Sudan

University dormitories have been set on fire as students clashed with security agents supporting the National Congress Party (NCP). Protests first erupted at universities across Khartoum state after the bodies of four Darfuri students enrolled at Gezira University were found in a water canal in Wad Madani state last week. The students were killed by security officers after they partook in a peaceful demonstration protesting rising tuition fees. Eye-witness reports reported that the students were beaten with sticks and batons, leaving at least seven people injured. Shockingly, it was claimed NCP ‘militias’, backed by the security forces, had burned down of the rooms of Darfuri students. Although a majority of the students were on the streets, there were fears that some students could have been trapped inside the dormitories.

On Tuesday, National Consensus Forces (NCF) leaders held a sit-in at the headquarters of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCP), where they shouted slogans calling for retribution. During the press conference that followed, the NCF’s chairman Farouq Abu Issa said that opposition parties have decided to mobilize the masses and stand in solidarity with the issue of students. They urged citizens to go to Khartoum University the following day to express solidarity with the victims. Representatives of the Darfur Students’ Association say that 140 students were arrested and and 180 injured, as well as 580 laptops and 290 mobile phones looted from students at an estimated value of 950 million Sudanese pounds. For more on Tuesday’s protests, see the Al Jazeera Stream here. Girifna Media reported via twitter today that, “UoK women dorms (al Barkas) was attacked at 3 am by pro-govt. masked students with metal rods. Some students were hospitalized #SudanRevolts” Opposition groups have met today, drawing a large crowd demanding justice. Follow live on twitter via #SudanRevolts.

Confrontation continues in South Kordofan. Fighting broke out when the Sudanese army entered Daldoko, northeast of Kadugli, South Kordofan. According to SPLM-N’s spokesperson, Arnu Ngutulu Lodi, 27 Sudanese army soldiers and three rebels were captured during the battle. Consequently, the Sudanese government resorted to air strikes in different villages of South Kordofan as of Saturday. According to Lodi, four bombs were dropped in Kauda injuring three civilians, killing five goats and two donkeys. An additional four bombs were dropped in Werne, where farms were destroyed. The government of Sudan seems determined with its “ethnic cleansing program”, Lodi added.

South Sudan

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has expressed strong disappointment with the recent assassination of leading political commentator Isaiah Abraham in Juba. Abraham was gunned down in his house by unknown murderers. A statement from UNMISS said that the mission will continue to provide extensive support to the South Sudanese police to better equip them to improve security in South Sudan, so that they are capable of investigating such crimes. They also reiterate their strong support for freedom of expression as a cornerstone of democracy in the country. Many think Abraham was killed for his recent article, in which he called for the resignation of President Salva Kiir Mayardit. The article cautioned the government to study its relationship with the SPLM-N and strengthen relations with Sudan.

Conflicting reports say that the South Sudanese army has killed 14 people in the remote village of Gumuruk in Jonglei’s Pibor County. According to Pibor commissioner Joshua Konyi, “The army took civilians in Gumuruk and killed 14 Murle people”, claiming the victims were executed. “They collected 15 of them, and when one person ran away, they killed seven there on the spot and took seven people to near Gumuruk and killed them,” he added. The state governor of Jonglei, Kuol Manyang, said the official military reports indicate that the army “fought with the Yau Yau rebels in Gumuruk, leading to the killing of the 14 people.”

In another incident, the South Sudanese army fired live bullets on protesters, killing 25 people. The group opposed to the move of the administrative headquarters in the county. The state Governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal, Rizik Zachariah Hassan, has denied that the military (SPLA) opened fire on civilians. UNMISS nonetheless confided in the press on Sunday that six people were killed late on Saturday when the SPLA attempted to remove roadblocks established to protest the administrative changes. That incident was followed by another on Sunday morning, when four more people were killed as a group of protestors marched into Wau town to petition the Governor.

Syria

The Syrian opposition coalition won international backing Wednesday at the “Friends of the Syrian People” conference in Morocco. While the Syrian National Coalition welcomed the move, the coalition hopes for more tangible international and financial support. The conference also warned of a “serious response” to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons. The move to recognize the rebels included approval from the United States, which called the Syrian National Coalition “the sole legitimate representative” of the Syrian People.

Both the US and other members of the conference are still reluctant to supply military aid to the Syrian rebels. This is in large part due to fears of rebel groups with al-Qaeda connections, one of which has been officially blacklisted by the US. The blacklisting of this group, al-Nusra, is a major concern to senior Syrian opposition figures. They fear that this will weaken the efforts to provide practical assistance on the ground.

In Damascus, rebels have continued to make gains. Wednesday saw an explosion thattargeted the Syrian Interior Ministry building, although there is not yet news of casualties. Human Rights Watch recently accused Syria of using incendiary bombs in at least four locations since mid-November. While 106 countries have banned incendiary weapons, they are not considered chemical weapons. The Syrian regime is also accused of launching Scud missiles at rebel targets. This evoked strong condemnation from the United Kingdom’s foreign office.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Talks of how to move forward in Congo continue to take place on Capitol Hill this week. On Tuesday, the Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights Subcommittee held a hearing on the crisis in eastern Congo. The US has been the subject of harsh criticism for the lack of action taken in building a better peace process for eastern Congo. In particular, critics have been focusing on the hesitancy of the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, to put pressure on Rwanda, the country seen as being at the root of much of the violence in eastern Congo.

Following an “extraordinary” Summit in Dar es Salaam on December 8, the Southern Africa Development Community (SARD) has “vowed to provide 4,000 troops for a neutral force in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.” SARD also urged the UN to strengthen the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force, which gave up defending Goma when M23 rebels advanced on the city. SARD “strongly condemns” the M23 and its attacks against civilians.

Peace talks between the Congolese government and the M23 rebels have been happening in Kampala, Uganda this past week. The talks got off to a shaky start as M23 representative, Francois Ruchongoza, blamed the country’s conflict on poor governance. The negotiations stalled again on Monday as the M23 delegation “refused to turn up to listen to the DRC government rebuttal on allegations made against it.” John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project, weighed in, stating that resolution of the conflict should not be controlled by the leaders of the three complicit countries, DR Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda, who have all justified “their actions in terms of national security concerns to mask economic and political interests.” Instead he called for a comprehensive international peace process that involves representatives of the local communities most affected by the violence as well as the voices of major international leaders inside and outside of sub-saharan Africa.

On Wednesday, a Brussels court gave its go-ahead to conduct a “long-awaited judicial probe” into the role of a dozen Belgians in the 1961 assassination of the revolutionary Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba. One year ago, the sons of Lumumba filed a war crimes complaint in Belgium against the twelve Belgians they suspect to have been involved in their father’s death.

Burma

On Wednesday, thousands of Buddhist monks staged protests demanding the Myanmar government apologize for their brutal crackdown on the Letpadaung copper mine protest in late November in which 100 monks were injured. Protests were staged in the large cities of Yangon and Mandalay as well as the towns of Pakokku and Monywa. The protesters demanded an apology of President Thein Sein, the release of those detained during the copper mine protests, and an independent investigation. See pictures of the monks’ protests here.

Reports of worsening fighting in Burma’s Kachin State have claimed that dozens have been killed, including as many as 60 Myanmar army soldiers. The fighting between the Kachin Independence Army, the military branch of the Kachin Independence Organization which represents the Kachin in northern Burma and neighboring areas, and the Myanmar army erupted in June of last year after a 17-year-old ceasefire agreement broke down. There have yet to be signs of efforts to renew ceasefire agreements between the parties. An estimated 100,000 people have been displaced by fighting; many now live in refugee camps.

In other news, Grammy Award winning musician Jason Mraz is scheduled to perform in Burma in order to raise awareness of the country’s rampant human trafficking problems. Mraz will be one of the first foreign artists to perform in Burma.

As the situation in Syria worsens, STAND is urging President Obama to put the protection of civilians first and foremost. Click here to join us in reminding the president of his responsibility to work with multilateral and regional partners to protect the Syrian people.

Syria

Western officials and military analysts report that the Assad regime’s army is beginning to show serious signs of weakness as the rebels have made several key advances, including in the suburbs of the capital, Damascus. These improvements are seen as both the result of a weakening Syrian army and an influx of financial and military backing from outside investors.  Some of these gains are due to extremist groups, who have received backing from wealthy Arab donors in the Persian Gulf region as well as from Syrian businessmen abroad. One of the most prominent Islamic extremist groups in the rebellion, Jabhat al Nusra, is believed to have ties with Al Qaeda in Iraq. The United States and several European governments have began work towards funding and legitimizing the newly formed Syrian opposition group as fears develop that rebel gains are outpacing political transition.

In what has been seen as a response to these key advances, the Syrian military has prepared the use of chemical weapons and is waiting on President Assad’s orders to deploy the weapons, according to U.S. officials. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned that the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime would constitute a “red line” for the U.S. and that America would “take action if that eventuality were to occur”.

The Syrian civil war has spilled into neighboring Lebanon as gunmen from both sides fought in a northern Lebanese city on Wednesday. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has pledged to remain neutral. Tensions flared in Lebanon last week as it was discovered that Lebanese Sunni fighters who had joined the rebellion against Assad were killed in Syria. Anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians criticized the Lebanese government for a ‘lack of effort’ in retrieving the bodies. The Lebanese government is currently led by the Shiite Hezbollah group, which is pro-Assad.

Meanwhile, NATO has approved the deployment of Patriot missiles along Turkey’s southern border with Syria. NATO officials have continued to stress the defensive nature of these missiles, and say that have approved these missiles due to “repeated violations of Turkey’s territory”.  Control over the Patriot systems is to be delegated to the Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, NATO’s top military officer.

Burma

Dozens of villagers and monks have been protesting against a copper mine in northwestern Burma. The protesters of the Letpadaung copper mine claim it has been causing environmental, social, and health problems for the surrounding communities. Last Thursday, government security officials forcibly halted dozens of protesters and injured as many as 70 people in the process. Eight protesters were charged with incitement against the state and demonstrating illegally. The Myanmar government formed a commission, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate and MP Aung San Suu Kyi, to investigate the claims of violence against the protesters. There have been additional marches in Burma and Thailand in support of the Letpadaung mine protesters.

A secretive “census-like operation” has been undertaken by Myanmar immigration officials in western Burma to “verify” the citizenship of the Rohingya, according to the Associate Press. The stateless Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic group living in western Burma and eastern Bangladesh and have been denied citizenship rights in both countries. In Burma, the Rohingya are viewed as illegal Bengali migrants. Conflict between the Rohingya and Rakhine has so far displaced 110,000 people and resulted in almost 200 deaths.

In other news, Transparency International recently published its 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index in which Burma was ranked as the world’s fifth most corrupt country according to global perceptions. Burma’s ranking improved by two positions from last year’s report, but its score (on which the rankings are made) did not change.

Democratic Republic of Congo

In response to the recent capture of Goma and the flood of international attention that came with it, many international news sources have been working to make sense of the complicated conflict(s) happening in the Congo. The New York Times released a multi-sectored debate in the opinion pages about “How to Stabilize Congo” featuring John Prendergast of the Enough Project and Kambale Musavuli of Friends of the Congo. BBC also released an informative article about “DR Congo’s Rebel Kaleidoscope” that illustrates the different rebel groups that are operating in eastern Congo in addition to the M23.

On Saturday, the M23 fighters, after two weeks of occupation, pulled out of the city of Goma.  They left behind a deserted army headquarters, a city without security, mines, bombs, and bullets. John Mwando, a secondary school teacher, spoke of the existing dangers since the retreat. “Since the M23 left on Saturday the place is not secured at all, and the children have just been free to come here,” he said. The M23 soldiers occupied the hospitals in Goma, freely using both the supplies and doctors that chose to stay behind, leaving a population with an even more limited access to healthcare.  Some 600 Congolese troops are supposed to be on their way back to Goma, but this, for many citizens of Goma, does not translate into security.

International pressure continues to locate Rwanda as complicit in the violence perpetuated by the M23. This past week, a group of experts tasked by the U.N. Security Council has presented new evidence stating that the M23 soldiers received “direct support” from the Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) to capture Goma on November 20. Rwanda still adamantly denies these accusations. Last Thursday, the United States Senateunanimously passed an amendment imposing sanctions on those “providing financial, material, or technological support to the M23 rebel group.”  The report released by the Senate specifically mentions Rwanda.

Negotiations and peace talks between the Congolese government and the M23 are expected to take place this week. Two officials from Uganda who have been “brokering” these peace talks stated this past Tuesday that the two sides were expected in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, this week. Rwanda has also remained tentatively involved in the peace talks.

Sudan

There may have been an attempted coup in Sudan on November 22. An unidentified National Intelligence and Security Services source is quoted as saying that the authorities had thwarted a “subversive attempt” planned to be launched at dawn on November 22. The NISS arrested and started investigations with those thought to be connected to the plot. 12 senior military and security officers were arrested, as was Sudan’s former head of intelligence and security. National Congress Party vice-chairman Nafie Ali Nafie said that two of the detainees had contacts with JEM, indicating that the Popular Congress Party may have been behind the coup attempt. The Sahel Blog has an excellent rundown of the actors arrested and reported Islamist involvement.

The Satellite Sentinel Project has released new DigitalGlobe imagery showing government usage of scorched-earth warfare in at least 26 Nuban villages in South Kordofan in November. Check out SSP’s Situation Report here.

South Sudan

According to AllAfrica, “Women and children are increasingly being caught up in attacks related to cattle rustling and inter-communal rivalries.” MSF has recently released a report entitled “South Sudan’s Hidden Crisis,” highlighting the increasing targeting of civilians in Jonglei’s conflict, and calling for all actors to take steps to ensure safety and access to healthcare, respect for health structures, and emergency response capacity for humanitarian organizations. A summary of the report is available here, and the full report is available here.

At least 600 people have died, according to UN estimates, with local officials putting fatalities at over 3,000. An October report by Geneva-based think-tank Small Arms Survey (SAS) weighed up both tallies and estimated 1,000 deaths of “mostly Murle women and children.” According to SAS, the South Sudanese government is manipulating the conflict for personal and political gain.

Journalist Isaiah Abraham was shot and killed yesterday after receiving a death threat by phone last week. Abraham wrote opinion articles for media including the Sudan Tribune, a Paris- based online news site, frequently criticizing the government. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists is calling on South Sudanese authorities to investigate the murder.