A cease-fire between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia rebels in conflict-ravaged Eastern Ukraine entered into effect today. The agreement, which came after two dozen failed attempts, has earned support from European Union officials, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Deutsche Welle).
A UN report showed that 1,282 Afghan civilians were killed and another 2,176 injured in the first six months of 2020. The figures mark a 13 percent decrease in civilian casualties compared to the same period last year, though deaths and injuries caused by the Taliban and Afghan security forces have not decreased (TOLO).
Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reached an agreement for a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine to begin on July 27 (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty).
President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the killing of five aid workers by Boko Haram. The terrorist group announced in a video that they executed the workers, kidnapped last month, because their ransom was not paid (This Day).
The presidents of Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal are visiting Mali in hopes of brokering a deal between embattled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and opposition leaders. Thousands of protesters in the capital, Bamako, have demanded Keita’s resignation and eleven were killed by security forces earlier this month (Al Jazeera).
Russia and Turkey, the main power brokers in Libya’s civil war, agreed to continue pushing for a cease-fire. Turkey insisted that rebel commander Khalifa Haftar withdraw his troops from critical positions for a deal to be made. Russia backs Haftar while Turkey backs the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (Reuters).
Some forty-five people, including insurgents and civilians, were killed by Afghan military air strikes on a gathering celebrating the release of a Taliban leader. A spokesperson for the U.S. military said the United States was not involved in the attack, which U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad condemned (Washington Post).
Russian President Vladimir Putin greenlit a $4 billion loan to cash-strapped Venezuela (MercoPress).
Mali’s political opposition is halting protest for a temporary truce ahead of the Muslim festival Eid al-Adha, which begins July 30 and runs through August 3. Leaders from the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal, and Niger will fly to Mali tomorrow for talks regarding the ongoing political impasse (France 24).
Israeli forces yesterday demolished a building used as a quarantine center for Palestinians in the West Bank. The UN’s Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, Nicholay Mladenov, said he is “concerned” with the decrease in coordination between Israelis and Palestinians amid the COVID-19 outbreak and Israel’s impending annexation plans (Al Jazeera).