Day of Living Together in Peace observed as global violence wages on

The world is celebrating the Day of Living Together in Peace on May 16, a day that calls upon people to live in harmony, peace, reconciliation and stability, and to reject all forms of violence. However, several spots around the globe are far from this ideal due to ongoing military clashes and violence.

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed announced in January 2023 that more than 2 billion people in the world have been affected by the highest number of conflicts recorded since World War II, saying, “Six out of seven worldwide are plagued by feelings of insecurity.”

The latest violent military clashes to break out startedin Sudan on April 15 between the Sudanese army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti”. Clashes and heavy fighting continue in Sudan on this year’s Day of Living Together in Peace despite the signing of theSaudi/US-brokered declaration of de-escalation to protect civilians.

On Tuesday, the Sudanese army accused the RSF of continuous “violation of international laws and norms, including attacks on the headquarters of diplomatic missions in the capital,” the Sudanese News Agency (SUNA) reported. Residents told Reuters that air strikes, artillery fire, and explosions were heard insouthern Khartoum on early Tuesday.

This one-month-old war forced more than 200,000 people to flee Sudan to neighboring countries,according to a statement from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on May 12. Meanwhile, UNICEF said that“the equivalent of food for some 14,500 children was destroyed in the fire,” in a country that has more than 3 million children suffering from acute malnutrition. About 3.7 million people are internally displaced as of May 6, according to UNHCR data.

The number of civilian deaths in Sudan has risen to 822 since April 15, while the number of injured reached 3,215 people, according to a statement by the Sudanese Medical Syndicate on Tuesday, Al Arabyia reported.

Meanwhile, in Europe, military escalation has been ongoing between Russia and Ukraine since February 2022. On May 16, 2023, Ukraine accused Russia of an “exceptionally intense” attack on Kyiv, while Russia said it took out a new Patriot air defense battery in the capital, the Guardian reported.

Moving on to the occupied territories of Palestine, Israeli forces injured three Palestinian people in a raid in the West Bank city of Jenin, in addition todemolishing several “structures” in the town of al-Khader in the West Bank, WAFA reported. Also, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) announced that the Israeli forces detained 25 Palestinians across the occupied territories on May 16.

In Afghanistan, four people, including two children,were killed in an explosion that targeted an imam’s house in Khost Province, Pajhwok Afghan News reported. The imam survived, but his two young daughters killed. No one claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Afghanistan is experiencing the worst situation when it comes to human rights and women’srights after the de facto Taliban government assumed power in 2021. The country has also witnessed several attacks by ISIS.

In neighboring Pakistan, more than 16 people were killed in a tribal gunfight due to a dispute over ownership of a coal mine in Pakhtunkhwa Province, said Radio Free Europe.

Meanwhile, four people in Iraq’s Singar were killed by a Turkish drone that targeted Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) members and facilities, BasNews reported on Tuesday.