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Rudaw reports that an extended Kurdish family fleeing Raqqa for SDF-held Hasaka was waylaid at a checkpoint by pro-government forces on Jan. 18, and summarily executed—after being asked if they were Arabs or Kurds. At least six of the party of 12 were killed, including three children. The remainder managed to escape, although some were wounded.
]]>Denmark and Greenland began the year by rejecting any suggestion of US control over Greenland, stating that the island’s sovereignty remains absolute, despite comments by Donald Trump that referenced a proposed Arctic security framework with NATO.
Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a televised address January 5 condemned what she called threats, pressure and condescending speech “from our closest ally for generations.” She criticized talk of “wanting to take over another country, another people, as if it were something you could buy and own.” Frederiksen called the behavior “entirely unacceptable,” and reaffirmed Denmark’s sovereignty and commitment to international norms.
She added: “If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stop, including our NATO, and thus the security that has been established since the end of the Second World War.”
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen echoed these sentiments on Jan. 22, emphasizing that only Greenland and Denmark hold the authority to make decisions concerning the island. Nielsen noted what he called Greenlanders’ “red lines”: respecting territorial integrity, upholding sovereignty, following international law, and ensuring mutual respect in decision-making. He rejected any notion that Greenland could be “owned” by another country, and stressed the need for respectful dialogue and consideration of each party’s intentions.
Since 2019, during his first term, and increasingly since his second-term election, Trump has repeatedly stated that the US should control Greenland. Trump has justified this demand on national security grounds. Trump repeated these claims at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 21, while for the first time denying that he would use force. He called Denmark “ungrateful” and said it owed the US for its defense during the Second World War. He said US control would allow development that would benefit both Europe and the US, and claimed no other country could secure the territory.
Trump supposedly worked out a deal for some kind of control over Greenland with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the Davos summit—but no details have been provided, and NATO of course has no authority over the island. In a Fox Business interview on Jan. 22, Trump said the US would have “all the military access we want” in Greenland—which leaves unclear what, if anything, would change, as Denmark has never restricted US military access to Greenland.
Several European leaders at Davos responded angrily to Trump’s demands, including French President Emmanuel Macron, who called his plans a form of colonialism and said Europe will not “passively accept the law of the strongest.” (Jurist)
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said in a report on Jan. 22 that it urgently needs USD $128 million to sustain its operations in Nigeria through June, warning that more than a million people in the country’s northeast could lose access to emergency food and nutrition aid within weeks as violence surges across the nation.
The WFP will face food and cash shortfalls immediately, placing emergency food and nutrition activities at risk. The program will be forced to suspend operations in late February if funding is not urgently raised, which would leave millions of people without food and basic life necessities. (Jurist)
UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, on Jan. 23 expressed grave concern following Israeli forces’ demolition of the UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem. Albanese called for invocation of Article six of the UN Charter to suspend Israel’s membership. Article six permits the expulsion of a UN member for persistently violating the principles of the UN Charter.
Albanese stated:
I am horrified by the Government of Israel’s relentless destruction, carried out with total impunity. Israel is dismantling the United Nations and international law brick by brick in full view of the world. Attacking UNRWA is tantamount to bulldozing the world’s efforts to sustain Palestinian life. Genocidal rhetoric by Israeli officials that has accompanied these demolitions leaves no room for doubt.
On Jan. 20, Palestinian Wafa News Agency reported that “an Israeli army force, accompanied by bulldozers, stormed the agency’s compound after sealing off the surrounding streets and intensifying its military presence in the area, and proceeded to demolish structures inside the compound.”
On Jan. 23 UNRWA warned that Israeli authorities may shut down the Qalandia training center on the West Bank, which could interrupt the education of hundreds of students.
The destruction of the UNRWA compound has been widely condemned by institutions such as the UN itself, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the EU, among others.
Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, defended the move, stating: “UNRWA-Hamas had already ceased its operations at this site and no longer had any UN personnel or UN activity there. The compound does not enjoy any immunity and the seizure of this compound by Israeli authorities was carried out in accordance with both Israeli and international law.”
According to section two of Israel’s Law to Cease UNRWA Operations in the Territory of the State of Israel, UNRWA shall not operate within the sovereign territory of the State of Israel. The passing of the bill in 2024 was widely condemned as violating international law. Further, the UNRWA compound operates in East Jerusalem which is part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories and as such is not subject to Israeli sovereignty. (Jurist)
A small band of “moderate” House Democrats teamed with Republicans Dec. 22 to pass a bill to fund the Homeland Security Department, overcoming a revolt by most Democrats furious about ICE’s aggressive operations in Minneapolis and other cities. The vote was 220-207, with seven Democrats breaking with their party and voting yes. (NBC News)
]]>Syria’s Defense Ministry on Jan. 24 announced a 15-day ceasefire extension between the Syrian Army and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) amid deteriorating security and humanitarian conditions in the northeast.
The ministry said the ceasefire would come into effect at 11 PM local time, three hours after the original ceasefire expired. The news came amid reports that the Army and SDF were mobilizing troops and engaging in tense standoffs in various locations across northeast Syria.
The Defense Ministry said the extension would support the US military to “evacuate ISIS detainees from SDF prisons to Iraq.”
The SDF in a statement confirmed the agreement which was reached “through international mediation,” saying that “dialogue with Damascus continues.” The Kurdish-led force affirmed its “commitment to the agreement.” (Rudaw)
]]>Yemen faces its most dangerous food security phase in years, according to a Jan. 19 report by the IRC. Over 18 million people are expected to experience worsening food insecurity by early 2026, and an additional one million are at risk of life-threatening hunger. The cause is not escalating conflict but collapsed household purchasing power and sharp cuts in humanitarian aid. Nearly 80% of households report severe hunger, and half of households with young children have at least one malnourished child. The IRC is urging immediate donor action to restore food security and nutrition assistance. (TNH)
]]>Libyan authorities rescued more than 220 people from an underground prison operated by human traffickers in the southeastern town of Kufra on Jan. 18. Those freed were primarily from Somalia and Eritrea and included women and children. (TNH)
]]>The Iranian government has released its first official death toll from recent protests in the country, saying 3,117 people were killed. International rights groups have given far higher tolls, but the ongoing communications blackout means any figures are impossible to verify. President Trump has renewed his threats against the Islamic Republic, warning that a US “armada” is en route to the region and that he is monitoring the Iranian leadership’s response to the protests “very closely.” (TNH)
]]>The number of people affected by internal armed conflict in Colombia increased threefold last year. In the northeastern region of Catatumbo alone, turf wars between the ELN—the country’s largest rebel group—and FARC “dissidents” caused the displacement of 100,000 people. In the Amazonian Guaviare region, 27 people were killed in clashes between rival groups on Jan. 19. (TNH)
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