New Head of UN Observer Mission Lands in Yemen as Parties Tackle Prisoner Swap in Jordan

New head of UN observer mission in Yemen, retired Danish general Michael Lollesgaard. (UN)
New head of UN observer mission in Yemen, retired Danish general Michael Lollesgaard. (UN)
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New Head of UN Observer Mission Lands in Yemen as Parties Tackle Prisoner Swap in Jordan

New head of UN observer mission in Yemen, retired Danish general Michael Lollesgaard. (UN)
New head of UN observer mission in Yemen, retired Danish general Michael Lollesgaard. (UN)

The new head of the UN observer mission, Retired Danish general Michael Lollesgaard, arrived in Yemen on Tuesday to replace his predecessor, retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert.

Cammaert was appointed to the position in December following talks in Sweden between the legitimate government and Iran-backed Houthi militias that led to an agreement on a ceasefire in the port city of Hodeidah.

The UN observer mission was formed to oversee the implementation of the truce that has been hampered by Houthi intransigence.

Lollesgaard made no comments upon his arrival in Sanaa, an AFP correspondent said, and it was not clear when exactly he would begin his mission in Hodeidah.

Diplomats say relations have been strained between Cammaert and the Houthis.

The Houthis have accused him of running his own agenda, a claim disputed by the United Nations which said his only mission was to improve the lives of the embattled Yemeni people.

On January 17, his convoy came under fire in Hodeidah but he and his team escaped unhurt.

Lollesgaard, born in 1960, commanded the UN peacekeeping force in Mali (MINUSMA) from 2015 to 2016, and he then became Denmark's military representative to NATO and the European Union in 2017.

He was also military adviser to Denmark's UN mission in New York and served in peace support operations in Iraq and Bosnia

His new appointment was endorsed at the end of January by the UN Security Council.

Meanwhile, in Amman, the warring Yemeni parties began a new round of UN-brokered talks on a troubled prisoner swap deal that was agreed to during the Sweden talks.

At the end of January, the Houthis released a captured Saudi soldier while Riyadh set free seven Houthi prisoners but they are the only detainees exchanged under the deal so far.

UN envoy Martin Griffiths said he hoped the two sides would be more successful this time as he opened three days of talks in Amman.

"The aim of this event is to finalize... the lists of prisoners and detainees to be released and exchanged," he said.

"Success in this regard is not only of huge importance for those who will be released and return to their families but also to the broader political process in which we are engaged."

A senior official of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which will oversee the deal's implementation, said on Monday that it was "hanging in the balance," with trust among the parties "insufficient".

Each side has presented a list of up to 8,000 detainees to be freed, but many names cannot be accounted for, said the ICRC's director of operations, Dominik Stillhart, adding that the prisoner swap realistically would involve a significantly lower number.



EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
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EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)

The European Union on Monday condemned new Israeli measures to tighten control of the West Bank and pave the way for more settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, AFP reported.

"The European Union condemns recent decisions by Israel's security cabinet to expand Israeli control in the West Bank. This move is another step in the wrong direction," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni told journalists.


Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The atrocities unleashed on El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region last October were a "preventable human rights catastrophe", the United Nations said Monday, warning they now risked being repeated in the neighbouring Kordofan region.

 

"My office sounded the alarm about the risk of mass atrocities in the besieged city of El-Fasher for more than a year ... but our warnings were ignored," UN rights chief Volker Turk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

 

He added that he was now "extremely concerned that these violations and abuses may be repeated in the Kordofan region".

 

 

 

 


Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

The General Secretariat of the Arab League strongly condemned decisions by Israeli occupation authorities to impose fundamental changes on the legal and administrative status of the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the West Bank, describing them as a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and signed agreements, SPA reported.

In a statement, the Arab League said the measures include facilitating the confiscation of private Palestinian property and transferring planning and licensing authorities in the city of Hebron and the area surrounding the Ibrahimi Mosque to occupation authorities.

It warned of the serious repercussions of these actions on the rights of the Palestinian people and on Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The statement reaffirmed the Arab League’s firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the establishment of their independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.