Weekly News Round-Up (27/11/2015)

News from HART

• Previous HART intern Natasha Self examines the historical relationship between Timor-Leste and Indonesia in her blog ‘Indonesia and Timor Leste: from Occupation to Cooperation’
• HART Administrator Anna Cox discusses the role that development of essential services and infrastructure can play in helping to stem fighting in South Sudan.
• Wednesday was International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and two of our partners, Shan Human Rights Foundation and Shan Women’s Action Network, have posted updates on violence against women in Burma which continues with impunity.
• Please do join us at the HART Carol Concert on December 9^th at St Cuthbert’s Church, Earl’s Court from 7pm. It promises to be a fabulous evening – staff members have already begun practicing their accompanying dances!

Burma

• A landslide in Hpakhant, Kachin state, has killed at least 113 people, while more than 100 are missing, highlighting the abuse and exploitation in Burma’s jade trade
• The Electoral Commission has called the last 11 election races. All in all, the NLD won 887 of 1146 of seats (77%) in the parliamentary and regional legislatures, with the USDP coming in a distant second with 117.
• A spokesman for Thein Sein took to social media on Saturday to reject recommendations for Rohingya Muslims to be granted a path to citizenship.
• Burma’s most senior general, Min Aung Hlaing says that he is “prepared to talk and answer and discuss” with Aung San Suu Kyi’s government.

India

• India and Malaysia have agreed to strengthen their strategic defence and security ties, in talks this week between the two countries’ leaders.
• UN Secretary General called for an end to the India-Nepal border blockade, expressing ‘growing concern’ that essential supplies are being prevented from reaching Nepal.

Nigeria

• The Global Terrorism Index 2015 was released. It found that Boko Haram is now the deadliest terrorist group in the world and that Nigeria is the third most terrorised country in the world: “Deaths attributed to Boko Haram increased by 317 per cent in 2014 to 6,644.”
• Eight people were killed on Sunday when a female suicide bomber detonated her explosives among women and children arriving in Nigeria’s north-eastern city of Maiduguri seeking to escape Boko Haram violence in the countryside.
• The following map shows attacks last week, in which reportedly Boko Haram killed 54 and the Nigerian Security Forces 45 Boko Haram insurgents:

South Sudan

• Parliament has amended the transitional constitution, giving Kiir the power to create more states.
• IGAD has postponed the South Sudanese peace implementation summit, due to the indications that Kiir’s 28 states amendment is to go ahead.
• The SPLA has begun to withdraw from the capital Juba, ahead of the peace deal deadline which requires all military forces to withdraw from a 15-mile radius of the city.
• The Troika have issued a joint statement expressing concern that a transitional government has not been created in-line with the peace agreement.
• Ban Ki Moon as warned there is a major risk the more atrocities could be committed in South Sudan.
• The UN has said that aid-workers have been hit by a ‘surge in violent armed robberies’ that is threatening the delivery of humanitarian supplies.

Sudan

• The peace talks between the Sudanese government and rebels have been suspended till the 7th of December. The recent talks had stalled with no progress being made.
• The Sudanese army has raised the state of alert in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan. It has said it will actively seek to recapture the SPLM-N stronghold of Kauda.
• The Sudanese government is reported to have reasserted its claims that it will deliver humanitarian aid to the Two Areas.
• 5 Sudanese nationals have been found shot dead near the Egyptian-Israeli border. Other nationals have been shot at, attempting to cross into Israel.
• Sudanese security forces have detained Sadiq Youssef, the leader of opposition group National Consensus Forces, as well as other members of the coalition.

Uganda

• Pope Francis is expected to arrive in Uganda today. Human Rights Watch have written to him requesting him to speak out against rights abuses in the country and wider region.
• A climate change project has highlighted the issue as being neglected in Ugandan policies. The report also stressed that gender sensitive policies need to be adopted.