From restaurants to water towers, unrest dents Senegal’s economy
Dakar, Senegal Reuters A KFC restaurant ransacked. Public transport torched. Glass-paneled stations for a multi-million dollar electric bus link shattered. A water plant vandalised. Senegal is taking stock of the damage after the jail sentencing of prominent opposition figure Ousmane Sonko sparked the worst civil unrest in decades that threatens to dent progress in one […]
Activists reject Uzbek Government’s version of deadly protests
London, UKReuters A week after Uzbekistan’s deadliest outbreak of violence in nearly 20 years, opposition politicians and human rights groups are challenging the government’s narrative that protesters were high on drugs and incited by “foreign forces”. Authorities in the Central Asian state say 14 civilians and four law enforcement officers died during clashes that broke […]
Uzbek leader blames “foreign forces” for outbreak of unrest
Tashkent, UzbekistanReuters Uzbekistan’s President blamed “foreign forces” on Wednesday for inciting unrest in the Central Asian state’s autonomous Karakalpakstan republic, where the government says 18 people were killed in violent clashes last week. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said the “unpleasant events” were a source of anguish, and the top state prosecutor would conduct a thorough investigation. […]
Sri Lankan President to appoint new PM, cabinet this week; Pope calls for leaders to respect human rights
Colombo/Weerakeiya, Sri Lanka Reuters Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said on Wednesday he would appoint a new Prime Minister and cabinet this week, after his elder brother and former premier Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned following deadly violence in the country. The new prime minister and cabinet will command a majority in the 225-seat parliament, Rajapaksa said, […]
Explainer: What is behind unrest in the Solomon Islands?
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Four people were killed during violent anti-government protests in the Solomon Islands that prompted Australia to send police and soldiers to help keep order. In three days of unrest last week, buildings were set ablaze and shops looted by protesters angered by problems such as high unemployment and crowded housing, witnesses said. A […]
Calm returns as clean-up begins in Solomon Islands – media
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Soldiers and police from Australia and Papua New Guinea were helping to restore calm in the Solomon Islands as clean-up operations started, after several days of rioting left three dead and led to dozens of arrests, local media reported. The Solomon Star newspaper said Australian soldiers and police and troops from Papua New […]
Updated: Australia to deploy police, military to Solomon Islands as protests spread
Updated: 6pm (AEDT)Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia will deploy more than 100 police and military personnel to aid the Solomon Islands, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday, as protesters in the Pacific Island nation defied a curfew to protest for a second consecutive day. Morrison said Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare had requested Australian assistance, […]
Deadly shooting rocks Beirut as tensions over blast probe erupt
Beirut, LebanonReuters Tensions over a probe into last year’s massive blast in Beirut burst into the worst street violence in more than a decade on Thursday, with six Shi’ites shot dead and gun battles reviving memories of the country’s 1975-90 civil war. Bullets bounced off buildings and people ran for cover during bursts of gunfire […]
South Africa violence, looting ebbs but death toll up to 117
Johannesburg, South AfricaReuters South Africans counted the cost on Thursday of arson and looting that has destroyed hundreds of businesses and killed at least 117 people, as the spasm of violence began to ebb and the government doubled its troop deployment to 10,000. Pockets of unrest remained, notably in the port city of Durban, where […]
Essay: Northern Ireland – the politics behind the riots
DAVID MITCHELL, assistant professor in conflict resolution and reconciliation at Trinity College Dublin, explains – in an article first published on The Conversation, what’s behind recent unrest in Northern Ireland…