Tunisia, Colombia, Sudan.

Today's three stories you should know.

Jul 05, 2023

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Tunisia

Sub-Saharan Africans living in the Tunisian city of Sfax were set upon by mobs today after a Tunisian was killed earlier in the week, allegedly in a fight with foreigners. The reports are horrific with one NGO saying that people were attacked with swords and thrown off balconies. Women and children are reported to have been among the victims. There has been a spate of attacks on Black Africans since President Kais Saied made a racist speech in February during which he ordered the expulsion of undocumented migrants and said immigration was a plot to change the demographic makeup of the country. Many Black Africans fled the country in the ensuing weeks.

Colombia

Colombia’s biggest rebel group - the country’s last active guerilla force - and the government have agreed a truce after nearly 60 years of fighting. The leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) said it would lay down its arms from today and Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez said the government would also order its troops to cease attacks on the ELN. A formal ceasefire was due to begin next month ahead of a new round of peace talks beginning on August 14 in Venezuela. President Gustavo Petro, himself a former rebel, came to power last August pledging to achieve “total peace."

Sudan

As mentioned in yesterday’s Proximities, horror continues to unfold in Sudan. The UN today said it was shocked at the extent of sexual violence taking place as the army and a powerful paramilitary group continued to fight. A joint statement from several UN agencies said they had received credible reports of 21 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence, including one single attack in which at least 20 women were raped. “What we are witnessing in Sudan is not just a humanitarian crisis; it is a crisis of humanity,” Martin Griffiths, UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, said.