Supporters of an independent Azawad gathered in Mali on Friday, 15 June 2012 for the official inauguration of an interim president, MNLA Secretary-General, Bilal Ag Acherif.
Ag Cherif reiterated [fr] the aims of the council as listed in the Azawadi Declaration of Independence and announced initiatives to establish state institutions, and to develop a charter that defines the fundamental principles of a new constitution for Azawad. He again called on the international community to recognise the 28-member Transitional Council of the State of Azawad (Conseil de Transition de l’Etat de l’Azawad, CTEA).
A concerted lobbying effort for military intervention by members of ECOWAS and the African Union is still in progress, notably with the United Nations Security Council. Old enmities between key north African countries impact discussions, and force interested parties to perform an elaborate diplomatic dance of meetings followed by visits to share developments with estranged ones. A little like friends and family trying to maintain relationships with both sides of an acrimonious divorce, it all slows and complicates the process, while creating a breeding ground for intrigue. Countries that under normal circumstances might be expected to have a say – Libya, Egypt, Yemen – are to be excused, as they have enough on their respective domestic plates. Beyond Africa, France (its Foreign Minister more specifically) is still bullish, while the US is relying on “media diplomacy” for now. I’ve not noticed any official statements from Gulf states. Perhaps Iran will weigh in with an opinion on Azawad, and then the rhetoric can really begin to fly.
One thing all sides agree on is the worrying humanitarian situation of tens of thousands of refugees and internally displaced people as the “lean period” approaches. There is ample space at the borders with Algeria and Mauritania to create humanitarian corridors under an agreement not to resume hostilities. I am interested to see if anyone raises this idea, and whether this possibility also exists at the borders with Niger, Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast. I assume this would conflict with the agenda of the rebel groups, as they now enjoy relatively unrestricted access to and from neighbouring countries, and the pro-invasion crowd aren’t canvassing for suggestions. Therefore I don’t hold out much hope for a logical solution.
Total deaths,
by governorates,
March 2011 through
March 25, 2012
The city of Homs, known as the capital of the revolution, was one of the first to join the uprisings against the Syrian government. With nearly 3,500 people killed, the city and its suburbs have been hit hardest by the government’s brutal crackdown. On March 1, after nearly a month of shelling by government forces, rebel fighters fled the Baba Amr district of Homs. Syrian military forces continue to bombard the city and its surrounding neighborhoods.
Diplomatic steps
What other countries and outside groups have done to try to end the violence.
May 23
European Union imposes sanctions on Assad and other senior officials.
Aug. 18
The United States, Canada, France, Germany and United Kingdom call for Assad to step down. A U.N. report says the Syrian government may have committed crimes against humanity.
Sept. 2
EU imposes ban on purchases of Syrian oil.
Oct. 5
China and Russia veto a U.N. resolution condemning Syria.
Nov. 12
The Arab League suspends Syria.
Nov. 27
Arab states vote to impose economic sanctions on Syria.
Dec. 19
Syria signs the Arab League peace plan, and agrees to let monitors into country.
Jan. 22
The Arab League urges Assad to step down. Saudi Arabia quits monitoring mission.
Jan. 28
The Arab League suspends monitoring.
Feb. 4
Russia and China veto U.N. Security Council resolution, backed by Arab League, calling for Assad to step down.
Feb. 6
The United States closes its embassy in Syria.
Feb. 16
The U.N. General Assembly endorses an Arab League plan for a U.N.-Arab peacekeeping force.
Feb. 24
Foreign ministers from more than 50 countries meet in Tunis to discuss the situation in Syria. Russia and China do not attend.
March 1
Russia and China join other members of U.N. Security Council in expressing disappointment over Syria’s refusal to let U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos visit the country.
March 6
The five permanent Security Council members and Morocco meet to discuss a U.S.-drafted resolution urging an end to the crackdown.
March 9
After finally being allowed into the country, Amos says the destruction in the Baba Amr neighborhood is devastating. She said she demanded access for humanitarian aid, but Assad’s government did not commit.
March 11
U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan ends talks with Assad and leaves Syria with little sign of progress.
March 21
The Security Council, including Russia and China, backs Annan’s six-point plan for ending the violence.
March 27
Assad agrees to Annan’s plan.
Help Refugees Fleeing Syria
Intense fighting in Syria has forced over 30,000 people to flee and seek safety. We are already on the ground in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, but we expect thousands more refugees in the coming weeks.Please help us raise enough money to purchase 2,400 blankets and other critical supplies to prepare for the influx of new refugees.
Your support will make an immediate impact. Please, donate what you can to help today.
$55 can distribute blankets for 5 refugee families.
$100 can provide kitchen sets for 5 families.
$345 can allocate a tent or shelter to one refugee family.
$1,000 can deliver 10 survival kits, each containing a blanket, a mattress, a kitchen set, a stove and soap.
$5,500 can supply blankets for 500 refugee families.
Sources: United Nations Institute for Training and Research; Institute for the Study of War; State Department; CIA; syriamap.wordpress.com; staff reports; UNHCR
GRAPHIC: Laris Karklis, Laura Stanton, Bill Webster, Sisi Wei and Karen Yourish – The Washington Post. Published March 14, 2012.
Despite an Arab League observer mission in Syria, there has been no let up in the bloodshed. Author and scholar Gene Sharp told RT in an exclusive interview that non-violence is the only way for people to bring about a democratic change.
“You get bloody mess when you get people standing up and saying we want a change because dictators don’t want to be told “We don’t love you anymore”. They do not like to be told “It is time for you to go” and they will use whatever means of control,” Sharp says.
Meanwhile, reports of bloodshed in Syrian cities escalate daily. Syrian activists said Monday that government troops opened fire on protesters in the restive city of Homs, killing more than a dozen people.
The UN estimates that more than 5,000 people have been killed since the country erupted into conflict in March.
Gene Sharp says that if Arab world follows a violent path, more casualties are guaranteed.
Sharp says that change can be brought out by many ways. “But what kind of change?” he asks.
What Sharp warns about is that change might pave the way to new dictatorship, but not to democracy.
“Change can be from dictatorship to a new dictatorship,” he concludes. Sharp believes that military intervention as an option to solve the situation in Syria will lead to chaos instead of new democratic regime in the country.
Speaking about the previous bitter experience, referring to Libya, Sharp says that the US has no right to meddle in other countries’ foreign affairs. “My opinion is that the US government should not be intervening military in the name of establishing democracy,” he says.
Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad delivered a 100-minute speech on Tuesday which failed to impress as he repeated previous statements, mocked the Arab League, and failed to offer any hope for an end to the ongoing bloodshed. In his first speech since June 2011, al-Assad said he’s “not someone who abandons responsibility”. Once again blaming unrest on “foreign planning,” Assad promised to “fight terrorists with an iron fist.” He also made vague promises of reform, saying Syria might hold a referendum on a new constitution, maybe in March. Later today, The UN Security Council will also meet for the first time this year to discuss the situation in the embattled country in another closed-door meeting.
Meanwhile, there may be a new way to end the bloodshed in Syria in the offing. Avaaz activists have covertly compiled a harrowing report of crimes against humanity conducted by Assad’s regime, and it is making world headlines. Using that list of atrocities to as a call to the UN Security Council might help bring a case against Assad and the leadership of his forces before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Brookings Conference: Int’l Responsibility After #Libya – Transcript http://snup.us/nP9
Speakers:
Edward Luck, Special Adviser on the Responsibility To Protect, United Nations;
Jared Genser, Managing Director, Perseus Strategies, and President, Freedom Now;
Richard Williamson, Nonresident Senior Fellow on Foreign Policy, Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement
Presider: Elizabeth Ferris, Senior Fellow and Co-Director, Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, The Brookings Institution
Location: The Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C.
Time: 10:05 a.m. EST
Date: Monday, January 9, 2012
6.8 earthquake 242 km (150 miles) SW of Hachijo-jima, Izu Islands, Japan. 05:27:54 UTC
Sunday, January 01, 2012 at 02:27:54 PM at epicenter, depth +/- 9.7 km (6.0 miles)
Twitter 2012 wishlist: better spam control, all our tweets reindexed & a functional search engine, rate limits abolished, fix site bugs. RT @teacherdude and add indicator that tells us when sb has DMed u [asteris: Yeah, Twitter, how hard can it be?]
Saharawi Coordinator with the MINURSO, Mr. Mhamed Khaddad, shared the contents of a message from the Malian government confirming “the Republic of Mali gives the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic the right to pursue within its national territory the criminal groups” and expressed strong dissatisfaction towards the Mali office of Agence France Press for stories indication that the cross-border operation happened without consent. http://snup.us/mQ7
v @Sahara_Voice
01:47 PM
On the day I relocated away from Twitter, @rupertmurdoch joined. I like the odd symmetry.
02:00 PM
Azerbaijani political prisoners talk about horrors they faced in Iranian prisons http://snup.us/mRa
The Power of Listening http://snup.us/mQpttp “The Question is, can we afford ineffective listening in the post Arab-awakening Middle East? The answer is undoubtedly no. […] Let’s get out of our bubble, stop the tyrannical voice inside our mind and listen to each other more effectively in 2012.”
I don’t understand this constant state of denial: 1st SCAF tells us not to use the phrase ‘protesters were crushed’ Then.. PM Ganzouri tells us not use phrase ‘excessive use of force or even violence against protesters’ And finally Fayza Aboul Naga asks us not to characterize what happened to the NGOs as ‘raids’??? Can’t those in power just own up to their actions for goodness’ sake??? Egypt
Libya Gaddafi supporters ‘try to blow up Tripoli power grid’
v @TelegraphNews
06:12 PM
Human Rights Watch has warned Saleh there will be no immunity for him once he leaves Yemen
06:38 PM
Terhran airport chief says Iran government directive has ordered a reciprocal refuelling ban for some European and Arab airlines http://snup.us/mQR
07:36 PM
External satellite TV channels have arrived in Mauritania. Wonder how many years until the people get satellite receivers, the few who can afford them.
Anti-slavery activist group leader Biram Ould Dah Ould Obeida demanded a thorough and impartial investigation into ongoing issues of slavery and human rights abuses in Mauritania
08:07 PM
Internet users face spotty service in Iran http://snup.us/mRh Iran IranElection
I’m really sorry, I hope our Tunisian brothers don’t see the kidnapping case as a normal thing. Apologies on behalf of Libya Some ex Gaddafi bastards are trying really hard to ruin Libya Tunisia relations…
Some ex Gaddafi bastards are trying really hard to ruin Libya Tunisia relations…
@lissnup 