Stories about War & Conflict from April, 2011
Palestine: Remembering Murdered Italian Activist Vittorio Arrigoni
Long before the deadline set by his captors arrived, kidnapped Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni was killed, apparently hanged. Bloggers in Gaza and elsewhere have reacted with disbelief, anger and sorrow.
Palestine: Kidnapping of Italian Activist in Gaza
Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni was kidnapped on Thursday 14 April, 2011, in Gaza by a Salafi-Jihadi group, who said that they would kill him if Sheikh Abu Al Waleed Al Maqdisi, recently arrested by the Hamas government, was not released. It was reported on Friday 15 April by various international media outlets that Vittorio Arrigoni has been found dead.
Côte d'Ivoire: Brutality Continues After Gbagbo's Capture
Since their capture on April 11, 2011, pictures of former Côte d'Ivoire President Laurent Gbagbo, his wife, and their entourage have spread on the web and via international newspapers. One picture in particular provoked a strong reaction: an image of Simone Gbagbo being humiliated by her captors.
Côte d'Ivoire: Laurent Gbagbo's Fall
On April 11 2011, Laurent Gbagbo was arrested at his residence in Cocody, with his wife, Simone, and their close entourage. The crisis that plagued the country has now seemingly found its epilogue. The sequence of events that led to Ggagbo's arrest was documented in details by online videos and intensely commented on the web.
Russia: Bloggers Debate Military Operation in Libya
The situation in Libya, especially after the start of military operations by Western countries, has become one of the main topics of discussion in the Russian blogosphere. Marina Litvinovich analyzes the reactions and trends surrounding the issue.
Belarus: Bombings in the Minsk Subway
Belarus twitterers share information on the latest bombings in the Minsk subway via 3 main Twitter hashtags: #minsk, #minskblast, #twiby. Notolerance-cp publishes first pictures [ru] from the scene of event (warning – some disturbing scenes).
Kenya: Netizens React to ICC Charges Against Six Kenyans
On 7 and 8 April, 2011, the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed charges against six prominent Kenyan individuals whom the ICC prosecutor Louis Moreno Ocampo believes bear the most responsibility for the post election violence that rocked the country in 2008.
Hungary: “Refusing to Face the Past”
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the revisions of history initiated by Hungarian politicians, including the history of the Holocaust in Hungary: “The new constitution will state that whatever happened between March 19, 1944 and May 2, 1990 simply doesn't exist. Or, more precisely, it existed but entirely independently from the Hungarians....
Bosnia & Herzegovina: “Remembering War in Sarajevo”
Café Turco writes about the April 6 commemoration of the liberation of Sarajevo in WWII and the beginning of the siege of the city in 1992.
Ivory Coast: Ivorians on Twitter React to the Address by Alassane Ouattara
The Republican Forces of Ivory Coast stopped at the doors of the presidential palace still occupied by Laurent Gbagbo, who is taking refuge in a bunker accompanied by family members. Alassane Ouattara addressed his fellow citizens. Ivorians on Twitter have commented on the address.
Egypt: Crackdown on Tahrir After “Cleansing Friday”
Tahrir Square was the scene of a brutal crackdown on the night of the biggest protest since Mubarak's ousting, which seemed to have revived the spirit of the revolution, harking back to some of the darkest Friday nights of the country's 18 days of protest. Asteris Masouras brings us the latest from netizens in the second of a two-part series.
Mexico: March Against Violence or Against the Government?
Thousands of Mexicans - not only in their own country, but also in various cities around the world - conducted simultaneous protests on April 6, 2011. Some took part to express their discontent at the country's violent climate, others showed their disagreement with the government's strategy in the fight against crime.
Egypt: Remembering Bahr El-Baqar Incident
Forty one years ago, the Israeli Air Force raided a primary school in the Egyptian village of Bahr el-Baqar. About 30 of its students died, over 50 were severely wounded, and many were left with disabilities. And after all those years, Egyptians still remember the massacre.
Venezuela: Violence in Caracas
Mirelis Morales Tova [es] reflects on violence in Caracas and asks: “Why? Why have we reached the levels of violence of Colombia and Mexico? Where did we fail? And what can be done? Too many questions, without answers. And in the meantime… do we continue to adapt to live with...
Guyana: Losing Your Religion
“Each cast different blame. Your country fault. Your religion fault. And none can see that both is wrong…”: Guyana-Gyal thinks that many of the world's problems could be solved if people would actually listen.
Rwanda: Remembering the Rwandan Genocide
April 6, 2011, marked the beginning of the seventeenth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. It is a time to reflect on the unforgivable human errors that led to the despicable slaughter of close to a million Rwandans, mostly Tutsis. Bloggers discuss a variety of themes related to the genocide.
Afghanistan: Violence against Aid Workers
Joel Hafvenstein reflects on the latest and earlier cases of violence against international aid workers in Afghanistan and says that it’s not quite right to talk about a steady increase in such violence.
Mexico: News of US Clandestine Operation Draws “Fast and Furious” Response
Mexican netizens take to their blogs and Twitter accounts as an interview with a former head of the ATF (the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) in Mexico makes public "Operation Fast and Furious," under which ATF officers secretly monitored - without intervening - as more than 2,000 weapons were purchased at outlets in Arizona and transported over the border into Mexico.
Mexico: 59 Bodies Found in Mass Graves in Tamaulipas
In Vivir México [es], Perla Cristal Gomez reports that 59 bodies and 8 mass graves were found in San Fernando in the state of Tamaulipas, the same municipality where 72 migrants were found dead in August of 2010.
Côte d'Ivoire: Gbagbo Resists, Africans Protest
While former Côte d'Ivoire President Laurent Gbagbo is still holed up in a bunker in the country, resisting arrest for continuing to deny his loss of the 2010 presidential election, the participation of France in the bid to oust him is raising reactions amongst French politicians and citizens, as well as within the African community in France.
Pakistan: Killings And Abductions In Balochistan
“Pakistani media and its civil society cannot abandon their duty to highlight the woes of all those Baloch who are being killed, tortured or abducted” – comments Raza Rumi while discussing about the secession movement in Balochistan and the repression of the authorities.
