Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

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Source: Greenpeace Statement –

The devastating floods that struck Maroua last weekend are the latest in a pattern of climate-driven disasters spreading across Cameroon. Greenpeace Africa stands in solidarity with the people of Maroua and warns that flooding of this scale is no longer an isolated event but a national emergency that is becoming more frequent, more severe and increasingly costly.

Since the start of the rainy season, devastating floods have also affected Douala, Yaoundé and Limbe. Together with Maroua, these events expose the growing vulnerability of Cameroon’s cities and communities to the combined impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, rapid urbanisation and inadequate waste management.

Dr. Livinus Nchini, of Greenpeace Africa, said:

“Across Cameroon, healthy forests are one of our most effective natural flood defences, and the Congo Basin is the backbone of that system.  As forest cover is stripped away, the country loses its ability to regulate rainfall, absorb excess water and stabilise soils. No amount of concrete infrastructure can fully replace what a living forest does for a watershed. Forest loss is one of the forces making floods across the country more frequent and more severe. “

Hydro-meteorological disasters have become Cameroon’s most significant environmental threat, with floods and landslides accounting for more than three-quarters of recorded natural hazards in recent years. As forests continue to disappear, the ecosystems that regulate rainfall, absorb excess water and stabilize soils are being weakened, increasing the risk of flooding and landslides. At the same time, poorly planned urban expansion, settlements in flood-prone areas and drainage systems clogged with plastic waste are turning heavy rainfall into recurring humanitarian emergencies.

Recent years demonstrate that Cameroon is facing a structural crisis rather than isolated disasters. Floods and landslides continue to claim dozens of lives every year while affecting hundreds of thousands. Communities are repeatedly displaced, livelihoods destroyed, and public health emergencies, including cholera outbreaks, become more likely as critical infrastructure is damaged.

Dr. Livinus Nchini added:

“Floods are not acts of God, they are the consequence of Governance  choices. Climate change is intensifying extreme weather, but weak urban planning, continued destruction of forests, poor waste management and inadequate investment in resilient infrastructure are magnifying its impacts. These disasters can no longer be treated as exceptional events. They require urgent political action.”

Greenpeace Africa calls on the Government of Cameroon to:

• Strengthen climate adaptation measures in flood-prone communities;
• Protect and restore the Congo Basin forests as critical natural infrastructure for climate resilience;
• Enforce effective waste management policies and prevent plastic waste from obstructing drainage systems;
• Invest in resilient urban planning and drainage infrastructure that prioritizes the safety of vulnerable communities;
• Integrate nature-based solutions into national and local climate adaptation strategies.

The increasing frequency of floods across Cameroon is a warning that climate change is no longer a future threat but a present-day reality. 

ENDS

Media Contact

Luchelle Feukeng: Communication and Storytelling Manager: [email protected]  +237656463545

Livinus Nchini, PhD: Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace, [email protected], +237578801489

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

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Source: Amnesty International –

The UK Supreme Court today dismissed an appeal by Bahrain, which has been claiming state immunity against a long running lawsuit filed by two political activists, Saeed Shehabi and Moosa Mohammed for allegedly suffering psychological harm after their laptops were infected with FinSpy spyware while they were in the UK, in an operation they believe was authorized and directed by the Bahraini government. 

In response Stanley Kwenda, Strategic Communications Advisor at Amnesty International said: 

“In establishing that the remote infection of devices from abroad constitutes an ‘act in the UK’, this ruling opens new avenues for justice and sends a signal that tech-enabled transnational repression will no longer be tolerated. 

“This is an important step for the two claimants and other spyware victims both in the UK and internationally who have been fighting for accountability. This ruling provides them with clarity and a clear legal pathway to pursue justice in UK courts. Governments may no longer be able to hide behind state immunity. 

“Let this serve as a stark warning that the unlawful cross-border use of invasive surveillance technologies to target human rights defenders will face legal action.” 

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

Kinshasa, 27 July 2026 – Greenpeace Africa today launched The Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor: Warning Signs and the Urgent Need for a Moratorium on New Extractive Projects, exposing major contradictions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) ambitious conservation agenda and the continued expansion of oil, gas and mining activities within one of world’s largest forest reserves. 

Established in January 2025 as a flagship conservation and sustainable development initiative covering more than 544,000 km² (roughly the size of France), the Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor was designed to protect tropical forests, biodiversity, peatlands and the livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. A 2025 spatial analysis revealed that 72% of the Green Corridor overlaps with oil blocks. New findings presented in this by Greenpeace Africa today further reveal that 23% of the corridor overlaps with existing mining concessions reinforcing concerns about cumulative impacts of extractive industries on forest, biodiversity and communities’ traditional territories while undermining the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor’s conservation objectives. 

Some alarming statistics include:

• 72% of the Green Corridor overlaps with oil blocks
• 12.3 million hectares of mining concessions lie within the Corridor
• 6.5 million hectares of carbon-rich peatlands are threatened by extractive activities
• 63% of community forests are located in areas under extractive pressure.  

According to Greenpeace Africa, these findings significantly undermine efforts to position the Green Corridor as a global model for conservation.

“The Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor represents a unique opportunity for the DRC to become a global leader in conservation. But that ambition cannot be credible if new oil, gas and mining projects continue to advance at the very heart of the Corridor. The time has come for the government to send a clear political signal by declaring the Green Corridor a genuine No-Go Zone for new extractive activities,” said Bonaventure Bondo, Congo Basin Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa.

The briefing also highlights major governance inconsistencies. This includes establishing the Green Corridor while simultaneously launching the 2025 licensing round for 55 oil blocks putting vast and sensitive biodiversity hotspots in line for fossil fuel projects and destruction, as well as legal and governance shortcomings that fail to adequately protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.

“Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities cannot remain spectators in an initiative that is presented as community-centred. Their Free, Prior and Informed Consent, secure land rights and meaningful participation in decision-making must become the foundation of any credible conservation model in the Congo Basin,” said Bonaventure Bondo.

Greenpeace Africa urges the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to officially designate the Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor as a No-Go Zone for future extractive activities through the adoption of a moratorium on new oil, gas, and mining projects. In addition, the Government should adopt and publish clear investment exclusion criteria to ensure that both public and private investments are not directed toward extractive activities within the Corridor. The organisation also urges the government to maintain the moratorium on new industrial logging concessions, and establish inclusive governance based on human rights and environmental integrity.

“The DRC is facing a historic choice. Either the Green Corridor becomes a global benchmark for rights-based conservation, or it risks becoming a symbol of the contradiction between climate commitments and extractive expansion. Greenpeace Africa calls on decision-makers, development partners, financial institutions and investors to choose coherence and put the protection of people and nature first,” said Bonaventure Bondo.

Through this policy briefing, Greenpeace Africa calls on the DRC Government, international partners, financial institutions, investors and civil society to engage in constructive dialogue to ensure that the Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor becomes a global model of sustainable governance, forest protection, biodiversity conservation, community empowerment and rights-based development.

**ENDS**

Contact:

Raphael Mavambu, Communication & Story-Telling Manager, [email protected], Greenpeace Africa

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

SYDNEY, Monday 27 July 2026 — In response to an announcement that Woodside’s Browse to North West Shelf (Browse) Project was declared a State Significant Project by the WA Government, the following comments can be attributed to Senior Campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Hannah Schuch:

“The WA Government must not ignore the significant risks clearly associated with Woodside’s plans to drill for gas at the pristine Scott Reef — to endangered marine life, our oceans, and our climate — all of which are valued and relied upon by Western Australians.

“The WA Environmental Protection Authority has already found Woodside’s plans to drill at Scott Reef would have unacceptable impacts on the environment without considering the climate impacts of 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon pollution associated with this disastrous proposal.

“Woodside’s gas drilling plans, including seismic blasting and carbon dumping in the heart of a precious ecosystem, pose potentially fatal risks to pygmy blue whales and genetically unique green sea turtles, and could cause a catastrophic oil spill.

“If the WA and federal governments are concerned with the prosperity of WA, they must reject Woodside’s nature and climate-wrecking proposal to drill for gas at Scott Reef.”

—ENDS—

High res images and footage of Scott Reef can be found here.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Emma Sangalli on 0431 513 465 or [email protected] 

Source: Amnesty International –

Interview with Tina Nadine Anilus, founder of REFKAD, by Paloma Meurinne, a volunteer with the Caribbean team at Amnesty International’s Regional Office for the Americas

For more than fifteen years, Tina Nadine Anilus has been building what the Haitian state has been unable—or unwilling—to guarantee: a safe, dignified and accessible space for women and girls.

Every 25 July, the International Day of Afro-Latin American, Afro-Caribbean and Diaspora Women reminds us that Black women do more than survive the crises surrounding them. They are also the ones sustaining life in the midst of them.

In Haiti, Tina Nadine Anilus has spent more than fifteen years doing exactly that. As the founder of REFKAD (Rezo Fanm Kapab d’Ayiti), she has created spaces offering protection, listening and support to women and girls in one of the most complex humanitarian contexts in the Americas.

In this conversation, she reflects on resistance, the leadership of Haitian women and what the world still fails to understand about Haiti.

Source: Amnesty International –

On the evening of 10 June, less than 24 hours after a horrendous knife attack that left the survivor with life-long injuries, the city of Belfast was shut down by masses of hooded people going door to door and street to street terrorizing anyone who didn’t look like them – and blaming racialized communities for the act of an individual.  

I watched the live news stream in horror as houses and cars were torched, the rolling coverage showing people fleeing moments before their homes were engulfed by flames. My phone notifications began to ping as videos came in of young men kicking down doors and setting living rooms on fire, revelling in a collective joy of violent destruction. 

This is the third year in a row of racist violence during riots against racialized people, who are perceived as being migrants based on the colour of their skin regardless of their citizenship or immigration status. In  Northern Ireland, these violent outbursts fit into a UK and EU-wide chamber of racism and xenophobia, where chants of “send them back” echo through the streets and the halls of power.  

In June, Belfast was shut down by masses of hooded people going street to street terrorizing anyone who didn’t look like them

Emily Humphreys

The reality is that the moment an act of violence comes from the hands of a racialized person, it unleashes a wave of unchecked racist rhetoric and violence that escalates and worsens every time. 

The majority in Northern Ireland say they feel shame for the racist violence that is erupting every year. Yet, I am bearing witness to how the people of Belfast and Northern Ireland, including its migrant community, are transforming this shame into solidarity, and are showing the best in the human spirit by rebuilding a broken society from the ground up.  

What started as a small emergency response WhatsApp group on the first night of riots has turned into thousands of people doing whatever they can to help those in need. The day after the riots began, a make-shift solidarity hub was set up in a city-centre church, where over the next few days hundreds of us volunteers flocked to help in whatever way we could: dividing the initial WhatsApp group into a series of groups based on area, need and emergency level; filling in Excel sheets of safe refuges for people who left their homes in fear; sorting through bags of donations for families unsure when it would be safe enough to return home; a clown entertaining young children with games, balloons and laughs galore; preparing meals, filling vats of tea and making sure nobody driven out of their home went hungry; small groups led by CATU –- Community Action Tenants Union rushing to Belfast’s streets to non-violently confront the intimidation and violence of rioters.   

Over the first few days, this solidarity network ensured that more than 507 racialized men, women and children were brought to safe places, between volunteers’ own homes, to community centres and churches. That initial WhatsApp group has now grown into a network of thousands divided between the north, east, west and south of the city. We continue to mobilise support for anyone in need, and more than six weeks later requests for help and solidarity are still coming in.   

This solidarity anti-racism movement may sound spontaneous, but it has emerged from the foundations laid by people and organisations from across Belfast and Northern Ireland, like Participation & Practice of Rights (PPR) and Anaka Women’s Collective. We may not be as loud as a riot, but we are not less powerful.  

A fundraiser to support the people impacted by the racist attacks has amassed more than £250,000 in donations from across the globe. Volunteer testimonies give touching insights into the experience of stepping up for one’s neighbour and being part of a wider movement of hope and unity. Six weeks later, people in every sector, from education, faith groups, the arts to sports clubs are busy organising anti-racism events and fundraising to support our communities, including migrants and racialized people. We are mobilising to reclaim public space for all, make sure neighbours know one another and ensure everyone feels safe in their home. While we fear a return of racist violence, thousands of us are ready to respond and, hopefully, prevent further attacks.  

What has emerged in Belfast is an alternative path forward: hope, solidarity and togetherness, beyond race and religious divides

Emily Humphreys

The racist violence in Belfast is a product of persistent racism, xenophobia and othering in Northern Ireland, much like the rest of the UK and Europe. While those in power fail to protect people, especially those most vulnerable, us ordinary citizens are doing our best to fill the gaps.  

There is so much work to be done in the aftermath of this, but what has emerged in Belfast is an alternative path forward: hope, solidarity and togetherness, beyond race and religious divides, that is bringing the best of our communities together. We are sending out a clear message that not all people in Northern Ireland are buying into attempts to exploit race-based divisions to fuel violence, discrimination and hatred. 

The road ahead is long, but we will keep working together in community to build an anti-racism landscape of solidarity, care and action.   

Emily Humphreys is a Belfast resident and member of Amnesty International UK. She has been involved in the solidarity response supporting those affected by the racist riots, particularly racialized people.  

Amnesty International offers a human rights education online course on Racial Justice and Human Rights. You can enrol in the course for free here]’;. Racial Justice and Human Rights – Amnesty Human Rights Academy

 This article was published first hereby EU Alive

Source: Amnesty International –

The Syrian authorities must suspend implementation of and substantially amend Law No. 20 of 2022 on Combating Cybercrime, passed by the former Bashar al-Assad government, to bring it in line with Syria’s obligations under international human rights law, Amnesty International said today. Syria’s Ministry of Justice in June 2026 announced a review of the cybercrime law and introduced some limitations around its use, yet it continues to be used to restrict the right to freedom of expression.   

Amnesty International documented five cases of journalists and activists who were detained for their online expression between January and June 2026 for periods of up to seven days under the 2022 Cybercrime Law. All five were arrested under provisions of the law that criminalize peaceful online expression through broadly and vaguely defined offences, including “undermining the prestige of the state,” “undermining the state’s financial standing,” and “electronic defamation.” Two of those individuals are facing criminal prosecution which could result in heavy prison sentences. 

“Since the fall of the Assad government, Syrian civil society carved out space for freedom of expression and association despite the existing repressive legislative framework. It is alarming that the transitional authorities have continued to use the repressive Assad-era cybercrime law against individuals who voice criticism of Syria’s authorities. While the 2025 Constitutional Declaration guarantees the right to freedom of expression, the continued enforcement of the cybercrime law leaves those who criticize the authorities at risk of arrest and prosecution simply for expressing their views online,” said Heba Morayef, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International. 

“The authorities have repeatedly declared their intent to build a new Syria and have taken several positive steps to break from that repressive past, but the use of old, abusive laws to chill and restrict dialogue, debate and critique seriously undermines that path. With parliament now in place, the reform of the inherited repressive legislative framework needs to be prioritized to bring it in accordance with international human rights standards, starting with abusive provisions in the 2022 Cybercrime Law and Penal Code. No one should face arrest, prosecution or punishment solely for peacefully expressing their opinions online.”  

On 21 June 2026, the Ministry of Justice announced the formation of legal and technical committees to review a number of laws, including the Cybercrime Law.  

Amnesty International interviewed six people; two individuals arrested for exercising their right to freedom of expression, two individuals with information about additional cases of arrest and two lawyers with information about cases. The organization also reviewed summaries of court documents, reports by local and international human rights organizations, credible media outlets and statements and circulars by the authorities.  

Source: Amnesty International –

Responding to the decision by Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor to invoke powers under India’s National Security Act (NSA) that allow police to hold people in administrative detention without procedural guarantees, including the right to be informed of the grounds of detention and the possibility to challenge it before judicial authorities, Aakar Patel, Chair of the Board of Amnesty International India, said: 

“This deeply concerning move is an affront to human rights that risks enflaming the situation in Delhi even further. It grants the police a host of discretionary powers to detain people for entirely arbitrary reasons for up to 12 months. Fair trial rights guaranteed under international human rights law are essentially suspended, as detainees are denied legal representation and do not have to be informed of the grounds of their detention for up to 15 days. 

“Despite the Delhi police’s claim that this is a purely routine administrative measure, we’ve seen Indian police abuse these powers in the context of protests before, from the anti-CAA protests in 2020 to the 2026 workers’ protests in Noida. 

Such powers have no place in policing – amid protests or otherwise

Aakar Patel, Chair of the Board of Amnesty International India

“Such powers have no place in policing – amid protests or otherwise. We urge the Delhi Police not to invoke the NSA against peaceful protesters or use administrative detention to bypass legal safeguards. Peaceful protest is a human right.” 

Background

For more context on the Delhi protests, see here. 

Under the NSA, the authorities can detain a person based on suspicion or the mere belief that they might do something against public order or national security in the future and keep them detained without charge or trial. People detained under the law do not have the right to legal representation before the advisory board which is a three-member body of former judges that reviews the sufficiency of grounds for a detention order and can only ‘recommend’ release or confirmation of the order.  

Amnesty International opposes administrative detention as it constitutes a way to circumvent criminal proceedings. In the Indian context, the use of administrative detention amid mass protests violates the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, as well as the right to be free from arbitrary detention.