International


Myanmar: Workers Protest Lack of Fishing Rights in Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Region

Sep 10, 2019 | Salai Thant Zin, Irrawaddy

Fishery workers in Kyonepyaw and Lemyethna townships in Irrawaddy Region staged a protest against the regional agriculture minister on Monday in Pathein, the regional capital,…


Conflict Minerals: Companies Stall in Tracking Supply Chain for Conflict Minerals

Sep 10, 2019 | Bloomberg Law, Andrea Vittorio

Many companies are having trouble following minerals found in their products, from cell phones to cars, that can fuel conflict in central Africa. An estimated…


Myanmar: Into the Forest with Myanmar’s Bamboo-Shoot Harvesters

Sep 10, 2019 | Htet Wai, Irrawaddy

The life of a bamboo harvester is a difficult one. Ko Pho La is a bamboo shoot harvester living in Kyee Bin Village in Irrawaddy…


Iraq: In Iraq, Water Woes and Corruption Gripes Signal Trouble in Key City

Sep 10, 2019 | Lizzie Porter, New Humanitarian

Last summer, Iraq’s oil-rich southern city of Basra was rocked by violent protests over a number of grievances, including unemployment and the lack of safe…


Climate Change: A Pacific Perspective on Climate Security Risks and the UN Security Council

Sep 9, 2019 | International Peace Institute, Anna Maria Link

As the debate over climate-related security risks grows, many Pacific Island states are calling for more action by the international community to better address the…


Colombia: Peace with Nature: Helping Former Colombian Guerrilla Fighters to Become Citizen Scientists

Sep 9, 2019 | Jaime Gongora and Federica Di Palma, The Conversation

Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world with more than 56,000 recorded species, some 9,000 of which are unique. However protecting and…


Nigeria: WANEP to Implement Peace Projects in Six States to Check Rising Conflicts

Sep 8, 2019 | Sun News

The West Africa Network for Peace building (WANEP)-Nigeria, has expressed concerns over the escalation of violent conflicts across the country, which has resulted in wanton…


Myanmar: Farmers Protest over Farmland Compensation for Oil Exploration

Sep 7, 2019 | Tin Shwe, Mizzima

Farmers in the Mann oilfield area in Minbu Township, Magway Region staged a protest yesterday over alleged failures by the authorities in correctly offering compensation…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan Seeking to Promote Ancient Woodcarving Craft

Sep 6, 2019 | Rohullah Anwari and Abubakar Siddique, Gandhara

In pre-Islamic Nuristan, woodcarving held a symbolic significance, but the craftsmen came from Bari, a lower caste who were not considered members of Nuristan’s hierarchical…


Nigeria: WANEP Restates Inclusive Peacebuilding Approach

Sep 6, 2019 | Ene Osang, Blueprint

The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding Nigeria (WANEP) has reiterated the call for an inclusive approach to peacebuilding, saying this will prevent violence, promote peaceful…


Syria: Food Aid Reaches Syria's Rukban Camp for First Time in Seven Months

Sep 6, 2019 | Madeline Edwards, Middle East Eye

For the first time in seven months, thousands of displaced Syrians in a desolate camp on the Syrian-Jordanian border are receiving organised supplies of food…


Syria: Syria's Wheat Crop almost Doubles but Food Security Still a Challenge: UN

Sep 5, 2019 | Maha El Dahan, Reuters

Syria’s wheat and barley crops this year improved helped by favorable rainfall and better overall security but food security remains a challenge, a joint report…


Liberia: Traditional Chiefs Want More Land Awareness Trainings

Sep 3, 2019 | Marcus Malayea, Observer

Participants and traditional chiefs, who attended the just-ended three-day ‘intensive’ workshop creating awareness on “public land and its inventory” in Gbarnga Bong County have appealed…


Liberia: US$150M Earmarked for Forest Sector

Sep 3, 2019 | Ishmael F. Menkor, Observer

About US$150 million has been earmarked by the Norwegian Government as funds to Liberia to REDD+ for the implementation of the Liberian Forest Sector. According…


Liberia: 2,400 Affected Communities to Protest over US$3 Million Land Rental Arrears

Sep 3, 2019 | Leroy M. Sonpon, III, Observer

The leadership of the NUCFDC on behalf of the 24,000 affected communities petitioned the lawmakers. Two thousand four hundred affected communities of the 23 Community…


Iraq/Islamic State: ISIS Rigs Cows with Explosives in Failed Attack on Iraqi Forces

Sep 3, 2019 | Richard Hall, Independent

Isis militants reportedly rigged cows with explosives in an attack on Iraqi security forces, in what is thought to be the first time the group…


East and Southern Africa: Climate Change Dissproportionately Affects Women and Young Girls - and Here's Why

Sep 2, 2019 | Derick Nyasulu, UNFPA

“It is essential that we understand the relationship between the effects of climate change and the persistence of violence against women,” she said.

Unless recurrent climate-related…


Liberia: Minister Sirleaf Resolves Conflicts in Maryland and Grand Kru Counties

Sep 2, 2019 | FrontPage Africa

Calm has returned to concession districts in two southeastern counties as the Minister of Internal Affairs, Honorable Varney A. Sirleaf over the weekend resolved two…


Myanmar: Mine Runoff Adds to Controversy over Chinese-backed Nickel Mine in Myanmar

Aug 30, 2019 | Radio Free Asia

The Chinese-backed operators of a controversial nickel mine embroiled in a longstanding dispute with villagers in northwestern Myanmar’s Sagaing region over accusations of shortchanging them…


Myanmar: Police Arrest 9 of 21 Kayah Farmers Accused of Trespassing by Myanmar Military

Aug 29, 2019 | Htet Khaung Lin, Irrawaddy

Police have arrested nine of 21 local farmers whom the Myanmar military accuses of trespassing on a cantonment, according to the Karenni State Farmers’ Union.…


Afghanistan: Kabul’s Iron Woman Champions Afghanistan’s Mineral Resources

Aug 28, 2019 | Matthieu Aikins

As a female politician in a country where many women still struggle for basic rights, Nargis Nehan is used to standing out. In December 2017,…


Timor-Leste: Why Tiny Timor-Leste Is Defying Global Energy Giants

Aug 28, 2019 | Dan Murtaugh, Bloomberg

When Timor-Leste became a country in 2002, it did so with a built-in advantage: the Bayu-Undan oil and gas field. It’s generated billions of dollars…


Fake-Branded Bars Slip Dirty Gold into World Markets

Aug 28, 2019 | Peter Hobson, Reuters

A forgery crisis is quietly roiling the world’s gold industry. Gold bars fraudulently stamped with the logos of major refineries are being inserted into the…


Climate Change: From Yemen to South Sudan, Climate and Water Stress Seen Worsening Conflict

Aug 28, 2019 | Adela Suliman, Reuters

Social and political tensions fueled by climate change have yet to translate into international military confrontations, but local conflicts are heating up due to pressures…


Myanmar: Fake Deeds Cause Land Buyers Headaches in Mandalay

Aug 28, 2019 | Khin Su Wai, Myanmar Times

Some empty land on Thaik Pan street in Chan Mya Tharsi township, Mandalay Region, is fenced off, and a sign gives the owner’s name and warns…


South Sudan: South Sudan Probes High Number of Birth Defects in Oil Regions

Aug 28, 2019 | Okech Francis, Bloomberg

South Sudan is investigating an increase in the number of infants born with deformities in crude-producing regions and whether the cases are linked to pollution,…


Myanmar: Ensuring Access to Land and Resolving Disputes Part of an Inclusive Peace

Aug 27, 2019 | Joint Peace Fund

Land allocation and confiscation remain hugely important issues to be resolved for 70% of Myanmar’s population, whose livelihoods are based around agriculture and related activities.…


South Sudan: South Sudan to Assess Pollution in Oil-Producing Areas

Aug 27, 2019 | John Adukata, East African

South Sudan authorities plan to send a team of environmental experts to assess the scale of damage caused by pollution in oil-producing areas. The environmental…


Liberia: Nationwide Ground Survey Could Resolve Many Land Conflicts

Aug 27, 2019 | Sampson David, Bush Chicken

Amid conflicts between multiple counties within Liberia over boundary divisions, a cartographer at the Liberia Land Authority is calling for a nationwide ground survey of…


Afghanistan: Tackling Corruption in Mining: Gov't Signs Agreement with Afghan-German Cooperation

Aug 27, 2019 | Wadsam

Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum, Nargis Nehan, signed the implementation agreement for the next phase of the program for promoting good governance in Afghanistan's…