December 2009
49 posts
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Urgent Action: End the Gaza blockade
A year after Israel launched its military offensive on Gaza, destroying or damaging thousands of homes and some schools and hospitals, the people of Gaza are still unable to rebuild their lives because of the Israeli imposed blockade.
Please write to the UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband, asking him to make his New Year’s Resolution to help bring an end to the blockade of Gaza and get ...
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The manifestations of the Prevent agenda in the UK... →
It has been widely reported that various branches of the UK government are now interested in monitoring the Somali community, fearing that they may comrpise a fifth column in mainstream society….
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Band-e Amir Lake →
Band-e Amir (Persian: بند امیر, meaning “Commander’s Dam”–a reference to the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali, the first imam of the Shia Muslims and the fourth …
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Children’s Tough Life →
In 2007, Oxfam reported that some 7 million Afghan children — more than half of the country’s young people — do not go to school. In the same report, titled “Free, Quality Education…
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D. R. of Congo : Human rights activist's house... →
Ouvertures website [fr] reports that the house of human rights activist, Emmanuel Kabengele Kalonji, in Congo has been burnt down while he is in Morocco to receive the Harubuntu Award from the…
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Helmandi Black Turban →
In Afghanistan, people in black turban are distinguished as Sayyed. Sayyids are Arabs, and Sayyids in Asia are of Arab origin. The Sayyids are a branch of the tribe of Banu Hashim,…
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Afghanistan: Opium not so profitable →
Nick Fielding reports that according to the newly released United Nations’s survey, opium cultivation in Afghanistan decreased by 22 per cent, while production fell by 10 per cent to 6,900 tons.
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Afghanistan: Comparing the costs of two wars →
Peter Marton suggests his readers to compare the costliness of the Afghan vs. the Iraqi campaign, based on the data from several different sources.
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Afghanistan: Taliban Offer →
Daffyd ponders on the speculations about an alleged Taliban proposal that it would sever ties with al Qaeda in return for withdrawal of foreign troops, and says it’s seems like a very clever…
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Addiction →
A British soldier fell into sleep on the ground in the shadow of his car after earliest patrol around Bost Airport in Lashkargah the capital of Helmand province. I took this picture…
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Finally, a solution for "conflict minerals" →
In my continuing series on “What’s for Christmas” blog, today I feature…drones! Yes, folks, that’s right. The Kinshasa government has cut the Gordian knot in the Kivus, slicing through the…
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Widow →
A British soldier fell into sleep on the ground in the shadow of his car after earliest patrol around Bost Airport in Lashkargah the capital of Helmand province. I took this picture…
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Mazar-e Sharif →
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Kabila's visit to the East →
Kabila has been on a PR-blitz recently, visiting much of the country, including restive Equateur & the Kasais - both areas favorable to the opposition - and, this week South and North …
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Slideshow: Somaliland's Nomadic Lifestyle at Risk →
I went to Somaliland, the north western part of Somalia, back in November this year. Going across this arrid region, I witnessed the droughts that are now destroying a centuries-old way of life, that…
A CNDP Christmas →
Stop the press, the CNDP (Laurent Nkunda’s former armed group) has a new president! Ok, so it’s not really that exciting. First of all, no one has heard of the guy. His name his Philippe Gafishi
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Gossip from the UN →
Some gossip from within the UN system: 1. Discussions have begun around MONUC’s mandate renewal, led by the French (they are always given the lead on Congo matters in the Security Council). There…
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Congo Siasa →
Check out this excellent blog on all things DR Congo by Jason Stearns who has been working on the conflict for the past eight years, most recently as the Coordinator of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Congo. His book “Dancing in the Glory of Monsters” is due to be published soon.
Resent posts chronicle rumors at the UN around the Security Council’s discussions to...
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Human Rights Watch calls on UN: Act to End... →
The United Nations Security Council should urgently act to protect civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo from further atrocities by government and rebel forces and ensure peacekeepers are not implicated in abuses, Human Rights Watch said in a report published today.
The 183-page report, “‘You Will Be Punished’: Attacks on Civilians in Eastern Congo,” documents in...
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Ask the UK Prime Minister questions about... →
From 11am GMT this morning, Monday 14 December the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown is taking part in a web chat on Afghanistan - join in and ask your questions
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Mogadishu hospitals suffer dangerous lack of... →
It’s a small step, to help the dedicated hospital staff and their vulnerable patients. But with violence in Mogadishu continuing and the hospital wards busier than ever, this aid is helping to save lives.
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Somaliland & drought: the tale of one elderly →
“I’m not going anywhere. I prefer to die in my house”, Abdilahi Ahmed Ali, a drought-affected herdsman in Somaliland ************************** The town of Balli Hiile lies about an hours drive…
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Snow, fuel and food in the mix →
KABUL, 9 December 2009 (IRIN) - An increase in fuel prices and winter-related road blockages in different parts of Afghanistan are driving up food prices, despite a bumper 2009 wheat harvest, according to Kabul traders.
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My Trip to the Congo →
Khaliah Ali writes in the Huffington Post about her recent visit to DRC
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Uganda: Can election violence in Uganda be... →
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D.R of Congo: 66 Ways to Franco →
Koratend writes an excellent post about 66 ways to find information about Congolese musician Franco: “Counting the ways to Franco was an excursion into the realm of metadata, matters of syntax,…
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Ukraine, Afghanistan: Mayors and Corruption →
Petro’s Jotter praises Kabul residents for having their mayor sentenced for corruption and misappropriation of $16,000 - and offers a Ukrainian perspective: “Imagine how full the Kyiv jails would…
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The Trial of Thomas Lubanga →
For years, the Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga allegedly sanctioned massacres, pressed children into military service, and institutionalized mass rape. Now he is the first defendant being tried by the recently created International Criminal Court, seated in Holland. His trial is seen as a major landmark by Western human-rights activists, and it is being publicized extensively in Congo, where...
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Le Marathon des lettres : engageons-nous pour les... →
Entre le 5 et le 13 décembre 2009 aura lieu la 8ème édition du Marathon des lettres. Il s’agit d’un évènement organisé par Amnesty International, à l’échelle mondiale, incitant…
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SMC Mourns the Death of Three More Somali... →
The massive explosion which ripped through the meeting hall in Shamo Hotel in South Mogadishu on Thursday has killed three Somali journalists, SMC confirms.
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Congo: Doctors without Borders tell people's... →
Condition Critical is a website showcasing the stories of victims of the violence in Eastern Congo coordinated and launched by Doctors without Borders/Medecins sans Frontiers (MSF).
…
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In the heart of Somaliland, a climate tragedy →
Muhammed interrupted me by pounding the ground, laughing out loud and exchanging a few words with Seleban Yussuf , the village’s elder sitting next to him.
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Money Can't Buy America Love →
Millions of dollars are being pumped into hearts and minds projects from Kabul to Kandahar. Trouble is, it’s not working. And it might even be making things worse.
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A meaningful Afghanistan conference needs civil... →
Instead of hearing speeches of some dozen international delegations, the London conference should devote a significant part of its time (or an additional day, both preferably before the government-level talks start) to listening to representatives of Afghan civil society.
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Doctors Without Borders launches personal stories... →
Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has launched a series of web videos which tell the stories of people in Congo, an African country that has seen violence and human rights atrocities of phenomenal scale during an ongoing civil war. The online shorts are part of a larger MSF campaign called Condition: Critical.
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Philippines: Social Media puts spotlight on the... →
It’s been almost two weeks since the world awakened to the tragic and brutal killings that took the lives of more than 60 women, lawyers and journalists in Maguindanao province, on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.
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UN extends embargo on weapons for armed groups... →
The United Nations Security Council today extended the embargo on weapons for all armed groups operating on Congolese soil until 30 November 2010. The embargo does not apply to the Congolese government and its security forces.
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Can President Obama’s New Afghanistan Strategy... →
Join the Asia Society debate on Obama’s plans for Afghanistan.
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WatchVoices from the war in Eastern Congo
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'Finish the job' but not so hastily →
After a long debate over increasing troops in Afghanistan, finally, President Obama said that he has decided to send around 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan….
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Day in the life of a midwife in rural Congo in... →
BBC slideshow following a day in the life of Anne Omoy, a 61-year-old midwife in rural Congo
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Humanitarian agencies call for aid based on... →
As the US prepares to deploy additional troops, the ACBAR coalition representing over 100 Afghan and international aid agencies urged donors to address the need for principled humanitarian assistance independent of political and military goals, ranging from aid for refugees to mobile health services.
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In the footprints of a drug addict →
The crack of dawn at the lamu island. Cultural festivities break the quiet at the sea front. The locals seem deeply immersed in the event that gets tourists flocking to this breathtaking coastal…
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A troop surge can only magnify the crime against... →
Afghan politician Malalai Joya writes: I have said before that by installing warlords and drug traffickers in power in Kabul, the US and Nato have pushed us from the frying pan to the fire. Now Obama is pouring fuel on these flames, and this week’s announcement of upwards of 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan will have tragic consequences.
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Leave a message of support for the people of... →
Violent conflict has plagued this region for more than a decade. Hundreds of thousands of people are on the run, fleeing the violence in North Kivu, South Kivu and Orientale provinces. People are frightened. Many are sick or wounded. Others have been harassed or raped, or have had everything they own stolen.
Read what other people have said. Watch the videos to hear stories of people who are...
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Why sending more troops to Afghanistan is likely... →
More troops or not more troops, that is the question the international media has been obsessed with for weeks. As Obama announces the deployment of at least 30.000 more troops, ordinary Afghans are concerned that this will only mean more conflict in and around their villages.
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US to announce more troops for #Afghanistan →
BBC’s Newsnight programme reports on impacts of troop surge
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Le marché de la chaussure de Goma, lieu de... →
Elise Vincent, journaliste au “Monde”, a assisté au travail de prévention effectué par les équipes congolaises de Médecin du Monde sure le marché de las chaussure d’occasion à Goma, en République démocratique du Congo.