The death of four U.S. soldiers from an ISIS ambush earlier this month has drawn attention to the Niger’s catastrophic shadow war. The U.S. troops were attacked while on a routine patrol through an area known to be occupied by both ISIS and al-Qaeda insurgents. It is believed that the
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced that Turkish forces are prepping to enter the Idlib province in support of the rebel forces- those opposing both the Syrian regime and the Jihadi forces. Backed by the Turkish forces, the Syrian rebels are preparing to launch a major military operation in the
Iraq’s Kurdish leader, Masoud Barzani, plans to take the Kurds to a landmark referendum. Despite the overwhelming international opposition to this plan, Barzani believes this referendum will bring the Kurds to independence. Kurdish nationalist movements have advocated for independence since the Orroman Empire broke down, giving birth to the modern
Hamas and the rival Fatah movement have agreed to hold talks with the purpose of leading to a general election. Hamas has accepted some of the key conditions highlighted by President Mahmoud Abbas and has dissolved the Gaza administrative committee, a body viewed by many in Abbas’ authority as a
Desmond Tutu has spoken out against the actions of his old friend and fellow Nobel Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, over her silence on the treatment of Rohingya Muslims. The Rohingya have been reviled by many in Myanmar as illegal immigrants and face systematic discrimination, as well they are treated
When faced with a humanitarian crisis, we are bound to question how we ended up here. We debate over responsibility, consequences, prevention and relief strategies so that we feel we have some understanding, in the hopes that these kinds of tragedies will not happen again. Putting this approach into context,
Despite the promise being a central part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s campaign and part of the image he himself has chosen to create for Canada – a safe haven for those refugees facing the the threat of deportation in the United States – Trudeau’s plan to accept refugees freely
Just after a month since Mosul was retaken from ISIS’ control, Iraqi forces have pushed forward to the outskirts of the North-Western city of Tal Afar. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced in a televised speech addressing the push that ISIS would ‘either surrender or die.’ ISIS have had control of
In an open letter to Staffan de Mistura, the UN’s Syrian Special Envoy, a coalition of 160 Syrian civil society groups have voiced concerns that their peace talks are failing due to external influence from foreign nations. The letter reveals a deep-seated frustration with the UN’s peace processes as several
On the 6th of July, after nearly nine months of fighting, Haider-al-Abadi has announced a victory over ISIS in the city of Mosul. The victory has been long sought after, as the city was seized by ISIS in 2014 and Abu Bakr al-Baghadi had proclaimed it as their caliphate ever
