ICYMI | #138

Our weekly roundup of stories you may have missed.

Protests worldwide for Palestine

Hundreds of thousands joined protests this weekend to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, including over 11,000 in Berlin and up to 500,000 in London. Over 30,000 people have gone missing, been killed or wounded in the besieged enclave since 7 October. Western governments continue to insist on Israel’s right to defend itself, as ground forces push into northern Gaza and the West Bank. 

This Saturday, take a stand against the ongoing genocide and occupation at the demo ‘Free Palestine Will Not Be Cancelled’ at Berlin’s Alexanderplatz from 14:00.

War in Sudan

Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have renewed peace talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, four months after they were halted due to ceasefire violations. Now in its seventh month, the war in Sudan has claimed 9000 lives and displaced 5.6 million people in the region. Sudan’s medical system is on the brink of collapse amid rising hunger and outbreaks of cholera and dengue fever. 

Crisis in Congo

Over 200,000 people have been displaced by conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the beginning of October. A six-month period of relative calm was brought to an end this month by renewed clashes between the M23 armed group and pro-government militias in the east of the country. The ongoing humanitarian crisis stemming from conflict in the DRC is one of the world’s most neglected crises, with more than 4 million people displaced in 2022 alone.

Dagestan

A crowd of people stormed the airport in Mackhachkala in the southern Russian Republic of Dagestan yesterday evening targeting Israeli passengers on a plane arriving from Tel Aviv. Russian news reports people in the crowd chanting antisemitic slogans and carrying banners saying “We’re against Jewish refugees.” The incident was the latest in a series of anti-semitic attacks in the region in the wake of the violence in Gaza.

Syria Escalation

With much of the international media’s attention diverted, the war in Syria is at its “worst point in four years” according to Paulo Pinheiro, head of the UN-established Commission of Inquiry. Last week, there were a series of US airstrikes on Iran-backed militia targets, and earlier this month, up to 70,000 people were displaced in the rebel-held northwest by a wave of attacks by Syrian-Russian alliance forces, who have been accused of committing crimes against humanity. 

New Malaria Vaccine

In a huge step forward in the fight against malaria, a new malaria vaccine developed to protect children is showing a 13% reduction in malaria-related deaths and a 22% reduction in severe cases of the illness. After a successful pilot rollout in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, 17 African countries are now due to adopt the vaccine next year, a move that will save tens of thousands of lives. 

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