Category Archives: Governance

US efforts to rebuild Afghanistan beset by ‘theft and abuse from security forces’

Posted on by

Government watchdog reveals contract workers subjected to assault and unlawful detention, with property confiscated

A report into US efforts to rebuild Afghanistan’s war-damaged infrastructure has called for urgent action after revealing that Afghan security forces have been harassing, abusing and stealing from contractors at military bases.

Members of the Afghan national defence and security forces (ANDSF) have held workers at gunpoint and confiscated their equipment, costing the US hundreds of thousands of dollars, a US government watchdog said.

Continue reading...

Britain’s arms export watchdog in danger of becoming toothless

Posted on by

As ministers and weapons manufacturers alike shun the body that oversees UK arms exports, its authority is at risk of being eroded

As Britain’s foreign secretary warns of “a shortening window of opportunity” for peace in Yemen, the hours are also counting down for weapons manufacturer Raytheon UK to explain its activities to the government’s committees on arms export control (CAEC).

Raytheon, the world’s third largest manufacturer, was called upon to give live evidence on Wednesday. However, the company has effectively avoided face-to-face scrutiny by simply declining to attend.

Continue reading...

Three people dying in Yemen every day despite ceasefire agreement

Posted on by

Since the Stockholm deal in December, airstrikes on Hodeidah have decreased but casualties have doubled elsewhere

Yemen is continuing to experience a steady stream of violence, claiming at least one life every eight hours – despite the agreements reached between the internationally recognised government and the Houthis at talks in Sweden just over three months ago.

According to figures compiled by two international aid agencies, in some areas of the country the number of casualties, far from falling, had doubled where the conflict was flaring up.

Continue reading...

Study warns of global rise in autocratic leaders ‘hijacking’ laws for own ends

Posted on by

Poland the worst offender as global justice index identifies decline in checks on government power for second successive year

Autocratic rule is on the rise throughout the world, with a growing number of authoritarian leaders “hijacking” laws to consolidate their own power, a study of global justice has found.

Poland demonstrated the most significant turn towards authoritarianism over the past four years, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. In all, 64% of 126 countries surveyed made similar moves towards autocratic rule in the past year alone, according to an annual rule of law index published by the World Justice Project.

Continue reading...

Millions of Ugandans quit internet after introduction of social media tax

Posted on by

Economic fears raised as online subscriptions plummet in months following launch of levy created to curb ‘gossip’

Millions of people in Uganda have abandoned the internet after punishing taxes were imposed on social media use and money transactions using mobile phones.

A daily levy, introduced in July to tame “idle talk” online and raise revenue, affects more than 60 online platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. To use such sites, Ugandans are expected to pay a tax of 200 Ugandan shillings (4p) a day.

Continue reading...

The Breadmaker: on the frontline of Venezuela’s bakery wars – video

Posted on by

In the midst of Venezuela’s spiralling economic crisis, Natalia and fellow members of a Chavista collective have stepped in to take over production at a local bakery, La Minka. Authorities had suspended operations when the owners were accused of overpricing their loaves and hoarding flour. In March 2017, with the tacit support of the government, the collective began selling affordable bread. This is the story of their fight to safeguard the bakery’s future and keep the Chavista dream alive

Continue reading...

Haiti in disarray as anti-government protests lead to prison breakout

Posted on by

Demonstrations over missing $4bn in development funds leave police overstretched, allowing 78 inmates to escape

The impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti, hit by days of violent demonstrations that have claimed four lives, has suffered a mass prison breakout after 78 inmates escaped while police were dealing with protesters.

The demonstrations, the culmination of months of anti-corruption protests over the fate of almost $4bn (£3.1bn) in missing funds earmarked for social development – delivered via a controversial deal for Venezuelan petrol – have swelled in recent days under the slogan: “Kot kòb Petrocaribe a?” (“Where’s the Petrocaribe money?”).

Continue reading...

South Sudan peace deal funds spent on renovating politicians’ homes

Posted on by

Guardian investigation reveals government allocated money for home improvements while appealing for support from international community

South Sudan’s cash-strapped government is spending almost half of the money ear-marked for the country’s fragile peace deal on funding renovations for politicians’ homes.

Two sets of internal government documents seen by the Guardian show that in December and January more than $135,000 (£105,000) was authorised by the National Pre-Transitional Committee (NPTC) – the group charged with overseeing the initial phases of the peace deal and managing money allocation – to renovate two politicians’ houses. They include the home of first vice president Taban Deng Gai, and that of the late Dr John Garang. His widow, Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior, is expected to be one of the country’s five vice presidents under the new agreement.

Continue reading...

Congo’s election: a defeat for democracy, a disaster for the people

Posted on by

In accepting the controversial outcome of DRC’s presidential election, the global community has failed the country

The major players in the international community have accepted the outcome of January’s elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the name of stability. In doing so, they have failed the Congolese people.

Moreover, they have fallen short of the aspirations of the UN’s sustainable development goals, which call for “accountable and inclusive institutions”.

Continue reading...

Women in Zimbabwe demand action over alleged army rapes

Posted on by

Activists don black clothes in protest after widespread reports of sexual violence by security forces


Women in Zimbabwe donned black clothes and shunned makeup to protest against sexual violence by the country’s security forces during the government crackdown on protesters and opposition activists.

Trending under hashtags including #OurBodiesNotWarZones, #SheSpeaksOut, #InjureOneInjureAll and #ShutDownAtrocities, “Black Wednesday” campaigners called on the Zimbabwean authorities to take action against military personnel accused of rape and sexual assault.

Continue reading...

Omar al-Bashir launches media crackdown as Sudan protests continue

Posted on by

Five journalists held at undisclosed locations and dozens more arrested and released, with media blackout expected to worsen

The government of Omar al-Bashir in Sudan has launched an “alarming” crackdown on journalists covering weeks of protests against the regime.

At least five reporters have been detained by the national intelligence security services and are being held at undisclosed locations. Dozens of others have been arrested and held before being released.

Continue reading...

MPs pass counter-terror bill amendments to protect aid workers

Posted on by

Move follows calls to exempt people working in conflict zones from bill that would make it an offence to visit terror hotspots

MPs have passed amendments to the government’s latest counter-terrorism bill to try to protect British aid workers and journalists from facing criminal charges in conflict zones.

The controversial draft bill, aimed at tackling Isis fighters travelling abroad, allows the home secretary to declare somewhere a “designated area” and make it an offence for UK nationals and residents to be there. The bill orginally allowed individuals – including humanitarian workers, journalists and academics – to be investigated by the police and ultimately face 10 years in prison.

Continue reading...

‘Climate of panic’: bombings in Brazil reveal growing power of gangs | Jo Griffin

Posted on by

Wave of attacks in Ceará state exposes how poverty, lack of policies for young people and creaking prison system add up to perfect storm

Antonio Carlos da Silva was returning home to the Lagoa Redonda district of Fortaleza when two armed men drove past in a black car, ordering businesses to shut and residents to go inside and turn off the lights. Da Silva spent the next day indoors with no drinking water as a wave of unrest engulfed the north-eastern Brazilian city.

“There’s a climate of panic and people are terrified to go out. It’s like you’re a prisoner in your home and even then not safe,” says Da Silva. “These attacks are worse than in the past; they’re attacking shopping centres, bridges. No one knows how it will end.”

Continue reading...

UN refugee chief: I would risk death to escape a squalid migrant camp

Posted on by

Filippo Grandi calls on rich countries to give proper funding for developing nations that host people fleeing conflict

The head of the UN refugee agency has said he too would do “anything” to escape if he was stuck in a squalid refugee camp, as he called on the world’s wealthy nations to properly fund services in developing countries.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, Filippo Grandi, the high commissioner for refugees, said countries are not getting enough recognition for hosting refugees, and that he would campaign for Cairo to receive more bilateral development aid to support its efforts.

Continue reading...

Somalia expels top UN official over ‘interference with internal affairs’

Posted on by

Nicholas Haysom told to leave after urging inquiry into civilian casualties during protests over former al-Shabaab leader’s arrest

Somalia has asked the UN secretary general’s special envoy to leave the country “as soon as possible” after accusing him of “interfering with the country’s internal affairs”.

A statement from the ministry of foreign affairs on Tuesday declared top UN official Nicholas Haysom persona non grata. The ministry said that Haysom “is not required and cannot work in this country”.

Continue reading...