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PEACE & SECURITY REPORT
IPSI's Peace & Security Report (PSR) is a concise weekly e-publication intended to keep busy students, academics, advocates, and practitioners in the conflict management community briefed on pertinent global news, events, and trends.  Meticulously researched and written by IPSI, the PSR empowers us all to take a step back from our immediate deadlines each Friday and gain a greater understanding of the week's global events.

Featured Article

 

Balochistan disappearancesPakistan's government should immediately end widespread disappearances of suspected militants and activists by the military, intelligence agencies, and the paramilitary Frontier Corps in the southwestern province of Balochistan, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Several of those "disappeared" were among the dozens of people extrajudicially executed in recent months in the resource-rich and violence-wracked province.

The 132-page report, "'We Can Torture, Kill, or Keep You for Years': Enforced Disappearances by Pakistan Security Forces in Balochistan," documents dozens of enforced disappearances,in which the authorities take people into custody and then deny all responsibility or knowledge of their fate or whereabouts. The report details 45 alleged cases of enforced disappearances, the majority in 2009 and 2010. While hundreds of people have been forcibly disappeared in Balochistan since 2005, dozens of new enforced disappearances have occurred since Pakistan returned to civilian rule in 2008.

 

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Africa
COTE D'IVOIRE: Displaced fear returning home
On July 28, Amnesty International reported that almost 700,000 Ivorians remain displaced three months after the end of post-election violence, and that human rights violations including torture, disappearances, and extra-judicial killings have been committed since the arrest of former President Gbagbo in April. According to the report, militias belonging to President Alassane Ouattara's Dioula tribe are threatening and beating civilians; a majority of those displaced belong to ethnicities perceived to be loyal to former President Gbagbo. The report also stated that the displaced are afraid to return given the lawlessness and fear of renewed violence. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping operation in Cote d'Ivoire for another year at its current strength of 9,800 troops. It is now set to expire on July 31, 2012. Comment: The country was marred by violence following the disputed November 2010 elections in a violent power struggle between the incumbent Gbagbo and president-elect Ouattara. The country now faces national reconciliation, restoring law and order, and economic recovery. (Associated Press, Reuters Africa, UN News Center)

SOMALIA: WFP airlifts food, fighting erupts in capital
On July 27, the World Food Programme (WFP) began airlifting aid into Somalia aimed at providing relief for the thousands of children suffering from malnutrition in the region's worst drought in 60 years. Fighting broke out in the capital Mogadishu on July 28 between African Union peacekeepers and rebels belonging to the extremist Islamist group, al-Shabab. The al-Shabab controls large parts of Somalia and reneged last week on its earlier decision to allow aid agencies to provide relief. The rebels were trying to prevent aid from reaching those affected. Meanwhile, the UN Secretary General appealed for an additional $1.6 billion in funding for famine relief in the region. Comment: Nearly half of Somalia's 10 million people are affected by the famine. The drought in the region has been caused by a lack of rain and a failure of successive governments to fund sustainable agricultural and irrigation projects. The crisis in Somalia is worsened by the presence of al-Shabab and the resulting violence. (AFP, Associated Press, BBC)

SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudan accuses North of "economic war"
Sudan issued a new currency on July 24, just days after the newly independent South Sudan issued its own currency on July 19. In response, a South Sudanese official accused the North of triggering a "currency war." The Central Bank of South Sudan (CBSS) announced on July 26 that it will limit the time available for people to exchange Sudanese Pounds for South Sudan Pounds to 45 days. The CBSS stated that the introduction of a new currency by the North necessitated a quick transition for the South so it would not be left with potentially useless old Sudanese currency. According to the South Sudan government, this move by the North could cost the impoverished South $700 million. Sudan however assured that the currency change would be gradual. Meanwhile, on July 28, South Sudan became the 54th member of the African Union, the first to be inducted since Eritrea in 1993. Comment: The "currency war" highlights the fact that many disputes remain unresolved between the new neighbors. They are yet to agree on border issues and oil revenues even as ethnic fighting continues in southern Sudan and the region remains volatile. (Associated Press, BBC, News24, Sudan Tribune)
Americas
ECUADOR: Freedom of speech threatened as Correa wins libel case
Last week, a judge sentenced three directors and one editor of the newspaper, El Universo, to three years in jail and $40 million in fines for a libel suit brought about by President Correa. Correa filed libel and defamation charges against the newspaper in March after a column accused him of ordering his troops to fire on a hospital where he was briefly held during a police protest in 2010. Called a "dictator" throughout the article, Correa claims the piece was written "on purpose, immorally, and maliciously insults [him], with the only intention of affecting [his] prestige, honor, and good name." The newspaper intends on appealing the decision. Correa plans to continue to seek the $80 million he originally sought. Comment: Correa claims all the money awarded from the suit will be used in the environmental conservation project, Yasuni-ITT, which aims to raise billions of dollars from international donors in exchange for renouncing oil exploration in the rainforest. Human rights groups are calling the ruling a violation of Ecuador's human rights obligations of free speech. (El Comercio, Human Rights Watch, BBC, Latin American Herald Tribune, Miami Herald)

GUATEMALA: Civil war massacre trial begins
Four former Guatemalan soldiers are standing trial for the alleged killing of more than 220 people in the Las Dos Erres village massacre during the country's 1960-1996 civil war. Witnesses claim a unit called Kaibilies questioned and killed villagers suspected of harboring left-wing guerrillas, but the accused deny any involvement. The victims, including women, children, and the elderly, were killed and then tossed down a well. One human rights organization has called the trial "historic" as no one has yet to be sentenced for the massacre. Comment: The trial is Guatemala's second relating to its long civil war in which over 200,000 died and entire villages were exterminated. In 2004, one officer and 13 soldiers were found guilty; however, the decision was overturned on appeal. The well was exhumed in the 1990s and of the 171 bodies recovered, at least 67 were children under the age of 12. (AFP, BBC, Washington Post)

MEXICO: Teen assassin sentenced to three years
On Tuesday, 15-year-old Edgar Jimenez Lugo, a U.S. national, was sentenced to three years in prison for murdering four men, kidnapping, narcotics trafficking and weapon possession last year. The three year sentence is the maximum allowed for criminals aged 12 to15 in the state of Morales. Appearing remorseless, he admitted to beheading the victims and that he began killing at the age of 11 when a cartel paid him $200 a week to do it. He was arrested in December as he attempted to board a flight to Tijuana en route to his mother's home in San Diego, California. Comment: Tuesday was yet another violent day in Mexico as 17 people were reportedly killed in a prison riot. Also, in what has become a growing number of attacks on reporters, the body of missing journalist, Yolanda Orda de la Cruz, was found decapitated near Veracruz on Tuesday. (LA Times, Houston Chronicle, BBC)

 

Researched/Written by  Leah Cullins
East Asia
AUSTRALIA: Asylum seeker swap deal with Malaysia made official
On Monday, Australia's Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, and Malaysia's Home Minister, Hishamuddin Hussein, signed a controversial refugee swap deal. Under the deal, which will be wholly financed by Australia, Australia will accept 4,000 processed refugees from Malaysia for resettlement and will send 800 asylum-seekers or "boat-peoples" for processing to Malaysia. Mr. Bowen commented on the deal saying, "This is an arrangement which sends a very clear signal that Malaysia and Australia are serious about stopping people-smuggling." Comment: Human Rights Watch's Asia deputy director, Phil Robertson, criticized the deal saying, "For Malaysia, this is a money talks' kind of deal, and for Australia, it's a desperate move by a government with falling poll numbers seeking political traction on the backs of vulnerable people seeking refuge." Critics of the deal are also concerned because Malaysia has not signed the 1951 Refugees Convention and has a history of mistreating illegal migrants. (Inquirer, Asia One, NY Times, Syndey Morning Herald)

NORTH KOREA: Government requests peace treaty
On July 27, the 58th anniversary of the signing of the Korean armistice, North Korea reiterated its desire to sign a peace treaty with the United States bringing closure to the Korean War. It has long been North Korea's position that denuclearization of the Korean peninsula cannot persist until after the cessation of hostile relations, which would require the signature of a peace agreement in place of the current armistice. The announcement came while North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister, Kim Kye-gwan, met with U.S. officials in New York City for "exploratory" talks on the resumption of the defunct six-party talks aimed at getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear enrichment program. Comment: When Mr. Kim arrived in New York he told reporters that he was "optimistic of the prospects of the six-way talks and the North-U.S. relationship." However, North Korea experts such a Victor Cha, a former deputy head of the U.S. delegation to the six-party talks, cautioned that "The (Obama) administration must avoid buying the same nuclear horse from (North Korea) for a third time." (Yon Hap News, Joong Ang Daily, Jakarta Post, AFP)

VIETNAM: Dissident priest re-arrested
Nguyen Van Ly, a Catholic priest and one of Vietnam's most outspoken dissidents, was sent back to jail on Monday, after being temporarily released to seek medical treatment for a brain tumor. Father Ly, who is now 63, was allowed one year of medical leave after he suffered three strokes that left him partially paralyzed. Vietnam News reports that Ly "continued to engage in law-breaking activities such as compiling, storing and distributing documents opposing the Party and the State, inciting people to disturb security and staging demonstrations," as the impetus behind the decision to send him back to prison. Comment: Father Ly is a founding member of Bloc 8406, a Vietnamese pro-democracy movement that started in 2006. He has been adamantly critical of the Vietnamese Communist Party's zero tolerance policy towards political dissent. During his trial, Father Ly attempted to read a poem that criticized the government but was physically muzzled by the police. (BBC, Radio Free Asia, Vietnam News, AFP)
  

Researched/Written by  Matthew McGrath 

Europe & Central Asia
BELGIUM: Ban on veils comes into force
On Saturday, Belgium became the second European Union member after France to enforce a law prohibiting the wearing of face covering veils in public, effectively banning niqabs and burqas, traditional Islamic garments. The Belgian parliament passed the law for "security reasons" in April 2010, but due to a government collapse and an inconclusive election, its implementation was delayed until now. Two Muslim women who wear full veils have decided to challenge the ban in the country's constitutional court. Comment: The law was approved with overwhelming support by both houses of parliament, a rare display of unity in this otherwise divided nation. There are only some 270 women who wear the veil in Belgium, which has a Muslim population of 400,000-600,000 out of the country's total 11 million inhabitants. Critics of the law say it could end up having a negative consequence on Belgium's Muslim community as a whole, stigmatizing Muslims even more and further excluding women by forcing those who wear the veil to stay at home. (BBC, Deutsche Welle,RFE/RL)

KOSOVO: Ban on Serbian imports leads to violent clash on northern border
On Monday, Kosovo sent special forces to its Serb-populated north to enforce a ban on imports from Serbia, but local Serbs opposed the move and set up an ambush. Police units came under fire and pulled back after Serbs refused to recognize their authority took up arms and mounted roadblocks in the town of Mitrovica. One police officer was killed and another injured. NATO-led peacekeepers moved into the border area to calm the situation after Kosovo police withdrew, but Serbs attacked again and set fire to a security post on Wednesday. The U.S. and EU criticized Kosovo's government for acting without consulting international bodies, and Belgrade has requested an emergency session of the UN Security Council. Comment: Kosovo authorities banned imports of Serbian goods last week in a measure aimed at countering the Serbian embargo imposed on Kosovo after the 2008 declaration of independence by Kosovo's ethnic-Albanian majority leadership. Serbia refused to recognize Kosovo's independence and maintains close ties with the region north of Mitrovica where ethnic Serbs have their main enclave. Initially, there were attempts to solve the problem as part of the EU-brokered negotiations, but last week negotiations broke down. President Boris Tadic called the import ban an "unacceptable and hostile act," and went to describe the gesture as "immoral, absurd and contradictory to the principles of the EU." (BBC, Deutsche Welle, RFE/RL, RIA Novosti)

RUSSIA: U.S. imposes visa bans on officials over Magnitsky death; Moscow gives warning
On Wednesday, the U.S. imposed visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials allegedly connected to the 2009 death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who was detained after accusing officials of fraud and reportedly died due to torture and neglect. The number and names of the officials on the blacklist has not yet been disclosed. The move sparked anger in Moscow, with Russia's foreign ministry warning that the move could strain diplomatic relations and prompt them to retaliate. Comment: The visa ban is one of the Obama administration's sharpest responses yet to human rights abuses in Russia. Magnitsky, a lawyer for Hermitage Capital, once the country's biggest foreign investment fund, died in a Moscow prison in November 2009. In July, a Kremlin rights council said his death was likely to have been the result of a beating and that the charges against him were fraudulent. His supporters are campaigning among Western governments to impose sanctions against those responsible. Last year, the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee voted unanimously to ban entry to the EU for 60 officials allegedly tied to Magnitsky's death. (RIA Novosti, Moscow Times, BBC, RFE/RL)

SPAIN: Thousands protest economic woes in Madrid; Begin march to Brussels
Thousands of protesters from across Spain converged in Madrid on Sunday to show frustration over the country's economic woes and the perceived lack of policies to address the crisis. More than 500 protesters calling themselves the "Indignants" marched on foot for weeks across Spain, stopping in towns and villages along the way to spread their message of outrage at unemployment, welfare cuts and corruption. Thousands of other participants arrived by bus and train in the capitol from over 30 cities across Spain. Police forcefully removed protesters camped near the congressional building in Madrid, but many remain.. The protesters began a march to Brussels to protest the economic crisis in Europe, and their aim is to link up with fellow protesters from across Europe for a mass rally in October. Comment: Unemployment is at more than 20 percent for Spain as a whole, but nearly 50 percent for the youth population. Polls show two-thirds of Spaniards sympathize with the protesters. The movement emerged after protesters set up camp in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square in mid-May to protest the country's economic problems. The protest camp was dismantled on June 12, but the group since mounted a series of protests, rallying an estimated 200,000 people across Spain at the height of the demonstrations on June 19. (BBC, Deutsche Welle, Eurasia Review, New Europe)
 

Researched/Written by  Mark Simeone

Middle East & North Africa
EGYPT: Mubarak's health in question as trials loom
On Tuesday and Wednesday, media exchanged reports of the toppled Egyptian president's deteriorating health condition. The former president, Hosni Mubarak, is reportedly depressed and refuses to eat food. His condition is critical as he is still recovering from a recent heart attack last April. Mubarak's trials are set to start next week on August 3. He is charged with stealing millions of dollars from the state, and ordering the killing of 846 protesters during February's uprising. Mubarak could receive a death sentence if found guilty. Comment: The Egyptian street has mixed emotions on Mubarak's condition. While some believe that Mubarak brought "corruption, ignorance, chronic diseases to millions of Egyptians, and poverty," others see him as a patriot and "ill man overwhelmed in later years by the country's rising problems, the death of a grandson and pressure from his wife, Suzanne, to prepare his son Gamal for succession." (BBC, Aljazeera, LATimes, CNN)

IRAQ: Mega-port construction causes tensions
On Wednesday, the Iraqi government officially asked Kuwait to halt the construction work on a bordering "megaport" until it is assured Iraq's nautical lane is not compromised by the project. Kuwait's Grand Mubarak Port is a $1.1 billion project, scheduled for completion by 2016. Iraq fears the economic consequences the Mubarak port may impose on their own Faw and Khor al-Zubair ports. Iraqi experts are predicting a significant impact on Iraq's shipping capacity as the nautical width of the shipping path could be reduced from 500 km to 50 km. Comment: The Kuwaiti government agreed to receive an Iraqi negotiation team at the end of next month "to find a solution acceptable to both sides;" however, Kuwait insists on continuing the project regardless, and aims at seeing it through "till the end." (Alarabiya, Aswataliraq, AFP, KhaleejTimes)

KUWAIT: Yemeni citizens banned from entering the country
On Tuesday, the Kuwaiti Immigration Authority suspended all visa transactions concerning Yemeni citizens. The ban on travel includes all business and tourism visa types with the exception of Yemenis traveling on official orders. Due to "security concerns," Yemen joins a list of countries whose people are banned from traveling to Kuwait, which includes Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Syria. Some believe that Kuwait's motivation is not security based, as much as it is fear of a flow of immigrants and asylum seekers escaping the turmoil in Yemen. Comment: Last month, Britain declared special travel restrictions for Yemeni citizens requiring them to carry a visa before traveling to the UK, "even if they are in transit and planning to arrive and leave from the same airport." The British Home Secretary expressed a growing fear of terrorism expanding outside the disenfranchised country. Last October, bombs disguised as toner cartridges were found on board planes originating from Yemen to East Midlands airport. (YemenNation, Bloomberg, Alqabas, Alriyadh, BBC)

 

Researched/Written by Ibrahim Al-Hajjri

South Asia
AFGHANISTAN: Kandahar's Mayor killed
On Wednesday, the Mayor of Kandahar, Ghulam Hameedi, was killed by a suicide bomber at city hall. The mayor was speaking to a group of constituents when a man detonated explosives he was hiding in his turban. The suicide bombing was claimed by the Taliban who has declared responsibility for many other high-profile killings in recent months, including the murder of President Karzai's half-brother two weeks ago. Comment: Hameedi recently enraged citizens of Kandahar when he called for the destruction of homes that were built illegally on government land. The demolition of these properties reportedly killed two children and thus enraged many in the Loyawala area of Kandahar. The killing of Hameedi comes in the wake of NATO's withdrawal of troops in other regions of Afghanistan, which may be partially responsible for emboldening the Taliban and inciting the recent spree of high-profile assassinations. (BBC, Pajhwok, The Guardian)

NEPAL: Maoists' request causes tensions, threatens future of government

Earlier this week, Maoist Chairman, Pushpa Dahal, called for a reshuffling of Maoist ministers in the current government cabinet in order to resolve tensions within the party, although Prime Minister Jhala Khanal refused the request. On Tuesday, Dahal issued an ultimatum threatening to withdraw Maoist support for the current government if the request was not accepted by Wednesday. Although officials met on Wednesday to renew their commitment to the drafting of the constitution by August 31, no decisions were made regarding the reshuffling of Maoist ministers. Upon failing to receive a positive response, Maoist leaders withdrew their stated deadline and called for action to occur "soon." Comment: Chairman Dahal insists that the reshuffling is necessary to "manage the party's internal disputes." (Himalayan Times, Hindustan Times, Times of India)


PAKISTAN: Ethnic violence in Karachi

Since Saturday, a new outbreak of violence among three major parties including the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), the Awami National Party (ANP), and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in the region around Karachi has been reported. On Monday, Governor Sindh Ibad held a meeting among the three parties' leaders and called for concerted efforts towards peace. Comment: Karachi, home to both Pashtuns and Muhajirs, has experienced a history of ethnic violence, and Reuters reports as many as 339 deaths in July as a result. (BBC, Dawn, Reuters)

 

Researched/Written by  Kamila A. Badat

July 29, 2011
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Middle East & N. Africa
South Asia

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