ETHIOPIA: Government attacks rebel base in Eritrea
On March 17, the Ethiopian government carried out attacks on three suspected Ethiopian rebel military bases inside neighboring Eritrea. The attacks came a day after Eritrea called for UN action over a similar incursion earlier last week in Badme. The attacks were the first on Eritrean soil that Ethiopia has admitted to since the end of the 1998-2000 war that killed 70,000 people. Eritrea's Information Minister Ali Abdu has said his country will not be drawn into renewed hostilities. Ethiopia blames the rebels for killing five foreign tourists and kidnapping two others in its northern Afar region in January. Comment: Conflict over the delineation of Eritrea and Ethiopia's shared border has not been resolved since the end of the war. In 2002, the Hague-based Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission ruled that the border village of Badme belonged to Eritrea; the village remains under Ethiopian control, and Eritrea blames the international community and the UN for not enforcing the Boundary Commission ruling. (al Jazeera, Reuters AlertNet, Daily Ethiopia)

MALI: Soldiers attack presidential palace
On Wednesday, soldiers attacked Mali's presidential palace in Bamako in a successful coup attempt, marking a dramatic escalation of the protests over the president's handling of the northern Taureg insurgency. The mutinying soldiers also gained control of state-run radio and television in Bamako and forced them off the air. The soldiers believe that President Amadou Toumani Toure has not adequately armed the army, resulting in the loss of key garrisons in the north. Armored vehicles moved in to seal off the presidential palace, and soldiers loyal to the government exchanged gunfire with the renegade troops. On Thursday, a group of 20 soldiers announced on national television that Mali's constitution was suspended and its institutions were dissolved. The nation is now under the control of the military's National Committee for the Reestablishment of Democracy and the Restoration of the State, or CNRDR. Comment: Tuareg separatists seeking an independent homeland in Mali's northern region have advanced in recent weeks, seizing the key garrison town of Tessalit near the Algerian border. Returning heavily armed Tuareg fighters who fought alongside forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi last year have strengthened the rebel movement. (All Africa, al Jazeera, Reuters, BBC, AP)

NIGERIA: Militant group ends talks with government
On Tuesday, Boko Haram spokesman Abu Qaqa in Maiduguri announced the group had "closed all possible doors of negotiation" with the national government. The negotiations were aiming to end the spate of attacks by Boko Haram that have killed hundreds, mostly in the majority Muslim north. This follows a similar move on Saturday by Dr. Datti Ahmed, president of the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria, stating he was pulling out of negotiations because of alleged governmental insincerity. Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for deadly attacks in the northern region, including suicide bombings in Abuja, Jos, Maiduguri, Madalla and Kano. Comment: The group's stated goal is to dismantle the current government and establish Islamic Sharia law across the country split equally between Christians and Muslims; however, observers say recent arrests and deaths of senior figures have weakened the group. (All Africa, al Jazeera, Vanguard)

UGANDA: Video launched to counter online campaign
On March 17, Ugandan Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi launched an online response to the Kony 2012 viral campaign by a California-based non-profit organization, Invisible Children. The viral campaign calls for the arrest of Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, and it reached 100 million views in 6 days. In the response video, launched on Saturday and posted on YouTube, Mbabazi said he wanted to correct the "well intentioned" video, pointing out that "Joseph Kony is not in Uganda," and that the country was "not in conflict." Comment: Critics of Invisible Children have questioned its practices as an organization, and accuse it of not telling the whole story of the 20-year conflict in north and eastern Uganda. Prime Minister Mbabazi through the social networking site Twitter has urged people to come to Uganda and see the situation for themselves. (al Jazeera, France 24, All Africa)

 

CAMBODIA: UN judge quits Khmer Rouge Tribunal
On March 19, Swiss judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet announced he was leaving the UN backed tribunal because he believes his Cambodian counterpart, You Bunleng, has dodged attempts to investigate former members of the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime. Kasper-Ansermet was the second judge to resign; German judge Siegfried Blunk quit in October citing similar claims of government interference in the high profile cases. Comment: Critics and observers have claimed that the current government is hesitant to have further figures of the Khmer Rouge regime investigated, as several members of the former group have seats in parliament. Under the Khmer Rouge's four-year rule (1975-1979) two million Cambodians are believed to have died from starvation, overwork, or execution. (Bangkok Post, EuroNews, BBC)

MYANMAR: Foreign observers invited to monitor upcoming election
On March 21, Myanmar announced that they would invite the United States, European Union, and ASEAN countries to send observers to its April 1 by-elections to fill 48 parliamentary seats vacated over the past year; the Myanmar parliament has more than 600 seats overall. Some analysts believe that these invitations are to boost the Southeast Asian country's image as being committed to democratic reform and an attempt to gain international legitimacy, especially from the west. Comment: The 2010 election, which bought the Army's political allies to power, was compromised by widespread complaints of fraud and intimidation. (BBC , al Jazeera , WSJ)

SOUTH KOREA: Obama to visit demilitarized zone
President Barack Obama is set to visit the demilitarized zone for the first time on Sunday that separates the North from the South. His visit to the heavily secured border is part of a three-day trip to South Korea for a summit meeting in Seoul about nuclear security. Obama will also visit some of the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea. Comment: This visit comes just as the U.S., South Korea, and Japan expressed dismay over North Korea's plan to put a satellite into orbit on a rocket. All three countries are concerned that the satellite launch is an attempt to develop a nuclear-armed missile; the United States has warned the move would jeopardize a food-aid agreement reached with Pyongyang earlier this month. (GP, Independent, CNN)