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What you Need to Know: Week of 6/29/15

Timmy Hirschel-Burns — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 13:21:40 +0000

Burma

Responses have begun to the last week’s Parliamentary defeat of legislation that would remove what is effectively a military veto. Ethnic armed groups said the decision further damaged trust with the military and showed the military’s true colors. Students also protested the decision in Rangoon. However, other student activists, arrested after the protests in March, are in poor condition and several were placed in solitary confinement.

In Hpakant Township in Kachin State, there have been a number of clashes between the Burma Army and Kachin Independence Army forces. Earlier this week the Burma Army sent more troops. The clashes have injured civilians and forced many to evacuate. In Rangoon, the Burma Army chief has raised concerns about ethnic rebels, saying they should lay down their arms and make “logical demands.”

The government has started to tighten freedom of the press ahead of the elections, warning television and radio stations that they could have their licenses revoked if the government deems their coverage of the election biased. Ma Ba Tha may also be kept off the airwaves, however, with the Ministry of Information rejecting the Buddhist nationalist organization’s hopes of creating a radio station, but Ma Ba Tha has reaffirmed their intention to create one.

Central African Republic (CAR)

CAR has begun enrolling voters for the elections scheduled this October. However, armed groups have said they will block the process in areas under their control. Other logistical problems, such as a lack of sufficient funding, also threaten the process. The UN expert on human rights in CAR, Marie-Therese Keita Bocoum, has urged the international community to increase their support to CAR during the transition process. The transition process was given a small boost this week, when 200 anti-Balaka north of Bangui agreed to lay down their arms.

CAR resumed diamond exports this week. They had been stalled since 2013 due to an embargo in response to the conflict, but diamonds that comply with the Kimberley Process can now be exported.

Refugees International released a new report on CAR. The report found that while the security situation is improving, especially in and around Bangui, many problems remain in the country. They have called on the international community to increase funding for humanitarian aid and help support IDPs and refugees.

DR Congo (DRC)

President Kabila issued corruption complaints against a dozen current and past government officials. While the names have not yet been released, it is believed that Katanga Governor Moise Katumbi is on the list. Katumbi is a former ally of Kabila turned critic, and is expected to challenge Kabila in the 2016 elections. Government spokesperson Lambert Mende has rejected claims that the charges may be politically motivated, saying the government is committed to reducing corruption.

Suspected ADF militants attacked a Congolese military base near Beni in North Kivu. It took Congolese soldiers several hours to fight off the heavily armed rebels, who managed to set a FARDC vehicle on fire. Three FARDC soldiers and four militants were killed. Civilians in the areas around the base also suffered, with five dying and over 20 houses set on fire.

There has also been insecurity in Nyabibwe in North Kivu, where bandits have killed three people and wounded six in the last month. The bandits have been looting households for money and goods, but civilians have received little protection. Civil society has called on the authorities to intensify their efforts to protect civilians and locate the bandits.

South Sudan

Rebels won the strategically important city of Malakal from the South Sudanese army. The state capital of oil-rich Upper Nile state has been heavily fought over throughout the war. The militia that played a key role in the victory, led by Johnson Olony, has now officially merged with the SPLM-IO. Rebels aligned with Riek Machar also won the town of Leer in Unity state from government forces. However, in Western Bahr el Ghazal state, the South Sudanese army fought off rebel forces. The government also received a boost after General Gai Yoach defected from Riek Machar’s forces and rejoined the government.

Riek Machar met with the AU High Representative for South Sudan to discuss the peace process. He also met with Salva Kiir in a consultative meeting in Nairobi mediated by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. Kiir and Machar failed to come to an agreement. In a separate statement, the South Sudanese government noted the effect of the conflict on the economy and warned that oil production will be damaged unless the conflict ends.

The UN has imposed sanctions on six generals, three from each side of the conflict. The generals have global travel bans and asset freezes. The UN also documented atrocities committed by government forces in Unity State. In Malakal, the UN said rebels opened fire on a peacekeeping base where thousands of civilians were sheltered. One person was killed and six were wounded.

Sudan

The UN Security Council unanimously voted to extend UNAMID’s mandate. The vote means that peacekeepers will remain in Darfur until at least 2016. Contrary to Sudan’s demands, the exit strategy does not have a fixed date and will be tied to the security situation in Darfur. Sudan argued that the decision was an obstacle to peace. Sudan was also unhappy with UNAMID over the DDR (disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration) process, arguing that UNAMID was delaying it. UNAMID denied the allegations. Also, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has reiterated her intent to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services have suspended the weekly newspaper Elaph. The editor-in-chief of the paper said they were not given a reason for the suspension. This is not an isolated incident, as newly released figures showed that 256 charges were filed against journalists and newspapers in 2014.

Syria

A new video shows Jaysh al-Islam soldiers executing 18 ISIS fighters. The executions are in response to ISIS executions of Jaysh al-Islam soldiers. The two forces have been engaged in fighting around Damascus. There also continues to be heavy fighting between ISIS and Kurdish forces in Hassakeh, and the fighting has displaced approximately 30,000 people. If these civilians become refugees, their suffering could be further compounded by the lack of funding provided by the international community. Food aid is once again being cut to refugees, and the UN warned that unless the World Food Program receives an additional $139 million, food aid to Syrian refugees will have to be suspended entirely in September.

Britain looks likely to expand their airstrikes against ISIS from just Iraq to Syria as well. The US is already carrying out airstrikes in both countries, as well as conducting their “train and equip” program. Despite the extremely small number of Syrian troops involved in the program, the Pentagon says it remains committed to the program. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has completed a rare action on the conflict, condemning fighting between the Syrian army and rebels in Golan Heights.

Emerging Conflicts: Egypt

Egypt has been wracked by violence in recent days. In the Sinai Peninsula, clashes with the ISIS affiliate that goes by the name “Sinai Province” have escalated. The group coordinated almost simultaneous attacks against five military checkpoints and a police station. Sinai Province also occupied the town Sheikh Zuweid for several hours before being fought off. The military reported that 17 Egyptian soldiers and 100 militants had been killed, but some sources said over 100 Egyptian soldiers had been killed. The next day, Egypt responded with airstrikes that killed 23 militants and made a statement reiterating their intent to defeat Sinai Province. The Sinai Peninsula is a poor and sparsely populated region that many armed groups have operated in. However, the scale of the most recent attacks are well beyond past operations. The series of attacks this week was preceded by a car bomb explosion in Cairo on June 29th. State Prosecutor Zakaria Abd El-Aziz Osman was targeted and killed. The perpetrator has not been confirmed, but ISIS-affiliated forces are suspected.

Conflict has also escalated between the Egyptian government and the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt’s last President Mohamed Morsi was part of the Muslim Brotherhood and was deposed by current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in a coup two years ago. The ruling government has since outlawed and cracked down on the Muslim Brotherhood. Police raided a Cairo apartment on July 1st, killing 13 Muslim Brotherhood members, including a former member of Parliament. Egyptian authorities said that the men were plotting attacks, while the victim’s families said they were unarmed and innocent. The Muslim Brotherhood has called on supporters to “rise in revolt” against the Sisi government.

Thinking Outside “The Square”: Moving Forward Part 2/2

Colleen Fonseca — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 21:23:41 +0000

This piece was written by Colleen Fonseca, STAND’s Emerging Conflicts Coordinator. Colleen is junior at St. John’s University in NYC and can be reached at colleenfonseca 7 at gmail dotcom. Read the first half of this two-part piece here.

“We’re all one hand and our demands are one: a country by the people. ” The voice of Ramy Essam fills the eardrums of Egyptians in an intense emotional scene from the documentary The Square. Essam, labeled the unofficial song-writer for the revolution, is profiled with five other characters from January 2011 to July 2013 in Egypt. Through the eyes of Khalid Abdalla, Madgy Ashour, Ahmed Hassan, Ragia Omran, and Aida El Kashef we are given a unique glimpse into the Egyptian Revolutions. During such a pivotal moment in international history, the take-aways from this film are almost more significant than the film in it’s entirety. A profound and intimate testament to the “utopian aspirations” of it’s revolutionaries, we come away from the film eager and anxious about the future of Egypt.

The eagerness and anxiety that we have as an audience are reflected in each character’s consistent anxiety over the status and future of their nation. Despite the various opinions they shared, they agreed that the existing traditions of leadership must be revised and reconsidered. As Egypt again moves into the direction of democratic elections, we must critically look at the events that have transpired in the past few years. The revolution and evolution of Egypt are critical in this time as soaring unemployment and increasing poverty creep into the Egyptian vernacular. Critical decisions are necessary in order to prevent complete social and economic collapse, and yet who will be making these decisions? With recent announcements for presidential nominees and rumors circulating that Egypt’s former Minister of Defense and current Field Marshall al-Sisi will be running, this is a critical time for Egypt. Despite the lack of confirmation, posters of al-Sisi have sprouted throughout Egypt, raising suspicions of the beginning of a presidential campaign. Would we continue to see the army held above a functioning and democratic constitution? What would a potential transition from a military leader to statesperson mean for the future of Egypt?

Despite the Muslim Brotherhood’s (MB) performance in President Morsi’s regime, achieving a truly democratic government is impossible without their inclusion. Under the control of Mubarak, the Brotherhood was not even able to practice and was extensively repressed. Excluding a political movement as organized and ingrained in civil society as the MB would only produce further instability. The Brotherhood’s large and devoted population was made very apparent in the last month, as supporters demonstrated and coordinated massive sit-ins. Many Islamists, who were not previously affiliated with the political group, have joined in on the protesting. By reviving the suppression against the Brotherhood, some worry vicious rule may return.

In Egypt there still remains a dangerous possibility for more and continuous violence. The same dysfunction that prevented a vibrant democracy under the Morsi and al-Sisi regimes’ rule will continue unless deep political reform is achieved. A violent confrontation seems somewhat imminent as both sides mobilize, and violence ravages the streets of Egypt. The issues will not be quickly solved, and sustainable reform has to happen for the political system to thrive, not just an election of parliament and the president.

Thinking Outside “The Square” Part 1/2

Colleen Fonseca — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 21:29:32 +0000

This piece was written by Colleen Fonseca, STAND’s Emerging Conflicts Coordinator. Colleen is junior at St. John’s University in NYC and can be reached at colleenfonseca 7 at gmail dotcom.

Jehane Noujaim’s The Square is a riveting and eye-opening documentary in which he uncovers the truths of the Egyptian Revolution. If you happen to own a Netflix account, this is definitely a movie you need to see. Besides all of the buzz that the film has been acquiring over the past few weeks, this is a documentary that might make you question what you thought you understood about the last three years of Egypt’s history.

In this fast-paced and gripping film, we watch anxiously and helplessly as divisions and lines are drawn between the newly liberated Muslim Brotherhood and “everyone” else. What is it about this film and the unfolding scenarios in Egypt that result in such a gut-wrenching drama? The polarization of religious and political groups is fairly evident, and the film is strategically framed around this concept. In article after article pertaining to Egypt, there seems to be a focus on the religious division as a justification of the nation’s chronic political instability.

Truthfully however, it is sources like The Square that show us a lot more than merely the divisions of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Egyptians. Upon watching this film closely (which I encourage you to do!) you will find that there is discontent among Egyptian civilians that goes much deeper than religious belonging. In fact, throughout the film we witness these same religious lines become increasingly blurred only to be violently rigid, and then blurred once again. Despite this movement, and the Egyptian ousting of President Morsi as one of the largest public demonstrations in the entire world, some still seek to rationalize it all as a mere religious issue. This, in my opinion, is a strongly Western imposed idea to justify the uprisings of Egyptians, that inhibits us from rationally understanding a pivotal portion of world history.

Historically, Egypt has been a nation which has become familiar with almost consistent repressive rule. After decades of being under the control of President Hosni Mubarak, the people of Egypt took to the streets urging for change in 2011. Under Mubarak’s violent policies, the Muslim Brotherhood was banned from politics and open acts of violence were perpetrated against active and alleged members. Even before Mubarak’s reign, political turmoil had brought tensions to a boiling point between Muslim Brotherhood supporters and fellow Egyptians. It should come as no surprise that in the 2012 elections, the Brotherhood was victorious after decades of organizing as an underclass of citizens.

Once the Brotherhood did reach their height of power in Egypt through the election of President Morsi, negative perceptions of the political party intensified as they engaged in political grabs that enraged Egyptian civilians. There is a scene within the movie as pivotal in shaping our thoughts and discussions of the Egyptian crisis. One of the main characters Khalid Abdalla, famous for his leading role in The Kite Runner, poses the single most important phrase throughout the film: “Who created this situation?” This is the central question in determining the future of Egypt, as well as discerning the future of other countries descending into chaos. Throughout the entirety of The Square, we see revolutionaries such as Ahmed and Ramy claim time and time again, “the streets are our ballot boxes.” As viewers, we have an moral obligation to see that these cries from the streets of Egypt are more than religious tension, but a call for systemic reform of the institutions governing Egypt. The vigor for reform that fills the streets must be felt in all institutions of the government, something that has yet to happen. Even in the transition from Mubarak to Morsi, there was not much of a change in terms of the constitution and how government organizations function. The power players and institutions that dominated in the Mubarak era, remained almost completely intact in the transition to Morsi.

Despite the strain of living in volatile times, Egyptians continue to diligently work towards a better future for their nation. Even in the face of failed attempts to build a new democracy, they pursue on in Tahrir Square making their voices heard. In the film’s conclusion we see this unmistakable commitment to a country that may prosper without the fear of violence, subjugation, and restriction. In the words of Ramy Essam: “Freedom is coming that’s for sure. Liberty was written in our destiny.”

Education Update

Sonia Sen — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 13:28:12 +0000

Welcome to the first Education and Policy Update of the 2013-14 session! This year, we are mixing things up. Each week will feature an exciting new way to learn about atrocity prevention news, including emerging conflicts. From Top 10 lists to in-depth blog posts, our task force is committed to providing you with high-quality updates from around the world. This week, we started with Storify, a neat service that combines the best social and traditional media from the web. Check out the Storify presentations below and feel free to give us feedback about our new formats in the comments section. Happy reading!

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Egypt

Central African Republic

Sudan and South Sudan

Syria

Burma