LONDON: The UK on Wednesday announced sanctions against individuals and institutions it claims are responsible for gender-based violence in Iran, Syria, South Sudan and the Central African Republic.
Marking International Women’s Day, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced the measures during a visit to Sierra Leone, where he is meeting women MPs instrumental in passing reforms to support gender equality.
“This package includes four individuals and one entity involved in grievous activities — including military figures who have overseen rape and other forms of gender-based violence in conflicts in Syria, South Sudan and the Central African Republic,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
It also sanctions Iranian institutions responsible for enforcing mandatory dress codes for women “with unreasonable force.”
“Promoting gender equality brings freedom, boosts prosperity and trade, and strengthens the security of us all,” Cleverly said.
“However, hard-won gains on gender equality are under increasing threat. These sanctions send a clear message that the perpetrators of abhorrent gender-based violence must be held accountable,” he added.
Those sanctioned include Major General James Nando, who commanded the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces, and is accused of being one of “the main perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence in Tambura County in 2021.”
Mahamat Salleh Adoum Kette has also been sanctioned for overseeing rape by fighters in the Central Africa Republic (CAR), while Amjad Youssef has been targeted for similar actions in Syria.
Cleverly is currently in Sierra Leone visiting his mother’s hometown of Bo “to see how UK-funded projects are helping women and girls.”
The sanctions build on a previous wave in December, which included 18 designations targeting individuals accused of being involved in abuses of human rights, six of which were related to sexual violence.
UK announces sanctions against women’s rights violators
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UK announces sanctions against women’s rights violators
- Package also sanctions Iranian institutions responsible for enforcing mandatory dress codes for women “with unreasonable force”
Indonesia reaffirms Yemen’s territorial integrity, backs stability efforts amid tensions
- Statement comes after Saudi Arabia bombed a UAE weapons shipment at Yemeni port city
- Jakarta last week said it ‘appreciates’ Riyadh ‘working together’ with Yemen to restore stability
JAKARTA: Indonesia has called for respect for Yemen’s territorial integrity and commended efforts to maintain stability in the region, a day after Saudi Arabia bombed a weapons shipment from the UAE at a Yemeni port city that Riyadh said was intended for separatist forces.
Saudi Arabia carried out a “limited airstrike” at Yemen’s port city of Al-Mukalla in the southern province of Hadramout on Tuesday, following the arrival of an Emirati shipment that came amid heightened tensions linked to advances by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in the war-torn country.
In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “appreciates further efforts by concerned parties to maintain stability and security,” particularly in the provinces of Hadramout and Al-Mahara.
“Indonesia reaffirms the importance of peaceful settlement through an inclusive and comprehensive political dialogue under the coordination of the United Nations and respecting Yemen’s legitimate government and territorial integrity,” Indonesia’s foreign affairs ministry said.
The latest statement comes after Jakarta said last week that it “appreciates the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as other relevant countries, working together with Yemeni stakeholders to de-escalate tensions and restore stability.”
Saudi Arabia leads the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, which includes the UAE and was established in 2015 to combat the Houthi rebels, who control most of northern Yemen.
Riyadh has been calling on the STC, which initially supported Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthi rebels, to withdraw after it launched an offensive against the Saudi-backed government troops last month, seeking an independent state in the south.
Indonesia has also urged for “all parties to exercise restraint and avoid unilateral action that could impact security conditions,” and has previously said that the rising tensions in Yemen could “further deteriorate the security situation and exacerbate the suffering” of the Yemeni people.
Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country, maintains close ties with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which are its main trade and investment partners in the Middle East.
