Middle East and North Africa

The case of Project NEOM exemplifies the need for greater scrutiny of the application of anti-terrorism laws, the protection of human rights and the fair administration of justice in Saudi Arabia.

It is the Sudanese people who have no prospect of winning. The longer fighting drags on, the higher the risk of an expanded civil war, and the more likely foreign actors will get involved.

Despite the fall of IS in Northern Syria, closure for the many victims of their assaults and exploitation has not yet been obtained. Repatriation efforts appear insignificant at best, with hundreds of vulnerable children still being detained in inhumane conditions with little hope for freedom.

Violence against protesters would peak in the second half of 2022 with the death of Mahsa Amini. Ms Amini was arrested on September 13 for not adhering to Iran’s strict dress code.

Since 2019, Iraq has been plagued by constant demonstrations and protests against corrupt governance. In responding to these protests, many claim that the Iraqi government have disregarded not only human rights, but also civil and political rights such as freedom of expression & association.

As the 8th anniversary of the Yemeni Civil war approaches, hope to bring the bloody and brutal conflict to an end appears bleak. The HSC has today published an update on the situation in the country.

If the conflict is to continue in a legal manner, all parties to the conflict must understand the indiscriminate use of rocket/artillery to clear large areas will only result in more innocent lives being lost.

The attacks in Sa’ada are a sad reiteration of the disregard for civilian life in the ongoing conflict. The attack was one of many committed over the last 8 years that demonstrates how fast to act both sides to the conflict are in their ignorance towards their humanitarian obligations.

As with previous conflicts in Gaza, this latest exchange of hostilities saw Palestinian militant groups use civilian buildings for military purposes, with subsequent Israeli attacks targeting these same civilian structures to eliminate a military threat. However, Israel employs a strategy known as “Roof Knocking”, designed to limit the number of civilian casualties caused by their airstrikes.

In the last months of 2020, Israel normalized its ties with four Arab countries. In the case of Morocco, the US issued a proclamation, recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, making it the first country in the world to do so. What consequences such recognition will have on what is essentially a conflict in limbo is unclear.