photograph: James Cook University’s TropWater Centre

“We also used helicopters to assess more than 1,300 intertidal sites throughout the Great Sandy Straits and while some sites had seagrass the cover was typically less than one percent of the seafloor, offering scant resources for dugong and turtle.”

The decline in seagrass is due to sediment from floodwaters flowing into the ocean and reducing exposure to sunlight and smothering the seagrass. Dugongs and sea turtles rely on seagrass meadows for food.

Dr Chris Cleguer, a dugong expert, said there was concern that dugongs in the area may stop breeding.

“Some will move and some will die,” he said.

In 1991, the region lost more than 1,000 square kilometres of seagrass after subsequent and severe floods. It led to the highest rate of dugong deaths on record and a 20% decline in dugong calf numbers.

Cleguer said there had been an increase in turtle and dugongs becoming stranded in Queensland’s Great Sandy Marine Park over the past year. It suggested there may have been an unknown problem affecting the dugongs and sea turtles prior to the flooding.

James Cook University’s TropWater Centre undertaking aerial monitoring of seagrass meadows.

 Photograph: James Cook University’s TropWater Centre

Since July 2021, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service have recorded more than 240 stranded marine turtles and 22 stranded dugongs in the park.

Parks senior ranger Dan Clifton said the numbers were significantly greater than the long-term average for the region.

“We have also recently seen large, mature green turtles presenting with an ulcerative skin disease affecting the carapace and flippers. This is currently being investigated by leading authorities to determine causes so we can respond accordingly,” Clifton said.

“The issues currently faced by marine wildlife in the Great Sandy Marine Park demonstrate the importance of ongoing research and surveys so that we can identify and respond to threats and how critical it is that we protect our precious ecosystems.”

Rasheed said it was difficult to know for certain whether seagrass decline was occurring prior to the flood events given there was no regular large-scale monitoring of seagrass meadows.

“It is highly likely though that what we’re seeing now is a result, at least in part or large part, due to the floods,” he said.

Rasheed said there was good news: seagrass meadows were about to enter their growing season. The scientists hope to monitor the meadows again in September and October to determine how much has recovered.

They say reports on the survey are expected to be released in June for Hervey Bay and September for the Great Sandy Straits.

FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

Israel Is Simulating A War With Iran

By Maya Carlin
Published 2 days ago


Beginning at the end of May, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will conduct a month-long military drill simulating a wide scale strike on Iran.

The “Chariots of Fire” exercise is unprecedented in scale and scope and will prepare the army to maintain a high level of readiness in a constantly evolving region. As the largest military drill to ever take place in Israel, thousands of active-duty soldiers and reservists will be participating in the drill, which will also involve all commands.

In a signal to Iran, the U.S. Air Force refueling planes are expected to partake in the aerial part of the exercise.

The Commander of the U.S. Army’s Central Command, Gen. Michael Kurila, arrived in Israel this week to watch the initial stages of the drill unfold. Visiting as a personal guest of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, Kurila will focus on strengthening the joint operational cooperation between the U.S. and Israel. On the day of Kurila’s arrival, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz stated that in the case of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, military, economic and political power can sometimes be the tools needed to preemptively prevent a large scale conflict. He added, “This is true about the situation with Iran today.

Israel is getting prepared for all scenarios by building its military power and by holding strategic talks with the Biden administration. The cost of countering Iran now is higher than it was a year ago and lower than it will be a year from now.” While Kurila is in Israel, Gantz will meet with his American counterpart, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

In the last few years, amidst frequent barrages of rocket fire launched from Israel’s northern Lebanese border and southern Gaza border, the Jewish state has also had to contend with an increasingly threatening Iran. Stalled joint U.S.-Iranian nuclear negotiations in Vienna combined with Iran’s growing weapons arsenal and looming nuclear breakout time are worrisome for Israel. Due to this fact, the “Chariots of Fire” drill will incorporate simulated attacks on Iranian nuclear targets.

The regime’s largely hidden underground nuclear facilities could pose a challenge to the IDF. Additionally, Israel must consider Iran’s region-wide proxies in its calculations, since these well-armed militia groups could retaliate once the IDF makes the first move. This part of the drill remains extremely significant since officials reported Iran was merely a few weeks away from acquiring enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb.

The IDF will also be using its new AI platform dubbed “The Gospel,” to gather intelligence on real-time targets during the drills. This target incubator functions by producing hundreds of targets while troops are already in motion, which has proved to be a challenging task for the IDF historically. According to the Jerusalem Post, the center producing the targets will also involve a legitimacy team that will “provide detailed intelligence on targets struck to partners as well as declassified intelligence to the press.”

The recent uptick in escalations by Iran and its proxies across the region indicate the regime could be gearing up for conflict. The unprecedented scope and size of the “Chariots of Fire” exercise appears necessary.


Maya Carlin is a Middle East Defense Editor with 19FortyFive. She is also an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel.

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Landmines pose threat to over one million people in Cambodia

May 21, 2022

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA (XINHUA) – More than one million people in Cambodia still live in fear and work in areas contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs), a senior official said yesterday.

First vice president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority Ly Thuch said landmines and ERWs still continue to kill, injure and traumatise people, and severely impede social and economic recovery and sustainable development.

He said that since 1979, mines and ERWs have killed and injured nearly 65,000 people in the southeast Asian nation.

“Positively, because of mine action efforts in clearance and explosive ordnance risk education, the number of annual casualties has been brought down from 4,320 in 1996 to 44 in 2021,” he said at a high-level dialogue on mine action.

“But still today, throughout Cambodia, more than one million people live in fear and work in areas contaminated by mines and ERWs,” he added.

Mines and explosive remnants of war have killed and injured nearly 65,000 people in Cambodia since 1979. PHOTO: XINHUA

Cambodia is one of the countries worst affected by mines and ERWs. An estimated four to six million landmines and other munitions have been left over from three decades of war and internal conflicts that ended in 1998.

According to Yale University, between 1965 and 1973, the United States (US) had dropped some 230,516 bombs on 113,716 sites in Cambodia.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen wrote in his book titled Hun Sen: 10 Years of Cambodia’s Journey, 1979-1989 that the US bombings of Cambodia caused “tens of thousands of civilian casualties because of this vicious undeclared war”.

Thuch said from 1992 to April 2022, Cambodia cleared 2,379 square km of landmine/ERW contaminated land, destroying over 1.1 million anti-personal mines, more than 26,000 anti-tank mines and nearly three million ERWs.

He added that the cleared land had been used for agriculture, infrastructure development, and other purposes such as housing, villages, schools and healthcare centres with nearly 7.5 million beneficiaries.

“There is no doubt in my mind that humanitarian mine action has contributed significantly to socio-economic development in Cambodia by ensuring safe land for local community livelihood activities and sustainable economic development, while also reducing mine/ERW casualties,” he said.

Thuch said despite this remarkable achievement, the kingdom still needs to clear the remaining 736 square kilometres of land contaminated by mines by 2025.

Scorched earth: How a decade of war destroyed Syria's farmlands

Cluster bombs, mines and other remnants of war are a daily danger for Syrian farmers as well as leaving a toxic legacy that could contaminate the soil for decades

Ahmed al-Amin inspects his damaged farmlands in Jabal al-Zawiya,

 in the south of Idlib province 

(Bilal al-Hammoud/MEE)

By Harun al-Aswad
Published date: 21 May 2022

In rebel-held northwestern Syria, damage caused by Russian and Syrian government forces means the farmlands of Ahmed al-Amin and his neighbours are no longer suitable for cultivation.

"A Russian ballistic missile fell last month, destroying olive trees that are about 30 years old," Amin told Middle East Eye from his home in Jabal al-Zawiya, in the south of Idlib province.

"Indiscriminate shelling has swept away the soil, making farmlands rocky and unfit for agriculture. The farmlands are filled with remnants of war. Perennial trees have been cut down after being hit by shrapnel that spoiled their fruit," he said.

For farmers working to restore their lands to productivity, there are potential hazards with every step, posing a threat to more than just their livelihoods.

In April, unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices killed at least three civilians and injured at least five more in northwestern Syria, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In a report in March, the Syrian Civil Defence group, commonly known as the White Helmets, warned that cluster bombs posed the greatest danger to civilians because of their extensive use by Syrian government and Russian forces.

The group said it had documented the use of 11 kinds of the internationally prohibited weapon, and accused pro-government forces of using mines and cluster munitions as part of a "systematic policy aimed at causing the greatest possible harm to the population," and preventing the displaced from returning to their homes and cultivating their lands.

The group said it had responded to 20 explosions caused by remnants of war in 2021 and the first three months of 2022, which had killed 15 people including eight children and injured 27 others.

On Wednesday, the White Helmets said a boy was seriously injured in an explosion on farmland in Korin village, in southern Idlib.

White Helmets volunteers search Syrian farmlands for unexploded ordnance 

(Syria Civil Defence)

The group said its UXO (unexploded ordnance) teams in northwest Syria had so far disposed of more than 23,000 munitions, including more than 21,000 cluster bombs, at the cost of the lives of four White Helmets volunteers.

Ahead of the harvest season, it urged farmers not to tamper with remnants of war and said it had intensified awareness campaigns to educate civilians about the danger of unexploded ordnance.

Thousands of farmers like Amin now face a choice between risking their lives to revive their lands or abandoning a way of life that in many cases has sustained their families and communities for generations.

In the Afrin region, now controlled by Turkish-backed rebels, many farms lie deserted after farmers abandoned them because of the dangers posed by thousands of undetected mines.

The area was heavily mined by Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) forces before their withdrawal from Afrin in the face of a Turkish military offensive in early 2018.

Mines have been detonated by tractors tilling the soil, killing or injuring farmers and often destroying vehicles at a catastrophic economic cost.

On other occasions, mines have been exploded by passing herds of livestock, killing dozens of animals.

Deserted farmlands

Mines are still a danger in areas now back under Syrian government control. Previously fertile lands near Damascus, once populated by crops and trees, were largely destroyed before being recaptured by government forces in 2018.

"Much of the farmland is still deserted because the government is not making any effort to clear mines and the unexploded ordnance," a former farmer who worked in the area told MEE.

"These conditions apply to most agricultural land in large areas that the government has retaken in different parts of the country since 2014."

The Syrian government periodically posts updates about operations to detonate explosives it blames on "terrorists," a term it uses to refer to Syrian opposition fighters, as well as footage of military exercises on restored farmland, usually in former opposition strongholds in the north of the country.

But in a new report mapping out the impact of Syria's decade of war on agricultural lands in the northwest, the French-based Radio Rozana found that all parties to the conflict had contributed to the destruction and pollution of land, soil, crops and trees.


"Land was expropriated for military control, trees were cut down, and deadly experimental weapons were dropped on civilian and agricultural areas," said the report, which was produced in collaboration with Unbias the News, a Germany-based news company.

The report highlighted Russia's role in the conflict as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main ally. It said Russia had made Syria a testing ground for new weapons, citing a Russian state media report in 2018 in which Sergei Shoigu, Russia's defence minister, said his country's forces had tested 210 weapons in Syria.

The Syria Civil Defence said it had identified 11 types of cluster bomb used by Syrian government and Russian forces (Syria Civil Defence)

The report said pro-Syrian government forces had waged a "scorched earth" policy, which Syrian opposition officials estimated had destroyed 110,000 hectares in the northwest.

But it found that Syrian rebels and other forces involved in the conflict had also caused significant environmental damage.

It said Turkish-backed rebels in Afrin had burnt and uprooted about 280,000 olive trees in Afrin, including some that were more than 60 years old.

It also cited the case of a farmer in the town of Morek, near Hama in west-central Syria, who said that Turkish forces stationed on his land had cut down pistachio trees and bulldozed much of the area to construct defences, leaving the land unfit for agriculture.

Another farmer based near Aleppo told a similar story, describing how Turkish forces had turned part of his land into a military base without his permission.

Turkey built scores of military bases across northwestern Syria as part of a de-escalation agreement with Russia to secure a ceasefire in the region in 2018.
Contaminated soil

For Syrians, the impact of the devastation of the country's agricultural lands is immediate and life-threatening. About 12.4 million Syrians suffer from food insecurity, and more than 90 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the United Nations World Food Programme.

But the consequences will also be felt for generations to come.

Radio Rozana's report cited research by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation, which found that "modern warfare makes use of non-degradable weapons of destruction and of chemicals that can remain in the affected soils for centuries after the end of the conflict".

It described the "Zone Rouge" area of northeastern France, which was deemed to be unfit for human habitation after the First World War and where the soil in some areas remains contaminated by high levels of dangerous metals and chemicals as a consequence of battles fought over a century ago.

Experts say that removing unexploded ordnance is only the first step towards restoring Syria's farmlands, with laboratory analysis also required to establish whether the soil itself is safe for animals to graze and crops for human consumption.

Fadi Obeid, an agricultural engineer living in Idlib, said: "The heavy elements that make up explosives are absorbed by the soil, and then transmitted to humans, and, if the percentage of heavy metals exceeds the permissible limit, it may lead to cancer, and distortions are also transmitted to the animals, sheep and cattle, whose milk or meat humans feed on, besides the fear of killing farmers if it explodes."

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LIKE THEY DO FOR UKRAINE

Myanmar resistance urges West to provide arms for fight against junta

May 21, 2022


THE STAR – The defence chief of Myanmar’s shadow government has called for international help to arm its resistance forces fighting the ruling military, requesting support similar to that being given to Ukrainians battling invading Russian troops.

The people of Ukraine and Myanmar’s pro-democracy militias are all fighting for freedom and giving their lives, but those taking on Myanmar’s well-equipped army need more than international solidarity, said National Unity Government’s (NUG) Defence Minister Yee Mon.

“The stance of international community for Myanmar is moral support for us and we are grateful for it. We will be much more appreciative if we get physical support such as arms and funding,” he said in handwritten remarks provided to the media.

“With that support, we will be able to end the revolution sooner, minimising the loss of people and their property.”

Western allies have been arming fighters in Ukraine to resist Russia’s invasion, which Moscow calls a “special operation”.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since a coup early last year. PHOTO: THE STAR

Myanmar has been in turmoil since a coup early last year and the United Nations (UN) said more than 560,000 people have been displaced by fighting.

The NUG, an alliance of anti-junta groups, declared a “people’s defensive war” in the countryside last year to stifle efforts by the military to consolidate power after its deadly, months-long crackdown on pro-democracy protests. The junta has declared the NUG “terrorists”.

The militias are mostly lightly armed, using rudimentary rifles and homemade explosives to fight the well-equipped military, which has been accused by the United Nations of using heavy weapons and air strikes against civilian populations.

A spokesperson for the junta did not respond to calls seeking comment.

EDITORIAL: Leaders should stop auctioning public resources

The coffee contract between Uganda and Vinci fits into what has become a disturbing pattern. 

The East African
SATURDAY MAY 21 2022

Summary

Like many before it, the deal with Vinci represented the unrestrained impunity of the executive in Uganda, and the runaway transfer of wealth from the public to private interests.

Audit reports continue to unearth poorly structured infrastructure contracts in which Uganda is a net loser or exposed to the risk of losing public property to foreign interests.

The people who sign these dubious deals are intellectually well-equipped, yet they are rarely sanctioned for what are casually dismissed as “mistakes.”

In a rare show of resolve, the Ugandan parliament this week trashed a controversial deal which assigned a mystery company sole rights to market the country’s coffee. First entered into in 2015, the deal only became public a couple of months ago, as the executive tried to resuscitate it following non-performance.

In addition to free land, water, electricity and a monopoly on marketing premium grade coffee, the agreement between the government of Uganda and Uganda Vinci Coffee Ltd had also offered the company generous concessions, including a 10-year holiday on corporation tax, value added tax, immunity from contributing to and remitting employees social security contributions as well as their pay-as-you-earn tax deductions. The company would also have the first call on all the coffee crop, have the right to license any other exporters, set the prices for coffee across the domestic value chain and set up a soluble coffee plant.

Despite the generous concessions and the government having already spent $2 million on backfilling the site that had been allocated to Vinci Coffee, seven years later, the company has not delivered on any of its commitments.

Like many before it, the deal with Vinci represented the unrestrained impunity of the executive in Uganda, and the runaway transfer of wealth from the public to private interests. During the signing of a reinstatement deed that brought the deal to the fore last February, Ms Enrica Pineti was presented as the public face of Vinci Coffee Uganda. It turned out she signed as witness to an agreement whose real owners are not known to the Ugandan public.

In a meeting with members of a sectoral committee of parliament, President Yoweri Museveni somewhat opposed the sectoral committee’s recommendation to trash the agreement, reasoning that such action would scare away investors.

In a seating this past Tuesday, the House concluded that the deal was beyond redemption because it contravened Ugandan law and was therefore illegal.

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The coffee contract fits into what has become a disturbing pattern. In 2019, the government in another shady deal involving Ms Pineti, signed off promissory notes worth Ush1.4 trillion ($383 million), to build a high-end medical facility on the outskirts of Kampala. Despite cashing a significant portion of those notes, progress on the project is less than 20 percent. In the textiles and apparels sector, the government continues to pick up the utility bills for tax-exempt profit-earning private enterprises.

Audit reports continue to unearth poorly structured infrastructure contracts in which Uganda is a net loser or exposed to the risk of losing public property to foreign interests. The people who sign these dubious deals are intellectually well-equipped, yet they are rarely sanctioned for what are casually dismissed as “mistakes.”

It is scandalous that academically astute individuals should be allowed to preside over the mortgaging of the state in this age. The Executive should be held responsible for these lapses. And, as demonstrated by the outcome of the Vinci Coffee deal, parliament is very capable of asserting its independence for the benefit of the public.

East Africa remains haven for 1994 genocide fugitives

SATURDAY MAY 21 2022


The only genocide fugitive nabbed by the UN Mechanism since its inception in 2010 is Felicien Kabuga, arrested in France in May 2020. PHOTO | AFP

Summary

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda currently host the biggest number of wanted fugitives, 408 and 277 respectively as of May 19, 2022, according to figures by Rwanda Prosecution Authority (RPA). Tanzania hosts 52, Kenya 35 and Burundi 16.

This is despite these countries, with the exception of Kenya, being signatories to the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which obliges states to extradite Genocide suspects for trial to Rwanda or prosecute them in their own courts.

By BERNA NAMATA
More by this Author

East Africa remains a haven for fugitives accused of committing the Genocide Against the Tutsi almost 28 years after the massacres, with the region hosting 785 fugitives of the 1,147 wanted criminals.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda currently host the biggest number of wanted fugitives, 408 and 277 respectively as of May 19, 2022, according to figures by Rwanda Prosecution Authority (RPA). Tanzania hosts 52, Kenya 35 and Burundi 16.

This is despite these countries, with the exception of Kenya, being signatories to the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which obliges states to extradite Genocide suspects for trial to Rwanda or prosecute them in their own courts.

Article 3 of the UN resolution (S/RES/2950) 2014 urges states to “investigate, arrest, prosecute or extradite in accordance with applicable international obligations, all other fugitives accused of Genocide residing on their territories, including those who are FDLR leaders.”

So far, only 28 genocide fugitives have been extradited to Rwanda, with the majority coming from America — six. DRC and the Netherlands have extradited four each, Uganda three and Congo Brazzaville and Malawi one each.

Rwandan prosecutors say they face many challenges but working with countries, especially lack of political will and tricks by fugitives to avoid arrest and extradition, including alleging they are being sought for political persecution.

“We still have challenges, like fugitives changing identities, nationality, residential addresses, false claims related to their death. Also, sometimes we don’t have adequate information related to the whereabouts of the fugitives,” Faustin Nkusi, Spokesperson of Rwanda Prosecution Authority, told The EastAfrican.

While Western countries such as Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Finland, Norway, France, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands have so far prosecuted 24 Genocide suspects in their countries, no African country has prosecuted any.

There is concern that some fugitives successfully evade justice till their death, as some key witnesses may also have died or forgotten details of the cases.

Serge Brammertz, prosecutor of the IRMCT, maintains that the lack of cooperation, particularly in East and Southern Africa, remains a challenge despite his office providing evidence of some fugitives’ whereabouts.

Last year, Brammertz told the UN that his office still faced “immense challenges over the last three years in obtaining cooperation,” citing South Africa's failure to arrest Fulgence Kayishema, one the most wanted fugitives.

“Relying on records and sources, my office concluded in early 2018 that Kayishema was living in Cape Town, South Africa. This was confirmed by South Africa via Interpol in August 2018.”

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WAR CRIMINAL CAUCUS

Khalid bin Salman discusses Yemen truce with US special envoy Timothy Lenderking

Saudi Arabia's deputy defence minister offered the kingdom's support for a political solution to Yemen's civil war

Saudi deputy defence minister Prince Khalid bin Salman ended a four-day visit to Washington on Friday. AP

The National
May 21, 2022

Saudi Arabia's Prince Khalid bin Salman has called for international pressure on Yemen's Houthi rebels to abide by the terms of a UN-brokered ceasefire during a meeting with the US special envoy for Yemen, Timothy Lenderking.

Prince Khalid, the Saudi deputy defence minister, met Mr Lenderking on Friday at the end of a four-day visit to Washington during which he held talks with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and led the Saudi delegation at a meeting of the US-Saudi Strategic Joint Planning Committee.

“Although the momentum of the truce remains high, I reaffirmed the need for the United Nations and the international community to pressure the Houthis into reopening the roads of Taez, deposit revenue of the Hodeidah port, and engage with peace proposals,” Prince Khalid wrote on Twitter.

The two-month UN-brokered ceasefire began on April 2, at the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and has largely held despite reported Houthi violations.

Prince Khalid said he also assured Mr Lenderking of Saudi Arabia's support for a political solution to Yemen's civil war, which began when the Iran-backed rebels overran the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014 and the government abandoned the city in the spring of the following year.

“I affirmed to him the Saudi-led Coalition’s backing of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and its supporting entities, and our aspirations for reaching a comprehensive political resolution to the crisis that will lead Yemen into peace and prosperity,” he wrote on Twitter.

The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in March 2015 at the request of the internationally recognised government led by Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.

Mr Hadi stepped down in April to make way for a presidential council created following intra-Yemeni political discussions in Riyadh. The Houthi rebels rejected the choice of venue and refused to take part.

Updated: May 21, 2022

READ MORE

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COP15 Desertification Conference ends in Abidjan

A. Donwahi, Ivorian President of COP 15

By Lauriane Noelle Vofo Kana
with AFP Last updated: 21/05 

IVORY COAST

**The COP15 against desertification ended Friday in Abidjan with 38 decisions adopted to invest in land restoration and drought mitigation.
**

The UN COP15 conference to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) came to a close in Abidjan Friday.

After almost two weeks of talks on key themes like desertification or drought, Mauritanian Executive Secretary of the Conference of the parties, reiterated the need for effective steps to prevent further land degradation.

"Beyond the technical terms and discussions, all is really about life. It's about our well-being. Knowing that 40% of the planet's land surface is already damaged by human activity, I think, calls for action. So this COP is also a call to action on two major issues: land restoration and drought."

COP15 brought together leaders from governments, the private sector and civil society with a target for finding sustainable solutions for land restoration. However, climate activist Jean Claude Brou, climate activist regretted the absence of key witnesses who notice first-hand the effects of land degradation.

"The farmers experience the reality of land degradation, they are the ones battling it on all front, they farmers know this reality. The farmers are the ones who know the reality of the situation in the forests. They're organised in groups and could have been invited ! Instead, administrators, committees or agricultural organizations, attended, I do not agree with that."

Although drought is a global issue, a recent UN report noted that Africa is the hardest hit continent, with the Americas, India and Australia.

38 decisions

The 196 Parties pledged to boost drought resilience and invest in land restoration for prosperity in the future. 38 decisions were adopted among wich a more robust monitoring and data to track progress against land restoration commitments; new political and financial impetus to help nations deal with devastating impacts of drought and build resilience.

The US $2.5 billion Abidjan Legacy Programme will help future-proof supply chains while tackling deforestation and climate change.

The Abidjan meeting will be followed up during the UN climate summit in Egypt, scheduled on November.


Additional sources • UNCCD

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