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Showing posts from November 29, 2020

OPINION - Myanmar’s perennial ceasefire talks

  - The writer is a Burmese coordinator of the Free Rohingya Coalition and a fellow of the Genocide Documentation Center in Cambodia. LONDON Cease-fire and talks for peace are normally welcome news. But the politics in Myanmar is anything but normal, hence such talks do not necessarily signify prospects for peace, ephemeral or lasting. This week the Spokesperson for Myanmar Tatmadaw or the Military Brig. Zaw Min Tun told Mizzima TV that the Defense Ministry is holding talks via intermediaries with the Arakan Army (AA) which Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) government had officially declared a “terrorist” organization. Taking to Twitter, a pro-AA Rakhine activist approved the talks, welcoming that there have been no military clashes between the Tatmadaw and AA which has emerged as an effective military and political movement seeking autonomy – and even independence – from the Balkan-like country of Myanmar, with highly diverse ethnic communities. Howe

IS-linked BIFF owns up to Maguindanao attack

KORONADAL CITY –– Islamic State-inspired members of a Moro armed group in Maguindanao claimed responsibility for Thursday night’s attacks in Datu Piang town, where a police patrol car and a military detachment were burned. Abu Jihad, spokesperson of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), told local radio on Friday that his group was forced to attack due to the rampant illegal activities in the town that included the proliferation of illegal drugs and alcoholic drinks. ADVERTISEMENT “The Law of Islam prohibits all (vices) … we are just enforcing it,” Jihad said, noting that they targeted the town’s military detachment that was only partially burned. “We will not stop and no one can stop us while there are illegal activities in town,” he said. The BIFF, a splinter group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), had split from Mindanao’s largest separatist group after the latter signed a peace deal with the government that eventually led to the setting up of the MILF-led Bangs

Global Terrorism Index 2020: List of 10 worst-affected countries; India ranks 8th

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India is among the countries that were hit the hardest by the menace of terrorism in 2019, as per the Global Terrorism Index of 2020. Greater Middle-East continues to be the focal point of terrorism while South Asia suffered most fatalities as per the study that analyses the impact of terrorism across 163 countries amounting to over 99 percent of the global population. India is among the countries that were hit the hardest by the menace of terrorism in 2019, as per the Global Terrorism Index of 2020. Greater Middle-East continues to be the focal point of terrorism while South Asia suffered most fatalities as per the study that analyses the impact of terrorism across 163 countries amounting to over 99 percent of the global population.

Colombian Lives Matter: For peace and social justice in Colombia

  It is past time for the international community to cease colluding with, or blithely ignoring, what is going on in Colombia. Dilan Cruz, Javier Ordóñez, Juliana Giraldo, Juan de Jesús Monroy Ayala, Luis Alexander Largo. These are a few names of the many people murdered in Colombia recently because of their peaceful opposition to environmental destruction and political corruption. So far this year, there have been more than  50 massacres , with 200 people assassinated. Massive protests against these infractions of human rights continue in the capital Bogotá and elsewhere. But as they say in Colombia,  everything happens and nothing happens . The Black Lives Matter movement in the US has been a beacon of hope for Colombian descendants of African slaves and the numerous indigenous peoples resisting destruction of their territories and livelihoods. It has helped revitalise grassroots organising, both nationally and internationally.  The Minga , an indigenous Colombian group, have marched

Conflict In Northern Ethiopia: Pathways To Peace And Normalization

  On 28 November, Ethiopian federal troops captured Mekelle, the capital of Tigray province in northern Ethiopia. For the first time in decades, the fighting involved formed military units after the Army’s Northern Command had been attacked by forces loyal to the Tigray TPLF.The TPLF political group held power in Ethiopia for decades prior to the government of PM Abiy. The last major military engagement in the Horn of Africa Region was fought on the 1000-kmborder between Ethiopia and Eritrea in the border war 1998-2000over areas close to the current conflict theatre. The fighting claimed over 100,000 lives and caused massive deportations on both sides. Although an all-out siege of Mekelle was avoided, the region contains much combustible material and security risks- hovering perilously near an inter-state conflict. This was underscored by the rocket attack last Saturday from Tigray against the airport area in Asmara in neighboring Eritrea- the third such strike since the conflict start

Pandemic must not distract from peace, security efforts in Africa, stresses Secretary-General, during debate on cooperation with regional bodies

  Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks, as delivered at the Security Council debate on Cooperation between the United Nations and Regional and Subregional Organizations: African Union, today: Let me begin by congratulating you on assuming the Presidency of the Security Council for the month of December and for your leadership as Chair of the African Union. With the support of United Nations special political missions and peacekeeping operations, our partnership has also yielded significant results at the country level. In Libya, the parties signed a ceasefire agreement under the auspices of the United Nations, and political talks have resumed. I am grateful for the [continued] and close engagement of the African Union in support of the ongoing dialogue processes, including as co‑chair of the Security Working Group of the International Follow‑up Committee. The Contact Group of the African Union High‑Level Committee on Libya, chaired by the President of the Republ

Maoist Threat: Police scale up combing ops in Bhupalpally, Mulugu districts

  Jayashankar Bhupalpally/Mulugu : The police have intensified combing operations in forests and are conducting vehicle checks in Bhupalpally and Mulugu districts to thwart the attempts of the outlawed Maoists to regain their lost ground in these two districts. They are mainly focusing on vehicles coming from neighbouring Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. Police teams along with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel have been conducting vehicle checks for the last three months. “We have also scaled up combing operations in both the districts with the Maoist’s calling to make the week-long celebration of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army’s (PLGA) 21st anniversary a success. We have received some intelligence inputs about the movement of special action teams under the supervision of CPI Maoist, Telangana State committee Secretary Yapa Narayana alias Haribhushan. It was noticed that the Maoists were pulling all stops to regain hold in Telangana State of late. They

Peru police seize nearly $6mln in counterfeit currency

  Sheets upon sheets of counterfeit cash. Police in Peru showed off a stash of nearly $6 million in counterfeit U.S notes on Wednesday (December 2) -- after they were seized in an operation in Lima. One person was arrested following the raid on Tuesday (December 1). According to local media, the individual detained in the operation was arrested for prior counterfeit offenses. Local police say Peru is considered to be one of the main countries in the world where dollars are forged, surpassing Colombia. Source:  https://news.yahoo.com/peru-police-seize-nearly-6mln-105758375.html

France inspects dozens of mosques, many could face closure

 Announcing the crackdown, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, said some mosques could be closed if found to be “breeding grounds of terrorism” and encouraging “separatism” Paris : French authorities have started the inspection of mosques believed to be fomenting Islamist fervour and encouraging “separatism” and Islamic extremism. Announcing the crackdown, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, said some mosques could be closed if found to be “breeding grounds of terrorism” and encouraging “separatism”. The move comes after the French authorities closed a well-known mosque in the northeastern suburbs of Paris for six months in October, as part of their clampdown on Islamist groups and suspected extremists after recent terrorists attacks, including the horrific beheading of a school teacher, Samuel Paty, by a Chechen refugee. The mosque, which had about 1,500 worshippers, had posted a Facebook video about Paty days before the 47-year-old history and geography teacher was deca

Rohingya relocated to remote island against their will, rights groups say

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  Authorities in Bangladesh have begun relocating thousands of Rohingya refugees to a remote island despite concerns about safety and consent. About 1,600 refugees were being transported on Friday towards Bhasan Char, a flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal, Reuters reported. Bangladesh says all those being moved have given consent. But Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh told the BBC in October they did not want to be relocated to the island. Rights groups have raised concerns that many travelling to the island on Friday were being moved against their will. image captionA bird's eye view of the red roofed houses on Bhasan Char Human Rights Watch said it had interviewed 12 families whose names were on transport lists but who had not volunteered to go. The United Nations said it had been given "limited information" about the relocations and was not involved. Bangladesh's foreign minister Abdul Momen said on Thursday night that the government "was not takin

Ignoring Sahel Region Will Have ‘Disastrous Implications’ for West Africa, Peace Operations Chief Warns Security Council

The United Nations will assess, in early 2021, the support provided by its peacekeeping mission in Mali to the joint counter-terrorism force for Africa’s Sahel region, the head of the Organization’s peace operations told the Security Council during a 16 November videoconference meeting. “We should be mindful of the disastrous implications of the security situation for the rest of the West African region if the situation in the Sahel is not adequately addressed,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, in his briefing on the Secretary-General’s report on the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel (document  S/2020/1074 ). The assessment will highlight the progress and challenges in implementing the enhanced support mandate given to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), he said, noting that the conclusions and recommendations will be reflected on the Secretary-General’s second quarterly report on MI