UN ‘failed to protect civilians’ in South Sudan

THE UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) failed in its duty to protect civilians caught up in violence at a UN base in Malakal, a Médecins Sans Frontières report has concluded. Many of the fatalities — at least 25 people were killed in sectarian fighting, including two MSF staff members — could have been averted, the report says: UNMISS failed to prevent weapons from entering the camp, chose not to intervene, blocked people from reaching safety, and was slow to repel an external attack. Conditions at the camp remain “appalling”, and sexual violence is “rampant”, but UNMISS is “reluctant” to improve them, the charity says.

Pakistani court jails two Christians

A PAKISTANI court has acquitted five Christians, but jailed two, under the blasphemy law and anti-terrorist act, the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLASS) reports. The charges were brought last year after Pastor Aftab Gill, of the Biblical Church of God in Gujrat, published a poster for an ordination ceremony and used the word “Rasool” for his late father Fazal Masih, who founded this church. The term, which means “messenger”, is used by Muslims to refer to the Prophet Muhammad. He and another defendant have been jailed for six years.

GAFCON 2018 announced

THE third GAFCON conference will be held in Jerusalem in 2018, it was announced this week. The first conference was held in the city in 2008.