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#TAT_SET430

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Try to write within prescribed time i.e. 4 minutes.
Be honest with your preparation and attempt this image and write a desirable story.

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Healthy and constructive reviews are welcome.

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Crisis in Sudan{1/2}

✔️Why in News- Recently, Sudan’s civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned, plunging the country into further turmoil.

◆Mr. Hamdok, who was sacked by the military in October 2021 and reinstated a few weeks later as part of a deal, stepped down as anti-military protests continued to rock the country.

◆Sudanese pro-democracy groups rejected Mr. Hamdok’s deal with the military and demanded the Generals hand over power to an independent civilian authority.

❗️Unstable Sudan:

●Sudan is at a familiar deadlock, subject to the whims of a brutal military regime after a coup. On a continent with a bad record in this respect, Sudan is in a class of its own, with six coups and 10 failed attempts since independence in 1956.

●Since independence Sudan has been governed, with only occasional breaks, by an Arab elite in Sudan, bent on plundering the country’s considerable wealth at the expense of its people.

●Their rule, exercised through the army, has been cloaked in the language of Islam; it is really a kleptocracy.

●Kleptocracy is a government whose corrupt leaders use political power to appropriate the wealth of their nation, typically by embezzlement or misappropriation of government funds at the expense of the wider population.

●The consequence is a country beset by wars and conflict between the centre and the immiserated peripheries. The army and its allied militias, notably the Rapid Support Forces, have used their power to carve out swathes of the economy for themselves, well beyond defence industries.

●Civilian rule, bringing transparency, as well as democracy, would threaten those financial interests.

●The victims of decades of misrule are ordinary Sudanese. Facing inflation rates of over 100%, almost a quarter of the population can barely feed themselves and millions live in refugee camps.

●By contrast, the elites seem to get by. Therefore the elites will fight to preserve the status quo.

✔️Current Crisis:

◆The churn has accelerated since General Omar al-Bashir, indicted for genocide, was toppled by a popular revolution in April 2019.

◆Subsequently, the Sovereignty Council, an 11-member body comprising military and civilian leaders that replaced the military-led transition council, appointed Mr. Hamdok as Prime Minister.

◆During the Sovereignty Council’s rule, Sudan entered into a peace deal with rebel groups, banned female genital mutilation, made peace with Israel and reached out to international powers for economic assistance.

◆During this period, the U. took the country off the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Reforms at home and international recognition suggested that Sudan was on a slow but steady transition into full democracy.

◆The army struck back almost immediately, killing scores of people. An uneasy alliance of generals and technocrats, headed by Mr Hamdok, governed from August 2019 up to the coup October 2021.

◆That so-called transitional government was supposed to pave the way to elections. They now look further off than ever.

◆Since the recent coup (2021) the protestors have been protesting against the coup and for a democratic government.

❗️Russia and China Angle:

【】Russia’s Supplies:

◆An added complication is Russia’s support for the generals. Wagner, a mercenary outfit acting in the interests of Russia, has supplied training for militias and other goodies.

◆Russia has also shielded Sudan at the United Nations(UN), playing its usual spoiler role against the West.

【】China’s Investments:

●China’s extensive investments in Sudan have also afforded army protection; China favours stability over good governance.

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Crisis in Sudan {2/2}

❓Way Forward

◆The military is now in a difficult position. Given that the civil-military relationship is already at a breaking point.

◆The UN estimates that at least a third of the country’s 43 million people will need humanitarian assistance in 2022. What Sudan wants is a stable, responsive government that can urgently address the myriad problems the country faces.

◆Ultimately, the price of a successful transition to democracy, which will have to include structural economic reforms, will likely entail some distasteful compromises on issues such as accountability and retention of Bashir-era assets.

◆There should be a meaningful dialogue” between all Sudanese parties to “reach an inclusive, peaceful and lasting solution.

◆But a genuine transition should also prevent the military from continuing to act as the country’s ultimate authority, able to reset timetables and remove governing officials at will.

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Pledge to Stop Nuclear Proliferation: Permanent Five of UNSC

✔️Why in News- Recently, the Five permanent United Nations Security Council members (China, France, Russia, the U.K. and US) pledged to prevent atomic weapons spreading and to avoid nuclear conflict.

◆The pledge was made in a rare joint statement ahead of a review of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 1970.

◆The statement comes as tensions between Russia and the US have reached heights rarely seen since the Cold War over a troop build-up by Russia close to the Ukrainian border.

◆The statement also comes as the world powers seek to reach agreement with Iran on reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) 2015 over its controversial nuclear drive, which was rendered dying by the US walking out of the accord in 2018.

❗️The Pledge:

●The further spread of such weapons must be prevented. A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.

●The avoidance of war between nuclear-weapon states and the reduction of strategic risks as our foremost responsibilities.

●Nuclear weapons — for as long as they continue to exist — should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war.

●They intend to maintain and further strengthen their national measures to prevent unauthorised or unintended use of nuclear weapons.

❗️China’s Stand:

●It raised concerns that tensions with the US could lead to conflict, notably over the island of Taiwan.

●China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.

❗️Russia’s Stand:

◆Russia welcomed the declaration by the atomic powers and expressed hope it would reduce global tensions.

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AFSPA Extended in Nagaland

✔️Why in News- The Konyak Civil Society Organizations, the guardian umbrella of organizations of the Konyaks, has slammed the extension of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 (AFSPA).

◆The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 has been extended in Nagaland for six months from 30th December 2021.

▪️Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958:

❗️Background:

●A reincarnation of the British-era legislation that was enacted to quell the protests during the Quit India movement, the AFSPA was issued by way of four ordinances in 1947.

●The ordinances were replaced by an Act in 1948 and the present law effective in the Northeast was introduced in Parliament in 1958 by the then Home Minister, G.B. Pant.

●It was known initially as the Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Act, 1958.

●After the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland came into being, the Act was adapted to apply to these States as well.

❗️About:

◆The ASFPA gives unfettered powers to the armed forces and the Central armed police forces deployed in “disturbed areas” to kill anyone acting in contravention of law and arrest and search any premises without a warrant and with protection from prosecution and legal suits.

◆The law first came into effect in 1958 to deal with the uprising in the Naga Hills, followed by the insurgency in Assam.

❗️Disturbed Areas:

◆The Act was amended in 1972 and the powers to declare an area as “disturbed” were conferred concurrently upon the Central government along with the States.

◆Currently, the Union Home Ministry issues periodic “disturbed area” notification to extend AFSPA only for Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

◆The notification for Manipur and Assam is issued by the State governments.

◆Tripura revoked the Act in 2015 and Meghalaya was under AFSPA for 27 years, until it was revoked by the MHA from 1st April 2018.

◆The Act was implemented in a 20-km area along the border with Assam.

◆Jammu and Kashmir has a separate J&K Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1990.

❗️Controversy Around the Act:

✔️Human Rights Violations:

●The law empowers security personnel, down to non-commissioned officers, to use force and shoot “even to the causing of death” if they are convinced that it is necessary to do so for the “maintenance of public order”.

●It also grants soldiers executive powers to enter premises, search, and arrest without a warrant.

●The exercise of these extraordinary powers by armed forces has often led to allegations of fake encounters and other human rights violations by security forces in disturbed areas while questioning the indefinite imposition of AFSPA in certain states, such as Nagaland and J&K.

▪️Recommendations of Jeevan Reddy Committee:

◆In November 2004, the Central government appointed a five-member committee headed by Justice B P Jeevan Reddy to review the provisions of the act in the northeastern states.

【】The committee recommended that:

●AFSPA should be repealed and appropriate provisions should be inserted in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967

●The Unlawful Activities Act should be modified to clearly specify the powers of the armed forces and paramilitary forces and Grievance cells should be set up in each district where the armed forces are deployed.

●Second ARC Recommendation: The 5th report of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) on public order has also recommended the repeal of the AFSPA. However, these recommendations have not been implemented.

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#Important_notes_ssb_Lecturette #GD_Material

AFSPA (Contd........)

▪️Supreme Court Views on the Act:

●The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of AFSPA in a 1998 judgment (Naga People's Movement of Human Rights v. Union of India).

【】In this judgment, the Supreme Court held that

●a suo-motu declaration can be made by the Central government, however, it is desirable that the state government should be consulted by the central government before making the declaration.

●the declaration has to be for a limited duration and there should be a periodic review of the declaration 6 months have expired.

●while exercising the powers conferred upon him by AFSPA, the authorized officer should use minimal force necessary for effective action.

❓Way Forward

◆The status quo of the act is no longer the acceptable solution due to numerous human rights violation incidents that have occurred over the years. The AFSPA has become a symbol of oppression in the areas it has been enacted. Hence the government needs to address the affected people and reassure them of favourable action.

◆The government should consider the imposition and lifting of AFSPA on a case-by-case basis and limit its application only to a few disturbing districts instead of applying it for the whole state.

◆The government and the security forces should also abide by the guidelines set out by the Supreme Court, Jeevan Reddy Commission, and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

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Non-Proliferation Treaty{1/2}

◆The NPT is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to foster the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of disarmament.

◆The treaty was signed in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. Presently, it has 190 member states.

◆India is not a member.

◆It requires countries to give up any present or future plans to build nuclear weapons in return for access to peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

◆It represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States.

◆Nuclear-weapon states parties under the NPT are defined as those that manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive devices before 1st January, 1967.

▪️India’s Stand:

●India is one of the only five countries that either did not sign the NPT or signed but withdrew later, thus becoming part of a list that includes Pakistan, Israel, North Korea, and South Sudan.

◆India always considered the NPT as discriminatory and had refused to sign it.

◆India has opposed the international treaties aimed at non-proliferation since they were selectively applicable to the non-nuclear powers and legitimised the monopoly of the five nuclear weapons powers.

❗️Issues Related to NPT:

【】Failure of Disarmament Process:

●The NPT is largely seen as a Cold War era instrument that has failed to fulfil the objective of creating a pathway towards a credible disarmament process.

●Treaty proposes no tangible disarmament roadmap, no reference to test ban or to the freezing of production of either fissile materials or nuclear weapons, and omitted provisions for reductions and elimination.

●It instead allowed sustenance and expansion of arsenals by stipulating January, 1967 as the cut-off date to determine the NWS.

【】System of Nuclear ‘Haves’ and ‘Have-Nots’:

◆Non-Nuclear Weapon states (NNWS) criticizes the treaty to be discriminatory as it focuses on preventing only horizontal proliferation while there is no limit for vertical proliferation.

◆Vertical proliferation can be defined as the advancement or modernization of a nation-state's nuclear arsenal, whereas horizontal proliferation is the direct or indirect transfer of technologies from one nation-state to another, which ultimately leads to the more advanced development and proliferation of nuclear weapons.

◆As there is no explicit obligation on part of NWS to reduce their arsenal, NWS have continued to expand their respective arsenals without any constraints.

◆In this context, NNWS groupings demand that the Nuclear-Weapon States (NWS) should renounce their arsenals and further production in return for commitment of NNWS not to produce them.

◆Due to this tussle, most of the quadrennial Review Conferences (RevCon), the forum that reviews the health and functioning of the treaty, has remained largely inconclusive since 1995.

✔️Post-Cold War Challenges:

◆The treaty’s existential challenges began in the post-Cold War setting when the attempts by a few State Parties to break-out or gain nuclear latency led to numerous instances of non-compliance, violations and defiance.

◆For example, the US alleges Iran of building nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction.

◆The NPT’s indefinite extension in 1995, while invoking its irreplaceability, also underlined the inability of states to formulate a stand-alone instrument towards the objective of disarmament, as enshrined in the NPT.

◆The emergence of non-state actors with declared intent to access weapons of mass destruction and the detection of a global nuclear black-market, has raised concerns on the limitations of the treaty to address the challenges thrown up by the new strategic milieu.

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Non Proliferation Treaty {2/2}

❓Way Forward

◆Rising energy demands have led to a growing number of countries pursuing nuclear energy, and many countries wish to be energy-independent, in order to ensure a sustainable and dependable domestic energy supply. As clean energy, development, and peaceful coexistence are essential for every country.

◆Thus, the challenge for the international community will be to reconcile states’ desire for energy independence with their desire to both reduce the intrusiveness of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and diminish the possibility of proliferation.

◆Also, NNWS welcomes New START and other initiatives, but is anxious to see more concrete actions on reducing the role of nuclear weapons in national security doctrines, reducing alert levels, increasing transparency, and other steps.

◆More regions in the world (preferably comprising NWS) should enter into an arrangement of establishing Nuclear-weapon-free zones.

◆Further, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is a step in the right direction for nuclear disarmament.

❗️❗️Read more:❗️❗️

✔️ Treaty on the prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)

✔️https://t.me/ssbgeneraldiscussion/5664

✔️India's Stand on Nuclear Weapons

✔️Missile Technology Control Regime(MTCR)

✔️Nuclear Supplier Group(NSG)

✔️ India and NPT

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