The Andes
Bolivia: growing Aymara dissension on Altiplano
Four suyus (traditional Aymara territories) in Bolivia’s Oruro department brought suit demanding that authorities officially recognize the Aymara system of justice.
Author: CounterVortex
The Andes
Bolivia showdown with Chile over border incident
Some 2,000 Bolivians marched on the Chilean consulate to demand the liberation of three Bolivian soliders detained after crossing the border into the neighboring country.
North Africa
US Marines to Morocco for ‘African Lion’ exercise
Amid a growing Pentagon footprint in the Maghreb, 1,400 US Marines will join Moroccan troops on the North African coast for a joint training exercise dubbed “African Lion.”
North Africa
Tunisia: new protest amid political crisis
More than 3,000 Tunisians, led by the father of assassinated opposition figure Chokri Belaid, marched through the capital in a protest against the government’s “slow” investigation.
North Africa
France faces Mali insurgency; US troops to Niger
Some 100 US troops have been mobilized to Niger to establish a drone base, while across the border in northern Mali French-led forces face growing jihadist resistance.
Mexico
Mexico called to task over disappeared
A Human Rights Watch report finds that Mexican security forces took part in thousands of disappearances over the term of President Felipe Calderón, with little investigation.
Palestine
New expressway to divide Palestinian village
Residents of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Safafa are appealing to Israel’s Supreme Court to halt construction of a highway that will divide the Arab district.
The Andes
Colombia: land restitution advances
International human rights advocates commended Colombia on the return of usurped lands to 32 families displaced by paramilitaries in northwest Córdoba department.
Tunisia on Razor’s Edge
Tunisia Women's Day protest Aug. 13 last year. The assassination of leftist leader Chokri Belaid on Feb. 6, apparently by Islamists, has brought into the open the long-simmering conflict that has pitted the ruling Islamist Ennahda Party against progressives, trade… Read moreTunisia on Razor’s Edge
North Africa
Morocco court sentences Western Sahara activists
A Moroccan military court handed prison sentences, including eight life terms, to a group of 24 accused of killing members of the security forces in occupied Western Sahara in 2010.
Iraq
Iraq: more sectarian attacks, protests
A new wave of suicide bombings targeting Iraqi intelligence and judicial officials coincides with widespread Sunni protests demanding the resignaiton of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Southeast Asia
Borneo stand-off: whither Sulu sultanate?
Security forces in Malaysian Borneo are in a stand-off with some 100 men they say are insurgents from the Philippine island of Sulu raising an ancestral claim to the territory.