Ethiopia to name new head of Tigray interim administration: PM

NEW YORK CITY: The UN on Thursday expressed deep concern about the escalating political and security situation in South Sudan. It urged all parties to exercise restraint and honor the terms of the country’s Revitalized Peace Agreement.

On Wednesday, an armed convoy led by the nation’s top security officials, including its defense minister, entered the home of First Vice President Riek Machar in Juba, disarmed his bodyguards and placed him under house arrest.

Tensions between Machar and President Salva Kiir had been escalating for several weeks. In August 2018, the two leaders reached a peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war between their forces, which had resulted in nearly 400,000 deaths. In the seven years since then, however, their relationship has grown more strained due to ethnic conflicts and occasional violence. Machar’s party said his detention effectively signaled the collapse of the peace deal.

This week, the UN reported that barrel bombs thought to contain highly flammable liquid were used in airstrikes during clashes between the army and a rebel group formerly associated with Machar.

Speaking during the UN’s daily briefing on Thursday, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, warned that the detention of Machar was a significant step toward further instability in the country and a possible return to war.

It “takes the country yet one step closer to the edge of a collapse into civil war and the dismantling of the peace agreement,” he said.

Dujarric highlighted the dire humanitarian situation in South Sudan, where 9.3 million people are now in need of assistance and many face the combined effects of ongoing conflict, climate change and a worsening economic crisis.

“South Sudan’s people can ill afford to endure the consequences of a civil war,” he said. “It is vital that the leaders of the country put the interest of the people first and foremost.”

The peacekeeping UN Mission in South Sudan called on Kiir and Machar to resolve their differences peacefully, end military confrontations, and work together to guide the nation toward a democratic future. The mission reiterated its commitment to supporting the country in its efforts to overcome the challenges it faces and maintain peace.

South Sudan is the world’s youngest country, having gained independence from Sudan in July 2011.

MOSCOW: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that President Donald Trump’s push for control over Greenland wasn’t surprising given longtime US interest in the mineral-rich territory.
Speaking at a policy forum in the Artic port of Murmansk, Putin noted that the United States first considered plans to win control over Greenland in the 19th century, and then offered to buy it from Denmark after World War II.
“It can look surprising only at first glance and it would be wrong to believe that this is some sort of extravagant talk by the current US administration,” Putin said. “It’s obvious that the United States will continue to systematically advance its geostrategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic.”
Trump irked much of Europe by suggesting that the United States should in some form control the self-governing, mineral-rich territory of Denmark, a US ally and NATO member. As the nautical gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America, Greenland has broader strategic value as both China and Russia seek access to its waterways and natural resources.
US Vice President JD Vance and his wife are due to visit an American military base in Greenland on Friday on a trip that was scaled back after an uproar by Greenlanders and Danes.
Speaking on Thursday, Putin noted that Russia is worried about NATO’s activities in the Arctic and will respond by strengthening its military capability in the polar region.
“We are certainly concerned about NATO members describing the Far North as the region of possible conflicts,” he said, noting that Russia’s neighbors Finland and Sweden have joined the alliance. “Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic, but we will closely follow the developments and mount an appropriate response by increasing our military capability and modernizing military infrastructure.”
Russia has sought to assert its influence over wide areas of the Arctic in competition with the United States, Canada, Denmark and Norway as shrinking polar ice from the warming planet offers new opportunities for resources and shipping routes. China also has shown an increasing interest in the region, believed to hold up to one-fourth of the Earth’s undiscovered oil and gas.
“We won’t allow any infringement on our country’s sovereignty, reliably safeguard our national interests while supporting peace and stability in the polar region,” Putin said.
While pledging to strengthen Russia’s military foothold in the Arctic, Putin said that Moscow was holding the door open to broader international cooperation in the region.
“The stronger our positions will be, the more significant the results will be and the broader opportunities we will have to launch international projects in the Arctic involving the countries that are friendly to us, and, possibly, Western countries if they show interest in joint work. I’m sure the time will come to launch such projects.”
Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Putin’s envoy for international investment who took part in talks with US officials, told reporters last month that Russia and the US should develop joint energy ventures.
“We need joint projects, including in the Arctic and other regions,” he said.