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International Peace & Security Section
Sudan: RSF Claims Control of West Kordofan Town as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
Asia: Floods Kill Over 1,250 People in South and Southeast Asia
Guinea-Bissau: Electoral Commission Declares Election Results Destroyed After Coup
Lebanon: UN Peacekeepers Condemn Continued Israeli Airstrikes
ICC: El Hishri Appears Before Pre-Trial Chamber for Alleged Crimes Against Humanity in Libya
On 1 December 2025, German authorities surrendered Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri to the International Criminal Court (ICC) pursuant to a warrant alleging crimes against humanity and war crimes in Libya. It is alleged El Hishri was a senior Mitiga Prison official, responsible for the detention of thousands of people for prolonged periods. He is accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, rape and sexual violence, allegedly committed in Libya between 2015 and 2020. Following his transfer, the accused made his initial appearance on 3 December 2025, during which the Pre-Trial Chamber confirmed his identity, informed him of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, and of his rights under the Rome Statute. The confirmation of charges hearing was provisionally scheduled for 19 May 2026, which will allow the Chamber to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to support the claims that the accused committed the crimes. If charges are confirmed, the case will proceed to a trial.
https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-libya-khaled-mohamed-ali-el-hishri-icc-custody
IRMCT: Mladić Request for Reconsideration of Release Decision Denied
On 1 December 2025, the President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) issued a public decision denying Ratko Mladić’s request for reconsideration of an earlier ruling refusing provisional release on compassionate grounds, confirming that he would remain detained to serve the life sentence imposed for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The President recalled that reconsideration requires demonstration of a clear error of reasoning or particular circumstances justifying intervention to avoid injustice, and held that neither newly submitted guarantees from Serbia and Republika Srpska nor arguments about Mladić’s limited mobility met that standard. The decision stressed that state guarantees are not dispositive in provisional-release determinations, that Mladić’s health and age had already been taken into account, and that his prior fugitive history and previous refusals of release by the ICTY and Mechanism remained relevant under established jurisprudence. By denying the request, the President upheld the earlier decision and the enforcement of Mladić’s final sentence.
ICC: OTP Opposes Israel’s Request to Disqualify Prosecutor Karim Khan
On 1 December 2025, the International Criminal Court’s Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) formally opposed Israel’s request to disqualify Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan from leading the investigations into the Situation in Palestine (ICC-01/18). The OTP asked the Appeals Chamber to dismiss Israel’s application in limine, that is, without analysing the merits, arguing that Israel lacks the legal standing required under the Rome Statute to seek the Prosecutor’s removal. According to the OTP, only individuals who are themselves under investigation or prosecution may request disqualification, arguing that Israel does not qualify as a “person being investigated or prosecuted” within the meaning of Article 42(8)(a). The OTP further argued that there is no basis for the Appeals Chamber to act on its own initiative in this matter. It also stated that the arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant remain valid and unaffected by Israel’s submissions, emphasising that the warrants underwent a rigorous review and were independently issued by Pre-Trial Chamber I. Additionally, on 2 December 2025, the Appeals Chamber granted the Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV) the right to participate, pursuant to Regulation 81(4) of the Regulations of the Court. The Chamber ordered the OPCV to file written submissions representing the general interests of victims in relation to Israel’s request by 10 December 2025.
https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/CourtRecords/0902ebd180d2b07e.pdf
https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/CourtRecords/0902ebd180d2b07d.pdf
France: Witnesses Detail RCD-N Abuses and Command Structure in Third Week of Lumbala Trial
On 2 December 2025, details emerged from the third week of Roger Lumbala’s trial (24–28 November 2025) before the Paris Assize Court, during which witnesses described the operations and abuses of the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie–National (RCD-N). According to Trial International, a former RCD-N intelligence officer described the group’s command structure, Uganda’s influence, and the use of pillage as a means of compensating troops. Civil parties recounted how Lumbala’s forces took control of towns in Tshopo Province with support from the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), seized diamond-mining operations, and carried out summary executions, enforced disappearances, torture, and looting. Several witnesses stated they were detained in degrading conditions and threatened ahead of their testimony. Pastors, community elders, and survivors also described arbitrary taxation, violent reprisals, and forced labour. Many linked Lumbala’s troops to killings, public executions, and the recruitment or coercion of civilians during operations such as “Effacer le tableau.” Survivors of sexual violence testified under protection due to ongoing threats. Testimony further highlighted coordinated military actions, the involvement of Mouvement de Libération du Congo (MLC) reinforcements, and the role of senior RCD-N officers in establishing control and enforcing exploitative systems. One high-ranking insider, himself assaulted while in exile, detailed structural abuses in Isiro. The court also examined audiovisual material, media archives, and Lumbala’s own recorded statements, in which he denied responsibility and shifted blame to other commanders, including Jean-Pierre Bemba.
https://trialinternational.org/latest-post/the-lumbala-trial-week-3/
IACHR: Colombian Family Files Complaint Over Fisherman Killed in US Strike
On 3 December 2025, it was reported that the family of Colombian fisherman Alejandro Carranza, killed in a US strike in the Caribbean on 15 September, filed what is believed to be the first complaint to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) concerning such attacks. US lawyer Dan Kovalik, representing Carranza’s wife and children, alleges that the strike constituted an extrajudicial killing and violated both US and international law. The petition names US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth as responsible, claiming his actions were endorsed by President Donald Trump. Since early September, at least 22 US strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats have killed 83 people. The US maintains that the attacks targeted cartel members and comply with international law, while Kovalik and Colombian President Gustavo Petro insist that Carranza was a professional fisherman with no significant ties to drug trafficking. On the day the petition was filed, the IACHR called on the US to ensure that all security operations, including those conducted abroad, respect human rights, the right to life, due process, and accountability.
IACHR: Refers Case to Court Over Ecuador’s Failure to Protect Disabled Woman from Sexual Violence
On 3 December 2025, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) announced that it had submitted Case 13.730 against Ecuador to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on 29 August 2025. The case concerns G.C.A.M., a mentally disabled woman, and the State’s failure to provide her with adequate protection. G.C.A.M. reported in 2010 that she had been subjected to domestic violence and physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. Although charges were filed in 2012, the investigation was later closed, and the court provisionally ended the case in 2013. Authorities disregarded her testimony, questioned her credibility, and repeatedly required her to restate her account, exacerbating her suffering. The case also involves irregularities in the civil registration of her child, born as a result of rape. G.C.A.M. faced threats and assaults from family members, and authorities failed to protect her. In Merits Report 32/23, the IACHR determined that Ecuador violated G.C.A.M.’s rights to a fair trial, equal protection, judicial protection, and physical and moral integrity, as well as her son’s rights to juridical personality, a name, and child protection. The Commission requested that the Court order comprehensive reparations, healthcare, reopening of the investigation, correction of the civil registry, and the implementation of measures to prevent recurrence, including protocols for persons with disabilities and official training on equality and sexual and reproductive rights.
https://www.oas.org/es/cidh/decisiones/Corte/2025/EC_13.730_NdeREs.PDF
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Court Upholds Acquittal of Former Politician Accused of War Crimes
On 4 December 2025, the appeals chamber of the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina upheld on final appeal the acquittal of former Serb member of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s tripartite state presidency Borislav Paravac and co-defendants Andrija Bjelosevic and Milan Savic. Their charges concerned the wartime persecution of Bosniak and Croat civilians in the Doboj and Teslic regions in 1992, including murders, unlawful detentions, and forced resettlements. The court concluded that the prosecution had not proved participation in a joint criminal enterprise or any other form of criminal responsibility. The appellate panel affirmed that the trial chamber had correctly applied evidentiary standards and had reasonably determined that neither direct involvement nor contribution to the charged acts had been established, thereby confirming the legal and factual foundations of the acquittal. The judgement cannot be appealed.
ECtHR: Court Rules in Favour of Applicant in Pay Discrimination Case
On 4 December 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) held in Ortega Ortega v. Spain that the applicant’s dismissal, imposed shortly after she succeeded in equal-pay litigation, violated Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination) taken with Article 8 (right to private life) because the domestic courts had failed to protect her from retaliatory treatment and had not conducted a Convention-compliant balancing of competing interests. The Court found that the national tribunals did not adequately assess the broader context of longstanding sex discrimination or the possibility that confidentiality considerations had been used to justify a dismissal that undermined the applicant’s earlier judicial victory. It held that the reasoning adopted by the employment courts did not ensure effective protection against reprisals, thereby negating the substantive guarantee that individuals must be able to pursue discrimination claims without fear of adverse consequences. The judgment emphasised the State’s positive obligation to secure non-retaliatory working conditions when discrimination proceedings are engaged. Spain was ordered to pay non-pecuniary damages.
ECtHR: Court Declares Prison Conditions Complaint Inadmissible
On 4 December 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) declared Văscăuţanu v. Romania inadmissible after finding that, from 6 April 2023 onwards, an application to a post-sentencing judge under Article 56 of Law No. 254/2013 had constituted an effective preventive remedy for complaints under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) (prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment). The applicant, Gheorghe-Vasile Văscăuţanu, a Romanian national currently detained, alleged that the conditions of his detention in Romanian prisons amounted to continuing inhuman and degrading treatment. He brought the complaint under Article 3 and Article 13 (right to an effective remedy). The Court examined domestic case-law showing that the remedy had been applied consistently and had produced improvements in material conditions, and that it complemented the compensatory remedy. The Chamber further relied on national reforms implemented after the Rezmiveș pilot judgment, including infrastructure improvements and reductions in prison density, which strengthened the enforceability of judicial orders. Because the applicant had neither used the preventive remedy nor pursued the compensatory mechanism for earlier periods of detention, the Court concluded that domestic avenues had not been exhausted. The case was therefore declared inadmissible.
https://www.echr.coe.int/w/inadmissibility-decision-concerning-romania-1
ICC: Sentencing in Ali Kushayb Case to Be Delivered on 9 December 2025
On 4 December 2025, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that Trial Chamber I will deliver its sentencing judgment in the case The Prosecutor v. Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (‘Ali Kushayb’) on Tuesday, 9 December 2025, at 09:30 (The Hague local time). The public hearing will take place in Courtroom I at the ICC’s headquarters and will be streamed live on the ICC website. Abd-Al-Rahman, known as Ali Kushayb, is a former senior leader of the Janjaweed militias in Darfur, Sudan. He surrendered in the Central African Republic and was transferred to ICC custody on 9 June 2020. On 6 October 2025, Trial Chamber I found him guilty of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur between August 2003 and April 2004. The Chamber will next determine his sentence and subsequently open the reparations phase for victims. The conviction of Ali Kushayb represents the first in the Darfur, Sudan situation and the first case referred to the Court by the UN Security Council. It is also the ICC’s first conviction for crimes involving gender-based persecution.
https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/sentencing-abd-al-rahman-case-9-december-2025-practical-information
https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-office-prosecutor-conviction-mr-abd-al-rahman
Canada: First non-EU Country to Join EU Defence Fund
On 1 December 2025, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada has joined the European Union’s €150 billion (US$170 billion) Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence fund, granting Canadian defence companies access to EU-backed loans for military procurement. The move makes Canada the first non-EU country to participate and reflects Carney’s aim to diversify military spending away from the United States following tensions with President Donald Trump. Carney stated that SAFE participation would “fill key capability gaps, expand markets for Canadian suppliers, and attract European defence investment into Canada”. The government is reviewing its purchase of US F-35 fighter jets and considering other options, with the potential for increased production in Canada being a key factor. So far, Sweden’s Saab has put forward a proposal for the Gripen, promising that if Canada chooses this fighter jet, assembly and maintenance would take place domestically. Canada has also pledged to meet NATO’s military spending guideline by early 2026. Meanwhile, talks on UK participation in SAFE have ended without agreement over financial contributions.
https://apnews.com/article/canada-eu-defense-fund-3ea41b8e57020579745c3c2dc8152c59
Sudan: RSF Claims Control of West Kordofan Town as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
On 1 December 2025, Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed full control of Babanusa, a strategic transport junction in West Kordofan, following a reported clash with the Sudanese army. The army denied the RSF’s claim, saying its troops had repelled attacks and accused the RSF of continuing assaults despite a unilateral ceasefire announcement. The war, stemming from a power struggle since April 2023, has already seen RSF forces capture El-Fasher, Darfur’s last army stronghold, in October. International efforts, including a proposed three-month truce from the US, UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have so far failed to halt the fighting. Meanwhile, civilians face worsening conditions across Kordofan and Darfur. UN agencies report communities in Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan are under “siege conditions.” Hospitals including Al-Nuhud have been overrun, and thousands of children are malnourished or separated from families. UNICEF and WHO stress the urgent need for safe passage, humanitarian aid and medical care. Despite efforts, Sudan’s humanitarian response plan is only 35% funded, leaving millions in dire need.
Asia: Floods Kill Over 1,250 People in South and Southeast Asia
On 2 December 2025, devastating floods and landslides across South and Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, killed over 1,250 people, with officials warning the death toll could rise. The widespread disaster was attributed to tropical storms, including Typhoon Koto and Cyclones Senyar and Ditwah, which climate scientists attribute to increased rainfall caused by climate change and the warming of the atmosphere and oceans. Additionally, local factors such as deforestation and changes in land use in countries such as Indonesia exacerbated the conditions by reducing the land’s ability to absorb water. Climate advocates used the crisis, which displaced over 1.1 million people in Sri Lanka alone, to urge wealthy nations to urgently deliver grant-based financing to help affected countries respond to climate-induced disasters.
Guinea-Bissau: Electoral Commission Declares Election Results Destroyed After Coup
On 2 December 2025, Guinea-Bissau’s electoral commission announced it was unable to complete the results of the presidential election held on 23 November 2025, following the military coup six days earlier. The commission stated that armed men had seized and destroyed ballots, tally sheets, and the main server storing the results, which had been due to be announced the following day, making the process “impossible” to continue. Major-General Horta Inta-A was sworn in as the new transitional president on 27 November, with the military subsequently banning demonstrations. The military takeover and the destruction of the electoral records drew immediate condemnation and pressure from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to restore constitutional rule.
Yemen: UAE-Backed STC Seizes Key City in Hadhramaut
On 3 December 2025, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) announced it had seized large parts of Yemen’s Hadhramaut province, including the strategic city of Seiyun. The area contains roughly 80% of Yemen’s oil reserves, making the advance a significant development in the country’s stalled war. The STC, which seeks an independent southern state, clashed with government-aligned forces and tribal fighters. While all oppose the Iran-backed Houthis controlling northern Yemen, competition among factions is intensifying. Analysts say the STC is consolidating control as Saudi Arabia pursues a potential political settlement with the Houthis. The offensive has escalated tensions with influential tribal leader Amr bin Habresh, who earlier this year demanded a larger share of oil revenues and seized fields from the government. This week, Yemen’s oil firm Petromasila halted production in two major areas citing security conditions, causing blackouts in the province. STC units have since advanced toward facilities held by bin Habresh’s forces. The tribal leader vowed to fight back in a video flanked by armed supporters, raising fears of deeper fragmentation in Yemen’s south.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-uae-backed-stc-seizes-control-seiyun
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/world/middleeast/yemen-militias-attack-oil-uae.html
DRC-Rwanda: Sign US-Brokered Peace Deal
On 5 December 2025, it was reported the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) met at the White House on Thursday to sign a deal aimed at ending the conflict in eastern DRC. US President Donald Trump praised both leaders for signing the agreement, which could give the US access to the region’s critical mineral reserves. The signing comes after months of mediation efforts led by the US, African Union, and Qatar, and builds on a Regional Economic Integration Framework that officials say will shape future economic cooperation among the three countries. Yet analysts caution that the deal is not expected to yield quick results and is unlikely to bring relief to the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Despite the hopeful tone struck by both Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi at the ceremony, fighting between the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and the Congolese army was reported in South Kivu Province at the time of the signing. Notably, the M23 was neither represented at the talks in Washington nor bound by the agreement, although it has taken part in separate Qatar-mediated discussions within DRC.
Kenya: British Soldiers Accused of Widespread Abuses
On 5 December 2025, a Kenyan parliamentary report accused British troops training in the country of widespread abuses, including killings, sexual abuse, and serious human rights and environmental violations spanning decades. The inquiry into the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK) found a “disturbing trend” of sexual misconduct, including rape and the abandonment of children, alongside severe environmental damage and “gross negligence” with unexploded ordnance. The report, which followed years of complaints, including the high-profile 2012 murder of Agnes Wanjiru, recommended that Kenya’s Attorney General seek the extradition of suspects and compensation for all victims. While community activists hailed the findings as a victory against impunity, the British High Commission in Nairobi disputed the report, claiming BATUK were not adequately represented in the inquiry.
Lebanon: UN Peacekeepers Condemn Continued Israeli Airstrikes
On 5 December 2025, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that recent Israeli airstrikes on villages such as Marounah, Majadel and Baraashit, occurred within its area of operations, constituting what the mission described as “clear violations” of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. UNIFIL cautioned both Israel and Lebanese actors against any further escalation and called on Israel to utilise existing liaison and coordination mechanisms. It warned that continued strikes and any retaliatory reactions risk endangering civilians and peacekeepers alike. In fact, the UN Security Council has arrived in Lebanon for discussions with the national institutions. These actions come amid a volatile domestic and regional context. The fragile ceasefire in Gaza, brokered by the United States in October, has failed to stop Israeli operations across the region, including in the West Bank where there has been an increase in Israeli military raids and settler violence. These patterns are raising fears of renewed intensified conflict across Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166523
https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166522
https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/unifil-statement-5-december-2025
US: New National Security Strategy Criticises Europe and Signals Pivot to Western Hemisphere
On 5 December 2025, the Trump administration’s newly released National Security Strategy (NSS) places Europe at the centre of an ideological reassessment of US global priorities. The 33-page document argues that current European political and demographic trends risk leaving the continent “unrecognisable” within two decades and that some European states may no longer possess the economic or military strength needed to remain dependable US allies. The NSS also accuses the EU and other multilateral institutions of undermining national sovereignty, suppressing political opposition, and eroding cultural identity, a stance that reinforces Washington’s growing alignment with far-right movements. European officials pushed back, with Germany’s foreign minister warning that internal democratic debates fall outside the scope of alliance politics, even as he stressed NATO’s continued importance. Overall, the document signals a recalibration of US expectations, urging Europe to assume greater responsibility for its own security while highlighting Washington’s intention to prioritise threats in the Western Hemisphere, a stance embodied by the administration’s push for peace with Russia and its belligerent focus on Venezuela.
Weekly News Recap (5 – 11 January 2026) © Photo by Kurdishstruggle via FlickrInternational Justice SectionNigeria: Former Justice Minister Granted Bail in Graft Case Bosnia and Herzegovina: New War Crimes Charge Against Bosnian-Serb Commander Currently Serving Genocide Sentence Somalia: Investigation Launched into Yemeni Separatist Leader’s Flight via Mogadishu AirportICJ: Myanmar
Weekly News Recap (29 December 2025 – 4 January 2026) © Photo by Taymaz Valley via Flickr International Justice Section ECtHR: Six-Week Deadline Set for Third-Party Intervention in Kavala v. Türkiye (No. 2) IRMCT: Rejects Kayishema’s Request to Revoke Referral to Rwanda Syria: Authorities Open Criminal Investigation into Assad-Era Mass
Weekly News Recap (15 – 21 December 2025) © Photo by Transparency International EU Office via Flickr International Justice Section ICC: Appeals Chamber Rejects Israel’s Attempt to Pause Palestine Investigations ICC: Extension Granted for Ali Kushayb’s Appeal Filing in Sudan Case France: Court Sentences Roger Lumbala to 30 Years for
