This is a roundup of news articles, reports, and other materials focusing on (in)security issues and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of Security in Context. The goal is to shed light on knowledge production on security-related issues of public interest from critical perspectives and from global south readings by highlighting media from four particular regions: Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, and developing Asia. Entries may include academic journal articles, think tank reports, non-governmental organizations releases, official documents or government-commissioned research, and regular news items. The material included covers SiC's key security issues: Climate Change, Security and International Relations, Migration and Displacement, Covid-19 and Capitalism, Technologies of Surveillance, Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Sexuality, Arms and the Military-industrial Complex, and Censorship.
You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each roundup to submissions@securityincontext.org.
Latin America and the Caribbean
IACHR speaks of extrajudicial executions and a massacre in Peru
May 5, 2023
The Inter-American Commision on Human Rights (IACHR) reported on extrajudicial executions in Peru along with referring to the police repression against protestors as “massacre”.
Ecuador's Armed Forces ordered to carry out immediate operations against terrorism
May 4, 2023
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso issued a decree ordering the Armed Forces to carry out immediate operations in order to confront and counteract “terrorist” individuals and organizations.
Five killed in Haiti as vigilante crowds target suspected gangs
May 3, 2023
As vigilante killings surge in the Haitian capital and its surrounding areas, another 5 men were reported to have been slain and set on fire near a police station.
Two killed during riots in Suriname
May 3, 2023
Two people, who belong to a group of insurgents rioting against the Suriname government because of the treatment of the indigenous people, were killed during a shootout with police.
Calls for ceasefire at start of latest Colombia-ELN peace talks
May 2, 2023
The Colombian government and the left-wing National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group began their latest round of peace talks with both sides expressing the desire to reach a ceasefire agreement.
Africa
UN urges the world to admit displaced people and end deportations to Sudan
May 5, 2023
The UN Commissioner for Refugees has called on all countries to admit refugees from Sudan, as well as to cancel any pending deportations of those seeking asylum.
Rwanda: Families grieve, count cost after floods, landslides kill 130
May 4, 2023
At least 130 people have been killed by floods and landslides in Rwanda that have been accompanied by torrential rains. Over 5,100 homes were destroyed with an additional 2,500 sustaining partial damage.
Uganda: Parliament Passes Amended Anti-Homosexuality Bill
May 2, 2023
Uganda has passed a controversial bill that includes the death penalty for a specific number of same-sex acts, as well as 20 years in jail for anyone promoting homosexuality.
News: Girma Yeshitila, Amhara Prosperity Party head, shot dead
April 27, 2023
Grima Yeshitila, head of the Prosperity Party in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, was killed, seemingly by political dissidents who disliked his agreement with the decision to reorganize Ethiopia’s national army into regular and federal police forces.
Humanitarian fears as thousands of Sudanese flee to Chad on foot
April 26, 2023
As of the time this article was posted, an estimated 100,000 Sudanese people were expected to flee from Sudan to Chad amid violence in Sudan, perpetuated by a fight between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces head Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo.
Middle East
Palestinians Demand Israel Hand Over Body of Prominent Prisoner
May 5, 2023
Palestinians are demanding that Israel hand over the body of Khader Adnan, a prominent prisoner who led hunger strike movements and died in Israeli custody.
HRW: Academic held by Egyptian authorities at risk of death
May 4, 2023
Human Rights Watch and 50 other rights groups say that academic Salah Soltan should be given medical treatment by authorities that are holding him prisoner, after allegations of torture and mistreatment became known.
Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Teenager during Raid in Occupied West Bank
May 1, 2023
Six were wounded and a Palestinian teenager, 16-year-old Mustafa Amer Sabbah, was killed during an Israeli raid on Tuqu’ town in the West Bank.
Over 2 million aquatic birds seen in 142 wetlands across Türkiye
April 30, 2023
Over 2 million aquatic birds such as waterfowl have been seen in wetlands across Turkey, but has reduced the number of species from 103 in 2018 to 68 today. However, the number of birds found is more than has been typical in the past few years.
More than 10,000 people enter Egypt in 5 days as violence in Sudan continues
April 26, 2023
At the time this article was written, over 10,000 people from Sudan entered Egypt in 5 days due to the violence the country is currently facing. There is a high chance that these numbers have increased since this initial report.
Developing Asia
Manipur violence: Army deployment to "shoot at sight"
May 5, 2023
The state administration of Manipur, India authorized all District Magistrates to issue "shoot at sight orders" in "extreme cases" on May 4, as unrest in Manipur escalated. Manipur is plagued by violence owing to long-standing inter-communal strife and a lack of political will to settle it at the state and government levels. The directive followed a day of violent skirmishes during the All Tribal Students' Union of Manipur (ATSUM)'s "Tribal Solidarity March." Following an April 19 Manipur High Court decision, the march protested the inclusion of the state's Meitei population under the Scheduled Tribe category.
Nepal plunges into its first recession in six decades
May 5, 2023
Inflation and political turmoil pushed Nepal into its first recession in 60 years. As political instability, corruption, and market and climatic vulnerability persist, economists worry that the country, which aims for middle-income status in three years, will struggle to recover.
Pakistan's hazardous waste challenge
May 4, 2023
Pakistan’s large e-waste and shipbreaking industries make the country one of the world’s dumping grounds for hazardous waste. However, hazardous waste management in Pakistan is very poor and fails to meet international standards set by the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm conventions.
China warns of consequences of Germany's restrictions on semiconductor exports
April 28, 2023
Germany is considering putting restrictions on the export of semiconductor materials to China, a move which China warns could hurt Germany’s own economy and jeopardize China-EU relations.
Making the IMF work for Sri Lankans
April 23, 2023
This essay gives an overview of the challenges that Sri Lanka faces in securing and benefiting from an IMF loan and offers suggestions for how to surmount some of these challenges.
The future of Sri Lanka's protest movement
April 23, 2023
This essay provides a history of Sri Lanka’s protest movement, including its causes and its demands, and assesses the future prospects for the movement.
Key Issues
Japanese man supporting terrorist deradicalization through nonprofit
May 4, 2023
As director of Accept International, a Japanese nonprofit, Yosuke Nagai, fights terrorism in Kenya, Somalia, Yemen, and Indonesia by helping those seeking to escape terrorist organizations to reintegrate into society through vocational training and education.
US intelligence chief sees ‘protracted’ fighting in Sudan
May 4, 2023
US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines does not believe the current conflict in Sudan will end anytime soon, with the fighting increasing the direness of already faltering humanitarian conditions in both Sudan and the region as a whole.
White House Rejects Kremlin Claim of a Role in Explosions
May 4, 2023
The United States has denied any involvement in an attack on the Kremlin, which Russia alleges was a Ukrainian attack dictated by US orders.
Egypt seeks to consolidate ceasefire in Sudan to pave way for peaceful dialogue: Al-Sisi
May 3, 2023
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is seeking to consolidate a ceasefire in Sudan, echoing the same calls of ceasefire that have been promoted by Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
European dam specialists withdraw from Myanmar amid human rights concerns
April 28, 2023
Citing the UN report criticizing the involvement of European contractors in infrastructure projects in Myanmar, the Swedish-Finnish engineering services company AFRY announced it would withdraw from Myanmar’s hydropower projects.
Xi Jinping calls Zelenskyy for the first time since the start of the Ukraine war
April 24, 2023
In a phone call between Xi Jinping and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the first since the invasion of Ukraine, Xi Jinping expressed his commitment to a peaceable solution and promised to send an emissary to Ukraine and other countries to facilitate communication between all sides of the conflict.
