Across northeastern Syria, makeshift refineries pump out fuel for cars, heating and electricity. They are also a major source of income for local residents who have endured more than a decade of conflict. But this critical resource is also harmful.
Artem Fedorenko, 10, has faced many challenges in the past two years since Russia invaded his home country of Ukraine. The fourth grader is missing his left arm, an injury from a bomb. He came to Minnesota with his mother to receive a prosthetic in late 2022. Rice Lake Elementary School in Maple Lake has welcomed over two dozen Ukrainian students like Artem, who are now learning to adjust to life in the US.
About 900 American forces stationed in Northeast Syria have been attacked by militia forces in neighboring Iraq. The Americans act as a deterrence against ISIS and Turkey, both of which consider the Kurds in northeast Syria as their enemy. The residents in this area are on edge about the recent militia attacks and the possibility of a US withdrawal.
Roughly 10 million people have been displaced and about 15,000 civilians have been killed due to fighting between two rival generals in Sudan. The ICC has been investigating current ongoing atrocities using a UN Security Council resolution from 2005. The World’s host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Beth Van Schaack, the US ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice, about the situation.