Group 22 Information Centre for Asylum and Migration Briefing Notes 10 October 2016 Afghanistan Fighting over Kunduz continues The Taliban have been attempting once again to seize the city of Kunduz since 03.10.16. Dozens of civilians are reported to have been killed and over 200 injured in the fighting. According to the UN, almost 24,000 people have fled Kunduz in the past few days. Most of them have headed for the neighbouring province of Takhar. According to press reports, the federal government assesses the security situation the north of Afghanistan as uncontrollable in some parts. The level of threat in the Kunduz region is classified as high. Attacks on the capital of the province of Farah The Taliban seized two suburbs of Farah City, the capital of the province of the same name in West Afghanistan, on 09.10.16 and are advancing on the city centre. Further armed clashes Hostilities, raids and attacks, some involving fatalities or injuries among the civilian population, also occurred in other provinces. According to press reports, the following provinces were affected last week: Badakhshan, Nangarhar, Baghlan, Uruzgan, Kandahar, Badghis (at least 60 border police officers are reported to have surrendered to the Taliban here), Helmand (here too, the Taliban have captured several districts and are threatening the capital, Lashkargah). Targeted attacks On 04.10.16 a teacher was shot dead in the province of Parwan (Central Afghanistan). On 05.10.16 at least 20 people were injured when a suicide bomber attacked a minibus carrying government staff in Kabul. In Nangarhar (East Afghanistan) at least ten children were injured in two bomb attacks. On 06.10.16 a former policeman was shot dead by unknown assailants in Herat (West Afghanistan). In the province of Jowzjan (North Afghanistan), Taliban shot dead six men who they accused of having worked for the Afghan Local Police (ALP). On 08.10.16 two children and three other people were injured when a roadside bomb exploded in Kandahar (South Afghanistan). Two people were killed and three injured in a suicide attack in Zabul (South Afghanistan). Four civilians were injured in a further suicide attack in Nangarhar (East Afghanistan). Five people were injured, including two policemen, in a bomb attack in Jalalabad (Nangarhar) on 09.10.16. Donors conference / repatriation agreement An additional 13.6 billion euros of aid was pledged at the Afghanistan donors conference last week. The EU intends to fund programmes for the reintegration of refugees, focusing on basic and further training and the creation of new jobs, for example. Information campaigns by the Afghan government highlighting the dangers involved in fleeing the country are also to be sponsored by the EU. The EU is also supporting Afghanistan in training security personnel and combatting people traffickers. In return, Afghanistan is to issue the travel documents required for deportation purposes within four weeks. The refugees are then to be returned to their native country on scheduled or non-scheduled flights - with a maximum of 50 persons per flight in the first six months. The Afghan government is also intending to launch information campaigns warning about the dangers of attempting to flee to Europe. 1
Iraq Iraq seeking to force Turkish withdrawal Following the adoption of a resolution by the Iraqi parliament on 04.10.16 against the presence of the Turkish military in the vicinity of the city of Mosul, the Iraqi UNO ambassador requested that the Security Council convene to discuss the transgressions and interference by Turkey and to adopt a corresponding resolution. In so doing, he is aiming to end Turkey s military presence in northern Iraq. Turkey trains Sunni fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga near Mosul to prepare them for fighting the IS. In Iraq with its majority Shiite population, Turkish president Recep Tayyib Erdogan s comment that only Sunni Arabs, Turkmen and Sunni Kurds would be allowed to live in Mosul after its liberation from the IS terrorist militia drew sharp criticism. Syria Jund al-aqsa joins forces with Jabhat Fatah al-sham According to reports on 09.10.16, the Jund al-aqsa (Soldiers of Aqsa) faction has joined forces with Jabhat Fatah al-sham (Front for the Conquest of the Levant), which was known until recently as Fatah al-nusra or Nusra Front, in order to prevent bloodshed among Muslims. The USA recently classified Jund al-aqsa as a terrorist organisation. Other groups accuse it of having contact with the IS. UN resolutions for ceasefire in Syria fail At a meeting on 08.10.16 the UN Security Council was unable to agree on a renewed ceasefire in Syria. A draft resolution tabled by France and Spain was vetoed by Russia. The UN Security Council then rejected a proposal by Russia. Russian use of airbase in the province of Latakia On 07.10.16 the Russian state duma passed a military treaty with the Syrian government dating from August 2015, granting Russia the right to use the Hemeimin airbase in the Syrian province of Latakia free of charge and for as long as it wishes. Bomb attack on Turkish/Syrian border According to reports on 06.10.16, at least 25 rebels were killed in a bomb attack on the Turkish/Syrian border, close to the Atmeh border crossing point (Syrian province of Idleb). The attackers are reported to have been members of the Jabhat Fatah al-sham group. The IS has claimed responsibility for the attack. Syrian army intends to scale down air strikes on Aleppo The Syrian army announced on 05.10.16 that it would be scaling down its attacks on Aleppo, claiming that it had managed to cut off all supply routes to the rebel-held areas. It said that the military was also aware of all rebel positions and arsenals in the city. The army also called on the rebels and residents of eastern Aleppo to leave the city. Yemen Hundreds killed and injured in air strike An air strike on a funeral service in Sanaa on 08.10.16 was one of the most devastating since the beginning of the civil war in Yemen. The latest reports refer to a death toll of at least 82 and more than 530 people injured. The Houthi rebels are describing the attack as genocide while their enemy, Saudi Arabia, intends to investigate the incident. Morocco Parliamentary elections In the parliamentary elections the moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) held on to power.with a turnout of 43 per cent, it won 125 out of 395 seats in parliament. The Authenticity and Moder- 2
nity Party (PAM), which has close ties to the king, took 102 seats and the conservative Independence Party 46. King Mohammed VI is likely to remain the most powerful authority in the country. Nigeria Shiite IMN sect banned On 07.10.16 the government of the northern federal state of Kaduna banned the Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria sect (IMN). Anyone convicted of being a member of the IMN faces a possible prison term of up to seven years, a fine or both. The ban was justified on the grounds that the sect constitutes a threat to security. Since the clashes between the army and the IMN in December 2015, it was claimed that the sect continues to carry out prohibited processions and obstruct traffic on public roads. An IMN spokesman announced that the movement would be taking action against the ban by legal means and other peaceful measures. A Kaduna government report published on 31.07.16 into the violent clashes which took place in the city of Zaria from 12 to 14 December 2015 found that a total of 348 civilians, the majority of whom were members of the sect, and one soldier died as a result of the use of disproportionate force by the army. The leader of the IMN, sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, has been in custody since December 2015. Central African Republic Break-out of violence claims lives Eleven people were killed in clashes following the murder of an army officer in the predominantly Muslim city district PK5 in the capital, Bangui, on 04.10.2016. Kenya Attack claims lives Six people died when al-shabaab fighters attacked a housing development in the town of Mandera in northeastern Kenya on 06.10.16. The militia has claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it was aimed at Christians in the predominantly Muslim border region with Somalia and Ethiopia. Niger Attack on refugee camp 22 soldiers were killed on 06.10.16 in an attack on a refugee camp in Tazalit, close to the border with Mali, which is presumed to have been carried out by jihadists. Five soldiers were injured and only three were able to escape. The UN refugee relief organisation (UNHCR) has confirmed the attack, stating that up to 40 heavily armed attackers directly targeted the guard post, opening fire on the soldiers. They subsequently stole three vehicles, including an ambulance and a car belonging to the UNHCR, as well as weapons, food and clothing. According to UNHCR figures, around 60,000 refugees from Mali are currently in Niger. In a similar attack on a UN refugee camp in September two civilians were killed and several injured. DR Congo Presidential election may be postponed until 2018 Corneille Nangaa, chairperson of the Congolese election commission (CENI), suggested on 01.10.16 that the presidential election might not take place until December 2018, at the same time as the elections to the national assembly and to the provincial parliaments. Following the completion of the electoral register on 31.07.17, CENI would require a further 504 days to organise the elections. The second term in office of president Joseph Kabila, who is prohibited by the constitution from running for the presidency again, officially ends on 19.12.16. Against a background of protests from the opposition, at least 49 people were killed in violent clashes with security forces in mid-september 2016. The opposition 3
accuses Kabila of seeking to postpone the presidential elections in order to extend his time in government, in breach of the constitution. Turkey Bomb attack in the south-east Ten soldiers and eight civilians were killed in a suicide attack in the province of Hakkari in south-eastern Turkey on 09.10.16. According to media reports, the attacker blew up a small truck in front of a police checkpoint in the district of Semdinli. 26 people who were waiting for a bus nearby are reported to have been injured. The Turkish army is holding the PKK responsible for the attack, though the latter has yet to acknowledge responsibility. Attack prevented The police evidently prevented a serious attack planned by the PKK in Ankara on 08.10.2016. According to information from the governor of Ankara, two suspects blew themselves up when the police were about to search their vehicle. Bomb attack in Istanbul Ten people were injured in a bomb attack in the Istanbul district of Yenibosna on 06.10.16. According to media reports, a parked motorcycle loaded with explosives blew up near to the police station. Those injured are reported to be civilians. The Kurdish extremist group the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), a breakaway group from the PKK, has claimed responsibility for the attack. Police officers suspended The Turkish police reported last week that it had suspended a further 12,801 officers, including 2,523 police chiefs, in connection with investigations into the failed coup of July 2016. The police officers are reportedly suspected of belonging to the Gülen movement. More than 100,000 civil servants from various ministries and departments have been suspended, including teachers, judicial officers. More than 50,000 of those suspended have been dismissed. Georgia Ruling party wins parliamentary elections On the basis of initial results, the ruling Georgian Dream party was the clear winner in the parliamentary elections in Georgia on 08.10.16. With the votes from 83 percent of all constituencies counted, the party has secured around 49 per cent of votes cast. This result has been announced by the electoral commission in the capital, Tiflis. The largest rival - the opposition United National Movement party, which was formerly in government, claimed only around 27 per cent of the vote. None of the 23 other parties and blocs which ran for election have so far made it past the five per cent hurdle. The pro-russian Alliance of Patriots of Georgia had been regarded as the party most likely to overcome the hurdle. The final outcome has yet to emerge, as of the total of 150 seats in the Georgian parliament 77 are chosen from a list and 73 are allocated by direct mandate. According to the authorities responsible for organising the election, a second ballot may take place in many constituencies. The ruling Georgian Dream party had already declared itself the winner before the official results were announced. The opposition United National Movement party s initial reaction was to claim that the election had been rigged. Dozens of their supporters gathered for a demonstration outside the electoral commission s building in the night of 08.10.16, calling for fair counting of the votes. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) described the parliamentary election as legitimate, however. The election in the Caucasus republic of Georgia, in which some four million people live, is seen as an important indicator of future developments, as the ex-soviet republic is seeking rapprochement with the EU and Nato, while its relations with Russia have broken down. The unresolved dispute with Russia over the territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which have to all intents and purposes been annexed from Georgia, is proving an obstacle to closer relations with the West. 4
Myanmar Attacks on police posts claim lives At least nine police officers and several attackers died on 09.10.16 in apparently coordinated attacks on three border police posts in the district of Maungdaw (Rakhine State) on the border with Bangladesh. The background remains unclear so far. According to a representative of the Rakhine State government, the attackers belonged to the Rohingya ethnic group, which forms part of the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO). The RSO was active in the 1908s and 1990s. It is unknown to what extent the organisation still exists. Columbia Continuation of the peace process According to government statements on 04.10.16, the ceasefire with the FARC rebel organisation which has been in force since 29.08.16 is to be maintained until 31.10.16. The rebels had previously also voiced their support for maintaining the ceasefire. The ceasefire was originally only intended to apply until the referendum, in which the peace treaty was surprisingly rejected (cf. BN of 04.10.16). The government and FARC announced their intention to continue the peace process in a joint announcement on 07.10.16. Criticisms raised by opponents to the peace treaty, whose spokesperson, former president Álvaro Uribe, met incumbent president Juan Manuel Santos prior to the announcement, are to receive due consideration in the negotiations, it is claimed. Observers describe the situation as being in a state of limbo, however. Uribe s camp rejects FARC s negotiated political involvement and is calling for tougher prosecution of the crimes committed by the guerrillas - a standpoint to which that the rebels are unlikely to accede. President Santos received the Nobel Peace Prize on 07.10.16 for his efforts to resolve the conflict with the FARC. 5