Conditions in South Sudan were repeatedly likened to those in Rwanda on the eve of its genocide at a special session of the U.N. human rights council held on Wednesday, with a top official warning that escalating ethnic violence has left the country teetering on the brink of disaster. …On the third anniversary of the civil war in the world’s youngest country, members states heard that swift action was required to prevent a genocide, including targeted sanctions and the deployment of a 4,000-strong protection force to separate the warring parties. The meeting heard severe criticism of the role of the existing UN peacekeepers in South Sudan, who risked becoming “guilty bystanders” to atrocities. (Guardian http://bit.ly/2hwGBEJ)
See, food…Eight of the world’s largest seafood companies have promised for the first time to improve transparency and the traceability of their catches to stop illegal fishing and protect the oceans, they said on Wednesday. After a meeting organized by the Stockholm Resilience Center between seafood companies’ chief executives and scientists, the CEOs signed an agreement on ocean stewardship. The companies promised to help reduce illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and seek to ensure that such products and endangered species are not present in their supply chains. (Reuters https://yhoo.it/2hwxlAs)
Quote of the day: “Family planning is absolutely part and parcel of economic development, just like agriculture and education” — Melinda Gates (AFP https://yhoo.it/2h1gfKA)
Top Stories
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh will not be allowed to remain head of state if he refuses to go after his elected term ends next month, and will face strong sanctions if he clings to power, the top U.N. official in West Africa said on Wednesday. (Reuters https://yhoo.it/2hOQqxn)
Eleven headless bodies have been dumped in a nature reserve in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, a local news website reported on Wednesday. (Reuters https://yhoo.it/2huovpW)
Heavy clashes including shelling and gunfire raged in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Wednesday after a truce deal meant to halt fighting between government forces and rebels stalled, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. (Reuters https://yhoo.it/2hupKW3)
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari proposed Wednesday a multi-billion dollar jump in spending designed to lift the nation out of the “most challenging economic situation” in its history. (AFP https://yhoo.it/2hufOMp)
Colombia’s FARC rebels have expelled five commanders for refusing to demobilize and join a peace process with the government aimed at ending more than five decades of war, guerrilla leadership said. (Reuters https://yhoo.it/2hubqg6)
The leader of Yemen’s rebel Houthi government on Wednesday accused Britain of war crimes by supplying weapons that Saudi-led forces were using to “bomb the people.” (AFP https://yhoo.it/2hugktC)
China appears to have installed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, on all seven of the artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea, a U.S. think tank reported on Wednesday, citing new satellite imagery. (Reuters https://yhoo.it/2hwB0OU)
Tanzania’s president, John Magufuli, has vowed to root out corruption in his ruling party, threatening “no mercy” for anyone giving or taking bribes. (Reuters http://bit.ly/2hwtuDK)
The EU on Wednesday hailed Niger for sharply curbing the flow of irregular migrants coming to Europe as Brussels steps up aid-for-cooperation efforts with African countries. (AFP https://yhoo.it/2hwsY8B)
Some elite U.S. politicians’ denial of the science backing up climate change is worrying, the United Nations environment chief said on Wednesday, adding that the fight against global warming would continue, even without the United States. (Reuters https://yhoo.it/2huqv1z)
Investors need more information about the risks companies face from global warming so they can fund development of the new technologies that are needed to control climate change and mitigate its effects, a task force said Wednesday. (AP https://yhoo.it/2hwsM9v)
Opinion/Blogs
A Mass Atrocity is Underway in Aleppo and There is No Indication that It Can Be Stopped (UN Dispatch http://bit.ly/2gLZeX2)
The Fall of Aleppo (IRIN http://bit.ly/2huhe9n)
What can Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and the Matrix teach us about how change happens? (From Poverty to Power http://bit.ly/2gK6mES)
The Nauru Dilemma (Dev Policy http://bit.ly/2gBH7zC)
What we know about Exxon’s Rex Tillerson and his likely impact on development (Devex http://bit.ly/2h1rliu)
Can $2.2 billion buy peace and prosperity in Central African Republic? (IRIN http://bit.ly/2huqBWD)
Does pay-for-performance in education work at scale? Evidence from a nationwide program in Peruvian secondary schools (Development Impact http://bit.ly/2hOwxGy)
8 possible picks for Trump’s USAID administrator (Devex http://bit.ly/2gM5jTk)
