Regional Overview – Africa 19 March 2018
The week of 11 March has been particularly brutal for civilians in Africa’s largest countries. Dozens of attacks on civilians by non-state armed groups reflected the mounting political tensions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).…
Democratic Republic of Congo Analysis
Political violence in DR-Congo continues to be shaped by ADF activity: on March 3rd, 7 people were killed in Eringiti, close to the location where ADF launched an offensive that killed more than a dozen MONUSCO soldiers towards the end of last year.…
Loyalist Militia Involvement in Battles in Syria
Since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War, the Assad regime’s army has faced a manpower issue due to defection and desertion. It has partially solved this problem by fostering and allying with loyalist militias, both domestic and foreign, in order to defend and recapture territory in Syria.…
Anti-Muslim Violence in Sri Lanka
In post-civil war Sri Lanka (2009-2018), communal violence erupted along the religious division of the Muslim-Buddhist fault line. The growth of nationalist Sinhalese-Buddhist organizations – such as Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS) – combined with a political environment of impunity have led to an increase in the number of attacks on the Muslim minority community (Aljazeera, 13 March 2018).…
The Hodeidah Front
The western front of the Yemeni civil war revolves around the port city of Hodeidah, currently the most important entry point for goods and humanitarian aid into central and northern Yemen, and the last port under Houthi control.…
Qalamoun Offensive in Lebanon
The Qalamoun Offensive was a military operation conducted against rebel groups on the Lebanese-Syrian border between May and August 2017 by the Lebanese and Syrian militaries and supported by Hezbollah. The offensive resulted in a decisive victory for Lebanese forces, with lower numbers of events and fatalities reported in Lebanon following the conclusion of the offensive, and several rebel groups retreating from the area back into Syria.…
Regional Overview – Africa 12 March 2018
Political violence and protest events in Africa over the week of 4 March were defined by a number of trends: First, battles involving Boko Haram were less pronounced while violence against civilians continued; multiple forms of violence were present in Sudan and South Sudan and the Somali government deployed extra soldiers to fight Al Shabaab as AMISOM forces withdraw from Somalia.…
Regional Overview – Asia 12 March 2018
Rising numbers of political violence and protest events as well as fatalities were reported in South and Southeast Asian countries over the course of the last week compared to the previous week.…