Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused both <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/46-suspected-jihadists-killed-in-sinai-clashes-egypt-army-202636">Egyptian security forces and terrorist&nbsp;of committing "war crimes"</a> in their confrontation in the restive North Sinai region.

"While Egyptian military and police forces were responsible for the majority of abuses documented in the report, extremist militants have also committed horrific crimes," the New York-based group said in a 134-page report.

"Some of the abuses carried out by government forces and the militants, which this report documents, are war crimes, and their widespread and systematic nature could amount to crimes against humanity."

HRW compiled the report over two years interviewing more than 50 residents of the Sinai Peninsula, in northeast Egypt, where independent media coverage is effectively banned and a state of emergency has been in force since 2013.

In late 2017, North Sinai was the scene of the deadliest attack in Egypt's modern history when militants killed more than 300 worshippers at a mosque, without any group claiming responsibility.

Islamist militants have kidnapped and tortured scores of residents and also attacked security forces.

Security forces have likewise targeted Sinai residents arresting thousands and forcibly "disappearing" dozens, according to the HRW report.

Children as young as 12 have been detained in routine sweeps eventually being jailed in secret prisons.

Alongside the report, a video was released showing footage of air strikes on residents' homes and extrajudicial killings of suspected jihadists by security forces.

"Why all of this? Should we carry weapons and work with the militants or work with the army or live like victims? Everyone is preying on us," said a North Sinai resident interviewed for the report.

HRW called on the United States to halt all military assistance to Egypt until gross violations are fully investigated.

Egypt has for years been fighting a hardened insurgency in North Sinai, which escalated following the 2013 military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Since then, hundreds of police officers and soldiers have been killed in militant attacks.

In February 2018, the army launched a nationwide operation against Islamic extremists, focused on the North Sinai.

Some 650 militants and around 45 soldiers have been killed since the start of the offensive, according to separate statements by the armed forces.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused both Egyptian security forces and terrorist of committing "war crimes" in their confrontation in the restive North Sinai region.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused both Egyptian security forces and terrorist of committing "war crimes" in their confrontation in the restive North Sinai region. "While Egyptian military and police forces were responsible for the majority of abuses documented in the report, extremist militants have also committed horrific crimes," the New York-based group said in a 134-page report. "Some of the abuses carried out by government forces and the militants, which this report documents, are war crimes, and their widespread and systematic nature could amount to crimes against humanity." HRW compiled the report over two years interviewing more than 50 residents of the Sinai Peninsula, in northeast Egypt, where independent media coverage is effectively banned and a state of emergency has been in force since 2013. In late 2017, North Sinai was the scene of the deadliest attack in Egypt's modern history when militants killed more than 300 worshippers at a mosque, without any group claiming responsibility. Islamist militants have kidnapped and tortured scores of residents and also attacked security forces. Security forces have likewise targeted Sinai residents arresting thousands and forcibly "disappearing" dozens, according to the HRW report. Children as young as 12 have been detained in routine sweeps eventually being jailed in secret prisons. Alongside the report, a video was released showing footage of air strikes on residents' homes and extrajudicial killings of suspected jihadists by security forces. "Why all of this? Should we carry weapons and work with the militants or work with the army or live like victims? Everyone is preying on us," said a North Sinai resident interviewed for the report. HRW called on the United States to halt all military assistance to Egypt until gross violations are fully investigated. Egypt has for years been fighting a hardened insurgency in North Sinai, which escalated following the 2013 military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Since then, hundreds of police officers and soldiers have been killed in militant attacks. In February 2018, the army launched a nationwide operation against Islamic extremists, focused on the North Sinai. Some 650 militants and around 45 soldiers have been killed since the start of the offensive, according to separate statements by the armed forces.

Human Rights Watch accuses Egypt forces, militants of Sinai 'war crimes'

Sri Lanka Army is ready for any kind of investigation to defend its soldiers against allegations of grave human rights abuses at the end of the island nation's decades-long civil war against the LTTE.

Sri Lanka Army along with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was accused of war crimes during the final phase of the military conflict that ended in 2009 with the killing of LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran.

International rights groups accuse the military of killing 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final months of the war. The government of the time said not one civilian was killed.

"We have no fear to face any investigation because we have not done any crimes," Army chief Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake told reporters on Sunday in the southern town of Weligama.

Senanayake said in any war there will be civilian casualties.

"That is the hard truth. No war can be done without it. This does not mean we have done that during the war."

"Do not dig into the past, look at the positive things we have done over the last 10 years," Senanayake stressed.

Sri Lanka's rights accountability was called into question by repeated UN human rights council resolutions since 2012. In 2014, the resolution demanded an international investigation into the alleged war crimes blamed on both sides.

"No need for any international investigation. Our judiciary is capable of doing it," Senanayake said.

The Tamil rights groups and international watchdogs blame the troops of shelling hospitals, denying humanitarian supplies during the war and executing the surrendered fighting cadres. The Army has denied all accusations.

The Army chief's assertions came as the UNHRC is set to review Sri Lanka's progress since the last resolution in 2015. Having taken some of the steps, Sri Lanka seeks more time with a co-sponsored rollover resolution.

The leader of the main opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose time the UN resolutions came to adopt, charged that the government was planning to betray the troops by co-sponsoring this year's resolution which will be taken up this week in Geneva.

At least 26,000 soldiers lost their lives in the war with another 37,000 wounded, the government has said.

The Tamil Tiger rebels also lost heavily and the entire guerrilla leadership was wiped out in the military onslaught.

The government under Rajapakse, who ordered the offensive, faced international censure for refusing to acknowledge what the UN called credible allegations.

Sri Lanka Army is ready for any kind of investigation to defend its soldiers against allegations of grave human rights abuses at the end of the island nation's decades-long civil war against the LTTE.

Sri Lanka Army is ready for any kind of investigation to defend its soldiers against allegations of grave human rights abuses at the end of the island nation's decades-long civil war against the LTTE. Sri Lanka Army along with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was accused of war crimes during the final phase of the military conflict that ended in 2009 with the killing of LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran. International rights groups accuse the military of killing 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final months of the war. The government of the time said not one civilian was killed. "We have no fear to face any investigation because we have not done any crimes," Army chief Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake told reporters on Sunday in the southern town of Weligama. Senanayake said in any war there will be civilian casualties. "That is the hard truth. No war can be done without it. This does not mean we have done that during the war." "Do not dig into the past, look at the positive things we have done over the last 10 years," Senanayake stressed. Sri Lanka's rights accountability was called into question by repeated UN human rights council resolutions since 2012. In 2014, the resolution demanded an international investigation into the alleged war crimes blamed on both sides. "No need for any international investigation. Our judiciary is capable of doing it," Senanayake said. The Tamil rights groups and international watchdogs blame the troops of shelling hospitals, denying humanitarian supplies during the war and executing the surrendered fighting cadres. The Army has denied all accusations. The Army chief's assertions came as the UNHRC is set to review Sri Lanka's progress since the last resolution in 2015. Having taken some of the steps, Sri Lanka seeks more time with a co-sponsored rollover resolution. The leader of the main opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose time the UN resolutions came to adopt, charged that the government was planning to betray the troops by co-sponsoring this year's resolution which will be taken up this week in Geneva. At least 26,000 soldiers lost their lives in the war with another 37,000 wounded, the government has said. The Tamil Tiger rebels also lost heavily and the entire guerrilla leadership was wiped out in the military onslaught. The government under Rajapakse, who ordered the offensive, faced international censure for refusing to acknowledge what the UN called credible allegations.

Sri Lanka army ready for any war crime investigation

The United Nations called for a humanitarian truce in Yemen&#39;s&nbsp;province of Taiz after government forces captured a town from Iran-allied Houthi militia in heavy fighting that has spurred allegations of war crimes.

The fighting has complicated UN-sponsored peace talks, as envoys for the Houthis have delayed responding to UN&nbsp;proposals calling for Houthi pullouts from cities they control, including the capital Sanaa, and the creation of an inclusive government. 
 
James McGoldrick, the UN&nbsp;Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, voiced alarm at increasing bloodshed in the southwestern Taiz province, particularly the al-Sarari area, and the closure of Taiz city, the regional capital. 
 
He urged all warring parties to agree immediately to a &quot;humanitarian pause&quot; to protect civilians and cooperate with humanitarian agencies to help treat and evacuate war-wounded and deliver urgently needed medicine into the embattled zone. 
 
McGoldrick warned both parties that holding civilian populations hostage and depriving them of humanitarian assistance was illegal under international humanitarian law. 
 
Hadi supporters control most of Taiz, Yemen&#39;s third largest city with an estimated pre-war population of 300,000, but it is sealed off by Houthi forces on three sides. 
 
There were conflicting reports on the fighting in al-Sarari, a Houthi stronghold southeast of Taiz captured by troops loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi earlier this week. 
 
A Houthi envoy on a ceasefire committee assigned to oversee a shaky truce in Taiz wrote to the UN&nbsp;that Sarari residents had been subjected to &quot;war crimes&quot; including house burnings and the detention of 49 civilians including women and children. 
 
&quot;We call on you to swiftly intervene to stop these gangs and limit the massacres they have begun to commit against unarmed civilians,&quot; Ahmed al-Msawa said in the letter, seen by Reuters.

Two residents of a hamlet adjacent to Sarari said that at least 15 Houthi combatants were killed or wounded in the fighting. 
 
They said 40 other Houthis were taken prisoner but denied that any women or children were among them. They said most Sarari residents had fled to neighbouring communities. 
 
Hadi supporters have denied setting fires to houses and accused the Houthis of booby-trapping a Sarari mosque to try to kill as many Hadi supporters as possible. 
 
A Saudi-led alliance intervened in Yemen&#39;s conflict in March 2015 to try to restore Hadi to power after the Houthis seized Sanaa and advanced on his temporary headquarters in Aden, forcing him to flee to Saudi Arabia.

A ceasefire accord between the Houthis and Hadi loyalists has repeatedly been violated since it took effect in April. 
 
Peace talks in Kuwait since then have done little to end fighting that has killed more than 6,200 people and displaced more than 2.5 million in the Arabian Peninsula state. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

The fighting between government forces and Houthi forces regarding the control of Taiz has spurred allegations of war crimes

The United Nations called for a humanitarian truce in Yemen's province of Taiz after government forces captured a town from Iran-allied Houthi militia in heavy fighting that has spurred allegations of war crimes. The fighting has complicated UN-sponsored peace talks, as envoys for the Houthis have delayed responding to UN proposals calling for Houthi pullouts from cities they control, including the capital Sanaa, and the creation of an inclusive government. James McGoldrick, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, voiced alarm at increasing bloodshed in the southwestern Taiz province, particularly the al-Sarari area, and the closure of Taiz city, the regional capital. He urged all warring parties to agree immediately to a "humanitarian pause" to protect civilians and cooperate with humanitarian agencies to help treat and evacuate war-wounded and deliver urgently needed medicine into the embattled zone. McGoldrick warned both parties that holding civilian populations hostage and depriving them of humanitarian assistance was illegal under international humanitarian law. Hadi supporters control most of Taiz, Yemen's third largest city with an estimated pre-war population of 300,000, but it is sealed off by Houthi forces on three sides. There were conflicting reports on the fighting in al-Sarari, a Houthi stronghold southeast of Taiz captured by troops loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi earlier this week. A Houthi envoy on a ceasefire committee assigned to oversee a shaky truce in Taiz wrote to the UN that Sarari residents had been subjected to "war crimes" including house burnings and the detention of 49 civilians including women and children. "We call on you to swiftly intervene to stop these gangs and limit the massacres they have begun to commit against unarmed civilians," Ahmed al-Msawa said in the letter, seen by Reuters. Two residents of a hamlet adjacent to Sarari said that at least 15 Houthi combatants were killed or wounded in the fighting. They said 40 other Houthis were taken prisoner but denied that any women or children were among them. They said most Sarari residents had fled to neighbouring communities. Hadi supporters have denied setting fires to houses and accused the Houthis of booby-trapping a Sarari mosque to try to kill as many Hadi supporters as possible. A Saudi-led alliance intervened in Yemen's conflict in March 2015 to try to restore Hadi to power after the Houthis seized Sanaa and advanced on his temporary headquarters in Aden, forcing him to flee to Saudi Arabia. A ceasefire accord between the Houthis and Hadi loyalists has repeatedly been violated since it took effect in April. Peace talks in Kuwait since then have done little to end fighting that has killed more than 6,200 people and displaced more than 2.5 million in the Arabian Peninsula state. (Reuters)

UN?calls?for?humanitarian?truce?in?Yemen's?Taiz province

An amateur video shot by a resident of Mong Yaw village in Northern Shan State of Myanmar, shows a bloody path above a cornfield, where several bodies were exhumed from a mass grave. 
 
Witnesses said that soldiers entered the village of Mong Yaw on June 25 and rounded up dozens of men. 
 
Five were led away, never to be seen alive again. Two other men, brothers, were shot while trying to escape on a motorbike and their bodies found in a ditch, villagers said. 
 
&quot;I think Burmese soldiers killed my husband, as they are the people who arrested him in the first place,&quot; said 18-year-old Aye Lu, wife of one of the five missing men, 23-year-old Aik Sai. 
 
&quot;We even went to their (military) office and asked about my husband. They said they already released him. But he has not arrived home yet,&quot; said Aye Lu. 
 
For another local family, a similar story. 
 
22 year-old Sai Mong Tan was weeding a cornfield with his 17-year-old brother, Sai Shwe Lu, when the soldiers arrived.&nbsp;The military later said they had come under attack from rebels in the area, although local activists said there had been no insurgent activity. 
 
The brothers were marched to a nearby road, where dozens more soldiers had detained about a hundred people, and were forced to squat with their hands behind their heads.&nbsp;The soldiers beat and interrogated the men, demanding to know if anyone had spotted insurgents in the area, said Sai Mong Tan.&nbsp;He then watched as soldiers tied up his younger brother and the four other victims and led them away. 
 
Reuters could not independently confirm this account, although it matched the version of events described by other villagers, local officials and rights activists. 
 
Sai Mong Tan believes his brother was singled out because he didn&#39;t speak Burmese and couldn&#39;t answer the soldiers&#39; questions. 
 
Myanmar&#39;s armed forces have often been accused of abuses by human rights groups and Western governments during decades of conflict with ethnic armed separatists in its wild border zones. What is unusual in this case is that the military high command has been taking the allegations seriously. 
 
Major Thein Zaw of the army&#39;s Northeast command said a court martial had begun, although he could not say how many soldiers were on trial or what charges they faced, and local government officials said several soldiers had been arrested. 
 
Villagers say a senior army officer has promised them a full investigation.&nbsp;However, multiple requests by Reuters for comment from the army in the northern city Lashio and the capital Naypyitaw were declined or went unanswered. The military said it would address the issue at a news conference on Wednesday (July 20). 
 
It is extremely rare in Myanmar for soldiers to be held accountable for alleged abuses, or for such allegations to be investigated transparently, rights groups such as Amnesty International say. 
 
The military&#39;s response this time suggests a heightened sensitivity about its image, as it tries to present itself as a responsible partner in Myanmar&#39;s democratic transition and seeks closer ties with its Western counterparts. 
 
Myanmar was a military dictatorship for nearly half a century until a quasi-civilian government of former generals replaced the junta in 2011 and launched a series of political and economic reforms. 
 
Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was swept into office in April after winning a landslide election last year, but the military still holds immense power.&nbsp;Police and local officials told villagers in Mong Yaw in the days after the late June killings that they couldn&#39;t investigate because the military was already doing so. 
 
Then, on July 3, the region&#39;s vice-commander, Major General Kyaw Kyaw Soe, visited Mong Yaw and promised a full probe, said villagers. He also gave each bereaved family 300,000 Kyat ($250) as a gesture of sympathy, local people said. 
 
General Kyaw Kyaw Soe said some soldiers had been arrested, but gave no further details.&nbsp;A spokesperson from the local Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, Sai Leik, has called for an independent investigation. 
 
&quot;This should not be done by a military investigation alone. It should be a judicial process, they should have only a judicial process which can represent all sectors. The military cannot gain people&#39;s trust if they have the trial in the military court, meaning people cannot know what is happening during the trial,&quot; said Sai Leik 
 
&quot;That&#39;s why I want the independent justice to handle this case. Its judgments are independent, it is elected by the people, and there is no intervention from the government or military,&quot; added Leik. 
 
Most people in Mong Yaw are from the Shan or Palaung ethnic minorities. Soldiers mostly hail from the majority Bamar ethnic group, and often accuse villagers of harbouring insurgents. 
 
Ringed by misty hills, Mong Yaw lies in a remote corner of northern Shan State, a region ravaged by war and poverty. Thousands of people have been displaced by decades of fighting between the military and ethnic insurgents. 
 
(Reuters)

They seem to be taking the allegations seriously, suggesting a heightened sensitivity about its image as it seeks closer ties to the West

An amateur video shot by a resident of Mong Yaw village in Northern Shan State of Myanmar, shows a bloody path above a cornfield, where several bodies were exhumed from a mass grave. Witnesses said that soldiers entered the village of Mong Yaw on June 25 and rounded up dozens of men. Five were led away, never to be seen alive again. Two other men, brothers, were shot while trying to escape on a motorbike and their bodies found in a ditch, villagers said. "I think Burmese soldiers killed my husband, as they are the people who arrested him in the first place," said 18-year-old Aye Lu, wife of one of the five missing men, 23-year-old Aik Sai. "We even went to their (military) office and asked about my husband. They said they already released him. But he has not arrived home yet," said Aye Lu. For another local family, a similar story. 22 year-old Sai Mong Tan was weeding a cornfield with his 17-year-old brother, Sai Shwe Lu, when the soldiers arrived. The military later said they had come under attack from rebels in the area, although local activists said there had been no insurgent activity. The brothers were marched to a nearby road, where dozens more soldiers had detained about a hundred people, and were forced to squat with their hands behind their heads. The soldiers beat and interrogated the men, demanding to know if anyone had spotted insurgents in the area, said Sai Mong Tan. He then watched as soldiers tied up his younger brother and the four other victims and led them away. Reuters could not independently confirm this account, although it matched the version of events described by other villagers, local officials and rights activists. Sai Mong Tan believes his brother was singled out because he didn't speak Burmese and couldn't answer the soldiers' questions. Myanmar's armed forces have often been accused of abuses by human rights groups and Western governments during decades of conflict with ethnic armed separatists in its wild border zones. What is unusual in this case is that the military high command has been taking the allegations seriously. Major Thein Zaw of the army's Northeast command said a court martial had begun, although he could not say how many soldiers were on trial or what charges they faced, and local government officials said several soldiers had been arrested. Villagers say a senior army officer has promised them a full investigation. However, multiple requests by Reuters for comment from the army in the northern city Lashio and the capital Naypyitaw were declined or went unanswered. The military said it would address the issue at a news conference on Wednesday (July 20). It is extremely rare in Myanmar for soldiers to be held accountable for alleged abuses, or for such allegations to be investigated transparently, rights groups such as Amnesty International say. The military's response this time suggests a heightened sensitivity about its image, as it tries to present itself as a responsible partner in Myanmar's democratic transition and seeks closer ties with its Western counterparts. Myanmar was a military dictatorship for nearly half a century until a quasi-civilian government of former generals replaced the junta in 2011 and launched a series of political and economic reforms. Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was swept into office in April after winning a landslide election last year, but the military still holds immense power. Police and local officials told villagers in Mong Yaw in the days after the late June killings that they couldn't investigate because the military was already doing so. Then, on July 3, the region's vice-commander, Major General Kyaw Kyaw Soe, visited Mong Yaw and promised a full probe, said villagers. He also gave each bereaved family 300,000 Kyat ($250) as a gesture of sympathy, local people said. General Kyaw Kyaw Soe said some soldiers had been arrested, but gave no further details. A spokesperson from the local Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, Sai Leik, has called for an independent investigation. "This should not be done by a military investigation alone. It should be a judicial process, they should have only a judicial process which can represent all sectors. The military cannot gain people's trust if they have the trial in the military court, meaning people cannot know what is happening during the trial," said Sai Leik "That's why I want the independent justice to handle this case. Its judgments are independent, it is elected by the people, and there is no intervention from the government or military," added Leik. Most people in Mong Yaw are from the Shan or Palaung ethnic minorities. Soldiers mostly hail from the majority Bamar ethnic group, and often accuse villagers of harbouring insurgents. Ringed by misty hills, Mong Yaw lies in a remote corner of northern Shan State, a region ravaged by war and poverty. Thousands of people have been displaced by decades of fighting between the military and ethnic insurgents. (Reuters)

Myanmar's military investigates 'war crime' in era of reform

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