IPSI's Peace & Security Report (PSR) is a concise weekly e-publication intended to brief busy students, academics, advocates, and practitioners in the conflict management community on pertinent global news, events, and trends. 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.

  

Born in the war-torn region of Southern Sudan, Emmanuel Jal was born into the life of child soldier. Through unbelievable struggles, Emmanuel managed to survive and emerge as a world-famous recording artist. In December 2010, Jal released We Want Peace to campaign for peace, protection, and justice for all in Sudan. 

Learn more about Emmanuel: http://www.emmanueljal.com/

CANADA: First Nations protesters block Montreal-Toronto VIA Rail line

On Wednesday, protesters near the Tyendinaga Mokawk reserve blocked the train tracks in Marysville, Ontario to draw attention to missing and murdered indigenous women. As many as 20 people camped by the tracks alongside a sign that read "justice for murdered and missing indigenous women," with protestors calling it a national day of action. Comment: This is the second blockade to occur this month after protestors temporarily blocked a cargo line rail and local highway in the same area. The protests are in response to a parliamentary report on missing and murdered aboriginal women that did not recommend a full public inquiry into the deaths. More than 600 indigenous women have gone missing or have been found murdered in the past 20 years, according to the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC).The NWAC cites the number as "disproportionately high" since aboriginal women account for three percent of the country's population but represent ten percent of all female homicides. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has stated that violence against aboriginal women is an issue of "great concern". (MSN Canada, BBC, CTV, Aljazeera)  

 

EL SALVADOR: Ex-rebel wins presidential elections

On Sunday, El Salvador's electoral court confirmed the victory of Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a former rebel fighter, in the presidential elections. Ceren was a leftist guerrilla commander during the country's 12-year civil war. He served as El Salvador's vice-president in 2009, and is the first ex-rebel to serve as president. Ceren promises to lead a moderate government. Comment: The tight elections saw Ceren, of the Farabundo Mart� National Liberation Front leftist party winning 50.11 percent of the March 9 votes. His opponent, Norman Quijano of the right-wingNational Republican Alliance, won 49.89 percent of the three million votes cast. He was defeated by 6,364 votes. Quijano requested the annulment of the vote due to fraud, but the court dismissed the claim due to lack of evidence. (BBC, Aljazeera, NY Times)

 

MEXICO: Suspect arrested in organ trafficking operation

On Monday, Michoac�n State Public Safety Secretary Carlos Castellanos Becerra made a statement about last week's arrest of Manuel Plancarte Gaspar in connection with a child organ trafficking operation. According to Becerra, Plancarte Gaspar is believed to be responsible for targeting individuals, mainly children, and kidnapping them for the purpose of harvesting and selling their organs. Mexican officials claim that children who were abducted were allegedly transported to a rented home fixed with medical equipment to remove the organs. Comment: Plancarte Gaspar is an alleged member of the Knights Templar, a drug cartel based in Western Mexico. His uncle, Enrique Plancarte Solis, is a high ranking leader in the cartel. Secretary Becerra indicated that the cases go back several years, and that the investigation is ongoing at this time. (AP, Latin Times, Daily Mail)

 

CHINA: Tuberculosis rates drop by more than half

A study published in the medical journal The Lancet on Tuesday revealed a reduction of more than 50% in tuberculosis rates in China since 1990. The study analyzed longitudinal data of tuberculosis prevalence in China over 20 years, and found that the decline is largely due to the effects of the DOTS (directly observed treatment, short-course strategy) program implemented in public health centers in the country. The World Health Organization, a major proponent of the DOTS program, stated that other countries with prevalence of tuberculosis could adopt a similar approach to the issue by implementing the community based strategy. Comment: The premise of the DOTS program is that supervision of tuberculosis patients by health workers to ensure that the necessary antibiotic treatment is completed, is effective in reducing the spread of the disease. While China contributes to more than one-tenth of the tuberculosis cases in the world, the disease remains a major issue in nations such as India, Russia, and many parts of Africa. (BBC, The Lancet, AFP)    

 

MALAYSIA: Missing airliner brings together people of different faiths

On Tuesday, hundreds of people gathered together at an interfaith vigil in Kuala Lumpur for the Malaysia Airlines plane that has been missing since March 8. The supporters were presided over by a Muslim imam. He was followed by a Christian reading from the Bible, and then prayers lead by a Buddhist monk, Hindu, and Taoist priests. Though these interfaith prayers have taken place before, Tuesday's vigil was unprecedented in that Muslim representatives have not attended them in the past. Comment: Malaysia's religious makeup consists of predominantly Muslims, with Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Taoists in the minority. Religious tolerance between Muslims and other religious groups has been a long standing issue within the country. A Muslim woman in attendance was quoted as saying "Because of this tragedy, we stand as one and respect one another's religion." The crowds that gathered to pray showed their collective support of the missing passengers and their families through donning t-shirts with the phrase "Unite for MH370," and holding white balloons and cellphones to the sky. (AP, New Straits Times, Huffington Post, RT)

 

TAIWAN: Opposition protests over quick approval of service trade agreement

This week, protests from students, activists, and opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators increased after the legislature announced its approval of the Service Trade Agreement with China. Around 200 protestors occupied the Taiwanese parliament on Tuesday demanding a review of the bill, while three DPP legislators have engaged in a hunger strike in protest of the bill's quick approval. The ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party approved the trade agreement on Monday, announcing that the review of the bill was over. This caused discord with the opposition, who claim that the KMT agreed to conduct an "item by item" review of the bill before its approval. The DPP claimed that the bill had not been deliberated "for a single minute" since the legislative session opened last week. Comment: The agreement is set to open up trade in services between China and Taiwan. On Wednesday, President Ma Ying-jeou called on the legislature to endorse the trade agreement, urging the passage of the agreement before May. (Focus Taiwan, AFP, Taiwan News, China Post)

ITALY: Referendum over Venetian independence

Beginning last Sunday, Venice and the surrounding region of Veneto launched a five-day referendum on secession from Italy and the creation of the independent Republic of Veneto.  Voters will also have to decide whether the Republic of Veneto should remain part of the European Union and NATO. Comment: Venetia had been an independent state for a century as part of the Republic of Venice, until it was conquered by French troops in 1797. According to recent polls, two-thirds of the 3.8 million citizens of the region favor splitting from Rome. Although the vote will not be legally binding, as the Italian Constitution only recognizes national referendums, Luca Zaia - governor of Veneto - raises the international right to self-determination. According to Lodovico Pizzati -spokesman for Veneto's independence movement - a positive vote could enable the region to take steps to withhold taxes from Rome and draw up a unilateral declaration of independence. (Il Mattino di Padova, Libero quotidiano, BBC, Euronews)

 

RUSSIA/UKRAINE: Tension over Crimea remains high

Tensions remain high between Ukraine and Russia after the Duma - the lower house of Russian parliament - on Thursday ratified the treaty signed on Tuesday by Crimean leaders and Moscow, reiterating the peninsula into Russia. The Crimean parliament also voted to adopt the ruble as new official currency. The Ukrainian government is expected to ask the United Nations to declare Crimea a demilitarized zone and take measures for pro-Russian troops to leave the peninsula.  Russia's constitutional court has approved the accession treaty, and on Wednesday about 200 masked armed men took control of the naval base in Sevastopol - the port city houses Russia's Black Sea fleet- and raised the tricolor Russian flag while removing Ukrainian symbols. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another wounded during the operation. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with President Putin in Moscow on Thursday and Ukraine's interim leaders in Kiev on Friday. Comment: Last Sunday, a referendum was held in Crimea, where an overwhelming majority (97% of voters) favored Crimea's independence from Ukraine. The European Union and the U.S. have begun imposing sanctions on Russian and Ukrainian individuals. As the diplomatic crisis intensifies, analysts say further economic action looks likely. (BBC, Washington Post, Courrier International, Pravda, Euronews)

 

REGIONAL: Creation of a Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian military brigade

On Thursday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the creation of a military brigade composed of Polish, Lithuanian and Ukrainian forces. The brigade will comprise 4,500 soldiers and have its command based in Lublin, eastern Poland.  Defense ministers of the three countries met on Thursday to discuss the brigade implementation. Comment: Given Poland and Ukraine's shared historical wariness of Russian intentions, Poland and Ukraine have, in the past, pursued military relations. Some 1,600 Ukrainian troops served under Polish command during the Iraq war in 2008, and Ukraine's forces also cooperated with Poland during the NATO-led peacekeeping operations in Kosovo. Spokesman of the Polish Ministry of Defense Jacek Sonta stated that this project was launched in 2007 and denied any relation to the current situation in Ukraine.  (Courrier International, Telegraph.co.uk, Polska-Zbrojna)

 

Researched/Written by Myriam Allain

ALGERIA: Demonstrations, police crackdowns rise as election nears

On March 15 at least 100 protesters from the Barakat (Enough) movement staged a protest in response to news that President Bouteflika plans to run for a fourth term. The 77-year-old president has been in power for 15 years as a result of a constitutional amendment in 2009 that removed presidential term limits. The protestors marched under the slogan "enough of this election masquerade." Around 3,000 supporters of the president gathered in the capital as well for a "national meeting to sensitize young people to voting." Comment: Algerian authorities have been deploying large numbers of police to prevent demonstrations in the capital. Human Rights Watch (HRW) states that security personnel in Algiers have used force three times this month to disperse supporters of the Barakat movement. A 2001 decree banned all demonstrations in Algiers.  (Aljazeera, AllAfrica, ABCNews, Human Rights Watch)

 

ISRAEL: Israel bombs Golan Heights after blast

On Tuesday, a roadside bomb wounded four Israeli soldiers patrolling the Israeli-Syrian ceasefire line in the Golan Heights. Israeli military responded on Wednesday with an airstrike that targeted a Syrian military headquarters, a training facility and artillery batteries. Israeli's response comes after three bomb attacks and attempted attacks along Israel's northern borders in the past two weeks, spillover from violence in Syria. Syrian armed forces reported that the airstrikes killed one soldier and wounded seven. It is not clear who planted Tuesday's bomb. Comment: Israel seized Golan Heights from Syria after the 1967 Six-Day War. Syria attempted to capture Golan Heights during the 1973 Middle East War. Both countries signed an armistice in 1974 and a UN observer force has been in place on the ceasefire line since that time. Israel annexed the area in 1981, although the move was not recognized internationally. The UN responded with Security Council Resolution 497 that called the move "null and void and without international legal effect."  (BBC, Aljazeera, NY Times, Reuters, United Nations)

 

SYRIA: UN report provides evidence of war crimes

On March 18, UN investigators expanded a list of suspected war criminals from both sides in Syria's civil war with enough solid evidence to prepare an indictment. The inquiry identified individuals, military units, security agencies, and insurgent groups suspected of committing abuses such as torture and bombing civilian areas. A compilation of over 2,700 interviews with victims, witnesses and defectors in the region led to documented and photographic evidence that the conflict, now in its fourth year, has also resulted in civilian deaths from starvation. Approximately one million children are cut off from the reach of aid agencies because of fighting or blockades. Inmates at a government-controlled prison have died from starvation and infectious diseases caused by systematic denial of food, sanitation and medical care, as well as "severe torture." Comment: Despite the evidence, it is unlikely that Syria will be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the near future. Syria is not a member state to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, and thus the ICC can only exercise jurisdiction through a referral. Support from Russia and China in the UN has largely protected the current government from sanctions. (NY Times, BBC, Reuters)

  

Researched/Written by Luchele Chisunka