Frontline Club bloggers
The Worst Book on Uganda Ever?
Well that’s blown it. There’ll only be one book on Africa that anyone buys this year, Jane Bussmann’s comedy romp through Uganda in pursuit of the Lord’s Resistance Army and John Prendergast. Now I’m all for irreverent humour and bad taste jokes in the cause of satire. But this review in The Guardian makes the […]
What’s in a name? Everything, apparently…
The South Caucasus is a fractured region divided by ethnic fault lines and devastated by three frozen conflicts. With most people in the region looking to the past rather than the future, writing on the three republics which make up the region can therefore be very problematic indeed, and especially with an Armenian name. Forget […]
Things I’ll Miss
As I pack up ready to leave Nairobi, these are the things I’ll remember fondly "How are you?" – it only takes a few seconds, but how much nicer to preface each encounter with a friend or stranger with a short enquiry into their wellbeing or news Monkeys – they may have nicked bananas and […]
Settling into Hargeisa
After a long journey via Dubai I landed in Berbera airport and made the 3 hour bus journey to Hargeisa. It was a hot, bumpy but a scenic ride. My arrival here seems to have coincided with the high profile and deeply concerning case of two journalists who were arrested on the 13th July. The […]
Endorsements
So the second draft is done. There is more editing ahead, and the afterword will probably be redone to take account of ongoing developments in Darfur. But the back is broken, the end is in sight etc. My publisher has read the manuscript. But she knows what to expect. There are typos, occasional bouts of […]
Australian PM meets mother of kidnapped journalist
The mother of Nigel Brennan, the freelance photojournalist who was kidnapped in Somalia in August 2008, has met with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. According to Sky News Heather Brennan made an unexpected approach to Rudd when she approached the PM as he was visiting Queensland today. She spoke with him for twenty minutes, "These […]
Republic of Facebook
Following the beating and arrest of two youth activists and bloggers in Baku, who were using new media as well as Facebook to spread their ideas among their followers, the local online community has exploded in a way that prompted support from global community ifor the arrested bloggers and in general, the freedom of speech […]
Speculation, misinformation and irresponsible journalism rife ahead of possible Karabakh deal
Talk of a possible framework peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan should be cause for good news in most countries facing an uncertain future, but nothing is ever simple or even logical in the South Caucasus. Ethno-nationalism and distorted, usually subjective, versions of history are common and politically expedient forces will exploit any issue in order […]
A Tale of Two Mayors: Who is the Mayor of London?
If I am not mistaken, then I think that the Mayor of London is ought to be Boris Johnson nowadays. Without checking any online news or information sources, looking up any official websites – I can recall that it should be Boris Johnson. I clearly remember when he was elected – people were talking whether […]
Heading to Hargeisa
For the first time in 20 years I am packing my bags to make the journey back to Somalia, a country I called home. To be precise, I am going to Somaliland, the autonomous northern region which established its own local government in 1991 though it remains internationally unrecognized. There is so much historical context […]
Getting It Wrong in Somalia Over and Over Again
Al Shabaab is a nasty, thuggish organisation that started as a protection unit for visiting al Qaeda operatives and has today morphed into a network of clan-based Islamist militias, which controls a good chunk of southern, central Somalia. It has imposed its own brand of brutal Sharia law on its enemies – and its supporters. […]
From Colombia: multinational mining company accused of hiring paramilitaries
Article written by my good friend, independent journalist Manuel Rueda Over two hundred Colombians have placed a lawsuit at an Alabama district court against a Birmingham-based Drummond coal company for financing right wing death squads in Colombia. Drummond runs an open pit coal mine in the northern Cesar department, where paramilitary groups assassinated hundreds of […]
Arses for Africa
Can’t believe no-one brought this little fundraising gimmick to my attention earlier. The manufacturers have the following helpful tip for getting your message across with this tasteful thong Panty-minimalists love our casual thong that covers sweet spots without covering your assets; putting an end to panty-lines. This under-goodie is "outta sight" in low-rise […]
Video petition for detained Azeri youth activists, bloggers (updated)
In a little under 9 hours at time of writing, an appeal to consider the case of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, two youth activists and video bloggers in Baku, Azerbaijan, will be heard. Sentenced to two month’s pre-trial detention under what many consider to be fabricated and politically motivated charges, the appeal should […]
The Moleskine and Me
I have a Moleskine notebook. I know this because I found it in my notebook drawer as I cleared it out the other day. It was lying next to all my other notebooks. Unlike my other notebooks – filled with untidy shorthand, illegible phone numbers and doodles – my Moleskine is completely empty. I bought […]
Desert night hike to meet Baluch guerillas
While people who fled from the fighting in the Swat Valley begin travelling back to their homes, another conflict in Pakistan is often overlooked. The south-western province of Baluchistan makes up nearly half of the country. It’s capital Quetta is synonomous these days with al Qaeda and Taliban leadership. It shares a border with Iran […]
The Tanks That Won’t Go Away
Well this is awkward, isn’t it? You may remember that last year Somali pirates captured a ship loaded with 33 T-72 tanks, which the Kenyan government went to great lengths to deny were destined for its friends in south Sudan (arming one side or the other being in breach of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, unless […]
Mexico suspends diplomatic visa exemption for Canadians
Mexico’s foreign secretary has announced the suspension of a visa exemption for Canadian diplomats and officials working in Mexico the country. The decision comes in response to the announcement late Monday by the Canadian government that it was introducing a new visa for Mexican nationals wanting to travel to Canada. Canadian officials and diplomats will now […]
Blogs on the helicopters
On Wednesday, the Prime Minister Gordon Brown quoted Lt Col Nick Richardson in Afghanistan who said he had "sufficient [helicopters] to get on with the task with which he’s been given". Which suggests he was given a very particular task (like painting a helicopter or something), because earlier that morning, the Head of the British […]
Video: Canadian Embassy besieged by Mexicans
The Canadian Embassy in Mexico City’s posh Polanco neighbourhood has been descended upon by thousands of Mexicans since the Canadian government announced on Monday that Mexican nationals now need a visa to travel to Canada. Since Tuesday, Mexicans from Mexico City and states outside of the Federal District (another name for the capital) have been […]
Canada to require visas for Mexicans following surge in refugee claims
Mexican nationals will now need a visa to travel to Canada, that country’s minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, announced Monday. Canada decided to stiffen the requirements due to what officials said has been a surge in claims for refugee status by Mexicans. In a news release, Canadian immigration officials said that for the first […]
Wives left behind in Mexico by migrants suffer ‘poorer mental health’
Mexican women left behind by husbands who migrate to the United States in search of work were one of the focuses of the documentary "Los Que Se Quedan," or "Those Who Remain," by Carlos Hagerman and Juan Carlos Rulfo, which we’ve mentioned a number of times here on La Plaza. In response to those posts, […]
Brazil to inquire UK about ‘exported’ waste
Brazilian police are investigating several national and UK companies after 64 containers with over 1,400 tonnes of hazardous waste were found in three southern ports in Santos and Rio Grande do Sul. The Federal Public Ministry, the Brazilian prosecuting service, demanded the Foreign Ministry to inquire the UK about the waste that was sent to […]
Don’t Send Me Home, says Refugee
Been busy with other things so have missed a few gems over the past few weeks, so I’ll be catching up on a few oldies starting with this in the Sudan Tribune… The chairman of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur dismissed reports by the African Union – United Nations mission in Darfur (UNAMID) on […]
Two More Foreigners Abducted in Somalia?
In August, two foreign freelance reporters were abducted by gunmen in Mogadishu. The kidnappings of Nigel Brennan and Amanda Lindhout from the Shamo Hotel marked an up-tick in violence against foreigners, and especially reporters, in a country that was already one of the most dangerous in the world for visitors. Of course, it’s no cake-walk […]
French journalists kidnapped in Mogadishu
Two French journalists were kidnapped in the Somali capital Mogadishu this morning. Gunmen snatched the duo from the Sahafi Hotel (pictured above) where most journalists stay when visiting. I’ll add more to this post as and when I get information, Somali gunmen stormed a hotel in the capital Mogadishu and grabbed two French journalists on […]
The Future of Darfur Advocacy
Over at The Promise of Engagement my good friend Bec Hamilton, who is researching a book on Darfur, kicks off a debate on the future of advocacy… Alex de Waal and Nick Kristof come from relatively different ends of the Darfur advocacy spectrum. Yet last week de Waal’s Making Sense of Darfur piece asked “Can […]
From Colombia: an unusual expedition in the Andes
In the beginning of July an unusual expedition took off from the south of Colombia towards Ecuador. The Ruta Inka takes young people from all over the world to traditional Andean communities. On July 4, a group of 35 youths from 11 countries such as Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brasil, UK, Spain and Poland started gathering […]
Shoddy Deals for Darfur
So you may remember that a few weeks ago I wondered what had prompted three NGOs – smeared, criminalised, intimidated – expelled from Darfur to consider returning. With no guarantees that the same thing wouldn’t happen all over again once they had poured millions of dollars more into the region, they decided to return with […]
Deja Vu: Youth activists, bloggers targetted in the South Caucasus
Estranged neighbours they may be, but it’s often been said that of all the countries in the South Caucasus and the surrounding region Armenia and Azerbaijan are the most similar. True, one is mainly moslem and the other not, but most outside observers would be hard pressed to find any other differences in terms of […]
