Yemen’s Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatist group broke an alliance (Guardian) with the country’s Saudi-backed government and claimed sole control of areas including the city of Aden. The split came after Riyadh signaled its willingness to de-escalate Yemen’s civil war, which pits the Emirati- and Saudi-backed parties against the Houthi rebels.
 
Despite Saudi Arabia’s announcement of an extension to its unilateral cease-fire in Yemen on Friday, STC rebels set up checkpoints (AFP) throughout Aden. The Saudi-backed government warned (BBC) of “dangerous and catastrophic consequences” and called for an immediate return to a peace deal signed with the rebels last November. Adding to the crisis, one hundred thousand Yemenis have been affected by torrential rains in recent weeks, the United Nations said.

Around three hundred people at a Hong Kong mall held a pro-democracy protest (Reuters) that was eventually dispersed by police. Hong Kong’s mass protests had stalled amid coronavirus restrictions.
 
In Foreign Affairs, Jeffrey Wasserstrom discusses Hong Kong’s recent crackdown on pro-democracy activists.
 
Japan: The Bank of Japan announced it would abolish its limit (Kyodo) on government bond purchases to keep long-term interest rates around zero percent amid the coronavirus pandemic.
 
This CFR Backgrounder compares countries’ responses to coronavirus-related economic shocks.

More than five hundred Afghan civilians were killed in conflict (TOLO) in the first three months of the year despite steps toward peace negotiations by the United States, the Afghan government, and the Taliban, the United Nations reported.
 
CFR’s Max Boot looks at the riskiness of the U.S. deal to leave Afghanistan.
 
Bangladesh: More than five hundred garment factories in Bangladesh have reopened (Reuters) after a monthlong coronavirus-related shutdown. They were instructed to follow new safety guidelines (Dhaka Tribune).

Saudi Arabia abolished (BBC) floggings as a criminal punishment and ended the death penalty for minors. Both punishments had drawn criticism from human rights groups

An ambush (NYT) at the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park killed seventeen people, including twelve park rangers. The park blamed members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda militant group for the attack.
 
South Africa: More than two hundred Cuban health-care workers arrived (Mail & Guardian) in South Africa to assist with coronavirus response efforts. The group is one of more than twenty Cuban medical brigades sent abroad (Reuters) during the pandemic.

The trial of a suspected militant (Al-Monitor) from the self-proclaimed Islamic State began in Frankfurt on Friday in what is thought to be the world’s first trial for genocide of the Yazidi religious minority. The man is accused of enslaving and killing a Yazidi girl.

Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro resigned (Guardian), saying that President Jair Bolsonaro sought to interfere in federal investigations. Bolsonaro’s sons are currently under investigation for a defamatory disinformation scheme (Folha de Sao Paulo) and for ties to a local mafia.
 
Mexico: The country said it had returned 3,653 migrants (Reuters) in its government shelters to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras since March 21 in an effort to contain the coronavirus.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) waited more than a month (Politico) to use its federal powers to purchase and distribute surplus fruits and vegetables to food banks nationwide, despite repeated appeals from lawmakers. The delay allowed tens of millions of pounds of food to rot at a time when demand at food banks has increased by 70 percent.

Total global military spending jumped to over $1.9 trillion in 2019, experiencing its largest annual increase in a decade, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. For the first time, two Asian countries—China and India—ranked among the top three spenders, alongside the United States.