UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged world powers to stop supplying arms to Libya’s rival governments and instead work toward a lasting cease-fire, warning that the future of the country “is at stake” (Al Jazeera).
With help from the United States, the Afghan government and the Taliban agreed on nineteen rules to prevent a breakdown in their peace talks, official sources said. Violence continues to rock Afghanistan despite the negotiations taking place in Qatar (Reuters).
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) lifted sanctions on Mali that were imposed following the August military coup that deposed former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The sanctions were lifted after a transitional, civilian government was announced, though many top cabinet posts have gone to military officials (Al Jazeera).
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that the fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, where more than three hundred people have been killed, could lead to a regional war. Turkey and Russia, allied with Azerbaijan and Armenia, respectively, could be drawn into the conflict (Reuters).
Both the Afghan government and the Taliban denied a report that cited three official sources and claimed they had agreed on ground rules for their peace negotiations. The two sides are reportedly still debating the religious basis for the talks and the pertinence of the U.S.-Taliban deal (TOLO).
Armenia and Azerbaijan’s conflict in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh escalated yesterday, with both sides accusing the other of targeting civilians. Authorities in the territory said the capital Stepanakert and the nearby city of Shushi were hit with missiles and artillery. Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said the city of Ganca, the country’s second largest, was similarly attacked (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty).
The United States welcomed Mali’s formation of a transitional government as an “initial step” toward restoring constitutional order. An eighteen-month transition to civilian rule is in place following the ouster of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August (Reuters).
President Ashraf Ghani is leading a delegation of top government officials to Kuwait and Qatar today. The trip comes amid peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban that have yet to move beyond preliminary meetings more than twenty days after the opening ceremony (TOLO).
Demonstrators yesterday marked one year since an economic downturn and government corruption sparked mass protests across Iraq. They commemorated the more than six hundred people who were killed during last year’s protests (Al-Monitor).
India’s army accused Pakistan of firing across the countries’ disputed border in Kashmir, killing three Indian soldiers (Times of India). Pakistan has recently accused India of violating a cease-fire (Al Jazeera).