Page 7 - aruba-today-20201007

A7
WORLD NEWS Wednesday 7 OctOber 2020

U.N. report says South Sudan has healed little since civil war

By CARA ANNA and MAU- country from a transitional
RA AJAK government into elections
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — and merges once-warring
South Sudan has made no forces.
concrete steps toward na- South Sudan, the world's
tional healing more than youngest country, has seen
two years after the end of very little peace. It won its
a civil war that killed nearly independence from Sudan
400,000 people and sent in 2011 after years of fight-
more than 2 million people ing and erupted in conflict
fleeing, a new United Na- two years later as support-
tions report says. ers of President Salva Kiir
Now some government and deputy Riek Machar
forces are fueling new fight- began fighting.
ing by arming community Machar is again Kiir's vice
militias with assault rifles, president under the new
rocket-propelled grenades government.
and machine guns to at- Despite the formal end of
tack neighboring commu- the war, vicious fighting
nities, says the report by continues in parts of the
the Commission on Human country including Jonglei
Rights in South Sudan, pre- state, where hundreds of
sented this week to the U.N. In this Saturday, June 27, 2020 file photo, trainees for a unified security force parade with the people have been killed
Human Rights Council. wooden mock guns which they use to train with, during the visit of the defense minister to a military this year. The survivors now
It's a bleak look at what the training center in Owiny Ki-Bul, Eastern Equatoria, South Sudan. face flooding that has dis-
authors call "the govern- Associated Press placed more than a half-
ment's manifest lack of po- million people, further im-
litical will to end impunity communal level but driven deal and we are all work- tended in May for another periling food security as
for serious crimes." by national actors who arm ing for it?" He asserted of year. prices rise amid the CO-
The "staggering scale" of ethnic militias and para- the authors: "All these are The new report calls for the VID-19 pandemic and re-
sexual violence, as well as military groups with military- reports written by people government to allocate at strictions on travel.
corruption and the use of grade weapons using the who are seated comfort- least 1% of the country's oil In September, the U.N. sec-
starvation as a weapon of ostensible cover of cattle- ably in Juba hotels. They revenues to reparations to retary-general warned that
conflict, remain dangers in raiding, which in turn leads write such reports to guar- citizens harmed during the South Sudan is one of four
a country ranked as one to reprisals and revenge antee their continuity" in five-year civil war. It also countries that face the risk
of the worst in the world killings – all under the cov- their posts. urges the government to of famine. In Jonglei, he
to live. More than half the er and control of parties In February, the country's ri- establish a Commission on said, the attacks on agri-
population is hungry, and to the conflict in South Su- val leaders formed a coali- Truth, Reconciliation and cultural and pastoral land
COVID-19 is spreading dan," the report says. tion government that many Healing as well as a long- and the looting of livestock
through a nation whose Government spokesman observers prayed would delayed hybrid court to and food has left more
health system was largely Michael Makuei rejected last this time around. But address crimes including than 1.4 million people fac-
shattered. the report, asking, "Why further steps toward peace genocide, war crimes and ing crisis or worse levels of
Instead of peacebuilding should we mobilize militia have fallen behind, and crimes against humanity. acute food insecurity. At
and accountability, "po- against certain mentalities the country remains awash The report also seeks fast- least 350,000 children have
litical violence is spiraling at the time when we have in weapons despite a U.N. er implementation of the severe or moderate acute
out of control at the inter- already signed a peace arms embargo that was ex- peace deal that moves the malnutrition.q

Indian capital launches campaign to curb toxic air pollution

By SHEIKH SAALIQ and AN- to lodge photo-linked com- than a million Indians die
IRUDDHA GHOSAL plaints against polluters. every year because of air
Associated Press "Polluted air can be life- pollution-related diseases.
NEW DELHI (AP) — Authori- threatening in view of the New Delhi has had 285,103
ties in New Delhi launched COVID-19 pandemic. Both confirmed cases of the
an anti-pollution campaign affect the lungs," Kejriwal coronavirus, including 5,510
on Monday in an attempt said. deaths.
to curb air pollution levels Health experts say high Among the many Indian
ahead of winter, when the air pollution levels over a cities gasping for breath,
capital is regularly covered prolonged period have New Delhi tops the list ev-
in toxic haze, and warned compromised the disease ery year. Winters have
that filthy air could make resistance of people living become a time of health
the coronavirus pandemic in New Delhi, one of the woes, when the city is cov-
more dangerous. world's most polluted cities, ered with a toxic haze that
The capital's top elected making them more suscep- obscures the sky and blocks In this Nov. 1, 2019, file photo, an Indian walks up to the stairs
leader, Arvind Kejriwal, said tible to the coronavirus. sunlight. Pollution levels as Delhi's sky line is seen enveloped in smog and dust in New
the government will start Earlier studies have also soar as farmers in neighbor- Delhi, India.
an anti-dust campaign, suggested that high levels ing agricultural regions set Associated Press
reduce smoke caused by of air pollution can make fire to clear their land after
agricultural burning and in- viral infections more dan- harvests and prepare for sions, pollutants from fire- sharply increase in winter,
troduce a mobile applica- gerous. the next crop season. crackers linked to festivals, exacerbating the public
tion that will allow citizens It is estimated that more Vehicle and industrial emis- and construction dust also health crisis.q