Around the World

have you been paying attention?

What’s been going on in the world lately? A synthesized information post.

On Myanmar

Tensions between the military and the popular pro-democracy movement led by Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD (National League for Democracy) party have flared. The military in Myanmar has detained Aung San Suu Kyi and deposed her government because they have accused her and the NLD party of election fraud.

Who is Aung San Suu Kyi?

When Myanmar was controlled under 50 years of military rule and faced international sanctions, Aung San Suu Kyi became the face of the opposition, leading to a 15-year house arrest sentence. She was recognized globally for her activism. Soon after, Myanmar started its own experiment in democracy and in 2015, Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD won the election in a landslide.

And they won again in another landslide during the election on November 8th, with 83% of the vote.

This time, the military disputed the win.

There hasn’t been any proof of election fraud. At least, no fraud that could possibly give the military a win. So why now and how are they getting away with it?

First, it’s important to know that Myanmar is incredibly diverse. It borders Laos, India, China, Bangladesh, and Thailand. As you can imagine, there is a lot of ethnic/regional conflicts and the military put itself in the position of being the only powerful force to handle that conflict (arguably ensuring that the ethnic Burman majority was on top of the social hierarchy).

So how has the military successfully carried out a crackdown? Well, if you were paying attention to some of the protests in 2019 and 2020, a popular tool that perpetrators of violence used to strip away rights and silence voices:

“The military quickly seized control of the country’s infrastructure, suspending most television broadcasts and canceling domestic and international flights. Telephone and internet access was suspended in major cities. The stock market and commercial banks were closed, and long lines were seen outside A.T.M.s in some places. In Yangon, the country’s largest city and former capital, residents ran to markets to stock up on food and other supplies” (The New York Times).

It is important to note that Aung San Suu Kyi is not as popular as she once was, and there are people in Myanmar who back the military. She has disappointed a lot of people with her failure to call out the military’s role in forcing Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh. But she is by far more popular than the military (who is led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing).

Who's leading the current movement? The protests we are seeing largely represent the mobilization we are seeing all over the world- where women and youth make up the majority of the frontlines. This might be the largest protest of civil disobedience in Myanmar since the 2007 Saffron Revolution. Journalists, writers, and artists are being arrested.

Keep Reading:

On Ethiopia

There is conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region.

From the Council on Foreign Relations:

“In November, long-rising tensions between the federal government and the leadership of the northern Tigray region exploded into military confrontation. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched what he called a “law-and-order operation” targeting domestic terrorists, but it involved large deployments of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and aerial bombardments—a far cry from a domestic law enforcement operation. By November 28, federal forces had taken control of the region’s capital and declared victory, but the security situation is unstable in parts of Tigray, and many analysts are concerned about the prospect of a drawn-out insurgency.

For decades, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was the dominant party in Ethiopia’s ruling coalition, but Abiy’s ascent in 2018 heralded a recalibration of power. This change was an attempt to address domestic dissatisfaction with political repression, concerns about access to resources and opportunity, and the perception that an ethnic minority held outsized power and influence. (Tigrayans constitute roughly 6 percent of Ethiopia’s population.) 

But the TPLF felt threatened by the new government’s personnel and policy choices, and it declined to join the successor party to the old ruling coalition. In September, it chose to proceed with its own regional elections in defiance of a federal decision to postpone elections due in part to the COVID-19 crisis. A reported TPLF attack on federal forces stationed in the region was the immediate trigger for the conflict, but it was clear that both sides were preparing for confrontation for some time.”

Keep Reading

  • The Conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region: What to Know (CFR)

  • The Civil War in Ethiopia, Sparked By a Conflict in the Tigray Region, is Getting Worse (UN Dispatch)

  • Ethiopia: Investigation reveals evidence that scores of civilians were killed in massacre in Tigray state (Amnesty International)

  • Ethiopia: Eritrean Forces Massacre Tigray Civilians (Human Rights Watch)

  • Amidst ‘conflict, blanket denials and finger-pointing’, UN rights chief calls for probe in Ethiopia’s Tigray (UN News) 

On Senegal

Ousmane Sonko is a popular Senegalese politician who founded his own political party, Pastef-Les Patriotes. He is currently facing rape allegations and charges of public disorder. To maintain his innocence and support he has been asking his supporters to come out “massively and peacefully”.

Keep Reading

  • Senegal protests after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko arrested (BBC)

  • In Pictures: Violent clashes continue in Senegal (Aljazeera)

  • Pressure mounts on president as Senegal braces for fresh protests (Aljazeera)

On Uganda

An election to set the tone.

From NPR:

“Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has won a sixth term in office, fighting off a challenge by former singer Bobi Wine — who was just a child when Museveni came into power back in 1986. Wine's run drew many young Ugandans to pay attention to politics.

The nation's electoral commission announced on Saturday that Museveni received 58% of the vote to 34% for Wine, according to The Associated Press. But Wine is alleging that the vote was rigged, as election officials face questions over how results were tallied amid an Internet blackout, according to the AP.”

Keep Reading

  • Uganda elections 2021: What you need to know (BBC)

  • Ugandans Voted Today. Will Their President of 35 Years Win Again? (The New York Times)

  • Uganda: Elections Marred by Violence (Human Rights Watch)

  • Uganda Election: President Yoweri Museveni Declared Winner As Bobi Wine Alleges Fraud (NPR)

On Haiti

I’m still learning about the issue in Haiti myself, so I will be informing myself right along with you! Here are some stories I could find so far:

  • As Haiti dives deeper into chaos, opposition tries forming parallel government (Miami Herald)

  • Haiti Braces for Unrest as a Defiant President Refuses to Step Down (The New York Times)

cover photo from https://unsplash.com/@pawelj?utm_source=squarespace&medium=referral

Act It Outelina morrisonComment