The Islamic State (IS), also known as ISIS or ISIL, has reportedly been halted and forced to retreat in their attack on Kobane, the strategically important town on the Syria-Turkey border that has been the focus of IS attacks for the past month. According to the BBC, IS has lost more than 20 percent of the town in recent days. Idris Nassan, deputy head of Kobane’s foreign relations committee, said “Maybe in the few past days [Islamic State] was controlling about 40% of the city of Kobane, but now… less than 20% of the city is under control of [IS].”

This gradual forced retreat comes after intensified air strikes by the US led coalition as well as heightened attacks by Kurdish fighters. The US and their allies have dramatically increased air strikes, in what the coalition has now called “Operation Inherent Resolve.”  Reuters reports that the US and its allied have almost tripled the rate of air strikes, hitting 40 targets in the last two days, reportedly killing hundreds of Islamic State fighters. Kurdish Fighters, represented in Kobane largely by the Kurdish the Popular Protection Units (YPG), have also retaken large parts of the south and southeast of Kobane. However, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby warned that Kobane could still fall to the Islamic State, as increasing numbers of jihadists were constantly joining the siege. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that 662 people have died since IS launched its attack on Kobane a month ago. This figure includes 374 jihadists, 268 fighting on the Kurdish side, and 20 civilians.

 A prominent Syrian lawmaker, Waris Al Younis, was reportedly gunned down Tuesday night in the Syrian city of Hama. Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that Younes was a commander in the National Defence Force, a pro-regime militia. Hama, in Syria’s west, represents a key strategic battleground battleground between regime forces and Islamic groups like Jabhat Al Nusra.

Reports are indicating that IS may now have access to chemical weapons. The New York Times gives credence to the idea, reporting that the Muthanna State Establishment, the facility at the centre of Iraq’s chemical agent production in the 1980s, is now in IS hands. This makes the situation against IS yet more urgent for the US led coalition.

Democratic Republic of Congo

 For a decade, rebel militias and elements of the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) controlled the Bisie mine in North Kivu, DRC. Today, Canadian mining giant Alphamin retains sole ownership of the mine. Locals continue to protest the investment of Alphamin, fearing the eviction of artisanal mining communities, resulting in unemployment and delayed delivery of development promises. Artisanal miners in eastern Congo continue to advocate for the formalization of artisanal mining and the promotion of alternative sources of livelihood.

On Friday, October 17, a ceremony in Beni, North Kivu province mourned the deaths of nearly thirty Congolese civilians. These individuals lost their lives last week when Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels attacked populations living near Beni.  Civil society in North Kivu continues to protest the lack of stability in the region. Martin Kobler, head of the UN in the DRC Congo (MONUSCO), reaffirmed the force’s commitment to neutralize armed groups in eastern DRC.

The territorial administrator for DRC’s Orientale province and the UN Office for Human Rights confirmed attacks in Ituri, Orientale province this Friday. The Mai Mai Simba rebel group executed four men, raped four women, and looted numerous homes in the surrounding community. The Congolese military (FARDC) reportedly maintains a strong presence near the area of the attacks.

On Thursday, the Congolese government requested the removal of Scott Campbell, the UN’s highest human rights officer in the DRC. The request follows the release of an October 15 report condemning human rights abuses by the Congolese police force (PNC) in the midst of Operation Likofi, a crackdown on gang violence in Kinshasa. The report attributes 9 summary executions and 32 disappearances to the operation. The Congolese government, for its part, calls the report “partisan” and an attempt to discredit the PNC.

Sudan

This week Sudan expressed fears over Ebola as the government refused to host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, the continent-wide football tournament. The Sudanese minister of health said that Sudan has refused to host the cup as the most participating nations in the tournament finals come from West African nations in which the disease is rampant.

Additionally, dozens of Sudanese journalists protested in Khartoum last week against the indefinite suspension of the al-Saiha daily newspaper, one of the country’s most prominent newspapers. The journalists stated that the government promised press freedom and they have clearly not received it and demanded the immediate reinstatement of their daily paper. There has been no definite resolution of the protest.

Vice Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission Xu Qiliang met with Sudanese Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein in Beijing last week. The two leaders expressed a desire to continue growing the friendship and positive relationship between China and Sudan. They renewed sentiments of continued bilateral cooperation and exchange as well as cooperation with the Sudanese armed forces.

South Sudan

This week in South Sudan, President Salva Kiir has the opportunity to veto an extremely concerning National Security Service (NSS) bill. This bill would give the National Security Service the power to arrest and detain suspects without supervision, monitor communication throughout the country, and conduct searches and seizures on personal property without having to go through legal channels. The bill has been read three times in the National Legislative Assembly, but most of the legislators are still unsure if it has passed. If this bill passes and the President does not veto it as he has been urged to do by many members of international human rights agencies, it will give the NSS unprecedented power and could make them a threat to South Sudanese citizens’ rights. The NSS has also been responsible for some of the worst violations of freedom in South Sudan since the country’s independence.

Numerous reports of civilian frustration emerged last week as scheduled peace talks between the two warring sides were postponed again due to continued violence. There is growing concern over the humanitarian situation in the country as the two sides continue to fight despite international intervention and multiple attempted peace talks. There is also a fear that the fighting may worsen as the dry season approaches, as it will be easier to transport persons and materials, which makes fighting easier. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Toby Lanzer stated the only way to avoid further declines in the humanitarian situation is “a peace agreement or . . . a sustained, massive aid operation”. Mr. Lanzer emphasized that “if those things aren’t there, you are going to see a massive increase in mortality in South Sudan.”

Burma

There has been mix of positive and negative news concerning the Burmese government’s relations with various ethnic groups. On the positive side, the Burmese government will provide stipends to school teachers who teach ethnic languages. When a military junta ruled Burma, a major source of conflict was the use of ethnic languages in schools. The junta insisted that Burmese be taught, while various ethnic nationalities felt this was an attack on their culture. On the negative side, the Burmese Army has ordered 1,000 villagers to leave their homes as clashes continue in Kachin State between the Burmese Army and Kachin Independence Army. After a 17-year-old ceasefire ended in 2011, fighting continued between the two groups despite multiple ceasefire talks. In addition, more fighting has occurred in Shan State between the Burmese Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, Kachin Independence Army, and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army.

Burma will hold its first ever LGBT film festival in November. Same-sex relations and sodomy are still illegal in Burma, with accompanying prison sentences of up to 10 years. However, organizers of the “& Proud Yangon LGBT Film Festival” hope to take advantage of the country’s growing freedom of expression to bring about great awareness and combat negative stereotypes of LGBT people.

Last week, Burma’s former Religious Affairs Minister Hsan Hsint was sentenced to 13 years in prison for corruption and seditious comments against the government. Hsint was arrested following a raid on a Buddhist Monastery in Yangon (also known as Rangoon) in June. The raid caused a public outcry over the disrespect shown toward the detained monks.

In other news, Burma will get its first KFC next year in Yangon as the country continues to reestablish relations with foreign governments and businesses.

Libya

Nearly 100 people have been killed in the last week as Libya descends towards state failure.  Over fifty of those have come since Wednesday in fighting between the Libyan National Army and Islamist militias in Benghazi. The Libyan National Army forces, who have called themselves Operation Dignity, are led by General Khalifa Hifter and are allied with the House of Representatives. The Islamist militias, including al-Qaeda affiliated Ansar al-Sharia among many less radical groups, make up Operation Dawn and typically support the General National Congress. The United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and France have all called for an immediate end to the fighting.

Libya does not currently have a functioning government, with power contested between the House of Representatives and the General National Congress.  The House of Representatives is Libya’s national elected government, but they were forced to leave the capital Tripoli for the eastern city of Tobruk. The United Nations and most countries recognize the House of Representatives as the country’s legitimate government, but they have little internal legitimacy.  It does not control any of Libya’s three largest cities: Tripoli, Benghazi, and Misrata.  In September it voted to remove Sadiq al-Kabir from his position as governor of the Central Bank, but he still appears to be in power.  The General National Congress currently sits in Tripoli and also controls Benghazi and Misrata.  It includes a number of Islamist groups and some defected members of the House of Representatives.  Their challenge for power began after Islamists lost the election in June, although less than half of registered Libyans turned out.

1/20-1/26

Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Libya, DRC

Sudan and South Sudan

The Sudanese defense minister, General Abdul Rahim Mohamed Hussien, has declared that his country is planning to start producing heavy weapons after it already ended dependence on purchases of small arms from outside.

The death toll resulting from the Monday, January 16th attack on Duk county of Dinka community by the Murle ethnic group in Jonglei state has risen to over 85 people confirmed dead and many more still missing as United Nations warns of hate statements. The attacks have displaced more than 20,000 people. The United Nations has expressed serious concerns over the plight of more than 120,000 people, mainly women and children believed to have been displaced by ethnic violence in Jonglei.

The government of South Sudan has decided to shut down all its oil production throughout the country in response to the action by Khartoum, which confiscated the oil as it flows through North Sudan pipelines. South Sudan said that it will continue to negotiate with Khartoum over post-independence issues despite announcing that it is stopping oil being exported through North Sudan over transit fees dispute. South Sudan has accused Sudan of seizing $815 million worth of crude oil.

A large group of youth protesters took to the streets of Bentui, the capital of South Sudan’s oil-rich Unity State, in support of the government’s decision to stop exporting oil through north Sudan.

A malaria and whooping cough outbreak in Jonglei State’s Duk County has killed 36 people over the last month with a further 761 cases under medical care in Pajut clinic.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees strongly condemned an air raid  against  Elfoj, a refugee camp of about 5,000 refugees, which reportedly occurred in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State on Monday, January 23^rd. The strike wound one boy and left fourteen people missing.

Syria and Libya

The Arab League announced Thursday that it planned to take a proposed peace plan to the United Nations,calling for Syrian President Bashar-Al-Assad to step down from power, and for the formation of a transitional unity government within two months time. Britain, France and the United States are also pursuing condemnatory actiontowards the Syrian regime within the United Nations Security Council, however the Russian Foreign Ministry has stated that Russia remains opposed to the imposition of sanctions upon Syria as well as the prospect of military intervention.

The Arab League has renewed its investigate mission in Syria, extending the initiative to February 23rd, with Syrian approval. However, the investigators of six countries, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE, who comprise the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will be departing Syria despite the mission’s extension, owing to insufficient progress in stopping violence on the ground and the physical dangers of the ongoing violence within Syria. The departure of these observers will leave the League mission with only about a third of its original strength.

Violence has continued unabated throughout Syria this week with BBC News reporting some 60 deaths on Tuesday, the 24^th of January. A further 24 were reported dead on Wednesday amid a sweep by security forces in the city of Hama and fierce fighting between Security forces and defecting troops of the Free Syrian Army. Further, Reuters has reported that sporadic clashes between security forces and Free Syrian army troops have beenongoing in Duoma, not far from the Syrian capital of Damascus. Among those killed in this week’s violence was the head of the Syrian Red Crescent, Dr. Abd-al-Razzaq Jbeiro, who was killed while driving a marked vehicle on a roadbetween Damascus and Idlib. Further, Greek Orthodox priest Rev. Basilious Nasser was shot and killed in the streets of Hama on Wednesday. The Syrian government laid blame for the attacks on “armed terrorist groups” while the opposition sources reported the priest to have been shot by government forces.

Reuters reported Thursday on theexplosion of instances of kidnapping in Syrian cities, particularly in the city of Homs, since the beginning of the Syrian unrest. While many of the present instances have not yet come to violence, the kidnappings are reported to none the less be largely sectarian in nature. Opposition sources reporting that in particular, pro-regime Alawite militias known as shabbiha, have been responsible for numerous kidnappings. Other instances however, have been undertaken strictly for monetary purposes.

BBC News reports thatfour people were killed in the Libyancity of Bani Walid on Monday. Bani Walid’s local council head declared that the deaths were the result of clashes between militias and the remaining remnants of pro-Gaddafi fighters in the area, however these claims were rebuked by the transitional Libyan government which asserted that the deaths were the result of clashes between rival militias and that pro-Qaddafi fighters were not involved; the violence allegedly breaking out after a disputed arrest, and that the defeated militia was actually backing the transitional government. In addition, Medecins Sans Frontieres reported Thursday that it has suspended its activity in Libya in protest of ongoing torture of prisoners conducted by Libyan militia groups. Amnesty International has claimed that several prisoners have died under torture since the fall of dictator Muammar Qaddafi, with the central Libyan government having relatively limited oversight over the some 60 detention centers scattered throughout Libya. Owing to such reports, the United Nations has concerns about the conditions under which Libyan prisoners are presently being held.

DRC

After contesting the November election results and holding his own swearing-in ceremony on December 24^th, Tshisekedi has announced that he plans to form a rival government this week. He said he is “obliged to form a government on the basis of necessity and urgency and to govern by decree until elected institutions are put in place on the basis of a real population census and organization of elections on all levels”.

The legislative poll results have been postponed “until further notice”. 

Washington has started showing support for a power-sharing agreement between Kabila and Tshisekedi. The only problem is, neither Kabila nor Tshisekedi has shown any interest. Jason Stearns notes that it’s difficult to see how a power-sharing deal would be pushed through, due to deep divisions within both donors and the opposition party. It would also not resolve issues surrounding the flawed elections. Stearns suggests four options: declare the elections null and void and hold new polls, recount the ballots, disregard the presidential poll and salvage the legislative elections or do nothing. Right now, The US seems intent on the power-sharing agreement, while European powers such as Belgium have given up on the process all together and South Africa remains pro-Kabila. However the first three options will all require international support and funding, so the path forward remains unclear.

South African police arrested 150 members of the Congolese diaspora last week in Johannesburg after clashes erupted between Kabila’s and Tshisekedi’s supporters. However there are already allegations that the arrests were politically motivated, as the majority of arrests were of Tshisekedi’s supporters. “The government of the DRC wants to silence Congolese that were campaigning for democracy in the DRC here in South Africa,” said Jean-Pierre Lukamba, the deputy chairman of the African Diaspora Forum.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) continues to voice concern over the influx of Congolese displaced internally and internationally due to violence. In the North and South Kivu provinces, over 100,000 civilians have been forced to flee their homes since November alone. In Masisi in Walikale, where 35,000 have been displaced, a recent outburst of violence resulted in the deaths of at least 22 civilians and an unknown number of rapes.

Doctors without Borders (MSF) announced that 86% of HIV-positive Congolese have no access to life-saving anti-retroviral medication. Out of a population of 68 million, more than a million have contracted the virus yet only 350,000 received drug therapy last year. ARV’s are crucial to ensure that HIV-positive people continue to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but also can be coupled with cheap drug therapy to prevent the transmission from mother to child. Yet only 1% of all pregnant women in the country were on ARVs last year. MSF said, “The conditions of access to care for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Democratic Republic of Congo are catastrophic.” One problem is the high price of ARVs, as international donors like the Global Fund have been forced to pull out of the country due to the economic climate.

Protesters from over 25 states gathered in Washington D.C. to protest the legitimacy of the November elections and urge President Obama to help restore Congolese leadership.

The education update is produced every Thursday to update STAND members and the advocacy community about developments with regards to genocide and crimes against humanity.  For more information contact the following:

Education Coordinator: Sean Langberg education@standnow.org 

Sudan Education Coordiator: Emma Smith esmith@standnow.org

DRC Education Coordinator: Siobhan Kelley skelley@standnow.org

Emerging Crises Education Coordinator: Tom Dolzall tdolzall@standnow.org 

Weekly STAND Education Update 

10/7-10/13

DRC, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Libya

Be sure to register for the United to End Genocide national conference in Washington D.C. on Oct. 22-24 http://goo.gl/BYJBc

Key Developments:

• Kabila was endorsed by third largest party in the DRC parliament and a youth militia seems to be forming
  

• Bashir announced Sudan will adopt an entirely Islamic constitution and more Islamic laws
  

• The battle for Sirte in Libya continues with questionable tactics used by both NTC and pro-Quaddafi fighters.

DRC

Recent events in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could jeopardize peace during the upcoming presidential elections on November 28. Though the ruling party denies its existence, the opposition party claims a militia of young people in support of incumbent president Joseph Kabila has emerged. The militia is speculated to be within the youth league of Kabila’s party, the PPRD (People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy).

The third largest party in the Congolese parliament, the PALU, has officially endorsed Kabila’s candidacy for president. 

Due to widespread allegations of voter fraud and the identification of double or triple registrations, the Congolese electoral commission has published a partial list of registered voters in a total of three provinces. However this will not ensure legitimacy in the voter registration process; instead they will have to decentralize the registration audit to the provincial level, where party officials would have to check the names registered in an area with the local population. Implementing this on the ground, however, is nearly impossible.

UNICEF is calling for an urgent increase in the efforts to combat “one of the worst” cholera outbreaks ever, which is currently affecting large numbers of people across West and Central Africa. The epidemic has spread to the DRC, where there has been a significant increase in the number of cases due to low access rates to water and sanitation.

According to the Global Hunger Index, twenty-six countries have “alarming” or “extremely alarming” hunger levels including the DRC. The Index focuses on the impact of rising food prices on the world’s poorest people, which has been particularly acute in the DRC which has the highest proportion of undernourished people and one of the highest child mortality rates in the world.

Sudan

Omar al-Bashir just announced that Sudan will go ahead with plans to adopt an entirely Islamic constitution and strengthen Islamic law.

Sudan’s ex-Prime Minister and leader of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP), Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, has reiterated calls for forming a national government to draft a new constitution for the country.

North Darfur’s governor accused the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minnin Minnawi (SLM-MM) of killing three peacekeepers and wounding five others in an attack carried out in Zam Zam internally displaced persons camp last Monday. The three peacekeepers serving with the African Union-United Nations Joint Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) were killed and six others injured when their patrol was attacked by unknown gunmen.

South Sudan’s cabinet has endorsed the new mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and vowed to cooperate with the UN mission.

The trading activities between Sudan and South Sudan will resume after the settlement of Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan, Khartoum said in a meeting held during the visit of President Salva Kiir to Khartoum. Bashir and Kiir also vowed to work closely together to resolve their differences through dialogue and enhanced cooperation between the two countries and ruled out return to war.

On Monday, October 10, 2011, twenty people died and five were seriously injured in a land mine incident in the Mankien payam (district) of Mayom county in the west of Unity state.

The hybrid peacekeeping operation (UNAMID) announced the intensification of security patrols around the camps of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in west Darfur state.

Libya and Syria

Libyan forces of the National Transitional Council (NTC) have stated that they are close to capturing the central loyalist stronghold of Sirte, birthplace of Col. Muammar Qaddafi.  NTC forces reported several instances of apparent executions by Qaddafi loyalists as they have moved into the city. Clashes have been ongoing in the city for several weeks, and NATO leaders expressed surprise at the resilience of Pro-Qaddafi holdouts in the city. 

Amnesty International has issued a report Thursday calling for the National Transitional Council (NTC) to immediately address instances of detention and torture conducted by their forces. The arrests have particularly targeted those suspected of being mercenaries for Col. Qaddafi’s regime.

Following their veto of a proposed UN resolution that would impose immediate sanctions on the Syrian regime as response to its violent crackdown, the Chairman of the Russian Foreign Affairs Committee stated that “”The Russian veto at the UN Security Council on the Syria draft resolution is no way a carte blanche for the current ruling Syrian regime to do everything they want”. The statement followed remarks made last week by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev that the Syrian leadership should seek reforms or step down.

Mashaal Tammo, a prominent Syrian-Kurd opposition figure was killed on Friday by masked gunmen who stormed into his home in the Syrian city of Qamishli. There were reports throughout the country of other opposition figures being assaulted and harassed by security forces. Violence against protestors continued inseveral cities, with activists reporting that 8 protestors had been killed during the last week. Reuters reports that in the town of Haara clashes between Syrian security forces and military defectors left one civilian dead as well as several soldiers and defectors. In the town of Binish five civilians were killed by Syrian security forces swept through the area. On Wednesday in the Syrian capital of Damascus a rally was held in support of the Assad regime.

The education update is produced every Thursday to update STAND members and the advocacy community about developments with regards to genocide and crimes against humanity.  For more information contact the following:

Education Coordinator: Sean Langberg education@standnow.org 

Sudan Education Coordiator: Emma Smith esmith@standnow.org

DRC Education Coordinator: Siobhan Kelly skelley@standnow.org

Emerging Crises Education Coordinator: Tom Dolzall tdolzall@standnow.org