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Complex Coverage
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Egypt Iraq Lebanon Libya Mali Somalia Sudan(s) Syria Tunisia IED & Demining 1 2 3 4 4 5 5 7 8 8

Review
06 August 2013

This document provides complex coverage of developments in regions of interest from 30 July - 05 August 2013, with hyper-links to source material highlighted in blue and underlined in the text. For more information on the topics below or other issues pertaining to the region, please contact the members of the CFC, or visit our website at www.cimicweb.org.

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The Civil-Military Fusion Centre (CFC) is an information and knowledge management organisation focused on improving civil-military interaction, facilitating information sharing and enhancing situational awareness through the CimicWeb portal and our Weekly and monthly publications. CFC products are based upon and link to open-source information from a wide variety of organisations, research centres and media outlets. However, the CFC does not endorse and cannot necessarily guarantee the accuracy or objectivity of these sources. CFC publications are independently produced by Desk Officers and do not reflect NATO policies or positions of any other organsiation. The CFC is part of NATO Allied Command Operations.

Egypt

Robin Barnett robin.barnett@cimicweb.org

According to Egypts presidential media advisor, Ahmed al-Moslimany, foreign pressures on Egypt have surpassed international norms and furthermore, that Egypt is capable of protecting its revolution and state, reports Aswat Masriya. Mohamed ElBaradei, the vice president in a transitional cabinet appointed by the army, told reporters that the debate about whether or not Morsis overthrow constituted a coup was esoteric, reports Voice of America (VOA). According to ElBaradei, [w]hen you have 20 million people calling on Mr. Morsi to leave, and the army had to step in to avoid a civil war; does that make it a coup detat? Of course not, he said. Its not your classical army intervention. Its really the army providing support to a popular uprising. Al Qaedas leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, suggested that the military coup that ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is proof that Islamic rule cannot be established through democracy, according to Associated Press (AP). Zawahari urged Islamist leaders to abandon the ballot box in favor of armed resistance. US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed strong approval of the Egyptian militarys removal of former President Mohamed Morsi in a 01 August statement to Pakistans Geo News, reports the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Kerry said the military was restoring democracy when it ousted Morsi, which he said was at the request of millions and millions of people. On 04 August, Kerry assigned Robert S. Ford to serve as the next US Ambassador to Egypt. Ford is well known for his active role as ambassador to Syria in challenging President Bashar al-Assads suppression of his people before American diplomats were pulled out of the country, reports The New York Times. On 05 August, US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns met with jailed Muslim Brotherhood member Khairat el-Shater, a leader in mediation efforts to end the deadlock between Egypts military-backed government and

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protesters supporting the ousted President Morsi, reports Tunis Afrique Presse. Burns was accompanied by the foreign ministers of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as well as a European Union (EU) envoy. El-Shater is awaiting trial on charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during the four days of protests leading up to the military coup. According to AP, El-Shater and the Muslim Brotherhoods spiritual leader, Mohammed Badie, are considered to be the real source of power during Morsis one year term. Earlier this week, a Cairo prosecution office ordered the detention of Morsis former office director, Ahmed Abdel Atti, and security advisor, Ayman Hodhod, according to Aswat Masriya. The detentions are connected with the December 2012 Ittihadiya presidential palace violence that left five protesters dead and over 600 injured. The December violence erupted following a constitutional decree issued by Morsi that extended and shielded his powers from judicial review. Both defendants are accused of participating in violent acts against activists, including illegal detentions, interrogations and torture; both deny any wrongdoing. By a decree issued by Egypts interim president Adly Mansour, individuals will no longer face imprisonment for insulting the president, according to Reuters. Under Morsi, 28 cases of insulting the president were filed compared to a total of 24 cases over the 115 years that preceded his electoral victory in June 2012. The Egypt director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), Heba Morayef, called on the interim leadership to go further, stating that the decree does not adequately address the multiple provisions in the penal code that limit freedom of expression. On 06 August, supporters of Egypts deposed president marched in Cairos Nasr City, Maadis Cournich and staged a protest outside the Supreme Constitutional Court, reported the Egyptian state-owned news agency, MENA. Protestors also formed a human chain on the ring road in Maadi, carrying Egyptian flags and pictures of Morsi while demanding the return of the ousted president to his post. The AP reports that the two rival groups face critical decisions. According to a European Union official, [f]ailure to disperse the Islamists Cairo sit-ins peacefully would leave it little choice but to use force, provoking a bloodbath that would tarnish its image and cost it world support. For the Muslim Brotherhood, a deadly confrontation would risk a ban from politics and a sweeping crackdown. Nearly 300 people have been killed in violence since Morsis ouster on July 03, reports Emirates 24/7. Mohamed Abul Ghar, head of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, suggests that the Muslim Brotherhood created hatred when it came to power only to serve its own clan, forgetting completely that there are people in Egypt who have been there for thousands of years, and who do not belong to the Brotherhood , reports Egypt Independent. According to Ghar, the Muslim Brotherhood was not able to run the country after a successful election but this does not mean we should marginalize it in the future. On the contrary, we should allow it to participate.

Iraq

Linda Lavender linda.lavender@cimicweb.org

The UN mission in Iraq says more than 1,000 people were killed in violence across the country in July. Baghdad was the worst affected area, reports Associated Press (AP). Al Jazeera reports July 2013 was the deadliest month since April 2008 when 1,428 people were killed, and United Press International (UPI) reports that more than 3,000 people have been killed in Iraq since May 2013. Despite rising levels of violence, Iraq continues to see an average of two million tourists each year, mostly Shiite pilgrims, reports The Telegraph. Citizens of predominately Shiite provinces in southern Iraq have taken to the streets by the millions, protesting against Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al Malikis government for its failure to keep Shiites safe, reports UPI. Security analysts say that Sunni insurgents are purposely targeting cafes and football pitches as a way to undermine the Shiite -led government, according to Reuters. The attacks deliver a bleak message directed at civilians: security forces cannot protect you. In an address to the country, Maliki acknowledged Iraq had suffered security setbacks but added, security has not collapsed, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). In the face of rising violence, the US and Iraq have agreed there is a need to strengthen bilateral cooperation to support Iraqs efforts to find those responsible for recent attacks and bring them to justice, according to VOA. Meanwhile, mass Sunni protests and sit-ins have entered an eighth month stretch in mainly-Sunni provinces of Iraq. Frustration over the governments corruption, widespread poverty, soaring unemployment and lack of basic services, such as potable water and electricity, have angered and alienated the Sunni population. The political crisis in Iraq, and the conflict in Syria, has turned Kirkuk into a stronghold for foreign jihadists and local Baathists who are supporters of the ousted regime, according to International Press Service (IPS). Saddam Husseins loyalists in Kirkuk are grouped around Jaysh Rajal al-Tariqah al-Naqshbandia1, an insurgent cell that first announced armed operations in December 2006 in response to the hanging of Hussein. Kurdistan Prime Minister Necirvan Barzani expressed concern over the growing presence of
1

Jaysh Rajal al-Tariqah al-Naqshbandia (JRTN) is a Sunni militant group active across Mosul, Kirkuk and especially Diyala - the nucleus of their operations. Saddam Husseins former Vice President Izzat Ibrahim al Douri is a key personality in JRTN.

06 August 2013

Islamic militants in the semi-autonomous region during a visit with Turkeys Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, according to UPI. Barzani indicated that the presence of Jahbat al Nusra (JAN), closely aligned with al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), will risk destabilising the Kurdish region. Numerous violent incidents were reported throughout the country this past week: 30-Jul-13: AP reports that Shiite and Sunni mosques in Baghdad were bombed, killing nine worshippers. 31-Jul-13: Gunmen raided the Shiite Ur district of Baghdad and randomly opened fire , killing five civilians and wounding nine others. Also in the south-eastern suburb of Nahrawan, drive-by-shooters randomly shot at farmers in trucks, killing two. 01-Aug-13: Four soldiers were killed outside Tikrit by gunmen while prison guards were killed by gunmen and bombings in the northern province of Nineveh, reports AFP. Also, four suicide bombers attempted to raid a federal police headquarters in Mosul but were killed by security forces. In Samarra, an anti-al Qaeda Sahwa2 fighter and his brother were killed by gunmen. Two civilians were killed and five others wounded in a bombing near Baquba. 02-Aug-13: Reuters reports an explosion will halt flow of gas through a domestic pipeline near Baghdad for two to three days. Also, gunmen opened fire on an army checkout near Kirkuk, killing five soldiers, according to AP. A roadside bomb near Mosul killed two police officers while in Mosul gunmen shot and killed an officer at a checkpoint. 03-Aug-13: A woman and her two daughters were killed in their home near Baquba. In Tikrit, a roadside bomb killed a man and his son as they walked to the city centre, reports AFP. The same day, in Nineveh province a judges bodyguards were killed as they guarded the home of the magistrate. Also, the motorcade of General Abdul-Amir al Zaida, a top military commander, was targeted as gunmen killed six of Zaidis bodyguards near the town of Adeim, reports Al Jazeera. 04-Aug-13: Three soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Nineveh province while a separate patrol further south in the province also struck an IED which wounded three soldiers, according to AFP. In Kirkuk, gunmen killed a man and wounded his son, while in Tikrit a car bomb exploded near a judges home killing judge Sajid Abdul Amir and injuring his wife. In Baghdad, a bomb kille d one person and wounded five others. 05-Aug-13: In south-eastern Mosul, a car bomb exploded hitting an army convoy. Five people were killed including two Iraqi soldiers, reports CNN. Three people were killed by gunmen in eastern Mosul. In Baghdad, a man and his son were shot by gunmen in the al Jaara neighbourhood, while in Kirkuk gunmen attacked a group of men, killing three.

Lebanon

Linda Lavender linda.lavender@cimicweb.org

After meetings between Lebanons caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Army Commander General Jean Kawagi, an agreement was finalised to extend the senior commanders term by two years, ending fears of a potential leadership vacuum at the militarys top post, according to The Daily Star. Kawagis term was set to expire at the end of September. Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun reiterated that he was prepared to challenge the agreement as unconstitutional. On 01 August, during celebrations marking Lebanon Army Day, President Michel Sleiman said controlling Hezbollah weapons must be discussed because of the partys military intervention in Syria, reports The Daily Star. Sleiman said, it has become urgent that we review and approve the National Defense Strategy in light of developments in the region, adding, the basic function of the resistance [Hezbollahs] weapons which went beyond the Lebanese border need s to be considered. Future Movement official Ahmad Hariri echoed Sleimans sentiments saying that there are loads of differences between [Hezbollahs] dream and [Lebanons]. Sleimans comments sparked strong reactions by opposing parties according The Daily Star. March 14 officials supported Sleimans comments while March 8 members objected to his remarks as misguided criticism of the resistance and a setback to political dialogue efforts. In a rare public appearance, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah dismissed claims by opponents of Shiite expansion in the region and reiterated that Hezbollah had launched a pre-emptive war in Syria in order to protect the resistance group and prevent Takfiri3 groups from posing a threat to Lebanon, according to The Daily Star. Nasrallah affirmed his groups commitment to Lebanon saying they would fight alongside the Army against any threats to Lebanon. Military prosecutor Sakr Sakr charged the bodyguards of fugitive Salafist Sheikh Ahmad Assir with attempted murder and inciting sectarian strife, reports The Daily Star. Sakr alleges that Assir is responsible for deadly clashes with the Lebanese Army in Sidon that left eighteen soldiers and 28 gunmen dead in July 2013. On 05 August, Bassam Hammond, al Jamaa al Islamiyas4 representative in south Lebanon, indicated that residents of Sidon were losing patience with Hezbollahs continued presen ce in Sidon and asked for the authorities to address the situation, reports The Daily Star. Also, Lebanese Army intelligence reported the arrest of two Syrian army deserters in the town of Rahsaya.
2 3

Sahwa fighters fought alongside US troops during the Iraq insurgency against al Qaeda. Now they are frequently targets of revenge attacks by AQI. Takfir is an Arabic word meaning pronouncement of unbelief against someone. Takfir is the notion that an unbeliever, even a Muslim, may be excommunicated the moment that an individual does not follow Sharia Law in its strictest sense. It has been used by al Qaeda and similar militant groups to justify the killing of innocent people. 4 Al Jamaa al Islamiya is a terrorist organization of militant Islamists organized into tiny cells. The group is allied with al Qaeda.

06 August 2013

Numerous violent incidents were reported throughout the country this past week: 31-Jul-13: In the east Lebanese village of Majdal Anjar, one Lebanese soldier was killed during military operations attempting to apprehend a dangerous suspect, according to The Daily Star. The Army unit came under fire as it successfully apprehended Wissam Khanjar in his home. Khanjar is a member of Khaled Malkehs armed group accused of plotting to kidnap military officers. 01-Aug-13: In Arsal, the Lebanese Army arrested Hasan Rayed, a suspect in a bomb plot in Hermel where two small roadside bombs wounded four people on 08 July, reports The Daily Star. Meanwhile, two mortars struck Lebanons eastern border town of Masharih al Qaa during heavy fighting between Syrian and rebel forces in Syrian territory, reports The Daily Star. 02-Aug-13: Rockets struck areas near the Presidential Palace in Baabda, causing no injuries, reports The Daily Star. Also, the Lebanese Army was deployed in the Lailaky neighbourhood of Beirut to end a shootout between disputing clans. 03-Aug-13: Sunni Sheikh Khodr Kabsh, a religious leader affiliated with Hezbollah, was attacked by two assailants as he entered his vehicle at the Qalaa Bariyeh neighbourhood of Sidon, according to The Daily Star. Tit-for Tat hostage taking has resumed in the Bekaa Valley, according to The Daily Star. A resident of Arsal was kidnapped and taken to Syria where captors demanded USD 120,000 for his release. In a separate incident, in the central Bekaa Valley village of Forzol, a man was kidnapped at gunpoint and taken to an undisclosed location. Meanwhile, The Daily Star reports that a Lebanese man from Tripoli died a martyr earlier in the week in a suicide bombing that targeted soldiers in Syria. A Syrian airstrike on a refugee camp in Lebanons Bekaa Valley resulted in the deaths of nine refugees, according to UPI. 04-Aug-13: After the killing of a Syrian attempting to cross the border into northern Lebanon, residents of the border village of Arida attacked a joint Lebanese-Syrian security checkpoint, according to The Daily Star. Protesters from Arida spoke out against what they say are ongoing breaches by the Syrian Army onto their land and called upon the Lebanese Army to deploy along the northern border. Tensions in east Lebanon are high as six more civilians were snatched in a retaliatory kidnapping by members of the Moqdad family. Army units in the area were placed on high alert. 05-Aug-13: An iftar5 organised by young activists for orphans and poverty-stricken families in Tripoli was disrupted when gunmen fired shots at the gathering, reports The Daily Star. The Army intervened and secured the area. No one was injured. Also, several rockets fired from Syrian helicopters at Khirbet Daoud in northeast Lebanon resulted in no casualties according to UPI. The Syrian conflict has significantly impacted Lebanons tourist industry, reports Christian Science Monitor (CSM). Considered a popular tourist designation by Gulf countries, rising political and sectarian tensions within the country has resulted in travel bans, ruining the key summer tourist season, as sixty-five per cent of tourists are from Gulf States. Hotel occupancy is at about 35 per cent and outside of Beirut it is as low as five per cent.

Libya

Foard Copeland foard.copeland@cimicweb.org

Deputy Prime Minister Awadh al Barassi resigned from office on 04 August, reports Al Jazeera. Citing a dysfunctional government that was incapable of curbing a recent spike in violence, al Barassi described Libya as a country marred by a security breakdown and assassinations linked to the cabinets policies. The announcement, which al Barassi made from Benghazi, came less than one week after Prime Minister Ali Zeidans 29 July proclamation that h e would reshuffle his cabinet and reinstate the Internal Security Agency (ISA), a Gadhafi-era monitoring agency that was disbanded after the former dictator was deposed. However, two days after promising to restructure his cabinet, Zeidan said that he would instead form a crisis committee. According to Al Jazeera, the decision to reestablish the ISA was made to stabilise security conditions. On 05 August, The National asserted: Libya has seen significant deterioration, due to the existence of armed militias on the streets and their control over regions and cities. On 02 August, 18 prisoners who were being transferred to the Ain Zara prison in Tripoli escaped when a police convoy carrying the inmates was attacked by a group of assailants. The event took place five days after 1,100 inmates took flight during the Al Kuifiya prison break in Benghazi. Peter Bergen, national security analyst for CNN and director of national security studies at the New America Foundation, believes the massive number of escaped prisoners in Libya and Iraq could have led to the closure of 22 US embassies and 17 consulates in Muslim countries throughout the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. According to Bergen, Massive jailbre aks in Iraq and Libya have released more than a thousand prisoners, some with significant ties to al Qaeda. Very few of those inmates have been recaptured.

Mali

Foard Copeland foard.copeland@cimicweb.org

Mali scheduled a runoff for presidential elections on 11 August after no candidate captured more than fifty per cent of the vote in the countrys 28 July election. Former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita won the first round with 39 per cent of the vote followed by former finance minister Soumaila Ciss who took 19.5 per cent, reports Think Africa Press. According to official statistics, over 51 per cent of 6.8 million eligible voters participated, marking a record turnout. A senior Tuareg commander for the National Movement
5

Iftar is the meal which is eaten at sunset, breaking the day long fast, during Ramadan.

06 August 2013

for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) told European Union (EU) leaders in Corte, France that his organisation expects any candidate elected president to address claims for an Azawad homeland, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). In June, MNLA representatives acquiesced to demands from politicians in Bamako that Tuaregs in Malis north join the political process and participate in n ational elections. Moussa Ag Assarid, MNLA envoy to Europe, told participants at the Corsa Libera forum in Corte, We will continue our struggle democratically but we will take up arms again if we have to. Finally, The Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) published an analysis of international economic development in Mali on 05 August. The report cited dramatic failures in development efforts to deliver sustainable economic growth, reduce poverty, calcify accountable state institutions and eliminate corruption. According to authors of the report, Anecdotal evidence suggests that aid has become something of a self-perpetuating system in Mali, generating employment while the dollars are turned on, but failing to create the conditions for sustainable economic growth, poverty reduction or institutional development.

Somalia

Foard Copeland foard.copeland@cimicweb.org

Kampala, Uganda hosted a summit for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on 04 August, reports Daily Nation. Heads of state from AMISOMs major troop-lending countries (TLCs) Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, as well as Somalia, attended the event. At the meeting, leaders addressed the key issue of AMISOM troops garrisoned in the port city of Kismayo. The AMISOM contingent in Kismayo consists primarily of soldiers from the Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF), and Somalia recently requested that Kenya withdraw its troops from the restive southern Somali city. The Somali Federal Government (SFG) accused Kenya of backing Ahmed Madobe who was elected local president of Jubaland in May 2013 in a vote that was not recognised by the SFG. Madobe is described as a former warlord who controls the powerful Ras Kamboni militia. Over the last 18 months, Kenya sought to establish a security buffer zone in southern Somalia to prevent militants affiliated with al Shabaab from crossing the Kenyan border and instigating violence. Episodic attacks in Kenya have increased in the previous eighteen months, such as the Banisa grenade attack that killed fifteen people in June 2013 and the November 2012 skirmish in Nairobi that killed seven. Kenyan authorities blame the violence on porous borders and Somali insurgents. As a result, Kenya periodically supports Ras Kamboni agents, including Madobe. In return, Madobe has supported Kenyan efforts to expel al Shabaab from Jubaland. According to Associated Press, the resolution reached at the Kampala summit calls for a return of air and sea ports to the authority of the SFG. In exchange, leaders in Mogadishu will reintegrate militias not affiliated with al Shabaab (i.e. presumably Ahmed Ma dobes Ras Kamboni militia) into the national army. In response to the resolution, Madobe called the SFG greedy accused it of violating the constitution and ignoring the Jubaland claim of federated statehood. Expressing his intention to continue administering Kismayo, he told Garowe Online, My administration intends to push ahead with progressive agendas and we are committed to ensure lasting peace and to sustain our ongoing efforts.

Sudan(s)

Robin Barnett robin.barnett@cimicweb.org

Darfur On 30 July, Ahmed al-Kheiri, a Misseriya tribal leader, said that 134 people were killed in new clashes within Darfur, according to Voice of America (VOA). Two rival tribes, the Arab Misseriya and the Salamat tribe in Um Dukhun in South Darfur, were reportedly responsible for the deaths. Darfur has been crippled with violence since 2003 when African tribes, accusing the Arab government in Khartoum of neglect, took up arms. According to the report, violence is down from the 2004-2005 high, although fighting between the rival tribes has increased significantly since January 2013. Also on 30 July, The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) demanded that rebel groups in Sudans western region stop violence and hold peace talks with the Sudanese national government under the basis of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), reports The Sudan Tribune. The UNSC renewed the mandate of the African Union (AU)-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) for another thirteen months until 31 August 2014. According to reports, UNSC preferred to follow the AU decision from early July 2013 which called on the international community to support the DDPD and to disregard calls by rebel groups for a comprehensive process leading to dismantle the regime of president Omer Al-Bashir. According to the AU Peace and Security Council communiqu from 19 July, a holistic approach would bring democratic transition in Sudan once the ongoing conflicts in Darfur and the Two Areas are settled in an inclusive manner . Sudan

06 August 2013

As of 04 August, the Saudi Arabian government had not commented on accusations by Khartoum that the plane carrying Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir was denied airspace on route to Iran, according to The Sudan Tribune. Bashir was scheduled to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani. Sudanese presidential spokesman Emad Sid Ahmed said that Riyadh refused to grant Bashirs plane permission to fly across Saudi territory thus forcing him and the entire delegation to return home, reports Al Jazeera. The Sudanese leader was accompanied by the Sudanese intelligence director and presidential affairs minister among others. There is speculation that Sudans growing ties with Iran prompted the block to Bashirs flight while observers note that a move of this nature is highly unusual for Riyadh. Last year, Sudan twice allowed Iranian warships to dock in Port Sudan, drawing concern by the US and its allies in the Gulf, according to The Sudan Tribune. The Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) issued a statement today lauding Riyadhs noble move to block Bashirs flight on his way to the landing strip of evil and international terrorism which represents imminent danger to the safety and interests of the regional and international nations. In other news, JEM dismissed accusations by the Sudanese government that they targeted a convoy of United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in South Kordofan, according to The Sudan Tribune. Khartoum accused JEM fighters of attacking UNISFAs fuel tankers escorted by the Sudanese army outside the town of Dilling. According to JEM official spokesperson, Jibreel Adam Bilal, all those killed or captured in the attack were members of the government army and militias, also all the weapons and vehicles we seized belong to the regime. Bilal, instead, accused the Sudanese government of using vehicles and helicopters painted white with the logos of UNISFA in south Kordofan and UNAMID in Darfur to transport government weapons, ammunition or supplies to its troops. This camouflage aims to mislead the fighters of Sudanese Revolutionary Front, said Bilal, adding this is a very dangerous situation and we urge the UN Security Council to control the use of UN logos in the conflict areas. South Sudan Nearly two weeks since the sacking all of his ministers and their deputies, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir issued a list of 29 Cabinet ministers and Deputies, according to United Press International (UPI). Among those included, were the reappointment of several ministers, including Petroleum Minister Stephen Dhiew Dau. Kiir combined several ministries to create a leaner administration and indicated, the downsizing will create synergies, allow budgets to flow to high priority development projects and also allow for better management by dedicated civil servants. Former South Sudanese Vice President Riek Machar defended Kiirs decision to disband the government last week; however, Machar was not reappointed as vice president, a position that remains vacant. In light of the new administration, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said on 01 August that it stands ready to work with the new Cabinet to tackle the host of challenges facing the worlds youngest nation, reports UN News Centre. In other news, on 01 August the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reports that heavy rain threatens to deem most of South Sudan roads impassable. Roads across the country, especially in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states are fast becoming inaccessible as rains continue. The flooding has far reaching implications, particularly for Pibor County in Jonglei state, where aid agencies report enormous logistical challenges reaching those displaced by fighting. According VOA, the centuries-old cattle raiding tradition between the Murle and Lou Nuer tribes has taken on a new brutality. Decades of civil war with Sudan, the availability of weapons and continued violence, have forced more than 100,000 people from the minority tribe of Murle into the bush in South Sudan s Pibor County, when thousands of armed men and boys from the rival clan, Lou Nuer, marched from northern Jonglei to attack the Murle living in Pibor County. Over 60,000 people living in the bush are in need of food as people are surviving on leaves - some for more than six months. Living conditions are dire, with people reduced to scavenging and crouching in the shadows like hunted animals. Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) in their press statement indicate that at least 100,000 people in Pibor county have no access to humanitarian services or are too scared to come to the towns for fear of abuse by security forces. More than 100,000 people have been displaced, said Grant T. Harris, senior director for African Affairs at the council. The international community doesnt know where these people are, reports The New York Times (NYT). The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) deployed a third surgical team in Dorein, South of Pibor County following the new outbreaks of inter-communal violence. According to the ICRC, teams are stationed in Bor and Malakal hospitals; since 14 July, ICRC surgeons have operated on 93 wounded, reflects the ICRC Resource Centre. Ethnic fighting and violence by security forces has prompted many young men to flee to join rebel leader David Yau Yau, a former theologian and Murle official, who broke away from the government in April 2012 and is reportedly supported by Sudan, reports VOA. According to the UN, the thousands of people hiding in the bush seek to escape conflict between the army and Yau Yau, who claims to be fighting corruption, army abuses and one-party rule in South Sudan, reports Reuters.US Secretary of State John Kerry recently called on South Sudans President Salva Kiir to address the ethnic violence in Jonglei, stamp out rights abuses by security forces and to punish the perpetrators, reports the NYT.

Syria
06 August 2013

Linda Lavender linda.lavender@cimicweb.org 6

On 01 August, Syrian President Bashar al Assad told his troops he was sure of victory over Syrian rebels, reports AFP. Assads message delivered on Army Day came as Syrian troops s eized the strategic central Homs neighbourhood of Khaldiyeh, once a rebel stronghold. Speaking in Damascus, Assad said crushing terrorists must come before any political solution to end the crisis in Syria, dimming hopes of a proposed international peace conference to be held in Geneva, reports Reuters. Meanwhile, on 05 August, rebel fighters took control of Minakh base, a government airbase in Aleppo province, seizing tanks and other munitions and taking soldiers prisoners, challenging the governments assertion that it is sure of victory, reports The New York Times (NYT). The same day, in a surprise offensive, rebel forces struck at the heart of the Assad heartland in Latakia province capturing several villages, according to BBC. The Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) appealed to Syrian government and opposition troops to observe a ceasefire during next weeks Eid al Fitr6, allowing citizens to perform rituals in peace and security, according to AFP. A senior leader of the Syrian National Coalition announced that plans to form a government in exile would occur ten days after Eid, according to Reuters. It remains unclear, however, how any government in exile could exert authority over rebel controlled areas in Syria. Al Jazeera reports that Assad described the Syrian National Coalition as a failure adding that it can have no role in ending the countrys war. Israels navy is installing the Barak-8 air-defense missile system aboard combat vessels in efforts to protect against Syrias Russianmanufactured Yakhont anti-ship missiles that threaten Israels naval capabilities, according to UPI. After recent Israeli airstrikes into Syria failed to destroy all Russian made cruise missiles, US officials suggest that additional Israel airstrikes were likely, reports UPI. Israels 05 July airstrikes near the Mediterranean port of Latakia failed to take out all Yakhont supersonic anti -ship cruise missiles because some had been removed from their launchers and warehoused prior to the attacks. As fighting in Syria rages, in areas close to the Israeli-held Golan Heights, scores of wounded Syrians are discreetly spirited across the hostile frontier for lifesaving treatment in Israel, reports the NYT. Israel maintains a non-intervention policy regarding the conflict; however, Israeli authorities have sanctioned this small, low-profile humanitarian response to those requiring medical care. European Union (EU) lawmakers indicate that hundreds of their citizens are joining rebel forces battling against the Assad regime, and urged the European Parliament to back plans for an EU-wide passenger data list that would thwart suspected militants travelling from Europe to fight in Syria, according to Reuters. Raising concerns over the prospect of newly-radicalised jihadists returning to Europe to carry out attacks on EU targets, EU leaders encouraged lawmakers to set aside privacy concerns in return for better EU security. In a short video message, Syrian fighters appealed to Muslims in the North Caucasus to return home and wage jihad in Russia instead of Syria, reports RFE/RL. Referring to the recent appeal by Caucasus Emirate leader Doku Umarov, Syrian rebels encour aged the huge influx of volunteers to wage jihad in the Caucasus in order to prevent the holding of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi Febr uary 2014. Syrian Kurds announced they were mobilising militias against al Qaeda-linked rebels in north-eastern Syria after Issa Hisso, a prominent Kurdish leader, was killed in a car bombing on 30 July, reports AP. Increasing violent clashes between Kurdish militias and Jahbat al Nusra (JAN) and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in recent weeks has resulted in dozens of deaths from both sides. According to NYT, Syrian Kurds have taken advantage of the power vacuum left by the civil war to push for the autonomy they have long desired. Turkish leaders worry that empowered Syrian PYD which is linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK 7) could embolden Turkish Kurds or lead to cross-border attacks. Numerous violent incidents were reported throughout the country this past week: 30-Jul-13: AFP reports mortar attacks and air raids in Homs and Aleppo killed at least seventeen people, according to activists and Syrian government officials. Also, Isso Hisso, a prominent Kurdish politician was killed when a bomb planted inside his car detonated, according to BBC. 31-Jul-13: Mayor of al Zabadani, Majed Tinawi and Ghassan al Haj, a member of the National Reconciliation Committee were gunned down as they left a meeting focusing on reconciliation efforts, reports UPI. The same day, seven members of the same family were killed in shelling of Ter Maali by Syrian forces and ten women were killed when shells hit an Aleppo mosque. 01-Aug-13: An ammunitions depot exploded in the pro-regime Wadi al Zahab district of Homs, killing at least forty people, reports The Telegraph. Al Jazeera reports that an agreement between Iran and Syria for USD 3.6 billion in oil will allow Iran to invest in Syria post-conflict. While Tehran agrees to provide oil to Damascus, long-term, the deal stipulates that Syria will pay back the USD 3.6 billion in oil through Iranian investments of various kinds in Syria.
6 7

Eid al Fitr is the holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States, the European Union an d NATO.

06 August 2013

Reuters reports that Syria has agreed to allow UN chemical weapons investigators to visit three sites where alleged chemical weapons attacks occurred. Human Rights Watch asserts that Syrian forces continue to fire ballistic missiles into populated areas, killing countless civilians, reports RFE/RL. In the HRW report, researchers found that numerous government missile attacks lacked any apparent military target in the vicinity. HRW called upon the Assad government to halt indiscriminate attacks on populated areas. In an attempt to sway negative public perceptions of the Assad government, the Syrian President launched an Instagram account depicting his more likeable side, reports The Telegraph. The account exhibits photos depicting Assad and his wife comforting the sick and feeding the elderly. The Instagram account has already garnered 1,200 subscribes since it launched in late July.

Tunisia

Foard Copeland foard.copeland@cimicweb.org

BBC reports that on 02 August Tunisian security forces launched an assault against Islamists in the Mount Chaambi district, near the Algerian border. According to Reuters, two soldiers were killed and six were wounded in the operation, which appeared to be ongoing. Additionally, police in Tunis raided a house that harboured suspected militants, killing one and arresting six others. The Guardian published an account of the growing political tumult in the capital. Five days prior to the operation, eight Tunisian soldiers were killed in the district by insurgents believed to have ties with al Qaeda. Photos of the brutal assault, which showed how attackers slit the throats of the soldiers before maiming their bodies, sent shockwaves through the country as they were televised on Tunisian stations over the weekend. On 03 and 04 August, thousands of protesters seeking to oust the Islamist-led government continued daily protests. According to The Guardian, as many as 20,000 opposition protesters appeared in the streets of Tunis on 04 August, marking the largest gathering of opposition activists since the daily marches began in late July. Opposition party members reported that over 150,000 people participated. On 05 August, police fired teargas into gathering crowds, as security forces struggled to grapple with the growing numbers of both pro- and anti-government supporters, reports RTE News.

IED & De-Mining

GLOBAL NEWS Bahrain: A car bomb detonated near a recreational area west of Manama on 03 August. The bombing resulted in no casualties, according to Reuters. Indonesia: A small bomb detonated in a Buddhist temple in Jakarta injuring one person. Two other devices discovered in the temple failed to detonate, reports Associated Press.

Linda Lavender

linda.lavender@cimicweb.org

The CFC publishes a weekly IED and Demining Events map. This global compilation links to articles reporting significant IED related-events and demining efforts. This report covers 30 Jul 05Aug 2013.

Philippines: A bomb attached to a vehicle exploded in the southern city of Cotabato killing six people. It is the second bombing on the island of Mindanao since 26 July, reports BBC.

Recent CFC Special Reports

Malis Stabilisation Project: Political, Security and Humanitarian Assessments ( June 2013) Regional Monarchies in the Context of the Arab Spring (June 2013) Destination Unknown: Eritrean Refugee Torture and Trafficking (May 2013) Rebuilding Somalia: Security Challenges for the Post-Conflict Nation (May 2013
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06 August 2013

Middle East

North Africa

Northeast Africa

Global IED