A Semester in Review
Many of STAND’s conflict zones have been witness to progress towards peace; the first democratic elections in Burma were held in November, a ceasefire was declared between the South Sudanese government and opposition groups, and most recently, a UN Security Council Resolution called for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria. Several conflict zones have also seen more concerning developments; Russian airstrikes against Syria claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians, summary executions became a regular occurrence in Burundi, and attacks against Muslims mounted in Central African Republic. As STAND enters another year of mass-atrocities prevention and continues to cover developments in areas where genocidal violence has persisted, we have compiled the landmark events of 2015 in each of our conflict zones.
STAND’s Southeast Asia Conflict Coordinator, Sophie Back, has produced a comprehensive overview of this semester’s developments in Burma.
Sophie Back serves as STAND’s Southeast Asia Conflict Coordinator, and is a third year student at University College London pursuing a degree in History and Political Science. An outspoken advocate for Amnesty International on campus, Sophie comes to STAND after spending the summer in Vietnam, where she led a team that organized workshops to prepare students for the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community free trade area.