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4 December 2015
News from HART
- HART intern Will Side puts forward an excellent argument for the need for education in the midst of conflict.
- The 3rd December is International Day of Disabled Persons. We talk to Vardan Tadevosyan, director and founder of The Lady Cox Rehabilitation Centre, Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh.
- Please do join us at the HART Carol Concert on Wednesday December 9th at St Cuthbert’s Church in Earl’s Court, London. It begins at 7pm. All you need to bring is a festive spirit!
Burma
- The Shan Human Rights Foundation has reported that the Burmese Army has committed sexual violence in ceasefire areas at least eight times since April this year.
- More than 600,000 people in Burma need food assistance due to natural disasters, violence and conflict, the UN World Food Programme has said, announcing a $40m funding shortfall for food aid.
- Aung San Suu Kyi has had her first one-on-one meeting with the most powerful man in Burma, army chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
Credit: The Independent
India
- Over 8 million people in South India have been affected by the annual northeast monsoon and associated floods.
- Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Indian historian, gives his analysis of the intolerance debate in India.
Nagorno-Karabakh
- The Dutch parliament hosted a hearing on Nagorno-Karabakh and the recent escalation along the Armenian-Azerbaijan border.
- The non-profit organisation, The United Armenian Fund has ended its operations in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh after 26 years of providing humanitarian aid, having delivered more than $720 million worth of relief.
Sudan
- SPLM-N forces have been mobilised in South Kordofan in anticipation of a major government offensive.
- The government and SPLM-N have accused each other over the failure of the recent peace talks.
- A UN special Rapporteur has called on the U.S. to determine a timeframe to lift the economic sanctions on Sudan. He said the sanctions are hitting the innocent harder the political elites.
- A report by Enough Project, has suggested that Sudan’s regime is structures ‘to extract the nation’s wealth in order to maintain power’.
- Rebel groups have called for the pre-dialogue meeting, being held on December 7, to include all opposition and civil society groups.
- 18 Sudan Liberation Movement rebels have been sentenced to death by hanging.
South Sudan
- The AU has warned that the peace deal is at a ‘critical stage’, possibly close to collapse, as violations of the deal continue.
- According to the UN, thousands of people have been displaced in W Equatoria last month due to fighting.
- At least 19 people have been killed in Lakes state due to tribal clashes.
- The UN has said that 16,000 children have been forced into the South Sudanese conflict this year.
- The wife of the former SPLM leader John Garang, Rebecca Garang,  is to return to South Sudan after nearly two years in exile.
Timor-Leste
- An expert UN Committee has raised concerns about the on-going failure by the government of Timor-Leste to adopt laws to ensure comprehensive reparation for survivors of rape and other forms of sexual violence that occurred during the Indonesian occupation.
Nigeria
- The Nigerian government has asked the United States and Israel to help in the fight against Boko Haram.
- The Cameroon army claimed to have killed 100 Boko Haram fighters, freeing 900 hostages in a three-day opera
Uganda
- Many Burundian refugees are arriving in Uganda, fleeing the escalating violence in their country.
- Uganda has passed the controversial NGO bill that critics say will ‘strangle’ civil society.
- Pope Francis has been criticised for not highlighting LGBT rights issues after visiting Uganda last week.
- Uganda is to hold it’s first televised live election debate in January, with current leader Museveni taking part.