Photo : Andrew Kasuku, AP Photo
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : Andrew Kasuku, AP Photo
IN BRIEF
Narmatha S and Vetriselvi Baskaran
Kenya: Signs a “reciprocal” deal with Haiti
On 1 March, Kenyan President William Ruto announced that Kenya and Haiti signed a “reciprocal” agreement to deploy a police force as part of a UN mission fighting gang violence in Haiti. Ruto stated that with Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry he discussed “ the next steps to enable the fast-tracking of the deployment”, but it was not immediately clear whether the agreement would counter a court ruling in January that branded the deployment “unconstitutional.” Kenya had previously agreed to deploy 1,000 police forces, however was halted by its constitutional court which alleged that the country cannot deploy its force outside. (“Kenya, Haiti sign ‘reciprocal’ agreement on police deployment: Ruto,” Al Jazeera, 1 February 2024)
Sudan: UN human rights chief warns of war crimes
On 1 March, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, stated that a deliberate attempt to disrupt access to humanitarian agencies in the war-torn Sudan would imply a war crime. He stated: “Sudan has become a living nightmare. Almost half of the population – 25 million people – are in urgent need of food and medical aid. Some 80 per cent of hospitals have been put out of service.” The development came after aid supplies were looted, humanitarian workers were attacked and humanitarian agencies complained about bureaucratic challenges to reach out to the conflict-hit regions. According to the UN, the fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed at least 14,600 people and injured 26,000. (“UN official warns of possible war crimes, rape as a weapon in Sudan,” Al Jazeera, 1 March 2024)