World news these days is abundant and reads a bit like lyrics to Billy Joel's masterclass:
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world has been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it
.
After 466 days of terror, a ceasefire in the Israeli-Gaza war has been brokered, lasting 42 days and including both prisoner and hostage exchanges. This week, we saw this agreement taking shape with more and more hostages and prisoners being released. Videos and photos of moments of relief have conquered global news.
More silently, almost overshadowed by the glamorous shots of long-torn-apart families reuniting, we witness the return of the tens of thousands of Gazans to their rubble-reduced houses. Jubilant scenes are being seen, while others stare at their erased homes in despair.
To back this long-awaited victory of diplomacy, help is now bitterly needed.
The UNs main agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is a promising candidate - and since Thursday it has been forced to vacate its offices in Jerusalem, disabling it from providing effective help. Various governments have expressed grave concerns about this Israeli decision as humanitarian needs in Gaza are glooming. The Trump administration, however, has expressed approval for this step, making it unlikely that Israel will quickly back down from its stance. The Israeli reasoning behind their vacation order consists of suspicions that UNRWA employees took part in the 7 October attacks and hostages had been held in UNRWA facilities. While UNRWA recognizes these claims as very serious, it is keen to reiterate that a ban will be catastrophic and deepen the suffering of Palestinians. Whether Israel will fold under international pressure to facilitate the proliferation of humanitarian relief remains to be seen.
Travelling some thousands of kilometres down south the Democratic Republic of Congo has seen the escalation of a long-swelling regional conflict. The country's east has been rocked by violence for several decades and is home to hundreds of local armed groups. One of these, M23, has now captured Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu and home to more than two million inhabitants. The M23 militia claims to secure Tutsi minority rights in the country's east and accuses the government of joining forces with ethnic Hutu militias, responsible for the 1994 Tutsi genocide.
Along with severe humanitarian concerns, this renewed violence has issued diplomatic implications as to the involvement of Rwanda, a neighbouring state to this region. UN experts claim that 4000 Rwandan soldiers are taking part in the latest M23 campaign that aims to “liberate” Kinshasa, the DRC capital. With Congolese government forces now set to launch a counteroffensive, this conflict may now take another turn.
Diplomatically, this crisis threatens relations between Rwanda, the DRC and neighboring states. On Friday, leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) convened, and are set to debate the rebel advance and the issuing of penal measures against Rwanda.
Across the Atlantic, tensions remain high.. After DeepSeeks AI launch caused Wall Street to tremble on Monday, we can expect yet another economic earthquake. On Saturday, the White House imposed tariffs of 25% on its neighbors, Mexico and Canada. Partly, this measure was taken in response to “the illegal fentanyl they had sourced and distributed in our country, killing tens of millions of Americans”, according to the White House press secretary. Further, the Trump administration imposed 10% tariffs on all Chinese goods - tumultuous times ahead!
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