Paul Kagame, the former leader of the Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front, has been re-elected as President of Rwanda in a landslide victory. With over 90% voter turnout, neither of his challengers managed to secure even 1% of the vote, with Kagame successfully securing 98.63% of the vote. In 2015, a
With the conclusion of the elections in Papua New Guinea, doubt has been cast over their impartiality. Despite their registration, thousands of names were left off of the electoral role, thereby preventing their participation in the election process. Further obstacles to public voting have included a delay in the distribution
A recent report issued by the United Nations shows that, despite efforts to combat the issue, allegations of sexual abuse committed by UN Peacekeepers have continued, with new reports of sexual abuse emerging from the Central African Republic. Since January 2017, over 55 UN Peacekeepers have been accused of abuse
Determined to bring about change, a record number of female candidates are standing in this year’s election in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Taking place from June 24, 2017 until July 8, 2017, the national election will see the appointment of 111 successful candidates who will form the new National Parliament. The election
A recent decision by Iraqi Kurds to vote on independence has been met with disapproval from both crucial allies and the United States. The vote on independence, set for September 25th, 2017, has been long in the making. Iraqi Kurdistan was granted autonomy in 1970, although it has continued to
The recent Colombian peace agreement, which was signed in 2016, brought about the end of a civil conflict which has ravaged the country since the 1960s. The conflict between left-wing guerrilla groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (NLA) has resulted in
An outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) further threatens the civilian population who have been long tortured by conflict. Testing has shown that the outbreak of Ebola is the DRC is the Zaire strain, the deadliest strain of the disease. The disease has extremely high mortality rates
This week, authorities in Yangon have arrested two Buddhist hard-line nationalists following raids conducted by the Patriotic Monks Union (PMU) on flats in a predominantly Muslim district of Yangon, Myanmar. Two weeks ago, the PMU forced the closure of two Islamic schools. Both incidents represent another episode in the long
Following a short hiatus, the resumption of discussions between Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leadership brings renewed hope for peace in Cyprus. A treaty signed in 1960 brought an agreement between Britain, Turkey and Greece to secure the independence of Cyprus. The newly established nation was and remains home to
The link between women and sustainable peace is undeniable. UN Women found that the inclusion of women in peace processes increases the probability of an agreement lasting at least 2 years by 20 percent, and the chance of an agreement lasting at least 15 years by 35 percent. While there
The United Nations’ peacekeeping mission in Haiti is one of the longest running UN missions and has been marred by scandal. The mission, known as the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, or MINUSTAH, began in 2004 after the elected president was overthrown in a coup, and the country descended
A referendum scheduled to take place in Turkey on April 16, 2017, is threatening to reconfigure the democratic structure of the nation, which would see the ending of a parliamentary system in favour of an executive presidency. Not only would this inhibit the ability of the Turkish government to keep
A report issued by the United Nations Working Group on Involuntary and Enforced Disappearances last week strongly criticized the government of Bangladesh, citing both the excessive use of force by state actors and a “high rate” of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. The report called on the Bangladeshi government to
