Stories about War & Conflict from March, 2007
The Oldest Blogger in the Balkans
In the evening, Radmilo Ristic, a 74-year-old retired high school professor, likes to attend theater plays, gallery openings, literary nights, round-table discussions and other similar events that take place around Kragujevac, the city in Central Serbia. When Ristic comes back home, instead of the traditional paper and pen, his computer...
DRC: broken peace
Head Heeb discusses Bemba's broken peace: It seems to be the fate of the Democratic Republic of Congo never to know unbroken peace for long. Last month, peace throughout the country seemed on the verge of happening when the last major militia leader in the troubled Ituri region surrendered his...
Nepal: A public mourning
A photo essay at United We Blog! capturing the Maoist public mourning for those who lost their lives in the Gaur massacre. “It was a day for mourning not only for the Maoists of Nepal but also for those who are praying for the success of the peace process. And...
Russia, Estonia: German View on the Bronze Soldier
Rossijskaja Federazija looks at the Russian-Estonian dispute over the WWII monument from a German perspective.
DRC: Violence, Bloggers Trapped, Sleeping on Floor, and Soldiers Looting
Violent clashes broke out Thursday in the Congo's capital, Kinshasa, between goverment soldiers and troops loyal to Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former warlord. Mainstream media and blogs are reporting heavy gunfire, explosions, and looting around the city. The clashes result from a dispute over Bemba's personal guard's refusal to join the...
The Balkans, U.S.: General Veljko Kadijevic
Neretva River writes – here, here, here, and here – about a Serbian war criminal who has allegedly been advising the United States on Saddam's bunkers and other strategic facilities in Iraq.
Iraq: Under Islamic Law?
Iraqi blogger Omar, who writes in award winning blog Iraq The Model, writes about the future of an Islamic state in Iraq. “In fact the correlation between the two main extremist groups is some sort of catch 22, though it really isn't. it might be believed that the attacks of...
Iraqi: Don't Move..or I Will Shoot!
Iraqi blogger Ladybird links to a video showing “US soldiers shooting on every thing that moves including civilians.”
Croatia, U.K.: The Spanovic Decision
A UK court's decision “undermines the effort to bring to trial all defendants currently suspected of war crimes committed during the 1991-1995 conflict,” Neretva River reports.
D.R. of Congo: Nigerian ambassador wounded
A first-hand account of what is happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo, “Meanwhile, the Spanish Embassy has been hit by mortal fire and the Nigerian Ambassador has been wounded in his home yesterday and as last heard, had not been evacuated as MONUC could not yet get to his...
D.R. of Congo: heavy gunfire
What is happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo? Read Congo Girl's update: “Since daybreak, the gun and mortar fire has only worsened in intensity. There is now one column of smoke rising from something or other when I look out the office windows either east or west. I can't...
Poland: Anti-Abortion; Iraq War
The beatroot writes about Poland's anti-abortion politicians (21 comments so far) and the country's involvement in Iraq (70 comments!).
Eastern Europe: Edward Lucas Roundup
The Economist's Edward Lucas posts his pieces on East European churches; Solzhenitsyn; Chechnya; Poland's relations with other EU members; color revolutions and foreign funding.
East Timor: Trouble Alerts
Xanana Republic Gazette gives us a glimpse into how the “trouble” alerts are sent out in East Timor.
What Salvadoran bloggers are saying — about the passing of a witness
If your only source of news was the main Salvadoran newspapers, you might have missed the story. The sole survivor of a notorious massacre of civilians during El Salvador civil war passed away on March 6. On December 6, 1981, Rufina Amaya, had somehow managed to escape from the government...
Uganda: Why didn't Ugandan bloggers write about the nation's biggest story?
The Ugandan blogosphere was silent on the country's biggest story over the last few weeks. On March 5th, the Ugandan judges and lawyers went on strike after presidential security agents raided the High Court to re-arrest six treason suspects who had been granted bail. The suspects were accused of representing...
Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome
I cannot believe it has been four years since the Iraq war started. Has it ended? I don't know but it feels more like an a lifetime has passed. In one of the rare coincidences with large parts of the media, Iraq bloggers are commemorating another anniversary of the war....
East Timor: Should One Travel to East Timor
Dili-gence has a post on the current travel situation in Dili, the capital of East Timor. Australia and some other countries had issued travel warning to East Timor and some aid-workers had left East Timor temporarily after violence broke out a couple of weeks back.
Afghanistan: Nowrouz & Signs of Spring
Safrang writes that spring has become associated with renewed fighting in Afghanistan in recent years and takes the liberty of changing an old folk song associated with Nowrouz (the holiday celebrated on the first day of spring) to urge a different mullah to come join the festivities.
Serbia: Neo-Nazis
Belgrade 2.0 writes about Serbian neo-Nazis and their web presence.
Serbia: Milosevic and the Internet
Belgrade 2.0 predicts a new war, over Milosevic: “Even though the online group of Milosevic-haters is by far bigger than the group of his supporters, it seems as if the supporters are louder and manage to create a balance. How long can this go on i wonder?”
