Situation in Ethiopia (per 9 April) Ethiopian police arrested Yetbarek Dawit in Shire, Tigray region, accused of running a multi-million-dollar human trafficking network since 2018, along with nine alleged accomplices, following a cross-border investigation. The network allegedly operated five detention warehouses in Libya where victims were tortured and forced to call their relatives to pay […]
The Need for Peace in Israel
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 8 April 2026 (IDN) — Over the last five years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has regularly walked into the courtroom where he is being tried for corruption. In November last year, he unsuccessfully sought a presidential pardon. He is difficult to read—his public mask only deepens the ambiguity. […]
Bluster Without Strategy: Trump’s Ill-Fated Iran War
By Alon Ben-Meir* Trump’s address to the nation on the Iran war was intended to project control and resolve. Instead, it revealed indecision and disarray, marked by contradictions, self-praise, and shifting objectives. What was billed as a declaration of strength became a striking exposé of confusion and faltering leadership—both at home and abroad. NEW YORK […]
Remembering Stephen Lewis — A Tireless Advocate for Africa, Women, and Children
By Kul Chandra Gautam* KATHMANDU, Nepal | 5 April 2026 (IDN) — I join many former UNICEF staff members in expressing profound sorrow at the passing of Stephen Lewis, a friend, colleague, mentor, and fellow Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF. I first learned about Stephen Lewis in the 1980s when he was the Canadian Ambassador […]
A Lament for the Rules-Based International Order
By Reihshan Deen* COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 4 April 2026 (IDN) — In 1648, the Thirty Years’ War came to an end. Beginning as a religious and political conflict between Catholics and Protestants regarding freedom of worship and the power of secular authorities to impose their beliefs on their subjects, the war fed upon itself, […]
After Recognition: The UN’s Next Reckoning on Slavery
Will global powers act—or stall—on reparative justice? By Ramesh Jaura This article first appeared on https://rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 2 April 2026 (IDN) — The United Nations’ declaration of the transatlantic slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanity” marked a moment of moral clarity on March 25, 2026. Yet, almost immediately, geopolitical tensions and diverging […]
Situation Report: Sexual violence used as “weapon of war” in Sudan
Situation in Sudan (per 01 April) At least 3,396 survivors of sexual violence, out of which 97% are women and girls, have been registered at the health facilities run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in North and South Darfur between January 2024 and November 2025. MSF warned the figure represents only a fraction of actual […]
Is Islam Violent? A Question Framed by Fear
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 1 April 2026 (IDN) — Is Islam violent? ISIS in Syria. Iraq and West Africa. In Pakistan, there is Lashkar-e-Taiba and the attempted murderer of the schoolgirl, Malala Yousafzai. Immigrant Moroccan men roughly pushing women and fondling them in the crowd in Cologne. Murderous bombs in Paris and Manchester. […]
Situation Report: Court case of alleged Eritrean smuggler Kidane starts in the Netherlands
The summary of the Walid Hearings in Court in The Netherlands can be accessed on the EEPA website Kidane first Court Hearing The Netherlands (per 31 March 2026) Kidane appeared in a public Court hearing for the tribunal in Zwolle, The Netherlands. The Zwolle Tribunal was previously in charge of the trials of Walid (Tewelde […]
Situation Report: Somali federal forces clash with Southwest State forces
Situation in Sudan (per 30 March) The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allies in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N) shelled residential areas in Dilling city, South Kordofan, for several hours, resulting in at least 14 deaths, including children, and at least 23 wounded. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) claim to have repelled an […]