The Week That Was - August 5 to 11, 2010

Sudan

• 23 people, including police officers, were killed when gunmen ambushed a truck in the oil producing Unity state last weekend. Meanwhile in Kapoeta town of Eastern Equatoria state a SPLA soldier opened fire, killing three people and injuring others. The shooter was also killed.
• In anticipation of possible independence this January, southern Sudan has asked musicians and writers to compose a national anthem. The Sudan National Anthem Committee stated this did not mean it was backing separation.
• The Sudanese government denied aid agencies access to Darfur’s Kalma camp after fighting there killed 5 people last week, and threatened to expel foreign organizations if they disrespected government authority. The clashes also prompted the governor of South Darfur State to consider plans to relocate the camp, which is seen as a bastion of rebel support.
• Nearly 30,000 illegal arms were found in south Sudan last week during a civilian disarmament process across the region. Previous attempts at disarmament have been met with bloody armed confrontations. 
• Sudan Tribune journalist Manyag Mayom has been awarded Human Rights Watch’s Hellmen/Hammett grant for his “commitment to free expression and courage in the face of political persecution.”
• The Sudanese government has halted direct censorship of daily newspapers, but journalists say a myriad of other legal regulations still keep them from enjoying the freedom of the press enshrined in Sudan’s constitution.  

Burma

• Five Burmese army soldiers were killed this week when Karen National Union rebels attacked a convoy carrying high level military officers. No senior officials were harmed.
• Two people were killed and four seriously injured when a bomb exploded near a crowded market in the restive border town of Myawaddy, Karen State Friday night. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast.
• In a letter to the European Union, Human Rights Watch argued that EU member states should publicly support the establishment of an International Commission of Inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma.
• The opposition Democratic Party is complaining of official intimidation after Burma’s Election Commission submitted the party’s member list to the police Special Branch.

DR Congo

• According to a new report by the Enough Project, the LRA is waging attacks in the remote Bas Uele district in northeastern DR Congo. Unlike most areas where the LRA operates, attacks in Bas Uele are intended to empty the area, which is of strategic importance to the rebel group, of civilians.
• The DR Congo will hold its second round of free elections since independence on November 27, 2011.
• The results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week show that men and women are often both victims and perpetrators of sexual violence in the DR Congo.

Afghanistan

• The Taliban claimed responsibility for attacks on Friday that killed 10 medical aid workers, including 6 Americans.
• According to the Afghan Red Crescent Society, recent military operations by Afghan government and NATO forces in Helmand province have temporarily displaced around 500 families.
• Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday ordered an investigation into reports that dozens of civilians had been killed by NATO forces in operations against the Taliban.
• Amnesty International is calling for the prosecution of members of the Taliban and other insurgent groups for war crimes. The request comes after the release of a UN report showing a rise in targeted killings of civilians in the nation by anti-government forces.
• According to new reports women in Afghanistan suffer extremely high rates of domestic violence, and the suicide rate among Afghan women has increased by 20 times since the 1970s.

Iraq

• According to the deputy commander of U.S. forces in central Iraq, the failure of Iraqi politicians to form a government has increased the prospects of an upsurge in violence and inter-communal strife. The comments come after a recent spate of attacks, including two bombings in Al-Basrah on August 8 that killed over 43 people.
• The UN Security Council Thursday unanimously voted to extend the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) until July 31, 2011, and urged leaders in the nation to work quickly to form a new government.

Pakistan

• Flooding in Pakistan, which has killed over 1,500 people, has provided a political boost to Islamic militants operating in the area, who have been able to respond with relief aid more quickly than the government.

Somalia

• According to both insurgents and peacekeepers, fighting is expected to increase in Somalia during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began Wednesday.
• After more than 17 years of absence the UN and other international organizations will return to Somalia within the next two months.
• Al-Shabab banned three Christian aid organizations from operating in south-central Somalia, drawing the ire of government officials, aid beneficiaries and humanitarian workers.
• Yemen is seeking to end prima facie refugee status for Somalis, which it has been giving them for the past 20 years. The government claims that not all Somalis deserve refugee status, as some are economic migrants or attempting to join militia groups.