MYANMAR: The government insisted today that its deadly military campaign against the Rohingya ethnic minority has been a legitimate counter-terrorism operation and does not amount to genocide, as it defended itself at the top United Nations court against an allegation of breaching the genocide convention.

Myanmar launched the ongoing campaign in Rakhine state in 2017 after an attack by a Rohingya insurgent group. Security forces were accused of mass rapes, killings and torching thousands of homes as more than 700,000 Rohingya fled into Bangladesh.

SUDAN: Food aid is set to run out by the end of March unless new funds are made available, the United Nations said on Thursday.

Nearly three years of fighting between Egyptian and Saudi Arabia-backed Sudanese Armed Forces and the United Arab Emirates-supported Rapid Support Forces have left tens of thousands dead, and 11 million displaced, in what many experts describe as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

YEMEN: The Houthi-led government in northern Yemen said today that it was continuing to monitor Israel’s activities in Somaliland and remains ready to strike any Israeli facility there. 

Leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi told the Al Masirah TV channel: “We stand ready to strike any Israeli presence or cluster in Somaliland, be it a military base or any other target within our reach.”

POLAND: The government has no plans to place mines along its border with Russia, Polish Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk told Radio Zet today.

He said: “Poland is preparing areas for border mining, but the actual mining could only occur in the event of an immediate threat of war,” with Russia.