Warzone News: Week of September 16, 2015
Resource of the Week: Where are Syria’s refugees coming from? And where are they going?
In Afghanistan, ISIS is beginning to have a larger influence in the country, even fighting the Taliban for territory. Afghanistan has also been named the worst place to be elderly. An aid worker from the Netherlands was freed after being held for 81 days. In northern Afghanistan, trucks carrying food for distribution to needy communities were attacked and burned.
In the Central African Republic, militias have been seizing schools and using them as bases. A grenade attack in the capital Bangui killed two.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, election violence has begun to increase ahead of November 2016 elections.
In Iraq, the conflict between Turkey and Kurdish rebels has spilled over the border into Iraq. The leader of Al Qaeda has spoken out against ISIS, creating further division between the terrorist groups. New evidence shows that ISIS is making and using chemical weapons in both Iraq and Syria.
In Israel and Palestine, clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians have lasted three days at a mosque in Jerusalem.
In Libya, peace talks stall over proposed amendments.
In Nigeria, a bomb killed 7 people at a camp housing Nigerians fleeing Boko Haram. An estimated 5.5 million people in countries impacted by Boko Haram lack enough food to eat.
In South Sudan, the UN Security Council is meeting this week to decide on new sanctions.
In Sudan, a new report was released that government forces committed atrocities in Darfur beginning in February 2014, including mass rape, destruction of infrastructure, torture, and killings.
In Syria, Russia is continuing to increase it’s presence, including evidence that they are building a base. Refugees are looking for a legal route to Europe, although very few opportunities are available to them. Daily life is a struggle for those who have decided to stay in Syria.
In Turkey, the government is continuing to wage war on the PKK, a Kurdish militant group, even as the PKK fights ISIS in Syria.
In Yemen, Saudi-led strikes are hitting the capital of Sanaa in some of the worst attacks since the start of the conflict. Saudi Arabia has failed to come through with promised aid for millions desperately in need. While overshadowed by destruction in Syria and Iraq, antiquities and cultural sites are also being destroyed in Yemen. Peace talks scheduled for this week collapsed when the Yemeni government chose not to participate. The head of human rights for the UN called for an inquiry into abuses by both sides in the conflict.