The last week of COP30 has opened in Belém with a renewed sense of urgency, as ministers and senior officials take over negotiations that will determine the summit’s political outcomes.

United Nations (UN) Emergency Relief Co-ordinator Tom Fletcher has held what he described as “useful” and “tough” discussions with both warring sides in Sudan, as he seeks to secure unhindered humanitarian access for millions trapped by the conflict.

Sudan’s long and painful quest for justice has reached a critical juncture as prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) push for a life sentence for Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, widely known as Ali Kushayb, the first person ever convicted by the Court for atrocities committed in Darfur more than two decades ago.