International brief ~ Security Council reluctant to intervene in Zimbabwe evictions News
International brief ~ Security Council reluctant to intervene in Zimbabwe evictions

[JURIST] Leading Friday's international brief, the UN Security Council [official website] discussed the worsening housing crisis in Zimbabwe during Thursday's session, with several members expressing their reluctance to consider the issue. The British and acting US ambassadors to the UN both expressed concern with the fallout from "Operation Restore Order", which has resulted in over 46,000 arrests of illegal merchants and others and somewhere between 330,000 and one million individuals left homeless. While several members of the Council expressed concern about the circumstances, others said they considered the actions of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe [Wikipedia profile] to be internal matters and outside the purview of international peace and security granted the Security Council. JURIST's Paper Chase has continuing coverage of Zimbabwe [JURIST news archive]. ZimOnline has local coverage.

In related news, UN Special Envoy Anna Tibaijuka [official profile], Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Programme [official website], has announced the completion of her report on the status of the mass evictions. Tibaijuka was appointed [JURIST report] by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan earlier this month to conduct an investigation into the situation and report back to him. Tibaijuka has not released the details of her report, but did comment that the Zimbabwe government could have taken steps to lessen human suffering and misery in the pursuit of its urban development program. BBC News has more.

In other international legal news …

  • The Royal Nepalese Army [official website] announced Friday that it is establishing six regional committees to investigate allegations of human rights abuses by Army personnel. RNA Spokesman Brigadier General Deepak Gurung announced the creation of the investigatory committees at RNA Headquarters and told reporters that the several of the committees had already begun to conduct investigations into allegations concerning human rights abuses, particularly against rebel Moaist forces. JURIST's Paper Chase has continuing coverage of Nepal [JURIST news archive]. Kantipur Online has more.
  • The Final Immigration Regulations Act of South Africa went into effect Friday, including several provisions that will tighten restrictions on obtaining South African residency through marriage. The Ministry of Home Affairs designed the regulations to require five years of marriage before a non-South African could obtain permanent residency. The provision is designed to cut down on fraudulent marriages recently plaguing the South African courts. The Final Immigration Regulations Act also includes provisions to ease travel restrictions on students, including eliminating the deposit normally required for African students. JURIST's Paper Chase has continuing coverage of South Africa [JURIST news archive]. South Africa's News 24 has local coverage.
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