NIGERIA: 23 killed in UN bombing
23 people were killed and more than 70 injured when a suicide car bomb exploded outside the UN building in Abuja on August 26. The militant Islamist group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attack, although their claim is difficult to verify. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Nigerian President Jonathan roundly denounced the attack, which targeted hundreds of UN employees working in humanitarian and development agencies. Comment: Some analysts suggest that the complex attack illustrates a possible link between Boko Haram and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which may have provided technical expertise. It may also signal a shift toward a more global focus for Boko Haram, whose stated mission is the establishment of Sharia law in Nigeria. (Vanguard, Reuters, BBC, Economist, UN News Centre)

SOUTH AFRICA: Malema hearing sparks protests in Johannesburg
Thousands of supporters of Julius Malema, leader of the Youth League of the African National Congress (ANC), gathered in Johannesburg on August 30 to protest Malema's disciplinary hearing on charges of sowing dissent in the party; violence erupted despite Malema's urging to refrain from targeting police and journalists. Protesters hurled bottles and rocks, while police responded with stun grenades and water cannons. ANC officials condemned the actions of the crowds who burned ANC flags and chanted "Zuma must go!" Comment: This is the second hearing that Malema, a potential challenger to President Zuma in the 2012 elections, has faced in a little more than a year. The protests mark the worst violence at ANC headquarters since 1994 and highlight growing support for Malema's calls to nationalize mines and appropriate white-owned farmland. (Pretoria News, Reuters, BBC, AP)

SUDAN: Sudan lodges formal complaint against South Sudan with the UN Security Council
One week after declaring a ceasefire in the Sudanese region of South Kordofan, Sudan submitted an official complaint against South Sudan with the UN Security Council. The government in Khartoum accused South Sudan of fostering unrest and offering support to rebels in the South Kordofan region, many of whom sided with the South in the country's civil war. The complaint follows reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch alleging crimes committed by the Sudanese army against the inhabitants of South Kordofan including summary executions and aerial bombardments. Comment: The conflict in South Kordofan, a mountainous region bordering South Sudan with many ethnic Nubans, is the latest source of friction between the two neighbors since South Sudan seceded in July. Although reports have stated that both sides are guilty of atrocities, most analysts place the heaviest blame on Khartoum, which is accused of ethnically-motivated violence. Sudanese officials have rejected all charges of misconduct, and the UN complaint may constitute an effort to legitimize their position. (Reuters, BBC, AP)

AUSTRALIA: High Court rules refugee swap with Malaysia unlawful
On Wednesday, Australia's High Court struck down the government's planned refugee swap with Malaysia; the swap would have exchanged 800 UN-certified refugees processed in Australia for 4,000 processed in Malaysia over a period of four years. The ruling cited Malaysia's inability to protect the refugees since Malaysia is not a state party to the 1951 UN Refugees Convention. The Malaysian Bar Council voiced similar concerns in May regarding the lack of legal protection for refugees in Malaysia. This deal would also have provided this group of refugees with certain rights that the other nearly 100,000 refugees living in Malaysia do not have, including education and jobs. Comment: Australia receives a large number of refugees who arrive illegally by boat (so-called "boat people"), many of whom pay to be smuggled into the country. The swap was intended to combat the perception that Australia gives preferential treatment to boat people. (Malaysian Insider, BBC,  NY Times)

INDONESIA: Mob victim sentenced to prison
On August 15, a victim of mob violence was convicted of disobeying police and inciting violence, and was sentenced to six months in prison. In a separate trial in July, 12 attackers, none of whom were charged with manslaughter or murder, were sentenced to six months or less for killing three people and seriously injuring six during the assault. The victims of the mob violence were members of the minority Muslim sect Ahmadiyah. Comment: Human rights activists have criticized the Indonesian government for being too lenient on violence against minority groups as well as violence against the Papuan secession movement. On August 22, the International Crisis Group released a report urging a renewal of dialogue between the Papuans after a violent two months in the remote Puncak Jaya district. (NY Times, NY Times, International Crisis Group, CNN)

SOUTH KOREA: Court finds in favor of Comfort Women
On Tuesday, South Korea's Constitutional Court ruled the South Korean government's inaction in the comfort women's dispute unconstitutional. Since 1992, an aging group of former comfort women (women forced into sexual servitude by Imperial Japan from 1910-1945) and their supporters have held over 900 weekly protests in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, arguing for their rights to compensation. The ruling specifically states that, "When there is a dispute between the two countries over the victims' rights to claim compensation, it is the government's duty to move toward solving the dispute." South Korea has historically been reluctant to push this issue with Japan fearing that it will create diplomatic tension between the two countries. Comment: While their impact on the court's decision is unclear, the long term protests by the comfort women are fairly well known as a result of consistent public attention to their cause. This decision could set the groundwork for other governments to play a stronger role in international disputes involving violations of their citizens' human rights by another country. (Yonhap News, Korea Times, Korea Times, Xinhua Net, AP)

ISRAEL: Female soldiers asked to transfer for male recruits
On Wednesday, Israeli media reported four Israeli female soldiers were ordered to leave their unit because male yeshiva recruits could be joining it. Orthodox groups of male soldiers are usually averse to serving in mixed-gender combat units "because of real concerns relating to modesty." The women soldiers protested the decision and wrote a letter to their commander expressing the harsh feelings of "humiliation and pain" this has caused them. Knesset member Rachel Adatto condemned the army's decision, saying it is "unacceptable that female recruits should suffer and lose jobs they worked hard for so Charedi soldiers could enlist." The four women already served a two-year mandatory service, and volunteered for an additional year. A military spokesman said that there is no final decision yet, and regardless of what they decide, the decision "will not affect the status and role of the female combat soldiers." Comment: Through mandatory conscription, nearly 35 percent of the Israeli military are women; however, there remains a significant opposition to females who volunteer their service, especially in combat units. Opponents of female service suggest that "the physical requirements for entering the units have to be lowered in order to allow the women in, and that injuries such as stress fractures render a large proportion of the women incapable of service within a relatively short time and other injuries they sustain may harm them for life." (Arutz Sheva, The Yeshiva World, Jpost, JTA, JC)

LIBYA: NTC "angered" by Algerian hospitality
On Monday, several members of Ghadhafi's family crossed the border to Algeria, which is providing safe haven to the deposed leader's wife, Safia, his daughter Aisha, and sons, Hannibal and Mohammed, along with their wives and children. Algerian officials described the decision to accept the family as a "humanitarian gesture," even though their fate is still unclear. The National Transitional Council (NTC), which is not officially recognized by Algeria, considers hosting the family an "aggressive act," and promised to seek their extradition. Tensions escalated after the NTC previously accused Algeria of supporting Gadhafi's regime, which may have led to the Algerian embassy attack by the rebels during the battle for Tripoli. Algeria officially complained to the UN about the damages done to their embassy. Comment: While his family was accepted, Gadhafi himself is unwelcome in Algeria. During a meeting with his ministers last Monday, the Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced that his country respects all international laws in relation to the conflict in Libya. Bouteflika warned that if Gadhafi enters Algerian lands, he would be apprehended and handed over to the International Criminal Court. Gadhafi's location remains unknown. (Aljazeera, CNN, Guardian)

SYRIA: Government rejects an Arab League initiative
After meeting in Cairo last weekend, the Arab League issued a statement urging the Syrian government to "end the spilling of blood and follow the way of reason before it is too late." The Arab League's secretary general, Nabil al-Araby, and the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Tunisia, and Qatar agreed to meet with President al-Assad and present him with a number of peace initiatives to help end the conflict. The proposed initiatives include "holding presidential elections, withdrawing the army from cities, releasing political prisoners and forming a national unity government." Syria rejected the offer, calling it an "intervention in Syria's internal affairs." Comment: During the meeting that lasted from Saturday until Sunday, the Arab League was split on how to intervene in Syria, and had initially agreed not to issue an official statement. Lebanon, who is now accused of backing Syria's rejection, officially declared its disagreement with the League's statement. Media reports are now linking Lebanon's Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour to Hezbollah, citing his appearance on Hezbollah-run radio and his close ties to government allies of the militant group. (Yalibnan, Almanar, Dailystar, Aljazeera, NY Times)