Rwanda in the making? The case of the Central African Republic.

The situation in the Central African Republic has gone from bad to worse in the last few weeks, raising fears that the country could become the next Rwanda.

The Seleka militia ("alliance" in Sango) began a spree of wide spread abuses in late 2012. Starting in the North-East of the country, the Muslim group spread throughout the country, seizing the capital Bangui in March. Former President Francois Bozize was ousted soon after this rebellion and replaced by the leader of the Seleka, Michel Djotodia.

The Central African Republic is primarily a Christian nation and therefore this sudden change led to a spread of sectarian tension throughout the country that culminated in the formation of a anti-balaka militia group ("machete proof" in Sango) consisting of Christians and animists opposed to the Seleka rule. 

The Seleka abuses of the past year have been met with a similarly horrific response from anti-balaka fighters, destroying large stretches of the North-West of the country. The climax of this tension so far manifested in an anti-balaka attack on the capital on 5th December 2013. The violence that followed was significant and although the Seleka were able to repel the attack, this did not quell the bloodshed. The Seleka then proceeded to carry out a significant wave of reprisal attacks on Christians living in the capital, claiming that they were searching for anti-balaka fighters and leading to the deaths of up to 1,200 civilians.

The response from the international community has been slow, with the UN not able to commit a large scale peacekeeping mission until September 2014. A small deployment of French military forces have been deployed with the UN's mandate from December, but are still awaiting the support of the further 1,000 European troops promised under the UN mission.

Since the beginning of 2014, the Seleka President Michel Djotodia has resigned from his role and been replaced by Catherine Samba-Panza, a new interim leader.

Samba-Panza was criticised when she first took power for forming an unrepresentative government with figures largely drawn from her Eastern regions of the country. The anti-balaka's were the most vocal in their criticism of her government and had refused to cooperate with it.

The fall of former President Djotodia lead to a withdrawal of Seleka forces from many of their strongholds in outposts throughout the country. The anti-balaka militia have been quick to fill the vacuum of power left by the Seleka militias in many of the towns they have exited and have brought a wave of violence and repression onto the Muslim population in doing so.

Hundreds of Muslims have been killed, with thousands more displaced. Mosques have been destroyed and villages burnt to the ground in pursuing the anti-balaka's stated objective of ridding the country of Muslims completely.

The remains of a functional society continue to break down in the Central African Republic, with the police force and law system now almost completely obsolete, human rights violations go entirely unpunished.

It is now thought that almost 650,000 have been displaced by the violence, with many seeking refuge in neighboring countries Cameroon, Chad and Democratic Republic of Congo. Many of those that have stayed are without a home as the ritual looting and burning of houses is now commonplace.

In recent days Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza has acknowledged the need for restructure of her ministry stating, "The government will be reshuffled to be more inclusive and representative," she added in a speech to the National transitional council that "Voices are being raised to demand the urgent organisation of an inclusive political dialogue."

Pressure on Samba-Panza has begun to rise as the wider international community begin to criticise her governments record in the crisis, but although she concedes that concerns are "legitimate" she claims that the time she has had so far is not enough to effectively solve such a complex problem. 

As this criticism begins to mount, representatives from the International Criminal Court (ICC) have arrived in the country to begin investigations into the crimes carried out since the violence began in 2012.

Fighting continues in earnest during this time, with new reports of deaths and atrocities surfacing every day. French forces have been engaged in one of their first instances of heavy fighting in Boguila in the North of the country, when they were locked in a three hour gun fight with unidentified militants on Tuesday. There were no French casualties as a result of the skirmish, but an army spokesperson did confirm that there were fatalities of the militants side. This action follows news from last week that 16 people were confirmed dead following a militant attack on a clinic run by the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, which has precluded the charity to cease activity in the country.

As recently as yesterday, two more civilians were confirmed dead following militant attacks on civilian convoys trying to escape violence in the capital Bangui. The two dead were a father travelling with his family and a mother still with infant child, both were Muslims trying to escape the sectarian violence of the city. The convoy was part of the African-led international support mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA) which has been supplying military escorts to escaping displaced civilians. Among the many miles of dirt road the escorts however are spread thin, allowing such an unfortunate event to occur. The convoy had been travelling with a Rwandan escort and under the Rwandan Flag, a sobering reminder of the similar ethnic slaughter that blighted that country two decades ago is all too familiar here.

It is now predicted that 2.2 million people, almost half the countries population now require humanitarian aid. The situation continues to devolve and this has prompted UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon to warn "Do not repeat the mistakes of the past -- heed the lessons" encouraging memories of Rwanda and the spectre of genocide that encapsulated the conflict.

Fighting continues to worsen throughout the Central African Republic and the animosity between Christian and Muslim militants only grows. The divorce of the two sides seems to be complete and this raises the question, is there really a way back?

Until Then.

Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/icc-team-arrives-first-mission-central-africa-173958111.html
http://www.euronews.com/2014/05/06/intense-fighting-in-the-central-african-republic-leaves-militant-gunmen-dead/
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/08/world/africa/central-african-republic-convoy/
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/06/us-centralafrica-politics-idUSBREA450PS20140506
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/qa-central-african-republic-s-human-rights-crisis-2014-04-09

The times, they are a-changing.

Hello all,

I just want to update you on the current situation with this blog. If anyone was wondering why I didn't write one yesterday, it is because I'm going to change up the date in which I have my weekly foray into the blogophere. As Wednesdays have become a bit of a pain for me, I'm going to switch things up and maybe try a few different days until one sticks, but do not fear, you can expect the first story tomorrow.

So basically, check in tomorrow and possibly Fridays from now on.

...and as a little sneak peak, I think I might write a little bit about the increasingly troubled case of the Central African Republic.

Thanks you for your support.

Until Then.

Who should you vote for in the EU elections?

As the debate on Britain's place in Europe continues to trudge along and get mired in the filth of a Westminster squabble, you would be forgiven in forgetting that there will actually be an election in a little over three weeks time. The latest ComRes Index poll for ITV has Nigel Farage's UKIP at 38%, ahead of Labour (27%), the Conservatives (18%) and the Liberal Democrats (8%) who all have seen a significant drop in share. 

These results may be somewhat surprising, especially when it is taken into consideration that the same index poll discovered that 32% of the electorate consider UKIP to be a racist party, with the majority also believing that the party's policies are not sensible. 

Despite this however, UKIP remain the party to beat in the May 22nd election, with leader Nigel Farage recently forgoing the opportunity to stand at the Newark byelection to remain focused on the European elections.

Tom Mludzinski, ComRes' head of political polling, argues that Farage's decision to not contest the Newark byelection is in all practical terms a pragmatic one. Research suggest that UKIP are unlikely to win the seat vacated by former Tory MP Patrick Mercer and in an improbable circumstance that they dis, Farage would have most likely lost the seat in the next general election.

Farage himself defended his decision to not run by claiming that he had, "no real connections with Newark" and wanted to avoid being seen as an "opportunist". In concentrating on the European Elections, Farage said that UKIP can cause a "political earthquake" by the manner of their victory and it must be assumed will try and use this platform in gaining political legitimacy.

With all news sources and media outlets concentrating heavily on UKIP in the run up to EU elections, it must be remembered that there is far more choice among the entire political spectrum. This raises the question of who should you vote for?

Well, the guardian have sort to make this decision slightly easier by teaming up with EUvox to present an interactive question based tool to consolidate your opinions on the state of Britain in Europe and present how much your views align with that of the major parties.

Here is how my view scored.

The tool is free to use and takes less than five minutes to use, giving you no excuse to give it a go, whether you've already made up your mind or are one of the fabled undecided voters. Just follow the link below to have a go yourself and feel free to share with me your results if you would like.

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/interactive/2014/apr/24/which-party-vote-for-eu-elections

After you've used that tool, be sure to read up a little on your local candidates to ensure you don't get to the booths on May 22nd and have no idea of the person your voting for. With that being said, please make sure you do vote. As a member of the electorate you are entrusted with a say in the way in which your institutions govern you and even though it may often seem that you may be unrepresented, apathy is never the answer. In these turbulent political times a decision not to vote allows less competition against parties such as, UKIP.

Whoever gets elected is going to represent your region on a European stage, at least have a say in who that person is going to be.

P.S. - If your from the East of England, check out my Twitter (https://twitter.com/Angolaman) for a (very) short run down on most of the candidates.

Until Then.

Sources:

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/interactive/2014/apr/24/which-party-vote-for-eu-elections

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/interactive/2014/apr/24/which-party-vote-for-eu-elections

http://www.comres.co.uk/poll/1167/itv-news-index-european-election-poll.htm

  

Is a vote for Farage, a vote for Putin?

Russian officials are reporting that the actions of Ukraine's government to suppress Pro-Russian separatist forces in Eastern Ukraine has forced them to "react".

Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence Minister was quoted as saying "if this military machine is not stopped, it will lead to greater numbers of dead and wounded."

This is all in reaction to earlier reports that at least two pro-Russian separatist were killed by Ukrainian Commandos, in the process of recapturing checkpoints on the outskirts of the Eastern provincial town, Sloviansk.

Russia has called for a deescalation of Ukrainian aggression in the region, while they themselves increase their presence in the area by beginning new military training drills.

Ukraine's acting President, Olexander Turchynov, has called on Russia to stop the "blackmail" on Ukraine, referring to the Russian military presence at his nation's Eastern border, but possibly also a nod to the energy stranglehold Russia holds upon Ukraine that it has been reported is starting to become a major issue.

Interestingly it has been reported by the BBC's Natalia Antelava that the Ukrainian forces have retreated to their former positions of occupation, in spite of their modest gains. Pro-Russian forces have made it clear that they intend to reoccupy this territory after they can make sure it is indeed safe to do so.

The issues on the ground in Ukraine are liable to remain uncertain in the coming days and weeks, with discussions between Russia and Ukraine still at an impasse. The effect of the crisis on the wider European community is just as uncertain. 

Russia's actions in Ukraine have been met with almost universal condemnation from leaders around Europe and the wider world. US President Barack Obama stated today that further sanctions would be imposed on Russia as they flagrantly continue to flout the few agreements that had been made between the two feuding nations. European leaders on the other hand have been far less cavalier in their declarations on the continuing crisis in the clouded context of the upcoming European elections.

A recent study by the Political Capital Institute (PCI), a Hungarian based foundation for the study of policy research, shows that support for Vladimir Putin could be exponentially increase by the upcoming European elections.

Far-right parties are expected to perform very well at next months elections for the European Parliament and therefore the PCI took some time to research the party line held by these groups on the Ukraine crisis. The research showed that these parties, often described as anti-European, believe that it is in fact the West that has provoked tension between Eastern Europe and Russia. A view in line with that of the Kremlin.

It was also noted by the PCI that several far-right politicians from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France and Hungary went to observe the Crimea Referendum on re-joining Russian and were in the minority in suggesting that the elections were completely fair and legitimate.

The study suggest that it is Russian President Vladimir Putin's goal of restoring Russia to the status of a world power that is most admired by the anti-EU parties, as they themselves hold strong reverence in the idea of the nation state.

Vladimir Putin's strength in Russia is built through control that his United Russia party have and it is thought that current Russian diplomacy centers around the idea of building "party families" in Europe around this idea.

The PCI cite numerous examples of far-right parties in Europe attending events organised by Russian policy makers. Hungary's Jobbik and Greece's notorious Golden Dawn party have both been invited to the years Russian National Forum, following a congress of far-right politicians from Belgium, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden meeting with Putin's United Front in December last year.

Admiration for Putin extends to the softer sections of Europe's right-wing, with UKIP's leader Nigel Farage calling the Russian President a "skillful operator" and the leader who he most admired, while agreeing with the majority Europe's far-right that the situation in Ukraine has left the EU with "blood on its hands".

Is a vote for anti-European parties a vote for Putin? While far-right success in the European elections will make the running and operation of the EU less effective, it must be said that whatever boost this would give Putin would be very limited. It would indicate however a growing tolerance for strong acts of aggression in the maintenance (and growth) of the idea of nation state. 

While people may not personally agree with Russia's actions in Ukraine, they must be fully aware of the consequences of voting for a party that do.

These European parties, some of which that are destined to come to power in the upcoming European elections, make a difficult situation in the Ukraine all the more complicated.

As I said previously, this is a situation that is liable to remain uncertain for weeks and weeks to come.

Until Then.

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27138300

http://euobserver.com/eu-elections/123887

Tea Boost for Brain Juice?

Apparently my memory was not up to scratch today as I plainly forgot that I had something pressing to do...It turns out writing this was that thing, so prepare for a rushed and plainly muddled attempt to write this blog post in record time with very little attention applied to sources, if only just to make the Hulk angry. (Despite what he says I like him that way.)

Given my personal problems with cognitive recollection, I thought it might be pertinent to flick the kettle on and talk a little about the little grey cells to get your synapses and mine shooting.

Researchers at the University of Basel have been conducting research on the effects of Green Tea on memory function and have discovered some startling results. Green Tea has often been cited as a so called "Super Food", or should that be "Super Drink" because of its many varied health benefits. Weight loss, reduced anxiety and even stopping the growth of cancer cells have been linked to the teas active ingredients and now research suggest "memory aid" can be added to that list.

Researchers separated volunteers into two groups and made both groups test a different drink. One half received a beverage with 27.5g of Green Tea extract, the others a whey protein formula designed to taste of Green Tea. While the subjects were drinking, researchers watched scans of the patients brains using a functional magnetic resonance imaging machine (fMRI) and followed this up with asking the volunteers to complete tasks that required use of the active working memory.

The results of the tests showed a distinctly different process in the way in the frontal lobe and the parietal lobe interact with each other in the patients that had the Green Tea extract. What does this all mean you might ask? Well first let me explain a little about how the brain works.

The Frontal lobe of the brain is home to the most advanced thinking abilities and sensibly resides in the front of the brain, while the Parietal lobe which is largely involved in processing sensory information and language is just behind it towards the back of the brain. What the study indicates is that the presence of Green Tea aids in the interaction between these two lobes, producing a increased ability to recall information. 

This does all sound great but before you start running to the shops it must be said that all new groundbreaking discoveries should be taken with a grain of salt. This study was carried out in very limited numbers and would have to be carried out on a much larger scale to garner more conclusive results, but what they have so far is very interesting.

The researchers were however using a green tea extract rather than cups of green tea because extract is considerably more concentrated and will therefore contain far more epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the active ingredient suspected to be responsibly for the teas beneficial effects, therefore you would have to drink a lot of cups to feel the same results.

All this does mean that unfortunately that a cup of the green stuff won't make you eidetic, but I don't know, several cups just might. I know for sure that it will make you need to pee and the toilet is a great place to think, so I'm pretty sure that it would all work out. So just remember, Green tea is already proven to have a whole heap of medical benefits for you anyways, so there is no reason not to try it. Oh and if you start drinking it apparently, you're sure not to forget.

Until Then.

P.S. - Sorry is this is a little short.

Source:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2014/04/14/study-green-tea-boosts-working-memory/

Korean Election and only one real selection?

The Glorious Leader of all Korea, the great Kim Jong Un was re-elected yesterday in fair and democratic elections, state media has declared. Personnel changes had dictated the need for the opening of a new parliament after the execution of great leaders uncle, Jang Song-Thaek for acts of treachery. 

The eternal light of our President continues to shine as he was reelected as First Chairman of the powerful National Defence Commission (NDC) by the new parliament. Some foreign scum choose mock our democratic process, but nationwide elections were carried out last month with undeniable results. The opportunity to only vote for our glorious leader represented the free will of the powerful Korean nation, yet the warmongering U.S pigs continue to mock.

The reading of the results of the election were met with cheers throughout the halls of parliament, KCNA reporting that, "all the deputies and participants in the session broke into stormy cheers of "hurrah!", extending the highest glory and warmest congratulations to him". 

It continued that the result represented an "expression of the absolute support and trust of all service personnel and people in him."

The wider world still waits to see how power may shift after "the treacherous one" was executed last December, but as long as glorious leader is still in charge Korea will conquer all. Vindicated by the winds of freedom and the strength of our master, the pendulum of time will swing in favor of our resilience and endurance. For one day a united, democratic Korea will come to be and only the brilliance of our dear leader can stand firm against the condemnation of the world to radiation to darkness and burning ruin, a sentence unjustly handed down by the masters of Park clique serfs.

Remember: North Korea is the Best Korea, North Korea is the only Korea.

PSA: Men will be required to have cut their hair in line with that of our most revered and glorious leader by Friday, NO EXCEPTIONS.

All Praise Korea.

Or don't....actually please don't.

Until Then.

Bell Sounds for the Second Round? Clegg vs. Farage

Otherwise known as the rumble over the European grumble, the crafty welterweights of Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage once again bump heads tonight in the most anticipated rematch since Frazier beat Ali in the "Battle of the Century" in '71. These two had been exchanging some heated words in the run up to their first clash on March 26th when Farage was given the edge on a split decision verdict, but now they meet again with Nick "Calamity" Clegg looking to upset the odds.

The central area of disagreement between these two behemoths remains the European Question, with each looking to gain advantage on the other in becoming the number one contender for the upcoming European Election title showdown on May 22nd. Recently disagreement between the two contenders has surrounded the undisputed heavyweight champion of the World, Vladimir "the beast from the East" Putin. The Russian Colossus shocked the world recently when he roused the sleeping bear within to inflict a crushing defeat on Ukraine and its Champion Vitali Klitschko. The manner of "the beasts" control and power has impressed the upstart Farage, a view that has been criticised by "Calamity" who has deemed it "Utterly Grotesque". The reverberations of Putin's effortless victory are still being processed, with such an effective display not seen since Joe "The Black Bomber" Louis destroyed Max "Black Uhlan of the Rhine" Schmeling in 1938, but now focus has switched to the battle for European supremacy.

Nigel "The Mirage" Farage (Nicknamed as such for his elusiveness towards any actual policies) is aiming to float like a butterfly and sting like the free (movement of labour does to his sensibilities). \He wants to use this bout to really establish himself as the champion of right-wing boxing fans everywhere and gain real traction in pushing forth his anti-EU agenda in taking powers from the European Boxing Union and placing them back with the British Boxing Board of Control. 

"Calamity" Clegg has pointed to the recent upturn in Britain's Olympic fortunes as proof that Britain is stronger with close European relations saying "We are better off in Europe - richer, stronger, safer - and that's why i'll fight to keep us in."

The fight scheduled for 19:00 BST on BBC2 has an under-card of The Voice: Louder on two, where Zoe "Live & Kicking" Ball will go toe to toe with the faded former champion Tom "Fists of Stones" Jones which is liable to be a cracker. The Clegg/Farage bout is expected to last up to an hour with the opening exchanges being one minute rounds followed by the counter punches of free debate. The fight is likely to go the distance with 100 judges compiled by polling organisation ICM on hand to do the scoring. The contest at this stage is too close to call, but the bookmakers Ladbroke's somewhat surprisingly have Clegg as the marginal favorite at this stage.

Could it be a draw? Who knows. All we can say is this one could go down to the wire and definitely is not one to be missed.

Only in America the United Kingdom.

Until Then.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/kay-burley/farage-vs-clegg-eu-debate_b_5030434.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26843996