Zimbabwe: Morgan Tsvangirai returned to Zimbabwe today to campaign for the June 27 runoff election. In a press conference shortly after his arrival in Harare, Tsvangirai accused Mugabe and ZANU-PF of trying to “decimate” the MDC, but said that he is confident of victory despite the absence of a free and fair electoral process. He also called on the SADC to deploy peacekeeping forces by June 1, to quell pre-election violence and intimidation by the Mugabe’s self-described “warlike” campaign strategy. Regional activists will commemorate tomorrow’s Africa Day--which marks the founding of the Organization of African Unity, now the African Union--with a “Stand Up for Zimbabwe” campaign.
ZA: Xenophobic violence has resulted in the displacement of 10,000 foreigners in Cape Town, with the continuation of the attacks prompting extensive finger-pointing and fueling debates on South Africa’s political and economic dilemmas. (Scroll down about half way for the discussion of “political gobbledygook.”) The New York Times editorial board took a harsh stance towards President Thabo Mbeki, for the current crisis as well as many other presidential insufficiencies and missteps, and postures that likely-presidential candidate Jacob Zuma will not provide the “enlightened leadership” the country and the continent desperately need.
Sudan: The head of the UN mission in Sudan said the town of Abyei is “totally devastated” following clashes between the Sudanese military and the SPLM. (See previous posts for background.) In Khartoum, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir presided over a ceremony proclaiming victory after last week’s attack by Darfur rebel group JEM. In a particularly gruesome attempt to save face after the surprise attack, “he strolled past a 200-yard-long photo gallery, a grotesque display of burned and dismembered bodies, allegedly those of the rebels. Each image was underlined with the same caption in Arabic: ‘summary of failure.’” (See previous posts for background on the attack.)
Haven’t had enough? Violence is on the rise (from an already-substantial level) in the Central African Republic, and the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia continues to deteriorate.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
End-Of-The-Week Highlights
Zimbabwe: Vice-President Joice Mujuru and her husband are said to have objected to the use of violence to intimidate voters before the runoff election next month. The Zimbabwe Independent reports that the objections were raised to Mugabe in a ZANU-PF politburo meeting on Wednesday. Though difficult to verify, if the Mujurus did in fact express discontent over their party’s incendiary campaign tactics, it gives credence to other reports of divisions among the ranks of the ZANU-PF--a serious threat to Mugabe’s power.
The Institute for War and Peace Reporting writes that the central committee of the ZANU-PF recently replaced the director of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) to ensure that the media stays “on message.” Daily soap operas and other programs have been replaced by documentaries and news coverage glorifying Mugabe.
Former Bishop of Harare Nolbert Kunonga was excommunicated from the Anglican Church, along with several allied priests, for continued support of Mugabe’s violent and oppressive tactics against the wishes of the Church.
MDC presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai is set to return to Zimbabwe this weekend. Tsvangirai left the country in early April due to threats to his life, and a previous attempt to return was thwarted by an assassination plot. Tsvangirai has been subject to numerous beatings and detentions at the hands of Zimbabwean security forces throughout his public career.
ZA: Xenophobic attacks in South Africa are spreading at an alarming rate, resulting in a mass exodus of foreigners fleeing the violent mobs. The Western Cape province is readying a defense force to quell the attacks, which seems like a much more reasonable response than asking citizens to combat the mobs themselves. That has to be in the top ten Common Sense Rules to Good Governance: The answer to vigilantism is not vigilantism. In some places, that’s called street warfare.
Darfur: Armed men on horseback ambused a UN peacekeeping force from Nigeria, attacking the troops with AK-47’s and rocket-propelled grenades and stealing their weapons.
The Institute for War and Peace Reporting writes that the central committee of the ZANU-PF recently replaced the director of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) to ensure that the media stays “on message.” Daily soap operas and other programs have been replaced by documentaries and news coverage glorifying Mugabe.
Former Bishop of Harare Nolbert Kunonga was excommunicated from the Anglican Church, along with several allied priests, for continued support of Mugabe’s violent and oppressive tactics against the wishes of the Church.
MDC presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai is set to return to Zimbabwe this weekend. Tsvangirai left the country in early April due to threats to his life, and a previous attempt to return was thwarted by an assassination plot. Tsvangirai has been subject to numerous beatings and detentions at the hands of Zimbabwean security forces throughout his public career.
ZA: Xenophobic attacks in South Africa are spreading at an alarming rate, resulting in a mass exodus of foreigners fleeing the violent mobs. The Western Cape province is readying a defense force to quell the attacks, which seems like a much more reasonable response than asking citizens to combat the mobs themselves. That has to be in the top ten Common Sense Rules to Good Governance: The answer to vigilantism is not vigilantism. In some places, that’s called street warfare.
Darfur: Armed men on horseback ambused a UN peacekeeping force from Nigeria, attacking the troops with AK-47’s and rocket-propelled grenades and stealing their weapons.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Wednesday News Update
South Africa: Johannesburg-based Business Day writes that the tone of the xenophobic attacks on foreign migrants and refugees is increasingly one of ethnic conflict, as attackers issue a “nationality test” to potential victims.
Zimbabwe: In a new report, the International Crisis Group warns that violence in Zimbabwe is likely to escalate, perhaps even as far as a military coup to prevent opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai from assuming the presidency.
Sudan: Heavy fighting between the Sudanese military and the southern Sudan People’s Liberation Movement continued Tuesday in the Abyei region, resulting in at least 21 deaths and over 100 injuries.
Burma: A New York Times editorial today calls for the US and France to begin airdropping aid to the victims of Cyclone Nargis if the ruling military junta does not grant entry to international relief workers soon. “No one wants a confrontation,” writes NYT, “but the world cannot sit by while tens of thousands more people die.” The issue of relief delivery against the wishes of the government continues to spark heated debate in the international community regarding the principles of the “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine (R2P).
Kenya: Eleven women accused of witchcraft were burned alive by a vigilante mob. A local official condemned the attack, saying, "People must not take the law into their own hands simply because they suspect someone." Such incidents relate to larger problems of gender violence and discrimination…perhaps to be discussed in another post.
Global Peace Index: Check out fellow blogger Actus Rei’s assessment of the 2008 Global Peace Index.
Zimbabwe: In a new report, the International Crisis Group warns that violence in Zimbabwe is likely to escalate, perhaps even as far as a military coup to prevent opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai from assuming the presidency.
Sudan: Heavy fighting between the Sudanese military and the southern Sudan People’s Liberation Movement continued Tuesday in the Abyei region, resulting in at least 21 deaths and over 100 injuries.
Burma: A New York Times editorial today calls for the US and France to begin airdropping aid to the victims of Cyclone Nargis if the ruling military junta does not grant entry to international relief workers soon. “No one wants a confrontation,” writes NYT, “but the world cannot sit by while tens of thousands more people die.” The issue of relief delivery against the wishes of the government continues to spark heated debate in the international community regarding the principles of the “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine (R2P).
Kenya: Eleven women accused of witchcraft were burned alive by a vigilante mob. A local official condemned the attack, saying, "People must not take the law into their own hands simply because they suspect someone." Such incidents relate to larger problems of gender violence and discrimination…perhaps to be discussed in another post.
Global Peace Index: Check out fellow blogger Actus Rei’s assessment of the 2008 Global Peace Index.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
News for the Glasses-Half-Empty
Zimbabwe: "The threats of xenophobic attacks pose less danger than the threats of persistent hunger, political violence and shortages of just about everything” in Zimbabwe, says a mother of moving her family to South Africa.
Sudan: “One of the great foreign policy risks right now,” writes Nicholas Kristof, “is that Sudan’s north-south war will start up again.” Fighting erupted in the oil-rich Abyei region, called “Sudan’s Kashmir” by the Enough Project due to its unresolved and disputed status, forcing up to 50,000 people to flee and threatening the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended over 20 years of civil war. In addition, Save Darfur continues to document reprisals by the Sudanese government against Darfuri civilians following the JEM attack on Khartoum. (See previous posts for background.) Kristof writes, “My fear is that the Darfur conflict will be remembered just as the prologue to an even bloodier war that engulfs all of Sudan.” Sobering.
Burma (Myanmar): The government said today that the country faces a severe food shortage if the rice crops destroyed by a hurricane are not replanted within 3 weeks. Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you denied both international and domestic aid to the region. Idiots.
Sudan: “One of the great foreign policy risks right now,” writes Nicholas Kristof, “is that Sudan’s north-south war will start up again.” Fighting erupted in the oil-rich Abyei region, called “Sudan’s Kashmir” by the Enough Project due to its unresolved and disputed status, forcing up to 50,000 people to flee and threatening the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended over 20 years of civil war. In addition, Save Darfur continues to document reprisals by the Sudanese government against Darfuri civilians following the JEM attack on Khartoum. (See previous posts for background.) Kristof writes, “My fear is that the Darfur conflict will be remembered just as the prologue to an even bloodier war that engulfs all of Sudan.” Sobering.
Burma (Myanmar): The government said today that the country faces a severe food shortage if the rice crops destroyed by a hurricane are not replanted within 3 weeks. Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you denied both international and domestic aid to the region. Idiots.
Monday, May 19, 2008
News: What is it about Mondays?
Somalia: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that over 2.6 million—35% of the country’s population—face near-famine conditions caused by the rapid increase in food prices and a regional drought. Compounding the situation, Somalia now has over 1 million internally-displaced persons (IDPs) due to the ongoing conflict between the transitional government and insurgents.
Zimbabwe: US Ambassador James McGee defied multiple police attempts to prevent his convoy from investigating post-election violence in Zimbabwe. McGee’s convoy was stopped repeatedly by police, who threatened the ambassador and other diplomats with physical violence and detainment. The MDC accused the military of plotting to assassinate its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, alleging that 18 snipers are poised to pursue a hit list of 40 prominent MDC leaders. Tsvangirai left Zimbabwe in April due to assassination threats, and canceled his return to the country this weekend, when he planned to begin his campaign for the upcoming runoff election.
Sri Lanka: Clashes between the Tamil Tigers and the military left 78 dead this weekend, as the government continues its drive to “crush” the insurgency by the end of the year. The Tamil Tigers have fought for an independent state for their marginalized ethnic group since 1983, and atrocities committed by both sides resulting in a total of 70,000 deaths. Today, three Nobel Peace Laureates called on the UN to reject Sri Lanka’s application for membership for the UN Human Rights Council. Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, and Adolfo Perez Esquivel oppose the candidacy due to Sri Lanka’s poor human rights record.
South Africa: Xenophobic violence is nothing new to South Africa, but the problem is rapidly worsening. Attacks on foreigners and refugees presents quite a dilemma for the still-new post-apartheid democracy, as people grow frustrated with their poor quality of life and resentful of foreigners perceived as competing for jobs and resources.
Burma: The government agreed to allow Southeast Asian aid workers into areas affected by Cyclone Nargis, but will continue to restrict those from the rest of the international community. In this video, Guardian reporter Helen Pidd describes the difficulties and risks of undercover journalism in the country.
Zimbabwe: US Ambassador James McGee defied multiple police attempts to prevent his convoy from investigating post-election violence in Zimbabwe. McGee’s convoy was stopped repeatedly by police, who threatened the ambassador and other diplomats with physical violence and detainment. The MDC accused the military of plotting to assassinate its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, alleging that 18 snipers are poised to pursue a hit list of 40 prominent MDC leaders. Tsvangirai left Zimbabwe in April due to assassination threats, and canceled his return to the country this weekend, when he planned to begin his campaign for the upcoming runoff election.
Sri Lanka: Clashes between the Tamil Tigers and the military left 78 dead this weekend, as the government continues its drive to “crush” the insurgency by the end of the year. The Tamil Tigers have fought for an independent state for their marginalized ethnic group since 1983, and atrocities committed by both sides resulting in a total of 70,000 deaths. Today, three Nobel Peace Laureates called on the UN to reject Sri Lanka’s application for membership for the UN Human Rights Council. Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, and Adolfo Perez Esquivel oppose the candidacy due to Sri Lanka’s poor human rights record.
South Africa: Xenophobic violence is nothing new to South Africa, but the problem is rapidly worsening. Attacks on foreigners and refugees presents quite a dilemma for the still-new post-apartheid democracy, as people grow frustrated with their poor quality of life and resentful of foreigners perceived as competing for jobs and resources.
Burma: The government agreed to allow Southeast Asian aid workers into areas affected by Cyclone Nargis, but will continue to restrict those from the rest of the international community. In this video, Guardian reporter Helen Pidd describes the difficulties and risks of undercover journalism in the country.
Information is Power...or, The Power of Information (Musings on the Sunday NYT)
A theme emerged from the Sunday New York Times coverage of the natural disasters in China and Burma: access (or lack thereof) to information, and its relation to power. Namely, the articles illustrate how issues of information can turn a natural disaster into a political threat to regimes bent on control and restriction.
First, Burma. (Officially Myanmar, but like many, I refer to the country as Burma because I do not recognize the legitimacy of the military dictatorship that changed the name in 1989.) The military junta continues to deny access to areas devastated by Cyclone Nargis. Two weeks after the cyclone, the United Nations estimates that only 20% of the survivors have received even basic assistance. All foreigners are banned from the hard-hit Irrawaddy Delta, and even aid convoys arranged by domestic groups have been turned back at military checkpoints. As British Prime Minister Gordon Brown aptly said, the natural disaster of the cyclone “is being made into a man-made catastrophe” by the government’s refusal to render aid to its own people. The French ambassador warned that the junta’s actions could turn the humanitarian crisis in a “true crime against humanity.”
China is responding rapidly to the massive 7.9 earthquake that hit the Sichuan Province on Monday—the interesting factor here, as the New York Times discusses, is how China controls media coverage of natural disasters to the wider public, and how its attempts to control public information are starting to erode. The Central Propaganda Department forbade journalists from entering the areas affected by the earthquake, as it has done with other disasters in the past, but several journalists ignored the order, and their newspaper took great risks by printing their dispatches. Though most editors obey the orders from the Central Propaganda Department—which issues all mandates through a verbal network, and has no public address or phone number, which seems like something out of a movie about the Cold War—and the New York Times notes that those that are reporting on the earthquake stay away from politically sensitive topics, such actions by rogue journalists represent a crack in the government’s intense effort to control public information.
As the Times “Week In Review” columnist Philip Taubman writes, “A dash of openness can be a dangerous thing for an autocratic state.” Think about it—all of the best dictatorships make a concerted effort to control the media, with official media outlets promoting official news, views, and propaganda. While attempting to control domestic coverage of the earthquake, the Chinese government as allowed international press to report more freely—China tightly controls internet and other access to foreign media sources, but as Taubman notes in a comparison to Russia, small steps toward open access can set into motion “unsettling” political forces. The government of Burma is bent on restricting any access at whatever cost, but the “Public Editor” writes, in an explanation of the frequent use of anonymous sources in Burma and Zimbabwe, that international and local reporters go to extreme lengths to sneak into and report on the disaster zone.
The moral of the story? Repressive regimes make valiant efforts to control access to information because their power depends on it, but that control can never be airtight. And therein lies their (potential, hopeful, eventual) demise. Natural disasters have political consequences in any state—hello, Katrina—but their potential to disrupt the controlling practices of autocratic regimes like Burma and China is particularly significant. China and Burma’s different responses to their respective disasters could yield similar political results—China’s relative openness could start the “crack” of open information, and Burma’s adamant denial of access currently serves to highlight the human rights abuses of the regime and increase international pressure for reform.
And even in the most repressive states, there are always people willing to risk their lives to access and spread information.
And if you’re wondering what’s going on in Zimbabwe: Violence continues (I know you’re shocked), and Morgan Tsvangirai canceled plans to return to Zimbabwe to campaign for the June 27 run-off due to assassination plots.
First, Burma. (Officially Myanmar, but like many, I refer to the country as Burma because I do not recognize the legitimacy of the military dictatorship that changed the name in 1989.) The military junta continues to deny access to areas devastated by Cyclone Nargis. Two weeks after the cyclone, the United Nations estimates that only 20% of the survivors have received even basic assistance. All foreigners are banned from the hard-hit Irrawaddy Delta, and even aid convoys arranged by domestic groups have been turned back at military checkpoints. As British Prime Minister Gordon Brown aptly said, the natural disaster of the cyclone “is being made into a man-made catastrophe” by the government’s refusal to render aid to its own people. The French ambassador warned that the junta’s actions could turn the humanitarian crisis in a “true crime against humanity.”
China is responding rapidly to the massive 7.9 earthquake that hit the Sichuan Province on Monday—the interesting factor here, as the New York Times discusses, is how China controls media coverage of natural disasters to the wider public, and how its attempts to control public information are starting to erode. The Central Propaganda Department forbade journalists from entering the areas affected by the earthquake, as it has done with other disasters in the past, but several journalists ignored the order, and their newspaper took great risks by printing their dispatches. Though most editors obey the orders from the Central Propaganda Department—which issues all mandates through a verbal network, and has no public address or phone number, which seems like something out of a movie about the Cold War—and the New York Times notes that those that are reporting on the earthquake stay away from politically sensitive topics, such actions by rogue journalists represent a crack in the government’s intense effort to control public information.
As the Times “Week In Review” columnist Philip Taubman writes, “A dash of openness can be a dangerous thing for an autocratic state.” Think about it—all of the best dictatorships make a concerted effort to control the media, with official media outlets promoting official news, views, and propaganda. While attempting to control domestic coverage of the earthquake, the Chinese government as allowed international press to report more freely—China tightly controls internet and other access to foreign media sources, but as Taubman notes in a comparison to Russia, small steps toward open access can set into motion “unsettling” political forces. The government of Burma is bent on restricting any access at whatever cost, but the “Public Editor” writes, in an explanation of the frequent use of anonymous sources in Burma and Zimbabwe, that international and local reporters go to extreme lengths to sneak into and report on the disaster zone.
The moral of the story? Repressive regimes make valiant efforts to control access to information because their power depends on it, but that control can never be airtight. And therein lies their (potential, hopeful, eventual) demise. Natural disasters have political consequences in any state—hello, Katrina—but their potential to disrupt the controlling practices of autocratic regimes like Burma and China is particularly significant. China and Burma’s different responses to their respective disasters could yield similar political results—China’s relative openness could start the “crack” of open information, and Burma’s adamant denial of access currently serves to highlight the human rights abuses of the regime and increase international pressure for reform.
And even in the most repressive states, there are always people willing to risk their lives to access and spread information.
And if you’re wondering what’s going on in Zimbabwe: Violence continues (I know you’re shocked), and Morgan Tsvangirai canceled plans to return to Zimbabwe to campaign for the June 27 run-off due to assassination plots.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Thursday/SuperEarlyFriday News: The word-of-the-day is "escalate."
Sudan: The UN says the conflict in Darfur, Sudan “threatens to enter” a “new cycle of violence”—MF thinks it’s already there. In addition to the escalating violence following the Darfuri rebel group attack on Khartoum, tensions related to the North/South civil war erupted in violence in the disputed Abyei region, with ‘former’ Southern rebels exchanging gun and mortar fire with northern government forces. The UN withdrew all non-essential personnel from the region as a result of the violence, and warned that the renewed violence jeopardizes the 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of war. For more background on Darfur and the North/South conflict—can it get any more complicated—clickity click here
Zimbabwe: As the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) continues to delay a speculative date for a presidential runoff—July, maybe? No, August, I think—the violence against opposition supporters continues to escalate. Mugabe’s Public Enemy No. 1 this week? Anglicans. The US sent a letter of protest after a confrontation between the US ambassador and Zimbabwe police. (I’m sure Mugabe is shaking in his boots.)
But look, Bobby M., you do win a prize for all of your hard work dictator-ing: World’s Highest Inflation! I think tomorrow I’ll go to a currency exchange, lay down $2, and ask for a Zimbabwean $500 million note.
In other news…
...The Guardian’s page on the Democratic Republic of Congo, if you need some light reading.
...The violence and trauma of rape continues its physical degradation for women in Liberia.
...Inside a Palestinian refugee camp, courtesy of BBC.
...Stalemate in Uganda. An interesting note here: Uganda’s peace talks are set in Juba, South Sudan…Uganda received thousands of refugees from Sudan’s North/South civil war…conflict-ridden countries holding each other’s peace talks. Thoughts?
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