Mosul Offensive; DR Congo Tensions; Yemen Ceasefire: HRW Daily Brief

Around 900 people have fled the Iraqi city of Mosul, the first civilians to leave since the Iraqi government offensive to liberate it from the extremist group Islamic State began on Monday. Up to 1.5 million people are thought to still be trapped in the city, and there are fears that ISIS could use civilians as human shields or deploy chemical weapons. A deal which aims to resolve a political impasse ahead of disputed presidential elections in DR Congo was signed yesterday, but there is little hope the deal will ease rising tensions in the country. Many opposition figures have already rejected the agreement. Europe's willingness to set aside its core values to curb migration is once again on display with the European Commission’s launching of a new partnership with Belarus, one of continent's most repressive governments. Hundreds of indigenous people marched through the streets of the Philippines' capital Manila this week, demanding respect for their basic human rights. President Duterte has the chance to deliver on his promises to protect indigenous people, but only in the unlikely event that he's willing to enforce rule of law and curb security force abuses. A 72-hour ceasefire is set to begin in Yemen on Wednesday night. The temporary truce follows international alarm over the deaths of 140 people in a Saudi airstrike which hit a funeral gathering in Sanaa. Refugees from Kenya's Dadaab refugee camp have begun to return home to their native Somalia under a so-called "voluntary repatriation" programme backed by the UN and the Kenyan government. But HRW says there is "no way these returns can be considered voluntary". Uzbekistan should immediately free Muhammad Bekjanov, one of the world's longest-imprisoned journalists, who's been in jail since 1999.