Warzone News Update: Week of January 6, 2016
In Afghanistan, two bombings struck near Kabul?s international airport on Monday, killing one and injuring more than 20.
In Burundi, the government has requested a further postponement of peace talks that were set to begin January 6th. Many fear the country will descend into civil war based on the recent violence ?and reported state-led violence and human rights violations.
In Central African Republic, preliminary election results show a high voter turnout. Results so far show that two candidates are nearly tied. The United Nations has requested investigations into allegations that peacekeepers sexually assaulted underage girls in the capital city of Bangui.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon is recommending that 1,700 troops be cut from the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, the second decrease in two years. Click here to witness an emotional story of a young man and mother reunited years after he was kidnapped and forced to join an armed group.
In Iraq, at least 15 people were killed and 22 wounded in five suicide bomb attacks on an Iraqi military base north of Baghdad on Sunday. Thousands came out to protest in Baghdad and Iraq’s southern Shi’ite cities on Monday condemning the execution of a prominent Shi’ite cleric by Saudi Arabia. At least two Sunni mosques have been attacked since, perhaps in retaliation for the execution.
In Israel and Palestine, Israel transferred to Palestinian control dozens of corpses of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces during recent stabbings, shootings or car attacks against Israelis. In other news, the Vatican formally recognized Palestine as a state. The UN investigator on human rights in Palestine resigned due to Israel’s failure to grant him access to the areas he is tasked with monitoring.
In Libya, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for attacks on checkpoints near the Libyan oil port of Es Sider, in which several guards were killed and an oil tanker was set on fire.
In Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi said that the peace process will be the first priority for the new government, set to take power later this year. An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 was recorded near the border of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
In Nigeria, the Bring Back Our Girls campaign criticizes President Buhari?s claim that Boko Haram has been defeated. In neighboring Niger, military leaders report that they are winning the war? against Boko Haram.
In Somalia, al-Shabab militants battled government forces in the country?s southern Lower Shabelle region in clashes that left at least four people dead. The former mayor of Mogadishu, Mohamed Nur, says that making people feel safe and protected is key to boosting government support against extremists.
In South Sudan, health workers are struggling to contain a severe malaria outbreak that is spreading across the country.? Officials reported Tuesday that the DRC registered 7,000 refugees coming from South Sudan.
In Sudan, rebels from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, attacked an army garrison in the South Kordofan state.
In Syria, according to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons all of the chemical weapons declared by the Syrian regime have been destroyed. Recently evacuated pro-government forces are reporting that besieged villages are enduring extremely harsh conditions with scarce food and medicine, some residents are eating grass to survive and undergoing surgery without anesthesia.
In Yemen, the civilian death toll has risen to almost 2,800 despite the recent ceasefire and war intensifies amid escalating tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the two major powers in the region.
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