Global Security Review

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Global Security Update – Executive Summary

October 1 - 31, 2015

Africa

Tensions across a number of countries on the African continent have remained high over the past month as a result of election processes. This month was marked by violent demonstrations erupting in a number of countries. In Guinea, ahead of the presidential election, clashes between supporters of the country’s ruling party and opposition activists left at least one dead and more than 80 wounded. At the beginning of the month, Authorities were forced to declare a curfew across the southwestern city of N’Zerekore after fighting gripped the city. This was the second major outbreak of violence to take place in the run-up to the 11 October polls. Incumbent Alpha Conde won the presidential elections. MS Risk advises all travellers to the country that the political situation remains tense, and violent demonstrations may erupt with minimal notice. We advise that you remain vigilant, monitor local media and avoid large gatherings. Presidential elections occurred on 25 October in Ivory Coast. Incumbent Alassane Ouattara won the election, gaining 83.66 percent of ballots. Election observers gave the presidential vote a clean bill of health. In the Republic of Congo, rallies and demonstrations quickly turned into unrest a week ahead of a referendum on changes to the constitution to allow the president to run for a third term in office. On 20 October, at least four people were shot dead and ten others injured during anti-government protests that were held in the capital Brazzaville. Protests also erupted in the city of Point-Noire. Just hours ahead of an opposition rally to protest against the president’s controversial bid to remain in power, communications were cut across the capital. Mobile Internet services, along with text messaging and French radio RFI’s signal remained cut throughout the week until the 25 October referendum. Official results in the wake of the vote have indicated that over 92% of the votes were in support of changing the constitution. MS Risk advises all in the country to remain vigilant as the political situation remains tense. Further unrest may occur. In Tanzania, presidential, parliamentary and local elections took place on 25 October. There are heightened tensions across Tanzania, and particularly in Zanzibar, where violence could escalate quickly. On 28 October, officials announced that the election in Zanzibar was annulled after the local election commission cited gross violations. The opposition party has demanded a solution to the current political stalemate by 2 November.

Meanwhile in Tanzania, the opposition presidential candidate has called for a recount of Sunday’s poll, citing voting irregularities in the East African nation’s tightest elections in more than five decades. Tensions are likely to remain in the coming days and weeks as the results are announced. MS Risk advises all to remain vigilant. If you are in Zanzibar, we advise that you remain in a safe location, avoid being out on the streets and avoid travelling into the centre of Stone Town if possible. We further advise that you stock up on supplies, including food and water, and other essentials in the event that protests break out and stores remain closed. In South Africa, students held large protests and demonstrations at the parliamentary buildings in Cape Town and across university cities in a bid to put pressure on the government not to increase tuition fees in 2016. The rallies forced a number of the major universities to remain closed. While the government has since announced that it will implement a tuition freeze for next year, there have been reports of small demonstrations continuing. MS Risk advises all to monitor the local media and to avoid all demonstrations, rallies and large gatherings. Throughout this month, tensions have remained high in Central African Republic, with bursts of violence erupting throughout this month. On 27 October, a government spokesman disclosed that three hostages seized in the CAR this week were killed and that three more who were seized later by another gang were also killed. Presidential elections, which were due to take place this month, have been rescheduled for 13 December. MS Risk advises all in the CAR to remain vigilant, as violence may erupt with minimal notice. Uganda is due to hold presidential and parliamentary elections. The official campaign period will begin on 9 November and may result in heightened tensions. MS Risk advises all in the country to avoid large crowds and public demonstrations. Pope Francis is due to visit Uganda on 27 to 29 November. His visit will result in heightened security. It is likely that officials will close of major streets and security checkpoints may be set up.

The interim government In Burkina Faso has been back in power for the past several weeks, in the wake of the 16 September failed coup. Officials announced this month that presidential and parliamentary elections, which were initially set to take place in October but delayed by the failed coup, will go ahead on 29 November. In Mali, after several weeks of relative calm, the security situation again destabilized in October after officials reported a number of incidents linked to jihadists operating in the country. On 26 October, three civilians were killed in northern Mali when their vehicle hit a land mine. The incident occurred in the vicinity of a UN base at Tessalit, which is located in the Kidal region. Further such incidents in the region cannot be ruled out. After having initially concentrated their attacks on northern Mali, jihadist fighters have in recent months increasingly spread their activities further south, firstly moving towards the central region of the country and then from June, moving into the southern areas near the borders with Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast. Boko Haram violence in Nigeria, as well as in neighboring states, has continued over this past month, with the militant group again demonstrating its capabilities of launching attacks and cross border raids despite ongoing military operations in its stronghold. At the beginning of the month, two bomb blasts ripped through the outskirts of the Nigerian capital of Abuja. The explosions, which occurred on 3 October, took place near a police station in Kuje and at a bus station in Nyanya at about 10:30 PM local time. At least eighteen people were killed in the attack and dozens more were injured. Boko Haram has since claimed responsibility for the attack. The militant group has also carried out at least 8 deadly attacks in the northeastern city of Maiduguri in recent weeks. Most have been carried out by suicide bombers. Meanwhile in neighboring Chad, Boko Haram militants killed eleven soldiers in an attack on 6 October, while on 10 October, three explosions killed at least 41 people in the city of Baga Sola, which until now had been unaffected by such violence. Sources have reported that five suicide bombers targeted the fish market in the city and a refugee camp located on the outskirts of the city. In Cameroon, two teenaged girls carried out suicide bombings on 11 October, killing at least 9 people and wounding 29 others. The girls, aged between 13 and 17, carried out suicide bombings in the northern village of Kangaleri, which is located 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the town of Mora. On 14 October in Niger, authorities imposed a state of emergency on the region of Diffa, which has been severally affected by Boko Haram attacks. At the end of the month, that state of emergency was extended for three months, however despite this, suspected Boko Haram militants killed two Nigerien soldiers on 21 October in a suicide attack. On 28 October, security sources indicated that suspected Boko Haram militants killed at least fourteen people in an overnight attack on a village in the southeastern region of the country. The attack occurred in the village of Ala, which is located in the region of Diffa.

Asia Pacific

In Southern Asia, the threat of terrorism and kidnapping is high, particularly in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In Afghanistan, attacks have occurred in Uruzghan, Nimroz Kunduz, Nangarhar, Kunduz, Sar-e-Pul, Logar, Farah, Helmand, Baghlan, Takhar, Kunduz, Ghazni, Paktia, Parwan, Balkh, Kunar, Zabul, Ghazni, Badghis, Takhar, Faryab, Kandahar, Maidan Wardak, Jawzjan and Laghman provinces. In Kabul, three separate bombings shook the Afghan capital to its foundations and have left at least 77 people dead. The attacks began on Friday 7 August with a truck bomb that exploded near an Afghan military intelligence compound, killing fifteen people and wounding around 300 more. Nearby residential and commercial buildings collapsed as a result of the explosion. Later on the same day, a suicide bomber detonated his explosive device among a group of cadets gathered outside a police academy in Kabul, killing 28 people and injuring about 20 more. Shortly after that, a car bomb exploded outside US military base, allowing insurgents to pass through the outer perimeter of the compound. A lengthily firefight between militants and US military personnel ensued. In Pakistan, there have been continued violations of the ceasefire along the Line of Control with India. Not only has this cost the lives of soldiers and civilians from both sides of the border it has also forestalled important national security talks between the two nuclear powers. MS Risk advises against travelling to these destinations.

In South East Asia, at least three Abu Sayyaf militants have been killed in an exchange of gunfire with Philippine government forces in the war torn southern province of Sulu. Elsewhere in the Philippines, four Abu Sayyaf militants have escaped from a detention centre Basilan province, about 900km south of Manila. The militants made good their escape by cutting off the iron grill of their cell window with a hacksaw. Security forces are currently hunting for the escapees. In Indonesia, police arrested Islamic State affiliated militants on 15 August who were planning to launch bomb attacks during Independence Day celebrations the following week. It is believed that the men were plotting to attack churches and a police station in Solo, on the island of Java. Police seized various bomb making paraphernalia during the raids. Finally, in Thailand, a bomb blast has torn through the commercial centre of Thailand’s capital Bangkok, killing at least 21 people and wounding 120 more. Police have confirmed that the dead include 10 Thais, one Chinese national and one Filipino. The nationalities of the others who died in the explosion are still being determined. MS Risk advises travellers to exercise caution while travelling in South East Asia.

In Eastern Asia, high-level negotiations between Seoul and Pyongyang have eased tensions on the Korean Peninsula, where the possibility of a military clash has loomed large since a rare exchange of fire across the border late last week. Earlier this month, two members of a South Korean border patrol were seriously injured in a mine blast, an incident described by Seoul as a cowardly act of provocation, which merited “harsh” retaliation. Pyongyang was similarly incensed by the commencement of joint military exercises between South Korea and the US - an annual event which the North believes is preparation for war and the eventual occupation of their capital.These exercises were temporarily suspended after an exchange of artillery fire across the border on Thursday 20 August. MS Risk advises that normal security precautions be taken by visitors to China, Japan and South Korea.

In Oceania, rival protests between anti-Muslim and anti-racist demonstrators have been seen in country Victoria. In addition to numerous drug hauls, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced that seven young Australians have been stopped on their way to join terrorists in the Middle East. MS Risk advises that normal security precautions be taken by visitors to Australia and New Zealand.

Europe

The migration crisis continues to have a severe impact on the European continent, particularly in Greece, Italy and the Balkan regions. The issue was further complicated this month by Hungary’s decision to close its border with Croatia. On 17 October, Hungary closed its border with Croatia in an effort to stem the flow of migrants through the country en route to Western Europe. However this move has forced Croatia to begin directing migrants to Slovenia instead, which has resulted in raised tensions between the two countries, as both states have disagreed on the number of migrants it should accept on a daily basis. Officials in Slovenia

have indicated that they are increasingly unable to deal with the growing number of migrants that are arriving at their border, warning European Union officials at a mini summit at the end of October that they will be forced to take drastic measures if the EU does not help them. While the move to erect border fences in a bid to deal with the flow of migrants has been criticized by many, more and more EU nations are considering the move, as despite the cold weather, the flow of migrants trying to move across Europe has not decreased. On 28 October, Austria announced that it is planning to construct a fence at the main crossing used by migrants entering the country from Slovenia, noting however that the move would not shut the border, but instead it would allow for a better control of arrivals. Balkan countries at the frontline of the migrant crisis – specifically Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia - have also disclosed that they could close their borders in order to avoid becoming buffer zones for new arrivals. The United Nations has estimated that more than 700,000 migrants have crossed to Europe by boat so far this year.

The threat of terrorism across Europe remains at a heightened level. Denmark, France, Germany and the United Kingdom are on a high alert. Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain remain at the second highest level of alert. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Hungary, Moldova, Finland and the Czech Republic currently have a low threat from terrorism while Ireland, Belarus, Slovakia, Romania, Austria, Norway, Luxembourg, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland have a general threat from terrorism.

Latin America

The risk of kidnap across Southern and Central America, particularly in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Venezuela continues to be serious. MS Risk advises all travellers to these destinations to exercise a high degree of caution overall. This is due to the enhanced threat of criminal activity.

Argentina will hold a run-off presidential election on 22 November. The two candidates - centre-right mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri and Daniel Scioli – have launched their campaigns for the run-off vote. In Ecuador, the Tungurahua volcanic activity is now high, with tremors, slight explosions and ash flow towards the western part of the volcano. There have also been cases of dengue fever that have been reported mainly in the provinces of Manabi, Guayas, El Oro and Esmeraldas. In El Salvador, at least one suspected Mara street gang member and three other males were found shot dead. In a separate incident, two other suspected gang members were killed during an attack on a police station.

Middle East

Kidnap and terrorism threats across the Middle East remain high; particularly in Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen. MS Risk reminds all travellers to the region that terror attacks can be indiscriminate and can take place in crowded areas, at high-profile events, as well as in places that are frequented by foreigners. Foreigners and locals working for international organizations and companies remain at a high risk of kidnapping. Fighting remains intense in parts of several countries in the region.

In Yemen, al-Qaeda continues to gain ground as the government forces and the Saudi-led coalition battle with the Houthi rebels. Mediated talks between the Yemeni government and al-Qaeda, aimed at convincing the terrorists to give up their weapons or move out of Aden have failed. Civilians continue to get caught amid the three-way battle; sometimes being taken hostage for leverage. Peace talks are expected to begin in mid-November, however it is likely that the battle key strongholds will intensify prior to opening discussions.

The introduction of Russia into the Syrian war has complicated relationships among many of the parties involved. Russia has been accused multiple times of violating Turkish airspace and has reportedly accidentally fired rockets into Iran while intending to target parts of Syria. The US government is concerned that the Russian strikes are focusing on targeting anti-Assad forces rather than defeating Islamic State, which has gained ground in Syria since the Russians have engaged. Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with Syrian leader Bashar al Assad; the latter states that he is willing to dialogue with opposition groups in an effort to combat Islamic State. Western backed opposition have voiced reluctance as clashes on the ground intensify.

In Turkey, tensions are high after two explosions struck in Ankara on 10 October, killing at least 95 people who were attending a peace rally. Turkish forces continue to battle with the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) and the YPG militia. The Turkish government is also conducting sweeps to search for ISIS cells and supporters in the nation.

Lebanon’s “You Stink” anti-corruption campaign has continued as torrential rains have washed rivers of garbage into the streets. The anti-corruption campaign against the existing government has continued as Lebanese people demand that the post of president, which has been vacant for over a year, bee filled. Security authorities continue to use harsh tactics to disperse protestors, including water cannons and tear gas. In Beirut, airport authorities have foiled one of the country's largest drug smuggling attempts, seizing two tons of amphetamine Captagon pills before they were loaded onto the private plane of a Saudi prince.

Aggression in Palestine and Israel has continued unabated since Tel Aviv’s recent restrictions on access to the al Aqsa Mosque. The Jordanian government, which has custodial rights over Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, wants new surveillance cameras on the Al-Aqsa Mosque to be installed and the footage to be streamed live online as accusations and attacks among Palestinians and Israelis endure.

MS Risk advises any travellers to the region to be aware of the situation at all times and to avoid any large gatherings or demonstrations, as they may rapidly escalate and become violent. We advise that you monitor local media for updates and be aware that the security situation in parts of the country can deteriorate quickly.

North America

There is a continued general threat from terrorism in both the United States and Canada. MS Risk advices all travellers visiting these countries to remain vigilant and monitor media reports.

Over this past month, a few security incidents occurred in Canada. There have been multiple kidnapping incidents in October. The Liberal party’s candidate Justin Trudeau was voted as the new Prime Minister in Canada’s government election on 19 October. Trudeau announced on 20 October that he will pull Canadian fighter jets out of the bombing campaign against Islamic State terrorists in Iraq and Syria.

Many security incidents occurred in the United States this past month, many of them involving shootings. There was a significant increase of college campus related shootings in October. At the beginning of the month, a gunman opened fire at Oregon’ s Umpqua College campus killing ten people and injuring nine others. On 9 October, a student killed one person and injured three others at Northern Arizona University’s campus. Also on 9 October, one student was killed and other injured during a shooting outside a Texas Southern University housing complex. A gunman killed one man and injured three others on Tennessee State University’s campus on 22 October. A shooting on North Carolina Central University, injured a student on 25 October. Paul Ryan was elected 54th Speaker of the House of Representatives, replacing John Boehner on 29 October.

Table of Contents

Africa ................................................................................................................................... 12

North Africa .............................................................................................................................. 12

Algeria ................................................................................................................................. 12

Egypt ................................................................................................................................... 13

Libya .................................................................................................................................... 17

Morocco & Western Sahara ....................................................................................................... 21

Sudan ................................................................................................................................... 21

Tunisia ................................................................................................................................. 22

West Africa ............................................................................................................................... 24

Benin .................................................................................................................................... 24

Burkina Faso ........................................................................................................................... 24

Gambia ................................................................................................................................. 27

Ghana ................................................................................................................................... 27

Guinea .................................................................................................................................. 27

Guinea-Bissau .......................................................................................................................... 32

Ivory Coast ............................................................................................................................. 33

Liberia .................................................................................................................................. 36

Mali ...................................................................................................................................... 36

Mauritania .............................................................................................................................. 38

Niger .................................................................................................................................... 39

Nigeria .................................................................................................................................. 40

Sahel & Sahara Regions .............................................................................................................. 49

Senegal ................................................................................................................................. 50

Sierra Leone ........................................................................................................................... 50

Togo ..................................................................................................................................... 50

Central Africa ............................................................................................................................ 50

Angola................................................................................................................................... 50

Cameroon .............................................................................................................................. 51

Central African Republic (CAR) ..................................................................................................... 52

Chad ..................................................................................................................................... 57

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ............................................................................................. 58

Equatorial Guinea ..................................................................................................................... 61

Gabon ................................................................................................................................... 61

Republic of Congo .................................................................................................................... 61

Sao Tome and Principe .............................................................................................................. 65

East Africa ................................................................................................................................ 65

Burundi ................................................................................................................................. 65

Djibouti ................................................................................................................................. 69

Eritrea .................................................................................................................................. 69

Ethiopia ................................................................................................................................. 70

Kenya ................................................................................................................................... 71

Madagascar............................................................................................................................. 72

Malawi .................................................................................................................................. 73

Mauritius ............................................................................................................................... 73

Mozambique ........................................................................................................................... 73

Rwanda ................................................................................................................................. 74

Somalia ................................................................................................................................. 75

South Sudan ............................................................................................................................ 76

Tanzania ................................................................................................................................ 79

Uganda .................................................................................................................................. 82

Zimbabwe .............................................................................................................................. 84

South Africa .............................................................................................................................. 84

Botswana ............................................................................................................................... 84

Lesotho ................................................................................................................................. 84

Namibia ................................................................................................................................. 84

South Africa ............................................................................................................................ 84

Swaziland............................................................................................................................... 88

Asia Pacific ......................................................................................................................... 89

Eastern Asia .............................................................................................................................. 89

China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ............................................................................... 89

North Korea ............................................................................................................................ 89

Japan .................................................................................................................................... 90

South Korea ............................................................................................................................ 90

Southern Asia ............................................................................................................................ 91

Afghanistan ............................................................................................................................ 91

Bangladesh ............................................................................................................................. 94

India ..................................................................................................................................... 95

Pakistan ................................................................................................................................ 95

Nepal .................................................................................................................................... 96

Sri Lanka ................................................................................................................................ 97

South - Eastern Asia .................................................................................................................... 97

Cambodia ............................................................................................................................... 97

Indonesia ............................................................................................................................... 98

Malaysia ................................................................................................................................ 98

Myanmar ................................................................................................................................ 98

Philippines ............................................................................................................................. 99

Singapore .............................................................................................................................. 101

Thailand ............................................................................................................................... 101

Vietnam................................................................................................................................ 101

Oceania ...................................................................................................................................101

Australia ............................................................................................................................... 101

New Zealand .......................................................................................................................... 102

Europe ............................................................................................................................... 103

Eastern Europe .........................................................................................................................103

Belarus ................................................................................................................................. 103

Bulgaria ................................................................................................................................ 104

Czech Republic ....................................................................................................................... 105

Hungary ................................................................................................................................ 107

Moldova ................................................................................................................................ 109

Poland ................................................................................................................................. 110

Romania ............................................................................................................................... 112

Russian Federation .................................................................................................................. 114

Slovakia ................................................................................................................................ 119

Ukraine ................................................................................................................................ 119

Northern Europe .......................................................................................................................123

Denmark ............................................................................................................................... 123

Estonia ................................................................................................................................. 124

Finland ................................................................................................................................. 124

Ireland ................................................................................................................................. 125

Latvia .................................................................................................................................. 125

Lithuania .............................................................................................................................. 126

Norway ................................................................................................................................. 126

Sweden ................................................................................................................................ 127

United Kingdom ...................................................................................................................... 129

Southern Europe .......................................................................................................................135

Albania ................................................................................................................................. 135

Bosnia and Herzegovina ............................................................................................................ 135

Croatia ................................................................................................................................. 135

Greece ................................................................................................................................. 138

Italy .................................................................................................................................... 145

Kosovo ................................................................................................................................. 146

Malta ................................................................................................................................... 147

Montenegro ........................................................................................................................... 148

Portugal ............................................................................................................................... 149

Serbia .................................................................................................................................. 151

Slovenia ................................................................................................................................ 152

Spain ................................................................................................................................... 156

Macedonia ............................................................................................................................. 159

Western Europe ........................................................................................................................159

Austria ................................................................................................................................. 159

Belgium ................................................................................................................................ 162

France ................................................................................................................................. 164

Germany ............................................................................................................................... 168

Netherlands ........................................................................................................................... 176

Switzerland ........................................................................................................................... 178

Latin America ................................................................................................................. 179

Central America ........................................................................................................................179

Costa Rica ............................................................................................................................. 179

El Salvador ............................................................................................................................ 179

Guatemala ............................................................................................................................ 179

Honduras .............................................................................................................................. 181

Uruguay ................................................................................................................................ 182

Mexico ................................................................................................................................. 182

Nicaragua .............................................................................................................................. 187

Panama ................................................................................................................................ 188

South America ..........................................................................................................................188

Argentina .............................................................................................................................. 188

Bolivia .................................................................................................................................. 189

Brazil ................................................................................................................................... 189

Chile .................................................................................................................................... 193

Colombia .............................................................................................................................. 193

Ecuador ................................................................................................................................ 195

Guyana ................................................................................................................................. 195

Paraguay ............................................................................................................................... 196

Peru .................................................................................................................................... 196

Venezuela ............................................................................................................................. 197

Caribbean ................................................................................................................................200

Haiti .................................................................................................................................... 200

Puerto Rico ........................................................................................................................... 202

Middle East ...................................................................................................................... 203

Bahrain ................................................................................................................................ 203

Iran ..................................................................................................................................... 204

Iraq..................................................................................................................................... 206

Israel & Palestine ................................................................................................................... 211

Jordan ................................................................................................................................. 216

Kuwait ................................................................................................................................. 218

Lebanon ............................................................................................................................... 219

Oman .................................................................................................................................. 222

Qatar .................................................................................................................................. 222

Saudi Arabia ......................................................................................................................... 224

Syria ................................................................................................................................... 226

Turkey ................................................................................................................................. 232

United Arab Emirates ............................................................................................................. 236

Yemen ................................................................................................................................. 237

North America ................................................................................................................ 244

Canada ................................................................................................................................. 244

United States of America ........................................................................................................... 245

Africa North Africa

Algeria

24 October Torrential rains and heavy flooding have damaged five camps housing some 90,000 Sahrawi refugees in western Algeria, the UN's refugee agency said on Friday. The camps are located in the Tindouf region close to the border with Morocco and Western Sahara. So far, UNHCR and its partners have begun providing assistance to around 25,000 people, whose homes and food supplies were destroyed by flooding. But with the rains expected to last until Sunday, the agency has warned the number of people needing aid could rise. Along with the Algerian government and other organisations like the World Food Programme and the UN children's agency, UNHCR is providing the refugees with food and drinking water. The agency is also planning to build makeshift shelters. Sahrawi refugees have been living in the region since the mid-1970s after Spain withdrew from the area and fighting broke out. While the Sahara gets very little rain year-round, when it does rain it can be disastrous for the local communities.

22 October A cut submarine cable between Algeria and France is expected to disrupt Internet access for several days in the North African country, Algeria Telecom said Thursday. Work was already underway about 15 kilometres (10 miles) north of Annaba on the cable that conveys much of the country's Internet traffic, said the company. Connection issues arose Thursday afternoon. "Repair work may take several days depending on weather conditions," said Algeria Telecom. Around 10 million people, or about a quarter of the population, have access to the Internet in Algeria, but the digital economy remains largely untapped.

20 October Officials say troops killed at least three militants during a counter-terrorism operation in northern Algeria on Tuesday. Algeria's Ministry of National Defense released a statement saying the incident occurred Tuesday morning "during a cordon and combing operation at the village of Ouled H'mida, located in Baghlia," a town in the northern province of Boumerdès. Security forces recovered three Kalashnikov machine guns with magazines, 135 rounds of ammunition and nine mobile phones, the statement reads. While much of Algeria is considered relatively secure, militant groups are known to enjoy safe havens in the north of the country, where they have clashed with security forces in multiple incidents throughout the year.

19 October At least four people were killed in a factory explosion in Algeria, according to a statement from the defence ministry. The explosion occurred at a factory run by the defence ministry in the province of Ain Defla, 150 km from here, on Sunday, Xinhua reported, citing the statement. An investigation has been launched to probe the incident.

12 October Algerian authorities shut down a private TV station after it aired an interview with a former Islamist insurgent leader who criticised President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and warned him to not get in his way of starting up a political party. The communication ministry lodged a complaint against the El Watan TV station following the broadcast of comments from Madani Mezrag earlier this month, in which he attacked Bouteflika for barring him from creating a political party. The channel “operates in an illegal manner and broadcasts subversive content and was detrimental to state symbols”, the ministry said in a statement. In the interview, Mezrag, founder of the Islamic Salvation Army (AIS), the armed wing of the now-banned Islamic Salvation Front party (FIS), warned President Bouteflika, saying: “If he doesn’t rethink his position, he will hear from me things he has never heard before.” “The man who gives me orders hasn’t yet been born.” Mezrag added. On Monday, police forced the 171 staff to leave the station. The station’s owner, Dfajar Chelli, said he would appeal the decision. More than 40 private television channels work out of Algeria but only five of them have official accreditation, according to the communications ministry. Others are tolerated by authorities. "El Watan has stepped over the line of tolerance," a ministry source said of the shut-down. The station is based in London and broadcasts from the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus but has offices in Algiers. Mezrag’s Islamic Salvation Army was formed during the North African nation’s “black decade” in the 1990s, triggered by a ban on the FIS which was poised to win legislative elections. Ensuing violence between security forces and Islamic insurgents left an estimated 200,000 people dead. Mezrag had cut a ceasefire deal with Algerian authorities in 1997 in which his group laid down arms.

5 October Seven caches containing a homemade bomb and 15 anti-personnel mines have been discovered by a detachment of the National Popular Army (ANP), under the operational area of Boumerdes, the Ministry of National Defence announced. The caches discovered near the area of Oued Akerkour, also included a generator, ammunition, sleeping materials and other objects that were destroyed on the spot. Detachments within the operational areas of Tamanrasset in Bordj Badji Mokhtar and In Guezam arrested during thirty smugglers of different nationalities and seized a truck, all-terrain vehicles, 25 tons of cement, 130 mattresses, 10 metal detectors, 04 jackhammers, explosives, detonation tools and mobile phones. The National Gendarmerie in Tebessa, Souk Ahras and Guelma also arrested nine illegal immigrants. The 4th Military Region, seized 11,013 bottles of 520 different drinks, and boxes of cigarettes and tobacco in the operational areas of Ouargla and Ghardaia.

7 October The Algerian Defense Ministry says its security forces have killed a "dangerous terrorist" active since 1995 in an eastern region near the border with Tunisia. Bakari Ali, whose nom de guerre was Abou El-Hacen, was killed a day earlier in the Tebessa region. Weapons including an automatic pistol and a Kalashnikov were seized along with munitions, explosives and portable phones. El-Hacen and his wife joined extremist groups in 1995 in the eastern region before heading to the Sahel in 2000, "becoming one of the acolytes of terrorist Moktar Belmokhtar" — the militant who claimed responsibility for the 2013 gas plant attack in southern Algeria in which 37 workers, all but one of them foreigners, were killed.

1 October The Algerian regime arrested another army general in Algiers for insulting the regime and calling for its fall. Former head of the Algerian armoured 8th brigade Gen. Hocine Benhadid was nabbed by Gendarmerie and police forces in Algiers as he was heading to a medical check-up. The General is accused of expressing grave accusations in an interview two weeks ago against the Deputy Defense Minister and current Chief of Staff of the Algerian army, Ahmed Gaïd Salah, and against the president’s brother Saïd Bouteflika and Ali Haddad. “But the nature of the arrest, by force against an ailing former general, bears the marks of the Chief of Staff of the Army, M. Gaid Salah,” said a source from the Algerian presidency. In a radio interview, Benhadid had called for the removal of Gaïd Salah and the Head of State. “He insulted the Chief of Staff, something unpardonable for a high ranking officer like him,’’ an advisor to President Bouteflika was quoted by local media as saying. ‘’He even called for the removal of the President in the Radio interview. For us, this is intolerable, he will appear before Blida military court.’’ If found guilty, he may risk a death sentence.

Egypt

31 October A Russian airliner carrying 224 passengers crashed into a mountainous area of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Saturday shortly after losing radar contact near cruising altitude, killing all aboard. A militant group affiliated to Islamic State in Egypt, Sinai Province, said in a statement it had brought down the plane "in response to Russian airstrikes that killed hundreds of Muslims on Syrian land", but Russia's Transport Minister told Interfax news agency the claim "can't be considered accurate". The Airbus A321, operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia under the brand name Metrojet, was flying from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg in Russia when it went down in central Sinai soon after daybreak, the aviation ministry said. "I now see a tragic scene," an Egyptian security officer at the site told Reuters by telephone. "A lot of dead on the ground and many who died whilst strapped to their seats." The plane split into two, a small part on the tail end that burned and a larger part that crashed into a rockface. We have extracted at least 100 bodies and the rest are still inside," the officer, who requested anonymity, said. Both black boxes of the plane had been found, Mohamed Hossam Kemal, the civil aviation minister, told a news conference. Kemal said communications between the plane and air traffic control before the crash had been normal and that nothing irregular had occurred before the accident. "The plane did not request a change of route," he said. Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail also told the news conference that there did not appear to be any unusual activity behind the crash but the facts would not be clear until further investigations had been carried out. Ismail said 129 bodies had so far been removed and the chances of finding survivors were now near-impossible. Bodies were being transported to various hospitals with 34 arriving in the Zeinhom morgue in Cairo early in the evening. Islamic State, in a statement on Twitter, said it had brought down the aircraft. Sinai is the scene of an insurgency by militants close to Islamic State. Much of the Sinai is a restricted military zone. Militants in the area are not believed to have missiles capable of hitting a plane at 30,000 feet. Islamic State websites have in the past claimed responsibility for actions that have not been conclusively attributed to them. Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, launched air raids against opposition groups in Syria including Islamic State on Sept. 30. Two of Europe's largest airlines, Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) and Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA), said they would avoid flying over the Sinai Peninsula while

awaiting an explanation on the cause of the crash. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi promised Russia's President Vladimir Putin he would allow Russian experts to join the investigation. The prime minister said a Russian team would arrive in Egypt later on Saturday night. The country is also preparing to receive the families of the victims.

27 October The Egyptian army announced on Monday evening that it had discovered and destroyed 12 tunnels on the border with the Gaza Strip. A number of Palestinian “infiltrators” were also arrested, Anadolu has reported. Since the ouster of the first freely-elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, the military regime in Cairo has stepped up its crackdown on the tunnels, which have been described elsewhere as a “lifeline” for the besieged Palestinians in Gaza. The Egyptian army claims that the tunnels are being used by militants carrying out attacks in Sinai. Egypt has established a 2 km-wide buffer zone with Gaza since October 2014, and has recently started to flood the area with sea water in order to capsize tunnels.

26 October Egypt says the governor of the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria has resigned over the poor response to flooding that devastated parts of the city following a weekend rainstorm. Hany el-Missiry's resignation, announced by government spokesman Osama Abdul-Aziz late Monday, followed the death of at least six people as a result of the flooding in Alexandria, five of whom were electrocuted by a fallen power cable. The Alexandria flooding capped a series of crises over the past week, including the weakening of the Egyptian pound and an unusually low turnout in parliamentary elections that has raised questions about the country's political direction under President Abdel-Fattah el-Si.00000000000si. Sisi is chairing a crisis Cabinet meeting Tuesday to discuss the flooding and other pressing issues.

24 October Suspected militants shot dead an Islamist candidate in the parliamentary election and three police officers were killed by a roadside bomb in Arish city in Egypt's Sinai peninsula on Saturday, security sources said. Two gunmen riding a motorcycle shot and killed Mostafa Abdelrahman, the secretary of the Nour party in Arish, just outside his home on Saturday morning, security sources said. The Nour party, an ultra-conservative Salafist party, won 28 percent in an 2012 election but has lost popularity for backing a crackdown on fellow Islamist organization the Muslim Brotherhood, and for being prepared to join the government of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt held the first round of its parliamentary vote on Oct. 18-19. It was dominated by a political alliance loyal to Sisi and was marked by low turnout. The second round is due on Nov. 22-23. In Arish, the capital of the Northern Sinai province where the insurgency is mostly based, residents say the militants have threatened candidates, accusing them of cooperating with the government.

An Egyptian first lieutenant and two soldiers were killed in an explosion which targeted a police armoured vehicle in the northern Sinai city of el-Arish Saturday, Egypt's Interior Ministry said. Eight soldiers were injured in the explosion and have been transported to the hospital for treatment, the ministry said. Forces are combing the area of the explosion, according to the ministry. The incident follows a Friday roadside bomb which killed a police officer, also in el-Arish.

23 October Egyptian security forces have arrested Hassan Malik, a leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, security officials said, part of a sustained crackdown on Islamists. "He was arrested in Cairo on charges of funding a group that promotes violence," said one of the officials. Malik, a businessman, was one of the few prominent Brotherhood members to escape the toughest crackdown on Islamists in Egypt's modern history. Security forces have killed hundreds of Islamists and arrested thousands of others since the army toppled President Mohamed Morsi of the Brotherhood in 2013 after mass protests against his rule. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has branded the Brotherhood a terrorist group and says it poses an existential threat to Egypt, an allegation it denies. A Sinai-based militant group that supports Islamic State has killed hundreds of soldiers and police since Morsi was ousted.

22 October A political alliance loyal to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has scooped all 60 list seats up for grabs in the first round of a parliamentary election in which opposition parties were all but absent, official results showed on Wednesday. The initial round of voting for what will be Egypt's first parliament in three years was held on Sunday and Monday, with turnout at just over a quarter of the electorate and images of empty polling stations splashed across local media. The vote has been hailed by Sisi as the final step in a political transition that is meant to lead Egypt to democracy but critics say it has been undermined by widespread repression. A list of socialist and liberal parties which would have presented the main opposition choice on ballot papers eventually withdrew, leaving the field dominated by Sisi supporters, former apparatchiks of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, provincial

notables and wealthy businessmen. The new parliament will comprise 568 members - 448 elected on an individual basis and 120 through winner-takes-all lists. All but four of the 226 individual seats up for grabs in round one will be contested in run-offs between leading candidates to take place on Oct. 26-27 after none of those running clinched more than 50 percent of the vote. Three of those four seats were won by former members of Mubarak's ruling party, the National Democratic Party (NDP), which was disbanded in the wake of the 2011 Tahrir Square revolt that inspired hopes of sweeping democratic and economic reform. The fourth seat was won by a Sisi supporter.

Egypt announced on Wednesday evening a 26.56-percent voter turnout in the first stage of the country's long-awaited parliamentary elections, far less than that of the last polls in 2012. With more than 27 million eligible voters, the polling on Sunday and Monday only saw less than 7.3 million casting their ballots, according to the High Election Committee. The turnout is considered too low compared with the more than 54 percent in 2012 elections that elected a parliament dominated by Islamists. The polls took place in 14 of the country's 27 provinces, in which more than 2,500 individual candidates and seven party lists were competing for 286 seats in the coming parliament. The two-day process represents the first parliamentary elections held under President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who has been holding the legislative authority in the absence of a parliament since he came to office in mid-2014. Besides the media, the elections were monitored a variety of third-party observers, including 68 foreign embassies and 81 local civil society organizations, according to the head of the electoral panel. The African Union delegation said in its report that the polls were held so transparently and peacefully, giving citizens the chance to exercise their constitutional right freely. The second and final state for the rest 13 provinces, including the capital Cairo, will be held on Nov. 22 and 23. Egypt, the most populous Arab state, has been without a parliament for about three years. The last one, which was elected in late 2011 after the ouster of long-time leader Hosni Mubarak, was dissolved in June 2012 by a court order.

21 October A total of 78 migrants from different African nations were arrested taking a boat to Italy from Kafr el-Sheikh illegally, while the attempt of 245 people to access Libya illegally was foiled in the Western Desert Tuesday, Youm7 reported. The African migrants included 72 Somalis, three Congolese, one Gambian and two Sudanese. Last week, 14 migrants drowned off Egyptian shores, including six Egyptians, six Iraqis and a Sudanese woman after their boat sank off Kafr el-Sheikh. The owner of the boat and twenty-five migrants were arrested after being rescued. Meanwhile in Sallum on the borders with Libya, 240 Egyptians and five Sudanese were arrested for being a military zone without a permit as they were heading to Libya through desert routes. In an Oct. 13 statement, military spokesperson Mohamed Samir reported that 2,215 people were arrested in illegal immigration attempts in September, both in cities on the Mediterranean and at the Egyptian-Libya borders.

18 October People have been voting in Egypt in the first round of long-delayed elections to choose a new parliament. They are the first such elections since the previous chamber was dissolved by a court ruling in 2012. The authorities say the poll is the final step in a transition to democracy. However, critics say most candidates are supporters of President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and the new parliament is likely to strengthen his control. President Sisi is a former general who led the 2013 military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, following months of unrest. Morsi's party, the Muslim Brotherhood, won about half the seats in the last parliament but is now banned and its leaders are in jail - some facing death sentences. By contrast, many figures from the regime of deposed autocrat Hosni Mubarak are on the ballot paper. Voting continues on Monday in this first round of the elections, with a second round due in November. Results are not expected to be known until early December. Voters are choosing 596 MPs for the lower house, the House of Representatives. On Saturday, President Sisi made a televised appeal for Egyptians to vote. With indications that turnout may have been low on Sunday, it was announced that public sector employees would have half a day's holiday on Monday to encourage them to take part. While the new parliament appears to have broad powers, it is not expected to challenge the president, our correspondent says. Analysts say turnout is expected to be low, with many Egyptians disillusioned with the democratic process. Apathy is particularly high among young people, with many angry at the government and its policies.

16 October The Egyptian authorities have closed the Rafah border crossing after opening it for just one day to allow “special cases” to cross. Only Palestinians stranded in Egypt were allowed to pass through back into the Gaza Strip, Egyptian security sources have revealed. Nearly 2,000 Palestinians crossed into the Gaza Strip. They were also allowed the entry of some construction materials. The Rafah border crossing links the Gaza Strip to Egypt. It is generally specifically for pedestrian traffic, although it is occasionally used for goods. For most of Gaza’s 1.9 million Palestinian residents it is the only physical link to the outside

world due to the Israeli-led blockade, which is supported by Egypt’s closure of the border. The Egyptian authorities have closed the Rafah crossing more or less continuously since the military coup in July 2013, and only open it for humanitarian cases. Opening the crossing, say the authorities in Cairo, depends on the security situation in northern Sinai. A number of assailants have made a series of attacks on security and military targets near the border over the past couple of years.

15 October Militants kidnapped three pro-government tribal fighters manning a checkpoint in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Thursday, officials said, in an attack claimed by the militants. Two fighters from a tribal militia at the checkpoint were also wounded in the attack in the North Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid, security officials and medics said. The "Sinai Province", Egyptian affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, claimed the attack on a Twitter account, saying a number of tribal fighters were killed. Its claim could not be independently verified. In a separate attack late Wednesday, a civilian was killed and six policemen were wounded as a roadside bomb struck a passing armoured police vehicle in El-Arish, provincial capital of North Sinai.

14 October A roadside bomb by unknown assailants in the northern Sinai city of el-Arish has has left one civilian and one soldier dead. Six policemen were injured in the explosion that took place as the victims were passing by on a road. The Islamic State affiliate in Egypt has claimed responsibility for attacks in northern Sinai.

13 October Security officials say three homemade bombs have exploded along the railway of Egypt's Mediterranean city of Alexandria, wounding a couple and damaging a train. Wednesday's pre-dawn blasts are the latest sign that the restive Sinai Peninsula’s Islamic insurgency has spread its reach to Egypt's mainland. The insurgency escalated after the 2013 military overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi. The officials said the bombs were spread out over a kilometre (0.6 miles) along the railway in Muharram Bek, near the city's stadium. They wounded a man and his wife as well as dented and broke the glass of a parked train. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, which rattled windows and spread panic across downtown Alexandria.

An Egyptian Court ordered the acquittal of jailed former President Hosni Mubarak's two sons, ruling that the brothers have already served their three-year prison sentences on graft convictions. The Cairo Criminal Court on Monday ordered the release of Gamal and Alaa Mubarak in an embezzlement case known as "the presidential palaces case," according to Daily News. The brothers still face trials for accusations of insider trading to gain profit by buying shares of a private bank. Gamal Mubarak was widely expected to succeed Hosni Mubarak before his ouster in 2011. Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons were convicted in May this year for embezzling $17.9 million of public funds meant for renovations to the presidential palaces, according to Associated Press. They were handed more than three years of prison sentences.

11 October Eleven would-be migrants from Syria and Africa drowned when a boat bound for Europe capsized off the Egyptian port of Baltim. The coastguard took into custody 15 survivors identified as Syrians, Egyptian and people of other African nationalities after the sinking of the trawler on Saturday night.

10 October Police in Beheira arrested five supporters of former president Mohamed Morsi during a march organized by supporters of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. The protests were condemning the death of Salah al-Basousy, a lawyer held in police custody who reportedly died from a deterioration in his health. Demonstrators accused police authorities of neglect. The demonstrations turned violent between protesters and police, ending with the arrest of five protesters. Reports of detainee deaths due to negligence and torture by Interior Ministry employees have been rampant over the past few months, stoking criticism from human rights advocates toward security authorities. A report by the National Council for Human Rights in June admitted there were cases of torture and negligence in Egyptian prisons.

6 October Mohamed Fahmy, a journalist who was released from prison in Egypt last month, posted on social media that he left the country Tuesday. Fahmy posted a photo on his Twitter account of the Canadian ambassador escorting him to the gate at Cairo airport, calling it "a glorious end to our battle for freedom." He had posted a day earlier that his name had been removed from a government no-fly list. Fahmy's departure ends his nearly two-year ordeal in a case that raised questions about Egypt's commitment to democracy and free speech. He was arrested in December 2013 with two other Al Jazeera English colleagues and sentenced to three years in prison in a retrial earlier this year for airing what a court described as "false news" and coverage biased in favour of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood. The case was widely condemned by rights groups. He and his colleague Baher

Mohammed received a presidential pardon last month. Fahmy gave up his Egyptian citizenship during the trial in hopes of being deported to Canada. But in an open letter to Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi published last month in a Cairo daily, he appealed for the restoration of his citizenship, saying he relinquished it under duress.

8 October At least two persons, including a policeman, were injured after a homemade bomb went off near a police station in Egyptian capital, police said on Thursday. The bomb was planted by unknown militants under a police vehicle that was parked near Azbakia police station in one of the crowded areas in Cairo late last night, the police said. The injured have been admitted to the hospital for treatment, medical sources said.

An Egyptian court has ordered the release of scores of supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi who had been jailed earlier on violence-related charges, an Egyptian defence lawyer said on Thursday. The defendants, who had been accused of participating in acts of violence in more than 20 separate court cases, were released by the Southern Cairo Criminal Court, lawyer Khaled al-Masri said. According to al-Masri, Magdi Qorqor and Magdi Hussein, two leaders of the pro-Morsi National Alliance for the Defence of Legitimacy, were among those whose release was ordered by the court. The lawyer added, however, that prosecutors were expected to challenge the court order.

4 October Egypt has objected to a UN Human Rights Council resolution on prohibiting the death penalty. The UN Human Rights Council adopted the resolution which was submitted by Belgium on Thursday, with 26 votes in favour, 13 against and 8 abstentions. According to state news agency MENA, Amr Ramadan, Egypt's delegate to the UN in Geneva, expressed Egypt's deep concern over the use of economic sanctions and conditions to development aid to shape the choices of developing countries over the use of the death penalty. These practices are "unethical" and are "wholly rejected," he said, in his word before the council. Last year, 15 executions took place in Egypt, according to a review by Amnesty International, making it the seventh biggest executioner in the world. Ramadan says there is a "deep divide" in talks inside the UN over the death penalty, especially since the international human rights law is not binding on this matter. He said the opposition front to the resolution includes Saudi Arabia, China, Pakistan and Nigeria. Yet, the UN has for years been urging states and adopting resolution to end capital punishment.

2 October The recent decision to ban all female staff from wearing the full face veil aims to put an end to student complaints of "poor communication" in class, the head of Egypt's Cairo University said Friday. Although the head-to-toe covering known as the niqab is "not a phenomenon" among his teachers, Gaber Nassar wants to "cure the disease" before it becomes one. Islamic clerics and students have denounced the move as discriminatory, but Nassar said he has the backing of the Grand Mufti, Egypt's top religious authority. The niqab, Nassar said, is especially problematic in language courses, where the cloth barrier of the veil hinders student-teacher communications — producing low grades and graduates incapable of enunciation. The vast majority of Egyptian Muslim women wear a form of veil that covers the hair but leaves the face uncovered. However the number of women wearing the full niqab veil has increased dramatically in the past 10-20 years. The ban is already receiving mixed reviews among students. "This is part of the greater war on Islamists," said a male Islamist student. "But it doesn't matter because bigger violations of personal freedoms happen and no one moves." Another non-Islamist male student said Nassar's "rationale makes no sense" and a teacher wearing the niqab "can easily just pull the cloth away from her face when she speaks, if their problem really is articulation."

Libya

28 October The Italian coast guard said around 1,042 migrants were rescued from overcrowded boats on Wednesday while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. Vessels from Ireland, Slovenia, Britain and Germany participated in the seven separate missions that day. Some of the ships were taking part in the EU's new anti-smuggling operation. The rescue comes a day after the aid group Doctors Without Borders rescued some 226 migrants from the same waters, dpa news agency reported. Italy and Greece have found themselves overwhelmed by the number of migrants trying to sail to Europe from North Africa, although the number has decreased recently as more migrants opt for relatively safer land routes. Also on Wednesday, the Greek coast guard reported that at least five migrants, including several children, died after several overcrowded boats sank in the Aegean Sea. The UN reported that around 700,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea this year. The majority of them - around 560,000 - have arrived in Greece. Conflict in the Middle East - including the ongoing civil war in Syria - has driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes to seek a better life in Europe. EU member states are torn over how to

deal with the situation, and many countries have begun erecting barriers to keep refugees from crossing their borders on foot. Recently, as a way to help alleviate some of the burden on countries such as Italy and Greece, the EU launched "Operation Sophia" to help combat migrant smuggling in the Mediterranean.

27 October A helicopter from Libya's Tripoli-based government was shot down Tuesday, killing at least nine passengers, an official said, blaming the rival, internationally recognised administration which denied the accusation. The aircraft, carrying 16 people, was hit shortly before noon and crashed into the sea near Al-Maya, just west of Tripoli, said Colonel Mustafa Sharkasi, a spokesman for the Tripoli-based air force. "We have so far recovered nine bodies, including the body of Colonel Hussein Abu Diyya," a senior officer in the Fajr Libya militia that controls the capital. "We think that all the passengers are dead," he added. Sharkasi said the aircraft was unarmed and blamed militant groups allied to the internationally recognised government for carrying out this "criminal" act. That administration, located in the east of the country, denied it had anything to do with the aircraft's downing. "The general command of the armed forces is brave enough to claim the operations that its units carry out anywhere in the country," spokesman Khalifa el-Obeidi told the official news agency. Sharkasi vowed that Tripoli would retaliate "at the appropriate time and place". The Tripoli defence ministry declared a "maximum state of alert for the armed forces and thuwars (former rebel fighters) with a view to eventual retaliation." It called on citizens to "provide any information that can help to identify those who fired on the aircraft." Sharkasi said the helicopter was on its way to Tripoli from an unspecified location when it was hit. In addition to Abu Diyya, three crew members and "employees, including bank employees who were carrying funds for state employees" were on board.

Europe's military operation to seize and destroy boats used by migrant smugglers in the Mediterranean will not work unless it has access to Libyan territory, its deputy commander said Tuesday. For the past three weeks, Operation Sophia has been operating in international waters, charged with arresting smugglers and seizing their vessels as Europe tries to stem the flow of migrants making the perilous sea crossing. But it has so far not seized any vessels or made any arrests, and its number two Rear Admiral Herve Blejean said that until the operation takes to Libyan waters -- which it is currently not allowed to do -- it will have little impact. While Sophia can help prevent deaths at sea, blocking the departure of vulnerable migrants in Libya -- estimated to be between 500,000 and one million people -- will leave them trapped. The business has become a key part of Libya's economy, bringing in between 67,000 euros ($74,000) for a dinghy carrying 100 people, to 380,000 euros for a wooden boat carrying 400 people. "In certain coastal zones, we estimate 50 percent of revenue comes from illegal migration," Blejean said, adding that any intervention against smuggling would have to envisage an economic plan to reboot those areas. Any intervention in Libya would require a UN Security Council endorsement and the green light from the Libyan government -- neither of which appear forthcoming.

24 October At least nine people were killed and dozens more injured in Libya's second city Benghazi on Friday when mortar shells hit a protest against a United Nations proposal for a unity government to end a political crisis, medical sources said. Waving banners and placards, more than 2,000 people had taken to Benghazi's al-Keesh square to demonstrate against the U.N. proposal when at least seven mortar shells hit the crowd, the hospital sources said. More than 20 were wounded. The United Nations has presented a proposal for a national unity government between the two main political factions to end the chaos, but attempts to reach a deal have stalled as both sides face resistance from within their ranks.

20 October U.N. attempts to broker a national government with Libya's warring factions stalled on Tuesday after the elected parliament rejected a draft of an agreement meant to end the crisis. Libya is caught in a conflict between the internationally recognized government and its elected parliament and a self-styled government controlling the capital Tripoli, each backed by rival armed factions. After months of talks, the United Nations proposed a national power-sharing government to end a war international powers worry is allowing Islamist militants to gain ground. In a confusing announcement on Monday night, House of Representatives President Aghila Saleh said most members of the elected legislature rejected the proposal, which named a six-member council as the executive of a unity government. But some lawmakers said there had been a show of hands and others said there had been no official vote. However, the lawmakers said there was a general rejection of the unity proposal because of changes they said were made to appease

Tripoli, even after the House of Representatives had already agreed to the initial deal earlier this year. Despite the resistance, delegations from both factions say they want to keep negotiating.

16 October Families of some of the 270 people who died in the Lockerbie bombing have welcomed the naming of two new suspects. US and Scottish prosecutors want to interview Mohammed Abouajela Masud and Abdullah al-Senussi over the atrocity. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is the only person to have been convicted over the bombing of Pan Am 103 in 1988. The plane was on its way from London to New York on 21 December when it exploded above Lockerbie. A total of 270 people died in the bombing, including everyone on board the plane and 11 people from the Scottish town. Megrahi, who was found guilty of mass murder and jailed for a minimum of 27 years, died in 2012 after being released from jail on compassionate grounds in 2009. He had terminal cancer. Abdullah al-Senussi is being held in Al-Hadba prison in Tripoli, but Masud's incarceration is less clear. He is serving a 10-year sentence but there are conflicting claims over whether he is doing so in Tripoli or in a prison in Misrata. The office of Tripoli's general prosecutor was less than forthcoming in divulging any information when it was contacted following the Crown Office announcement about the new suspects. It is highly unlikely that any government in Libya would agree to any extradition request from the US or Scottish authorities to interview the two men. Abdullah al-Senussi in particular (unlike his shadowy co-suspect) is not an ordinary figure; he is and will forever remain Gaddafi's black box on every crime, atrocity, and back-door dealings that Libya was allegedly involved in during his time in power. There was always suspicion in Libya that the West wanted to get its hands on him specifically for that reason, and would subsequently never return him. Masud is reported to be serving a prison sentence for bomb making. Neither of the suspects are in the hands of the recognised government based in Tobruk but are being held by the Islamist-backed administration based in Tripoli. A request to interview the suspects had been "routed through the British Embassy", the Crown Office said.

13 October A group of Tunisian workers who were kidnapped by gunmen in north-western Libya earlier on Tuesday have been released, according to an official statement by the Tunisian foreign ministry. Gunmen had kidnapped dozens of Tunisians in north-western Libya, demanding the release of a local Libyan official arrested in Tunisia this week. But according to sources Tunisian authorities released the Libyan activist, which led to the return of the hostages, who have since returned home. The kidnapping happened when an official from Sabratha, a coastal town between Libya’s capital Tripoli and the Tunisian border, was arrested along with another Libyan at Tunis airport on Saturday, Sabratha’s municipal council said.

10 October The Spanish Civil Guard said Saturday it had rescued 523 African migrants off the coast of Libya with the help of the Italian coastguard. A Spanish patrol ship rescued 325 migrants from different boats about 25 nautical miles from Tripoli, while the Italian coastguard taking part in the same operation picked up another 198, a statement said. The statement said the migrants were from Nigeria, Gambia, Senegal, Libya, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea and that they included 125 women and 22 children.

8 October Libyan authorities said almost 300 migrants, a third of them from Senegal, were arrested Thursday as they prepared to board boats for the Mediterranean crossing to Europe. "After having received information on their meeting place, we managed to apprehend 289 migrants preparing to cross the Mediterranean headed for Europe," said Taher el-Naas, a senior official in Libya's anti-illegal immigration unit. A colleague said the migrants, including more than 100 Senegalese and found 10 kilometres (six miles) east of Tripoli, were transferred to a detention facility in the centre of Libya's capital. The incident came one day after European warships launched "Operation Sophia" to seize traffickers' boats in international waters and stem the tide of people making the perilous Mediterranean crossing.

7 October Libyan anti-illegal migration troops arrested Tuesday 96 Egyptians in the Libyan territories, and 50 other unregistered migrants were deported in 24 hours over the Libyan-Egyptian border crossing in Sallum. Libyan troops in Tobruk, where the internationally-recognized Libyan government has based its headquarters, arrested the Egyptian nationals after they passed through the Egyptian side of the Great Sand Sea, Libyan Bawabat al-Wassat reported Tuesday. The newspaper reported Libyan official statistics that showed the total number of unregistered migrants exceeded 36,000 persons, mostly from Egypt, in the first six months in 2015. Meanwhile, a total of 50 Egyptian migrants were deported Tuesday via the Sallum crossing.

6 October United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged participants in the Libyan political dialogue to urgently conclude the process and sign an agreement leading to the formation of a Government of National Accord. The appeal was also previously made by Member States and regional organizations during a high-level meeting Mr. Ban convened on 2 October in New York on the margins of the General Assembly’s annual debate. “The Secretary-General commends the political will and courage of Libyans who remain committed to resolving the current crisis through dialogue,” said a statement issued today by his spokesperson. “He encourages them to seize the opportunity of the agreement to start rebuilding Libya and confronting the country’s urgent challenges. Only a Government of National Accord will unite the Libyans and enable them, with the support of the international community, to address these challenges,” said the statement. Ban also added that he remains committed to supporting the Libyan people through his Special Representative and the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

Libya's internationally recognised parliament has voted to extend its term beyond 20 October. The move could complicate efforts by the UN and Western powers to bring an end to the country's protracted political stalemate. The parliament's spokesman said it was still supporting UN-sponsored talks that resumed in Morocco this week. The move to extend the parliament's mandate was passed by 112 out of 131 MPs. The assembly had acted to "avoid a vacuum in the country", MP Tarek Juroushi said. Both parties taking part in UN-backed negotiations have been on the fence over the latest draft agreement, which the UN says can no longer be amended, the BBC's North Africa correspondent Rana Jawad reports. The country's politicians are facing increasing pressure from the West to reach an agreement, she adds.

Over 1,800 migrants were rescued on Monday from six vessels found adrift in the Mediterranean off the coast of Libya, Italy's coastguard said. A total of 1,830 people were brought ashore in six different operations to save passengers in four stricken boats and two rubber dinghies, the coastguard said. Three Italian vessels and one ship each from Britain and Ireland, which are taking part in the EU Navfor Med mission, were involved in the rescue effort. Most of those setting out from Libya are sub-Saharan Africans, with Turkey being the main launch pad for crossings by people fleeing conflicts and misery in the Middle East and Asia. From Wednesday onward, ships operating under the aegis of EU Navfor Med will have new powers to tackle the people smugglers who pack migrants and refugees into overcrowded boats. Members of the force will have the right to board, search, seize and divert vessels found in international waters that are suspected of being used for smuggling.

5 October The Naval Service patrol ship LÉ Samuel Beckett has rescued 242 people off the Libyan coast on its first humanitarian tasking in the Mediterranean. The ship, which took over from the LÉ Niamh last week, located a wooden craft with 237 men and five women on board about 80 km north-west of Tripoli around 8am Irish time on Monday. The overloaded craft had been sighted at 3am by an Italian naval helicopter, and the Italian Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre directed a number of ships to the area, including the LÉ Samuel Beckett and the British naval service ship HMS Enterprise. The ship, under the command of Lieut Cdr Anthony Geraghty, provided those rescued with food, water and medical attention, and remained in the area for a time to offer further assistance. The LÉ Samuel Beckett was also involved in taking a transfer of about 200 migrants from an Italian navy vessel north of Libya, and was expected to be directed to a port of safety in Sicily. It is the third Naval Service patrol ship to be deployed on Operation Pontus under a bilaterial agreement with the Italian government, which is not part of the EU Triton’s mission in the Mediterranean. It is expected to remain in the area until the end of November or early December. The LÉ Eithne and LÉ Niamh rescued a total of 7,397 men, women and children during their respective missions.

1 October Islamic State militants attacked forces guarding one of Libya's main oil ports on Thursday with a gun assault and an attempted car bomb in an escalation of their campaign. Militants attacked guards at a gate near Es Sider port, which is under the control of forces allied with the recognized government, the security official said. The terminal has been closed since December because of fighting with other rival armed factions and problems at supply oilfields. "An attack was carried out by militants of Islamic State on a gate before sunset in the Es Sider area," Ali Hassi, spokesman for a local battalion of the Petroleum Facilities Guard, a force allied with the official government. He said one guard was killed and two more wounded, but he gave no details about how close the gate was to the port itself. Militants later tried to target the same gate with a car bomb but failed and four of them were shot dead, he said.

Morocco & Western Sahara

20 October The Moroccan security forces has violently dispersed a peaceful demonstration organized by dozens of Sahrawi in the city of El Aaiun (occupied Western Sahara) to demand the holding of a referendum of self-determination and the immediate release of all Saharawi political prisoners. The protesters were strongly repressed by the various formations of Moroccan security such as rapid intervention forces, the police and the army, leaving several casualties and injuries.

7 October The coordinator of the Polisario Front with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) Mhamed Khaddad urged the United Nations to ensure the respect of the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination given its commitments to resolving the conflict of Western Sahara, occupied by Morocco, in an interview with the newspaper Tribune of Geneva. "The United Nations must ensure the respect of the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination," said Khaddad in a reply to the question of the Swiss newspaper, before underlining that UN has committed to organizing a referendum for the self-determination of the Sahrawi people and "should also set a date (for this popular consultation)." Khaddad, who is also a member of the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front, said that Morocco conducted propaganda against the Polisario Front by calling it "terrorist" and "communist" group, in an attempt to tarnish the movement's legitimacy.

4 October Spanish and Moroccan police have arrested 10 people on suspicion of recruiting jihadi fighters for the Islamic State group, Spain's officials said Sunday. All 10 allegedly formed part of a "very important recruitment platform" also dedicated to the indoctrination, radicalization and transport of individuals to jihadi combat zones, Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said. Four of the suspects, two men and two women, were arrested in Spain, with raids taking place in Badalona, Toledo and Valencia. The other six arrests were made in, Morocco, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. The women arrested in Spain were both Moroccans, while one of the men was a Spanish national of Moroccan ancestry and the other a Portuguese citizen converted to Islam. All are suspected of recruiting people to fight in Syria and Iraq, the statement says. Fernandez Diaz said the arrests in Morocco took place in the western coastal city of Casablanca and that the operation highlighted Spain's cooperation with Morocco, with both countries sharing intelligence and "synchronizing operations." The minister said there was also evidence the group had specialized in recruiting women for transport to areas controlled by IS. Fernandes Diaz said Spain remained on high alert for possible terror attacks, with all services "active to protect places that are considered to be potential objects of attacks." The arrests took place on Sunday. Investigators also seized a considerable amount of computer equipment and data which is being analysed, the ministry statement said.

1 October Morocco said on Thursday it was considering a boycott of Swedish companies operating in the North African kingdom because of Sweden's position on the conflict over Western Sahara. The government said Sweden has been campaigning to boycott products from Western Sahara and international companies with a presence there. Morocco has controlled most of Western Sahara since 1975 and claims the sparsely populated stretch of desert, which has offshore fishing, phosphate reserves and oilfield potential, as its own. However, the Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks independence, and a United Nations mission was formed more than 20 years ago anticipating a referendum, which has never taken place, on Western Sahara's political future. Sweden and other Scandinavian countries have backed Western Saharan self-determination, while France and Spain have been accused by activists and human rights organizations of supporting the Moroccan line. Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallstrom said in a statement Sweden's entire policy on Western Sahara is the subject of an internal review. A spokesman for the ministry also said that Sweden has no boycott against exports from Morocco. The Moroccan government did not give details on how the boycott would be implemented or say whether it knew which Swedish companies could be affected.

Sudan

22 October The Sudanese government said on Wednesday it has accepted an invitation from the African Union to attend peace talks with the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North in Addis Ababa next month. The SPLM-N has been battling Khartoum's forces in the southern Blue Nile and South Kordofan states since 2011, and did not immediately say whether they would attend. "The Sudanese government received an invitation to a new round of negotiations about the two areas with the SPLM-N on November 2 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, and the invitation was to both sides," said Hussein Kershoum, a member of the government's delegation for negotiations. Kershoum said the government was prepared to attend. The latest invitation comes as Khartoum redoubles its efforts to persuade the

SPLM-N and rebels from the western Darfur region to join a national dialogue, aimed at resolving the insurgencies on the country's peripheries and mending an ailing economy. Three main Darfur rebel groups and the SPLM-N, which form part of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), have declined to attend and called for a meeting outside the country to set conditions for dialogue.

21 October A Sudanese official confirmed the abduction of a Ukrainian pilot and a Sudanese female translator in West Darfur state, adding that security services in the whole region are coordinating efforts to apprehend the kidnappers. Last Friday a group of nine gunmen riding four wheel vehicles kidnapped the pilot and the translator working with Islamic Relief (IR) in Kerenek area of West Darfur, near North Darfur state. A West Darfur security official who is not authorized to speak to the media on Monday confirmed reports about the incident, indicating that the abductors have crossed into North Darfur. "The abductors crossed into North Darfur in the direction of Kabkabiya and Saraf Omra areas," he said. Last Sunday, the commissioner of Kerenek county, Mohamed Omer al-Fudail, disclosed the kidnapping to the Khartoum based al-Initibaha newspaper, adding the pilot was on a mission with the prevention department at the Ministry of Health. The security official said the pilot was driving a spray plane. The authorities in the five states of Darfur are informed of the situation and coordinate their efforts for the arrest of culprits, he further said. He added that a government force is chasing them and monitoring closely their displacements, without further details. However, the official stressed they did not receive any ransom demand, as the armed gangs used to do in such cases.

16 October Seven people were killed and six others wounded in an inter-clan firefight in Kutum locality, North Darfur on Wednesday. Speaking to Radio Dabanga, a listener reported that a dispute between members of the Awlad Rashdan clan in the area of Hashaba led to "heavy shooting" on Wednesday. "Even young boys were using guns." He said that the Commander of the paramilitary Border Guards in El Gubba intervened and contained the situation. The six injured were taken to Kutum Hospital for treatment.

Tunisia

27 October Tunisian authorities arrested seven members of a jihadist cell that was allegedly recruiting youth to fight in Syria, an interior ministry statement said on Tuesday. The cell, arrested in the north-eastern province of Nabeul, was recruiting extremists online and encouraging them to join militants in war-torn Syria, the ministry said. It did not say when the suspects were held, or provide details of their affiliation. In May, the Tunisian foreign ministry announced the resumption of diplomatic ties with Syria and assigned a consul in Damascus after about three years of broken relations. The interior ministry statement also said that 13 suspects were arrested on terrorism-related charges, but didn't give further details. Authorities estimate the number of Tunisians fighting in Syria at about 3 000.

12 October Two Tunisian soldiers were killed and four wounded in a clash with jihadists in a western region near the Algerian border on Monday, the defence ministry said. Tunisia has faced an upsurge in jihadist violence since its 2011 revolution that has cost the lives of several dozen soldiers and police, with most attacks claimed by Al-Qaeda's North African branch. "During a search operation, jihadists hiding out on Mount Sammama opened fire on our soldiers. Two soldiers fell as martyrs and four were wounded," ministry spokesman Belhassan Ouselati said. He said the army operation was launched after a shepherd was kidnapped on Sunday near Mount Sammama in the Kasserine region, located next to the main jihadist hideout of Mount Chaambi. The Tunisian branch of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the terror network's North African arm, claimed the clash, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist Internet sites. The Okba Ibn Nafaa Battalion also claimed the execution of spies and threatened anyone who informed on its fighters, SITE said.

9 October The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet - a democracy group - has been awarded the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for "its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy", the Norwegian Nobel Committee has announced. The group of four organisations established "an alternative, peaceful political process at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war", the committee said on Friday, referring to the period following Tunisia's 2011 revolution. The National Dialogue Quartet is made up of four key organisations in Tunisian civil society: the Tunisian General Labour Union; the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts; the Tunisian Human Rights League; and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers. The jury cited the group for "its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011.” "The Nobel Peace Prize for 2015 is awarded to this Quartet, not to the four individual organisations as such," the committee said. The laureates will receive their

prizes at a ceremony in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of the 1896 death of prize creator Alfred Nobel, a Swedish philanthropist and scientist.

8 October A lawmaker with Tunisia's main, anti-Islamist political party said he escaped an assassination bid while driving to work Thursday in the coastal city of Sousse. The popular resort city was the site in June of a beachfront massacre in which a jihadist gunman killed 38 foreign tourists. Ridha Charfeddine, who said he was unharmed, told Jawhara FM radio he was shot at from another car on the road. "I wasn't able to see the shooter sitting in the back seat," added the legislator with Nidaa Tounes, the party of President Beji Caid Essebsi. "It's a miracle that I'm still alive," said Charfeddine, who is president of a first division football club, Etoile Sportive de Sahel. He is also the main shareholder of Attasiaa TV. Earlier this week, the private channel's executive director, Moez Ben Gharbia, claimed in an online video that he had "all the information" about the assassination two years ago of two left-wing opposition figures claimed by IS. Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi were shot dead in front of their homes. Belaid's family has repeatedly demanded the full truth behind his killing. Ben Gharbia's video, which local media said he recorded in Switzerland, sparked an online debate and prompted the authorities to open a probe into his claims. Charfeddine, appearing on national television, refused to comment on any possible link between the video and the alleged attempt to murder him. Interior ministry spokesman Walid Louguini told AFP "security units" had been sent to the site of the incident and observed that the lawmaker's car had been hit by nine bullets. "A manhunt in underway" to find the perpetrators, Louguini said, adding that the ministry has "agreed to a request for protection for Ridha Charfeddine and his family."

6 October The Tunisian police has broken up three "cells" that were recruiting fighters for ISIS and arrested 11 people suspected of trying to join the militant group in Libya, the Tunisian Ministry of Interior said. "The National Guard counterterrorism unit dismantled three cells which sent young people to Libya," the Interior Ministry said in statement late on Monday. Last week, Tunisia seized two car bombs and weapons on the border with Libya. In July, the government began building a wall along the border to stop militants slipping across. The government says that more than 3,000 Tunisians have left to fight for militant groups in Syria, Iraq and Libya. Some of them have threatened to return home and carry out attacks on Tunisian soil.

5 October Tunisia's minister in charge of relations with parliament announced Monday he has submitted his resignation in protest at the lack of will to battle corruption in the North African nation. "I can no longer be part of a government that lacks the political will to confront graft," Lazhar Akremi said, confirming reports that he has quit. In his resignation letter to Prime Minister Habib Essid -- published in the media -- Akremi said his efforts to "make heard the voices of the oppressed and victims of injustice were crushed by corruption that multiplies daily." Akremi, a founder member of Tunisia's main political force Nidaa Tounes, wondered "if there really is a will to fight against corruption in a country where the share of the shadow economy has reached 54 percent of GDP." The government had no comment, including on whether his resignation, the first since the cabinet's inauguration in February, had been accepted. According to a World Bank report titled "The Unfinished Revolution", corruption costs Tunisia the equivalent of two percent of gross domestic product. Nearly five years after state corruption triggered the fall of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, petty graft still plagues the economy. Common examples include tax evasion, doctored entry exam results for public sector jobs and bribes to speed up official paperwork. At least 450 million dinars (200 million euros/$230 million) in bribes were slipped to state employees in 2013 alone, according to a study by the Tunisian Association for Public Auditors.

1 October Tunisian troops stopped two bomb-laden cars crossing from Libya and seized arms and documents bearing the symbol of Islamic State, as security tightened following two major attacks this year, the government said on Thursday. Authorities said three suspect vehicles were tracked on Wednesday after crossing the border and troops opened fire to stop them. Two were halted and a third fled back across the Libyan border. "The army has dismantled the car bombs, which were rigged to detonate, one with a bomb belt, the other with rocket explosives," the interior ministry said in a statement. A security official said troops had opened fire on the vehicles to block them fleeing back to Libya. They also recovered 10 Kalashnikovs, rocket-propelled grenades, explosives, Libyan telephones cards and documents.

West Africa

Benin

8 October On Thursday, businessman Patrice Talon returned to Benin from exile after he was implicated in an alleged poison plot, strongly hinting that he would seek election for the country’s presidency. Speaking to reporters outside his home in the financial hub of Cotonou, Talon stated, “on the issue of my candidature, I have answered the question several times…So this question should no longer arise. What remains is to straighten the contours, define the structure, work very hard and win the battle with my compatriots.” More than two years ago, Talon fled into exile after he was accused of masterminding an alleged plot to poison President Thomas Boni Yayi. In early December 2012, he was briefly arrested in Paris after Benin issued an international arrest warrant against him in connection with the alleged attempted murder. Prior to fleeing the country, Talon was a key figure in Benin’s cotton and port sectors. He also financed Boni Yayi’s successful 2006 and 2011 presidential election campaigns. The way was paved for his return last year when President Boni Yayi pardoned Talon and others said to have been involved in the alleged plot, including his niece and personal physician. While candidates are not expected to make their official declaration to run before January, Talon has been touted as a potential runner, although he has yet to make a formal announcement. Presidential elections are scheduled for 28 February 2016.

Burkina Faso

19 October According to a parliamentary report, Burkina Faso is owed more than 123 billion CFA francs (US $212 million) in unpaid taxes that were due between 2012 and 2014. The report further indicates that senior members of ousted President Blaise Compaore’s government are amongst the worst offenders. Alexandre Sankara, vice president of the parliamentary commission that is investigating tax fraud, has indicated that former ministers and members of parliament under Compaore’s 27-year-rule featured on a list of suspected fraudsters sent to the head of the transitional assembly, noting, “this fraud is seriously harming our economy.” The commission has indicated that losses to the Treasury from unpaid loans contracted by former ministers, parliamentarians and the former heads of state institutions amounted to 49 billion CFA francs. Economy Minister Jean Gustave Sanon has disclosed that the report is part of an attempt to improve revenue collection as part of a modernisation of government finances. He further indicated that the government, including the customs agency and tax department, would for the first time open bank accounts with commercial banks, a move that effectively makes it much easier to make and accept payments.

16 October On Friday, the military reported that General Gilbert Diendere, who has been accused of leading last month’s failed coup, has been prosecuted on an array of charges that include “crime against humanity.” Speaking at a press conference, prosecutor Colonel Sita Sangare, who is in charge of military justice, disclosed, “elven charges have been filed” against General Diendere, “notably crime against humanity.”

13 October Political party representatives disclosed Tuesday that the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections, which were initially due to take place on 11 October, will now be scheduled for 29 November. Sources have disclosed that representatives met with transitional President Michel Kafando on Tuesday prior to announcing the new election date. The elections will formally end the transition government that was set up after former President Blaise Compaore was ousted in October 2014.

The lawyer of Thomas Sankara’s family has disclosed that according to an autopsy report, the country’s former Marxist revolutionary leader, who was killed nearly three decades ago, was shot about ten times in the chest, legs and head. In May of this year, authorities exhumed human remains from the purported grave of Thomas Sankara, who was killed during a cup in 1987. The family was seeking additional answers about his death after the man who overthrew Sankara, Blaise Compaore, was ousted from power late last year. Compaore staged the coup in which Sankara and the others buried alongside him were killed. Compaore has denied being a part of Sankara’s killing. On Tuesday, family lawyer Stanislas Benewinde Sankara, who is not related to the slain leader, disclosed that automatic pistols, Kalashnikovs and grenades were used in the

attack on Sankara and others, adding that he received the report on Tuesday and that it shows that Burkina Faso military weapons were used. The lawyer further disclosed that eight former presidential guard members have been indicted in the case and four of them have been jailed. While Sankara was believed to have been buried along with twelve others, some have questioned whether the remains in the exhumed grave are in fact his. The family lawyer disclosed Tuesday that the family is still awaiting DNA test results, adding that authorities want to give Sankara a presidential burial with an official ceremony.

12 October On Monday, Burkina Faso launched a judicial inquiry in order to identify all the players involved in last month’s failed coup, with officials disclosing that a 30-day deadline has been given in order to reach its conclusion. According to Prime Minister Isaac Zida, the commission of inquiry, which will be headed by an appeal court prosecutor, has been charged with “determining responsibility, identifying the perpetrators, accomplices, soldiers and civilians involved in the attempted coup.” Simplice Poda, who heads the eight-member commission inquiry, has disclosed, “we have 30 days for this immense task. We hope to complete it within the time allotted despite the magnitude of the job.” Coup leader General Gilbert Diendere and a former Compaore-era foreign minister Djibril Bassole have already been accused of high treason and endangering the security of the state while another twenty, most of whom were officers in the now-disbanded RSP, have also been arrested.

9 October President Michel Kafando joined a gathering of up to 3,000 people on Friday in order to remember the victims of last month’s short-lived coup, during which 14 people were killed and another 251 left injured. According to on the ground sources, the multi-faith memorial gathering saw ten coffins draped in the Burkinabe flag laid out in Ouagadougou’s central Place de la Nation square, which was renamed Revolution Square following the fall of ousted president Blaise Compaore twelve months ago. According to an army source, relatives had already buried three dead prior to the ceremony while a putschist RSP soldier, who was killed by pro-government troops outside Ouagadougou “will be buried later at a military ceremony.”

Early on Friday, around fifty unidentified gunmen attacked a Burkina Faso gendarmerie brigade near the country’s western border with Mali, killing three in an attack that the government blamed on the leaders of last month’s failed coup. A statement released by Brigade General Pingrenoma Zagre disclosed, “at around 4 AM, about 50 as of yet unidentified armed men coming from the western borders of Burkina attacked the gendarmerie brigade of Samorogouan.” Samorogouan is located around 500 kilometres (300 miles) southwest of Burkina Faso’s capital city, Ouagadougou, and around 50 kilometres (31 miles) east of the border with Mali. This is the first attack of its kind in this party of the country. The attack, during which one gunman died, was initially linked to the separatist conflict in northern Mali, which involves Islamist militants.

Late on Thursday, Burkina Faso authorities arrested the deputy of deposed leader Blaise Compaore’s party. According to a security source, the arrest is part of a probe into the failed bid to overthrow the interim government. Achille Tapsoba, vice-president of the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) party, is the third pro-Compaore political leader to be detained this week in connection to last month’s short-lived coup. According to the security source, “he was wanted, and he handed himself in to a police station.” On Tuesday, Colonel Sidi Pare, who in June was appointed by the post-Compaore government, was arrested over alleged collusion with the putchists while on Monday, another two pro-Compaore politicians, Leonce Kone and Hermann Yameogo, were arrested.

7 October The finance minister reported Wednesday that last months’ failed military coup cost the country’s flagging economy more than US $50 million in lost revenue. According to the Jean Gustave Sanon, the economy ground to a halt for about ten days, with banks and businesses remaining closed and employees unable to travel to work after an elite military unit seized power. In a statement, Sanon reported that “the Ministry of the Economy and Finances estimates the loss of tax revenue to be 11 billion CFA francs (US $18.90 million) and of customs receipts to be 9.7 billion CFA francs (US $16.67 million)…In total, the treasury losses amounts to 30.8 billion CFA francs (US $52.93 million) for the state.” He added that the coup would trip economic growth in the country by 0.3 percent this year, effectively leaving expected growth between 4 – 4.5 percent. Burkina Faso, which is a cotton and gold producer, had already seen its economy slow due to reduced commodities prices and reduced investment during the transition period.

The Burkinabe government announced Wednesday that some thirty members of the 1,300-strong elite force, which staged a short-lived coup last month, have missed a deadline to report to their new stations. Last week, a senior army source disclosed that the majority of putschist troops had taken up new postings with the military, adding that those left to join loyalist forces had until 2 October to show up at their new postings, and those who failed to do so would be “considered deserters.” Speaking at the government’s weekly press conference, secretary general of the defence ministry Colonel Major Alassane Mone confirmed “not all members of the former RSP have yet reported to their stations. There are still people who are at large. There are weapons that have yet to be found.” He noted however that “most RSP members…have reported” to their new stations, adding that the security forces are now searching for some thirty infantrymen and three central command troops who have yet to report for duty. Some twenty troops, mainly RSP members, including 15 officers, have already been arrested for their involvement in the coup, including coup leader General Gilbert Diendere who on Tuesday was charged with “murder” and “attacking state security.” Transport Minister and magistrate Rene Bagoro has indicated that those still missing are now “presumed guilty.”

6 October Police and other sources have reported that two political supporters of former president Blaise Compaore have been arrested for their alleged involvement in last month’s failed coup. According to police officials, Leonce Kone, from the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) party, and Hermann Yameogo from the National Union for Democracy and Development were taken into custody on Monday. A source close to Yameogo disclosed that both men were “questioned by the police for a long time before members of another force brought them in.” They are the first civilians to be arrested I connection with the 17 September failed coup.

On Tuesday, Burkina Faso marked the disarmament of an elite army force behind last month’s failed during a ceremony held in Ouagadougou. Speaking to a crowd of several hundred at a ceremony that was also attended by six army chiefs of the ECOWAS regional bloc, Prime Minister Zida confirmed that “this ceremony…is intended to mark the end of the disarmament” of the presidential guard (RSP), adding that “since its creation (in 1995) the RSP has been used by the regime of president Compaore to halt the legitimate aspirations of the Burkinabe people for a truly democratic life.” According to on the ground sources, heavy weapons, anti-tank cannons, assault rifles and grenades were all put on display at the capital’s National Plaza. The weaponry was taken from the RSP’s barracks, where troops had remained holed up for almost a week after the coup was abandoned until they were forced out by the army on 29 September.

According to a military prosecutor, General Gilbert Diendere, who briefly took power after last month’s coup, has been formally charged along with one other formal top official accused of supporting the overthrow of the country’s government. According to the prosecutor, Gen. Diendere will now stand trial before a military tribunal after making an appearance earlier on Tuesday. Djibril Bassole, who served as foreign minister under longtime president Blaise Compaore, also faces charges of attacking national security. He has denied any participation in the coup. Both men were each charged with eleven offences. Gen. Diendere has been charged with crimes including threatening state security and murder. Other charges include colluding with foreign forces to destabilize interior security, voluntary assault, and willful destruction of property.

2 October The leader of the country’s short-lived coup was in police custody after he handed himself in as authorities ramped up a probe into last month’s putsch. Sources have reported that General Gilbert Diendere, who had indicated several times that he was willing to face justice following the 17 September coup, was being held at the Paspanga police base, which is located near the centre of the capital. News of his arrest was met with cheers on the streets of Ouagadougou. On Tuesday, the general sought refuge at the residence of the Vatican’s ambassador just before an army raid on the barracks of his elite military regiment. In a statement, the interim government disclosed that “general Diendere and his accomplices will answer for all the offences of which they are accused,” adding that a commission of inquiry was already “hard at work” investigating the coup. A military source has disclosed that military justice will deal with General Diendere. On Wednesday, six officers who took part in the coup were arrested while lieutenant colonel Mamadou Bamba, who had read the coup plotters’ statements on television, handed himself over to police the following day. Interim authorities have accused General Diendere, who has been involved in several negotiations for hostages held by Tuareg groups in the Sahel

region, of “mobilizing foreign forces and jihadis groups” in the coup. He has rejected these allegations.

1 October On Thursday, the vice president of a Tuareg rebel movement, Mahamadou Djeri Maiga, was briefly

arrested at Ouagadougou airport over suspected links to the coup. According to a source, Djeri Maiga, the vice president of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), “was arrested over allegations that he provided logistical support to the coup.” He was held Thursday afternoon at Ouagadougou airport as he tried to board a plane to leave the country. He was released after several hours.

According to a senior army source, a majority of troops from the presidential guard (RSP) had

joined loyalist units after their regiment was disbanded under the peace agreement and assigned to other unites. A source in the army high command has disclosed that more than 800 men of the RSP’s 1,300-strong force have taken up new postings, adding that the remainder are being sought. The military source indicated that those who have yet to join loyalist forces have until Friday in order to show up at their new postings, adding that if they fail to do so, they “will be considered deserters.”

Gambia

No significant incidents to report.

Ghana

6 October Ghana has suspended seven high court judges, on top of the 22 junior judges and magistrates who have already been sanction over graft allegations after an undercover journalists claimed that he had filmed them taking bribes. Last month, 22 circuit judges and magistrates were suspended and 12 high court judges were placed under investigation after they were accused of being bought off. In a statement, the judicial service reported that “on the advice of the judicial council, the Vice President, Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthu…on Friday, October 2, 2015 suspended from office with immediate effect, seven out of the 12 justices of the high court on grounds of stated misbehavior,” adding that the vice-president had acted on the order of President John Dramani Mahama.

Guinea

31 October On Saturday, Guinea’s constitutional court validated President Alpha Conde’s victory in an 11 October election, which gave him a second five-year term with a clear majority. While the election’s results were announced on 17 October, the nine-member court had to weigh complaints from opposition candidates before the results could be certified. On Saturday, the body’s president Kelefa Sall announced that “the Constitutional Court declares Mr Alpha Conde…with 57.84 percent, elected President of the Republic.” He further disclosed that the court had judged complaints that were lodged by opposition candidates Faya Lansana Millimono, Papa Koly Kourouma and Lansana Koyate, adding that the findings were judged unfounded. While the country’s main opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, who finished second with 31 percent of ballots cast, did not recognize the results when they were announced by the elections commission, claiming that there had been fraud and rigging, neither he nor the third-place finisher, Sidya Toure, contested the results before the court.

28 October A senior health official reported Wednesday that three more people in Guinea have been infected

with the Ebola virus, which has further dampened hopes of an imminent end to the world’s worst recorded outbreak of the deadly disease. According to Fode Tass Sylla, spokesman for the national centre for the fight against Ebola, the three individuals were infected in Forecariah, in western Guinea, from the family of a woman who died of Ebola and whose body was handled without appropriate protection. The spokesman has disclosed that “in all, nine sick people are being treated at our centres throughout the country and most are connected to the dead woman,” adding that authorities had known of the three new cases since Saturday. The epidemic began when a 2-year-old boy fell ill in a remote Guinean village on 26 December 2013. The outbreak now risks dragging into a third year and into 2016. According to UN World Health Organization (WHO) figures, the deadly virus has killed around 11,300 people out of around 28,500 known cases

in Guinea as well as in neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone. On 3 September this year, Liberia was declared free of Ebola transmission after 42 days with no new cases. The WHO has indicated that Sierra Leone will be declared Ebola free on 7 November if there is no new transmission.

22 October Amnesty International reported on Thursday that security forces in Guinea shot two unarmed

people in the back and beat another person to death in the lead up to elections, which occurred earlier this month. Amnesty has disclosed that gendarmes killed a 24-year-old driver as he walked to his brother’s house, a 20-year-old carpenter in an alley and clubbed a student aged 20 to death with truncheons and left his body on a rubbish dump. Government spokesman Damantang Camara has indicated that he is aware of Amnesty international’s statement, disclosing that “the cited security forces immediately launched an internal investigation to verify this information and eventually sanction the culprits, whether they are security forces or civilians.”

19 October European Union election observers have called on Guinean authorities to release “all the detailed

results” from the country’s presidential elections and have appealed for calm following the opposition’s rejection of the outcome. On Saturday, the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) declared incumbent Alpha Conde the victor after winning 57.85 percent of the 11 October first round vote. His main rival, opposition leader and former premier Cellou Dalein Diallo came in second with 31.44 percent. The results still have to be approved by the constitutional court. On Saturday, Diallo refused to recognize the outcome of the election and urged supporters to take to the streets against what he labelled an “illegal” election that was tainted by mismanagement and fraud. The EU observer mission has since disclosed that “it notes the non-publication…of all the detailed results by polling stations after the conclusion of the counting” in the capital Conakry. In a statement, it further disclosed that the release of the results “constitutes an essential guarantee of transparency for those involved in the electoral process, especially after the organizational and logistical gaps observed in the poll.” The EU observer mission has called on CENI to publish detailed results well before the time limit set by the constitution so that all candidates can exercise “their right to an eventual recourse in the event of any challenges.” It also issued an appeal for “calm” to all those involved, urging them to “use only legal means available to them to contest” the results.

18 October Alpha Conde has been re-elected after winning an outright majority in the presidential election.

On Saturday, the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) formally declared Conde the victor after winning 57.85 percent of the vote in the 11 October polls. His main rival, opposition leader and former premier Cellou Dalein Diallo, came in second with 31.44 percent. Turnout stood at just over 68 percent, lower than the CENI’s initial estimate of 75 percent. Earlier on Saturday, Diallo refused to recognize the outcome and urged supporters to take to the streets against what he labelled an “illegal election that was tainted by mismanagement and fraud. In a statement, which he read to the media, Diallo indicated, “I will invite, at the appropriate time, other candidates and all citizens who are the true victims of this electoral hold-up to organize, conforming to the law, peaceful demonstrations to express our indignation and protest against this serious denial of democracy.” Reading a list of alleged irregularities, Diallo disclosed that the six other candidates for president have all decided not to recognize the results of the first round. He has since stated that he will not appeal the case in court. Despite a call for demonstrations, relative calm prevailed in the Guinean capital Conakry following the release of the results.

In a video statement released late on Saturday, the United Nations special representative for

West Africa Mohamed Ibn Chambas called “urgently” on “all political leaders and heir supporters to exercise restraint and refrain from any act of intimidation or violence, including verbal.” A similar call was issued by the governor of Conakry. Education authorities have disclosed that the academic year, which was due to begin on Monday, will now be postponed by three weeks until 9 November.

16 October The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that there are two new cases of Ebola that

have been recorded in Guinea this week, effectively ending two consecutive weeks in West Africa when no cases of the disease were reported. Officials have indicated that the two new patients were not previously identified contacts being tracked by health authorities. This suggests that officials are still unable to monitor everyone exposed to Ebola. On Friday, WHO spokeswoman

Dr Margaret Harris disclosed that the UN health agency had expected to see more cases despite the recent lull in the epidemic, adding that the cases were in areas where scientists knew Ebola was spreading. In its weekly update, WHO officials disclosed that there was a “near-term risk of further cases among both registered and untraced contacts.” To date, Ebola has killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

15 October Partial results showed Thursday that Guinean leader Alpha Conde is on track to win re-election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) has disclosed that preliminary results from the vast majority of the ballots cast show that Conde is ahead of main rival Cellou Dalein Diallo, with the other six candidates trailing behind. Announcing the results from 21 of the country’s 33 prefecture, the commission indicated that Conde had garnered some 1.95 million votes, compared to around 880,000 for Diallo. Conde will need 2.25 million votes in order to win an absolute majority. The final tally, which will incorporate results from the last remaining polling stations, including areas in the capital seen as opposition strongholds, is expected to be announced late on Friday. According to the electoral commission, turnout in the election was high, with almost 75 percent of the country’s six million voters casting their ballot.

The head of the European Union observer mission team Frank Engel has disclosed that his team

will remain in Guinea “until the definitive conclusion of the electoral process, including possible challenges.” So far, the EU team has criticized the electoral commission for poor organization and “lack of preparation.” Fearing further turmoil in the country, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has disclosed that she is following the situation “closely” and has warned that anyone encouraging crimes could face prosecution. In a statement she indicated that “anyone who commits, orders, incites, encourages or contributes in any other way to the commission of atrocity crimes falling within the jurisdiction of the ICC is liable to prosecution either in Guinea or at the Court in The Hague.”

14 October The country’s main opposition candidate has removed himself from the electoral process, just

days after the country’s presidential election. Cellou Dalein Diallo’s Union for the Democratic Forces of Guinea party made the announcement on Wednesday, stating that the decision was made given the refusal by the government an the electoral commission to comply with a minimum of democratic rules. Sidya Toure, who placed third in the first round of the 2010 presidential election, withdrew from the electoral process on Monday. It currently remains unclear if the politicians will remain removed once the results are given. Guinea’s election commission has announced that full provisional results have been postponed until Friday.

The Guinean government has called for calm after police fired teargas at protesters in Conakry

on Wednesday before provisional election results are announced later this week. Foreign Minister Francois Lonseny Fall stated at a meeting, which was attended by press and foreign diplomats on Wednesday that “we are calling on everyone to give up on the street (protests). If the institutions are not respected, then there is no rule of law.” Justice Minister Cheick Sako also stated at the same meeting that those caught protesting would face criminal charges. On Wednesday, anti-riot police in the suburb of Koloma Soloprimo fired teargas and warning shots as protesters began building street barriers. Dozens of anti-riot police vehicles circulated in opposition neighborhoods, where burnt-out tires and rocks littered the streets following clashes that erupted late on Tuesday. On Monday, on the ground sources reported seeing three people with gunshot wounds at a local clinic after security forces and the opposition clashed overnight. Results from the weekend’s elections were due to be released on Wednesday however the Independent National Electoral Commission has indicated that they will be released later this week. Early radio announcements have shown that incumbent Alassane Conde has a sizeable lead however most analysts expect that the results will be close enough to require a second round, most likely against Cellou Dalein Diallo. Millions of voters, around 75 percent of the population, cast their votes on Sunday.

13 October Guinea’s opposition has called for a re-run of the weekend’s first-round of the presidential vote,

condemning that the ballot was fraudulent even before the results and have been released, and pledging to take to the streets in protest. Speaking at a press, which was attended by the six other candidates challenging incumbent President Alpha Conde, opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo stated, “we cannot accept this ballot, we request it be annulled. We will not accept the

results of this vote…We will not give in, we have the right to demonstrate, we will demonstrate.” While the other six candidates have questioned the vote, none have called for a protest. The single woman running for election, Marie Madeleine Dioubate, urged her supports to “stay calm, stay off the streets.” Despite clashes between Conde and Diallo supporters in the final days of the campaign, which left a dozen people dead, voting was peaceful though the opposition complained about logistical problems. Sources have disclosed that some polling stations opened late, while others were short of envelopes. Some voters turned up without voter ID cards while others failed to be listed on the registers. Some registers were neither in alphabetical nor numerical order. Voters however appeared to have turned out in massive numbers for Sunday’s polls. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the peaceful vote and has urged all sides to refrain from any action that could lead to violence ahead of the release of the official results, which are expected Tuesday at the earliest.

European Union observers on Tuesday commended voters in Guinea for their enthusiasm and

peaceful conduct during the past weekend’s presidential election despite logistical issues. Observers also called for transparency as the country’s electoral commission finalizes the results of the first round. EU mission chief Frank Engel has called for calm, stating that it is vital that the election commission remain transparent in determining the results of Sunday’s election. Provisional results are expected to be released in the coming days. Witnesses have reported that demonstrations broke out in two of the capital’s suburbs, which are known to be opposition strongholds, however they were stopped by anti-riot police. On Monday, opposition candidates announced that they will not accept the results of the country’s second democratic presidential election in over fifty years, citing voting fraud. The international community has urged that the opposition take its complaints to the courts rather than onto the streets.

12 October Millions of Guineans on Sunday voted peacefully in Guinea’s second free election since the

country gained independence nearly 60 years ago. According to on the ground sources, the streets were calm in the capital Conakry, and elsewhere across the country, after clashes erupted earlier this week between security forces and supporters of rival parties, which left at least seven dead and dozens injured. At some polling stations, voting began only a few minutes behind schedule however in others, there were complaints that paperwork and officials had not arrived until late morning. Some also disclosed that their names were absent from the register. On Saturday, the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) admitted that about 7 percent of the electorate, or hundreds of thousands of voters, had not received cards, however it was unclear if this was deliberate or whether it had disadvantaged a particular party. The commission later extended the voting by two hours in order to allow those affected by organizational delays to participate. Counting began late on Sunday, with the CENI officially supposed to release the results of the election within 72 hours. An official however has indicated that the provisional outcome is not expected before October 15 or 16.

Guinea’s main opposition party has alleged widespread fraud in Sunday’s presidential election.

In a statement that was released late on Sunday, the Union for the Democratic Forces of Guinea stated that ballot boxes were stuffed by members of the government, that soldiers voted by proxy at several voting stations and that security forces expelled vote counters at others, adding that some 400 voting stations did not open at all. Main opposition candidate Cellou Dalein Diallo has disclosed that he and other candidates will hold a press conference on the vote on Monday.

11 October On Sunday, Guineans flocked to the polls to elect their president. Speaking shortly after voting

in the capital, incumbent Alassane Conde stated “I ask all Guineans, whatever their party, to fulfil their civic duty peacefully and calmly.” While polls were due to close at 1800 GMT, national electoral commission officials announced on Sunday a two-hour extension where necessary. Results of the first round of voting are not expected until at least Tuesday. The head of the EU’s election observation mission, Frank Engel, painted a positive picture at midday of the voting, stating that despite numerous delays, the “vote is going well…What we observed, and what was reported to us, does not in my opinion mar the regularly of this election.” Meanwhile after visiting a part of Conakry that is often a starting point for opposition demonstrations, Guinean Interior Minister Mahmoud Cisse disclosed that the election was happening in “peace and calm.” Nearly 19,000 police and other security personnel were on duty, with all of Guinea’s borders closed for the day and only electoral observers, officials or those with special permits allowed to

drive on the roads. Meanwhile according to the head of the Guinean elections team, Razeh Sao Kpoghomou, voting by nearly 16,000 Guineans in Sierra Leone was cancelled on Sunday because election materials did not get to the Guinean embassy in time to be distributed. Earlier in the week, registered voters demonstrated at the Guinea Embassy in Freetown, accusing embassy officials of holding onto their voting ID cards. Guinea Ambassador to Sierra Leone Foday Camara denied the accusations on state radio.

10 October The country’s opposition leader, Cellou Dalein Diallo, urged supporters to make their voices heard

in Sunday’s presidential election, after his calls for a delay of the “imperfect” polls fell on deaf ears. At a meeting of his UFDG party in the capital, Diallo stated “I would like to ask for one thin, and that is to end these demonstrations,” adding that there should be no boycott despite “all the imperfections, anomalies and irregularities” that marred the election preparations. Diallo further stated that “we will vote, defend our suffrage, defend our victory because there is no way we will let our victory be stolen.” The last-minute appeal to voters came as tensions remained high across the country on the eve of the election, after clashes between incumbent President Alpha Conde’s supports and the opposition left at least seven people dead in recent days.

9 October Guinea’s President has vowed to go ahead with Sunday’s election, dismissing calls from the

opposition for a delay as clashes broke out in the capital ahead of the hotly contested vote. Opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo has again demanded that the presidential vote be postponed in order to allow international monitors to investigate claims of vote rigging, including that minors have been listed on the electoral rolls. Speaking to a crowd in Conakry on Thursday, Diallo stated, “we will not participate in a sham election. Otherwise, we will not accept the results and I will mobilize along with all the other candidates and the population to reject it. Earlier in the day, incumbent President Alpha Conde dismissed calls for the elections to be postponed, telling several reports that the electoral commission is “perfectly within its rights to fix the date of the election.” While the run up to the campaign has been relatively peaceful, tensions have increased ahead of the polls, resulting in violence erupting this week. On Thursday afternoon, clashes broke out between supports of the president and Diallo. Police fired tear gas after five were wounded in the violence, which saw cars torched and both sides pelting each other with stones. On Wednesday, a spokesman for the electoral commission disclosed that it was ready for Sunday’s ballot, although admitted that less than half of voter cards had been distributed in some districts. Update (10 October) - The head of the gendarmeries has reported that at least two people were killed and twenty hurt in clashes between rival political parties ahead of Sunday’s elections. The clashes on Thursday occurred near the city’s large Madina market. Interior Minister Mahmoud Cisse cited hospital sources as stating that one person had died and 20 had been injured, while a security source disclosed that “two to three people died.” The minister appealed for calm and warned that “ no threat to public order will be tolerated.” Tensions have remained high in the capital. Traffic was disrupted on the large Fidel Castro motorway to the airport, with supporters of incumbent Alassane Conde stopping cars and even pedestrians suspected of backing the opposition candidate. Overnight Thursday to Friday, about twenty shops belonging to Fulani traders were looted by Conde supporters in reprisal for the arson attack at the market.

According to the mayor of the southeastern district of Banankoro, five people were killed

Thursday evening after their house was torched and dozens people were injured by gunshots. 5 October Clashes between supporters of the country’s ruling party and opposition activists have left at

least one dead and more than 80 wounded as tensions continue to mount ahead of next week’s presidential election. Authorities have declared a curfew across the southwestern city of N’Zerekore after fighting gripped the city late into Saturday night. This is the second major outbreak of violence to take place in the run-up to the 11 October polls. According to Olivier van Eyll, the head of medical charity Alima’s Guinea mission, “our teams, working with the Guinean Red Cross, helped the medical team at the regional hospital of N’Zerekore to care for around 80 people injured by gunshots or rocks,” adding, “unfortunately there was a death among the wounded.” The trouble began in N’Zerekore on Friday afternoon during a visit by President Alpha Conde, who is seeking re-election, and his supports. Sources have reported that local

traders, many of whom belong to the Fulani ethnic group, were angered when they were asked to close their shops for this arrival.

2 October Opposition leaders reported on Friday that challengers to President Alpha Conde in the upcoming

presidential elections want to postpone the 11 October vote to later this month in order to address irregularities in the process. Sidya Toure, the head of the opposition Union of Republican Forces party, disclosed that there had been problems with the distribution of voter cards and that voters were unevenly distributed amongst polling station. He further indicated that there were also concerns that minors had been registered and added to the voter rolls. Toure, who indicated that he was speaking on behalf of seven of the eight registered presidential candidates, stated, “we need one or two weeks to reduce the risk of fraud.” The Guinean government however has disclosed that the issue has already been dealt with. According to Saramady Toure, a member of President Alpha Conde’s Rally of the Guinean Peale (RPG) party, the oppositions concerns had already been addressed in an agreement, adding, “the voter rolls have been carefully verified by the electoral committee, which consists of two opposition experts, two experts from the majority and two others from civil society.” Under the country’s constitution, an election is required to take place at least sixty days before the end of the president’s term, meaning that a delay of eleven days would be the maximum allowed.

Guinea-Bissau

22 October The country’s state prosecutor has charged a former army chief with terrorism, homicide and trying to subvert the country’s constitutional order. Rear Admiral Jose Zamora Induta, who headed the army in 2009 – 2010, is suspected of being involved in an abortive plot to kill President Jose Mario Vaz amidst a political crisis in August. He is also accused of being involved in a 2012 coup attempt in which several people were killed. It was not immediately clear which incident was being addressed by the charges. On Thursday, his lawyer, Jose Paulo Semedo, disclosed that “the group of lawyers tasked with his defense will meet together to prepare a defense strategy that will allow us to react.”

13 October The president has named a new cabinet in a bid to end the country’s two-month political crisis.

The decree, which was issued late on Monday, came just hours after talks collapsed between President Jose Mario Vaz and recently appointed prime minister Carlos Correia, who is the country’s third prime minister since August. The new government team includes fifteen ministers and 14 secretaries of state, mostly from the previous government and the PAIGC. According to an official statement, two key ministerial portfolios, home affairs and natural resources, were not assigned due to disagreements over who should be appointed. The presidential statement, which was released on state media, further disclosed that “the choice of cabinet members is the responsibility of both the president and the prime minister. Selecting from the names put forward requires a level of agreement that has not yet been met in full.” No details were given on when or how the blank portfolios would be allocated.

12 October Guinea-Bissau’s Prime Minister has disclosed that talks with the president, which are aimed at

forming a new government and ending two months of political deadlock, collapsed on Monday. Speaking to reporters as he left a meeting with President Jose Mario Vaz at the presidential palace, Prime Minister Carlos Correia stated that “for now, there will be no government because the head of state insists that certain names need to be removed from the list and I won’t accept it.” According to political sources, the West African regional bloc ECOWAS sent former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on a second mediation trip this weekend however no progress was made and his visit was cut short. Prime Minister Correia has submitted virtually the same list of proposed ministers to the president at least twice. Sources have indicated that the list of candidates includes more than half of the members of the government that President Vaz dismissed, including former prime minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, as well as former Finance Minister Geraldo Martins and former Interior Minister Botche Cande.

7 October On Tuesday, President Jose Mario Vaz rejected a cabinet proposed by his new prime minister.

Carlos Correia was appointed premier on 8 September following weeks of political turmoil that was triggered by the president’s dismissal of Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira and his government over a row between the two rivals within the ruling PAIGC party. On 2 October,

after more than a month, Correia submitted a list of ministers to the president, however Vaz has rejected the list, stating that the cabinet is too large. A statement released by Vaz’s office indicated that “the presidency asks Carlos Correia to reformulate his 34-member government because the state budget will not be able to cover the cost.” The president also indicated that the prime minister’s cabinet was largely composed of ministers from Pereira’s dismissed government, some of whom are facing court cases over alleged corruption.

4 October On Saturday, the country’s president accused the new prime minister of overstepping his

constitutional bounds by claiming the right to name the cabinet, in a move that suggests a months-old political crisis in the country is not over. In a statement, President Jose Mario Vaz disclosed that it was the head of state’s prerogative to decided the structure of the cabinet and review the names proposed for ministerial appointments by his prime minister, noting that “the statement of the prime minister, Carlos Correia, concerning the submission of the list for a new cabinet is unconstitutional,” after Correia submitted a list. The comments marks the first flare-up of tensions between the president and the newly selected prime minister, who was sworn into office on 17 September in a bid to end a political standoff that prompted fears of Guinea-Bissau slipping back towards chaos after the 2012 coup.

Ivory Coast

28 October The International Criminal Court (ICC) has postponed the start of the trial of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo until next year in order to give judges time to assess his health. On Wednesday, judges ruled that the trial, which was originally due to begin on 10 November, will now get underway on 28 January. They also scheduled a hearing, beginning on 10 November, to question three experts who have assessed the 70-year-old Gbagbo’s health and fitness to stand trial.

Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara has won the weekend’s presidential election, the elections commission announced on Wednesday. According to President of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) Youssouf Bakayoko, Ouattara won a total of 2,118,229 votes, or 83.66 percent of ballots, adding that Sunday’s vote had a turnout of 54.63 percent. Results have indicated that Ouattara won the most votes in all but one of the 31 regions as well as in the largest city, Abidjan, and the capital, Yamoussoukro. Furthermore, he won all but sixteen votes in his home constituency of Kong, which is located in Ivory Coast’s north, where more than 14,000 voters cast their ballots. Of the six candidates who were seeking to unseat Ouattara, his closest challenger was Pascal Affi N’Guessan, head of ex-president Laurent Gbagbo’s Ivorian Popular Front (FPI). He won 9.29 percent of the votes in Sunday’s election. The results announced by the CEI must now be validated by the constitutional court. Late on Tuesday, before the results were announced, Ouattara stated, “I would like to congratulate all Ivorian’s for their maturity and exemplary behaviour…Ivory Coast is resolutely committed to the path of stability and the reinforcement of democracy.” Sunday’s election has been judged to be peaceful and transparent by observers, which will likely reassure the county’s investors.

Pascal Affi N’Guessan, who finished second in last weekend’s presidential election, accepted defeat on Wednesday. Speaking to journalists at his campaign headquarters, N’Guessan, who won a little over 9 percent, stated, “I recognize President Ouattara’s victory…We ran a good campaign, but the best candidate won.” N’Guessan heads the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) party, which is the party of ex-president Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal to accept Ouattara’s win in 2010 sparked post-election conflict that resulted in the death of over 3,000 people. N’Guessan’s concession of defeat is therefore critical and it is likely to reassure the country’s investors. Third-place finisher Bertin Konan Kouadio, who won just under four percent of the votes, acknowledged Ouattara’s win on Monday, even before official results began to emerge.

26 October On Monday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) denied a request by former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo’s lawyers to hold his trial in Abidjan because of security risks and logistical difficulties. The court’s decision comes after his lawyers last month requested for his impending trial to be moved to the southern Ivorian financial capital or alternatively to Arusha in Tanzania. In a court document, the three-bench judge indicated that after “paying particular regard to the security risks and the logistical implications,” the ICC “cannot recommend that the opening statements be held in either Abidjan or Arusha,” adding that “for this reason the Chamber dismisses the request.” Gbagbo’s lawyers argued that holding the trial in Abidjan, where the

former leader still commands a large following, would be in the interest of Ivorian justice and would “contribute to the Court’s goal of raising public awareness.” Prosecutors however pointed out that any possible benefit “would be outweighed by the security concerns, including the fact that the hearings could lead to violent demonstrations.” In a court document, they further disclosed that “besides the fact that the Ivory Coast and Tanzania are on different sides of the same continent, there is no apparent connection between the two states that would make hearings in Arusha more meaningful…than hearings conducted in The Hague.” Lawyers representing the victims also disclosed that a trial in Abidjan would serve no purpose, stating, “the request aims mostly at providing a political tribune to the accused under the guise of an opening statement.” Gbagbo, 69, along with his former militia chief Charles Ble Goude, are due to face the ICC on 10 November over their roles in post-election violence.

On Monday, election observers gave the Ivory Coast’s presidential vote a clean bill of healthy, with early estimates putting participation at 60 percent, effectively allaying fears that poor turnout would mar the expected re-election of incumbent Alassane Ouattara. On Sunday, the late arrival of materials led the Independent Elections Commission (CEI) to extend voting in some polling stations by two hours. Furthermore, many of the computer tablets, which were used in order to verify voters identification, failed during the day. However POECI, an Ivorian civil society organization that received backing from the Washington-based National Democratic Institute (NDI), disclosed that it did not expect the problems to affect the results of the election. According to Drissa Soulama, coordinator for POECI’s parallel vote count, “yesterday on voting day, there was dysfunction here and there, but it wasn’t of a kind to really discredit the process,” adding, “so for us, the process was free and fair.” Election observers and diplomats have also reported that Sunday’s vote was held without major incident. Some candidates however have reported irregularities. Bertin Konan Kouadio, one of the six candidates seeking to unseat Ouattara, claimed that the process had been tainted by irregularities, including foreigners who had been caught attempting to vote. Speaking to journalists after casting his ballot, Kouadio sated, “I warn Ouattara: He wont do to me what he has done to my predecessors and my elders; he wont succeed in stealing my victory.” In the weeks leading up to the crucial vote, there were growing concerns that many voters would stay at home because the outcome of the election was perceived to be in little doubt. The election commission is expected to begin announcing partial results on Monday afternoon.

25 October On Sunday, the Ivory Coast voted in a presidential election, which is seen to be a key test of stability after years of violence and upheaval in the West African nation. As he cast his ballot in the economic capital Abidjan, incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, who is expected to win re-election, stated that “it’s a big day for Ivory Coast…We must endeavor to conduct these elections in peace and security, and come together more in order to face the other challenges awaiting the Ivorian nation.” Some 34,000 soldiers, including 6,000 UN peacekeepers were on patrol during Sunday’s polling. Sources have disclosed that turnout in Abidjan’s central Plateau district had reached around 45 percent by midday, compared with an 80 percent participation rate over in the 2010 presidential elections. Voting was extended by two hours beyond the official 5:00 PM (1700 GMT) close at polling stations that had opened late. With polling not even beginning, opposition figures already cried foul, with three candidates withdrawing from the race, leaving incumbent Alassane Ouattara vying against six others. His main challenger is former prime minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan, who is running on behalf of former president Laurent Gbagbo’s party, the Ivorian Popular Front. Preliminary results from Sunday’s vote are expected to be released early in the week.

23 October On Friday, the country’s former prime minister Charles Konan Banny pulled out of the country’s upcoming presidential election and denounced that “iniquitous” poll, which is expected to see incumbent Alassane Ouattara remain in power. Speaking to voters at a press conference at his campaign headquarters, Konan Banny stated that “after having fought to the end to get our leaders to spare Ivory Coast renewed suffering and frustration I have decided to no longer participle, from this moment, in the iniquitous process imposed on you.” He cited “grave irregularities” in the organization for his decision. Konan Banny, of the opposition National Coalition for Change, is the third candidate to withdraw from the race. He follows in the footsteps of former foreign minister Amara Essay and former national assembly president Mamadou Koulibaly. At the time of his withdrawal, Essy indicated that he did not wish to “be complicity in an electoral masquerade,” while Koulibaly condemned the poll as already “rigged.” Currently seven candidates remain on the ballot.

19 October On Monday, President Alassane Ouattara disclosed that he would push for constitutional reform, to remove a nationality clause, if he wins re-election this week. Ouattara himself was barred from seeking the presidency over what opponents indicated were his foreign origins. While he finally won the presidential election in 2010, his victory sparked a second brief civil conflict, which resulted in the deaths of more than 3,000 people. He is now heavily favoured to win a second term in office in presidential elections that are due to take place this Sunday. In the lead up to the vote, Ouattara has disclosed that he is determined to remove the nationalist bias from the country’s constitution. Under the current document, which was ratified in 2000 in the wake of a military coup, presidential candidates must prove that both their parents are Ivorian’s who were born on Ivorian soil. Furthermore, they must have never claimed the citizenship of another country. This become a symbol of exclusions particularly for northerners, whose families often have ties that cross into neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso. In an interview, Ouattara disclosed that “we will have a new constitution because I think the current constitution is outdated. It was written during the crisis of 2000. It has too many things which are complicated.” While a number of African leaders have pushed to alter their constitutions in a bid to extend their rule, Ouattara has vowed to respect the country’s two-term limit and step down in 2020 if he is re-elected. Any reform of the constitution would require backing from parliament, which is dominated by the president’s allies, and then need to be submitted to a referendum.

10 October Former parliamentary speaker Mamadou Koulibaly has announced that he is leaving what he called a “rigged” presidential election, which is slated for 25 October. Late Friday, he wrote that he “…will not participate in these rigged elections…I Se that the Ivorian election is deliberately sabotaged by the very people who have the duty to organize it democratically: The CEI (Independent Electoral Commission) and the government.” Early on Saturday, the National Coalition for Change (CNC), which is comprised of the primary opposition parties, held an emergency meeting at the headquarters of Koulibaly’s Lider party. The CNC has demanded the dissolution of the electoral commission, which is in charge of polls that are considered favorable to incumbent Alassane Ouattara.

9 October On Friday, incumbent Alassane Ouattara opened the electoral campaign leading up to the 25 October presidential polls and urged his countrymen to give him a second term in order to “consolidate the peace.” On the ground sources have reported that thousands of campaigners from across the country waved posters and shouted their support for the leader in the Ivory Coast’s administrative capital of Yamoussoukro. Speaking to the crowds, Ouattara stated that, “for the five years to come we will strengthen our institutions to consolidate peace and live together,” adding that every Ivorian should be able to “seek justice with confidence to assert their rights.” The incumbent has promised “ambitious” developments if he is elected for the 2016 – 2020 term, including “modern infrastructure, health centres and schools” for all regions.” Around 34,000 soldiers, including 6,000 United Nations peacekeepers, will be tasked with ensuring a safe vote for some of the 6.3 million people that have registered to cast their ballot on 25 October.

7 October Five of the country’s ten presidential candidates announced Wednesday that the country is “not ready” to hold a credible and transparent” vote on 25 October and threatened to pull out of the election race. The opponents, who mainly come from the opposition National Coalition for Change (CNC) party, made the comments at a rally in the capital Abidjan, which was attended by hundreds of supporters. Former parliament speaker Mamadou Coulibaly warned that “some presidential candidates are not ready to run for office in the current conditions.” While he added that “if, in the next 48 hours, we have not had a clear discussion, we will announce it,” however he stopped short of explicitly threatening a boycott. Coulibaly also stated that “the nine candidates (challenging President Alassane Ouattara)…must sit together and talk.” Other opposition candidates, including former prime minister Charles Konan Banny, lashed out against the independent electoral commission, which they consider to be favorable to incumbent Alassane Ouattara. According to Coulibaly, “less than three weeks away from the vote, none of the candidates have seen the electoral list and the CEI has not yet distributed voting cards,” adding, “the candidates are not ready, the CEI is not ready, none of the candidates have been on television.” The latest criticism of the upcoming election comes as former foreign affairs minister Amara Essy announced earlier this week that he was pulling out of the race because he wanted “to avoid becoming an accomplice in an electoral masquerade.”

6 October On Tuesday, former Ivory Coast foreign minister turned opposition candidate Amara Essy disclosed that he has suspended his participation in this month’s presidential election, stating that the process was undemocratic and dominated by the incumbent. While Essy, who is a member of the National Coalition for Change (CNC) opposition bloc, stopped short of stating that he would boycott the election, he did state that his participation was conditional upon certain demands being addressed by the government. Including Essy, ten candidates were cleared by the constitutional court to take part in the elections, due to take place on 25 October. Incumbent Alassane Ouattara is heavily favoured to win the election.

Liberia

1 October Authorities have imposed a curfew in a town in the northern region of the country after violent protests erupted following a wave of suspected ritual killings. Residents of the town of Ganta, which is located on the border with Guinea, reported that protests began after the killing of a motorcyclist on Wednesday, which came just a day after the discovery of the body of a 13-year-old girl who had disappeared weeks earlier. According to a local police commander, one person was killed and several were wounded in the protests, in which a number of properties were destroyed. In a national address, Justice Minister Benedict Sannoh stated, “we will not hesitate to bring to book anyone in connection with this violence,” adding that six people had already been arrested for their role in the protests. The 13-year-old girls’ death is the more recent in what officials believe to be a years-long string of ritualistic killings that have occurred in the area and which local residents blame on politicians and businessmen seeking political power.

Mali

29 October A spokesman reported Thursday that Mali’s army has killed five Islamist fighters believed to have been behind a series of attacks that occurred along the border with Burkina Faso. According to Colonel Souleymane Maiga, clashes erupted on Wednesday in the Tiebanda Forest, which is located in the central Malian region of Mopti, adding that a number of Islamist militants were wounded and that the army suffered no casualties. He further stated that “these are elements that carried out several attacks in the region, notably against security posts. The army located them a while ago thanks to witness accounts from villagers.”

28 October The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA has reported that unknown attackers fired seven mortar shells at a UN base in the northern region of Kidal on Wednesday, adding that there were no casualties or damage.

27 October According to a UN spokeswoman, UN peacekeepers are lifting a security zone, which they imposed around the town of Kidal because fears of an attack have diminished after rival clans signed a peace deal earlier this month. On 20 August, peacekeepers imposed a 20-kilometer zone over growing concerns that pro-government forces would try to take the separatist stronghold. According to Radhia Achouri, spokeswoman for the MINUSMA mission, peacekeepers began to lift the zone on Monday, noting, “we think there is no more danger. We are no longer fearful for the security of the civilian population.” People can attend to their daily business without danger.”

26 October On Monday, a Malian military source reported that three civilians died in the northern region of the country when their vehicle hit a landmine, adding that two United Nations peacekeepers who went to the rescue were wounded when a second mine exploded. A statement released by the UN mission in Mali condemned the attack and stated that both mines exploded in the vicinity of a UN base at Tessalit, which is located in the region of Kidal.

21 October A group of eight humanitarian organizations have urged the Malian government and the UN peacekeeping mission to allow flights in order to deliver aid to the northern region of Kidal. A letter signed by the organizations, which includes Save the Children and Oxfam, discloses that now that a peace accord has been signed, they would like air access to about 90,000 people who are in need of humanitarian assistance in the Kidal region. According to Yannick Deville, president of the alliance of international organizations, the UN mission has prohibited humanitarian flights to Kidal since January 2015, citing security reasons and a damaged runway.

Officials have disclosed that during a two-day state visit to France, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita will seek to gain political and financial support for the country’s on going peace process. Sources have reported that President Keita met with French President Francois Hollande

on Wednesday ahead of a dinner at the Elysee palace. At a press conference, President Hollande stated that “it’s very important for us to be able to call on the international financial community to invest heavily in Mali,” adding that France will release a total of 360 million euros (US $408 million) in loans and grants to Mali by 2017. On Thursday, an international conference for the economic recovery and development of Mali is to be held at the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

20 October The Malian government has announced that a school has reopened after three years in Kidal, a northern town that was previously held by Islamic extrmeists but which is now administrated by Tuareg separatists. The announcement that classes have resumed at the Kidal school was made on state television Monday night.

16 October Former Tuareg rebels in northern Mali and rival pro-government armed groups have indicated that they have sealed a peace agreement to end hostilities after days of talks. Officials from the Tuareg-led Coordination of Movements of Azawad (CMA) and the Platform, which is a coalition of pro-government groups, have indicated that they reached an agreement on Thursday on a “act of honor” after nearly three weeks of talks in Anefis, 100 kilometres (60 miles) southwest of the regional capital Kidal. According to Kidal member of parliament Ahmoudene Ag Iknass, a Platform supporters, “we have held direct negotiations between us. We finished the meeting this evening (Thursday), everyone has made peace, starting with us, the Platform and the CMA.” Meanwhile Boubacar Ould Hamadi of the CMA has disclosed, “the war is behind us. The Platform and the CMA have made peace, but other tribes or groups that had problems between themselves also made peace.” In a statement that was released on Thursday, the UN Peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) disclosed that it has welcomed “the series of meetings held in Anefis from 4 – 14 October 2015 as part of a direct and constructive dialogue” between the two sides. MINUSMA also disclosed that it was encouraged by “the development which constitutes a qualitative step in the process of inter-Malian peace,” noting, “this advance adds to the progress that has been made since the completion of the signing of the agreement for peace and national reconciliation in Mali, reaffirming the resolute march towards a lasting and inclusive peace.”

15 October The ministry of defense reported Thursday that three members of the French Special Forces were injured this week in a landmine blast in northern Mali. According to the ministry, the incident occurred Tuesday. Army spokesman Colonel Gilles Jaron has indicated, “they triggered a mine in the north of Mali.”

13 October Mali’s army spokesman disclosed Tuesday that at least six people have been killed by suspected jihadists who attacked a convoy escorted by the army in the northern region of the country. According to Souleymane Maiga, a truck carrying gasoline hit a roadside bomb about 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Gao, with the gunmen attacking it afterwards. Six civilians were killed in the attack and two people, including a solider, were injured. Three gas tanks were burned. The attack occurred around 7:30 AM on Tuesday. Col. Diarran Kone from the defense ministry has confirmed the ambush, stating that the insurgents had fired rocket-launchers at the convoy. While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, security sources have indicated that Islamist fighters are behind the incident, which the government has called a “terrorist attack.”

According to the United Nations, violence against aid groups and general insecurity have plunged the region of Timbuktu in northern Mali into a hunger crisis, with tens of thousands of children at an increasing risk of dying from malnutrition. The UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reported Tuesday that around one in six people in the region are suffering from acute malnutrition. The UN agency further disclosed that this includes more than 50,000 children under the age of five who, because they are malnourished, are up to nine times more likely to die. UNOCHA public information officer Anouk Desgroseilliers has indicated that aid agencies have repeatedly warned that the worsening security situation in the north “…has aggravated the vulnerability of individuals and communities.”

9 October According to security and government sources, three civilians were killed in the village of Dounapen, which is located in the region of Mopti near the border with Burkina Faso. Local officials have disclosed that the assailants had descended by motorbike on the area, adding that they were brandishing black flags. A Malian security source has indicated that “three civilians, including a mayoral assistant, were killed Friday,” adding that an unspecified number of people were injured. One local official disclosed that police had given chase to the attackers and had

impounded seven motorbikes. Harouna Bellem, the mayor of Dioungani municipality, has indicated that the attackers are suspected members of the radical Macina Liberation Front, which has been blamed for other attacks that have occurred this year.

6 October On Tuesday, the UN envoy for Mali disclosed that “the peace process is back on track” after violence in August threatened to disrupt an agreement that was reached between the Malian government and separatist rebels. Speaking to the UN Security Council, Mongi Hamdi did warn that continued “vigilance will be required as the peace process remains fragile.” Hamdi disclosed that following confrontations, which occurred near the Algerian border at the beginning of September and which severely threatened the peace process, he brought together the top military leadership of pro-government militas and Tuareg and Arab rebels for the first time, adding that they agreed to cease hostilities, return to their positions prior to the 20 June peace agreement and return to the peace process. Hamdi noted that he was pleased to report “that the ceasefire and the terms of these agreements are now holding,” adding that it is critically important that the international community remain engaged to prevent any escalation of violence and bring the peace process back on track.

5 October According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 100 people in northern Mali have died from what is likely malaria, with health officials reporting that insecurity in the region has made access to medical treatment difficult. On Friday, Lucien Manga, acting head of the UN organization in Mali, disclosed that data shows that there has been a strong seasonal surge of malaria, adding that samples are still being analyzed to determine the exact cause of the deaths in the north. The main Tuareg separatist group had recently sent a statement to the WHO pertaining to a deadly fever in that area, which had claimed more than 100 lives since August.

3 October The government and a rebel group reported Saturday that the Malian government has exchanged thirty separatist rebels for the release of sixteen soldiers, in what is a move that demonstrates progress after violence in August threatened to disrupt the peace agreement. According to Garibou Perou, spokesman for the Ministry of the Reconstruction of the North, the soldiers and rebels were released last week. Almouzamil Ag Mohamed, a spokesman for the main Tuareg separatist group, the Coordination of Azawad Movement, the prisoner exchange is an important step as it “…helps to restore confidence between the two parties after fighting in the month of August in Kidal.” Militants aligned with the government clashed with the separatist group in August, effectively breaking a peace accord that had been signed by the parties in late June. On Saturday, meetings pertaining to the implementation of the peace accord continued in Bamako.

Mauritania

29 October The United States Pentagon announced on Thursday that Ahmed Abdel Aziz has been sent back to his native Mauritania after thirteen years in custody at the detention centre on the US military base at Guantanamo Bay. Aziz was initially detained as a suspected member of al-Qaeda who had ties to some of the most senior members of the terrorist organization. He was captured by Pakistani authorities at a suspected al-Qaeda safe house and later turned over to the US. He was never charged with a crime. According to his lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, the release was long overdue and the US owes an apology to Aziz, who has a wife and son in Mauritania. In a statement, the Pentagon disclosed that the release of Aziz came after a “comprehensive review of the case” and after Defense Secretary Ash Carter ensured that it was in compliance with standards set by Congress. It further disclosed that the United States is grateful to the government of Mauritania for its willingness to support ongoing US efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.” He is the 14th prisoner to be release from the controversial prison this year. Currently, 113 prisoners remain at Guantanamo, including 53 who have been cleared for release or transfer. Update (30 October) – The Mauritanian government has announced that a Guantanamo Bay detainee from Mauritian will not face prosecution in the West African nation. Ahmed Ould Abdel Aziz was flow to Mauritania on Wednesday after a review board unanimously approved his release from the prison camp at the US naval base in Cuba. In a statement released late on Thursday, the government disclosed that “Ahmed Ould Abdel Aziz officially returned to his family Thursday,” adding that “no prosecution will be brought against the prisoner.” While a Pentagon statement, which announced his release, did not provide any details about where and when Abdel Aziz was capture or what he was accused of, a 2008 US Defense Department detainee assessment, which was published by Wikileaks, indicated that Abdel Aziz, 45, was captured on 5 June 2002 when Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence

Directorate raided a suspected al-Qaeda safe house in Karachi. The document further indicated that Abdel Aziz swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden in 1999, was a close associate of the al-Qaeda leader’s religious adviser Mahfouz Ould al-Walid and fought on the frontlines of Afghanistan. It also indicated that Abdel Aziz was considered high risk “as he is likely to pose a threat to the US, its interests, and allies.” The Defense Department document noted that he had steadfastly denied belonging to al-Qaeda or any involvement in terrorist operations, adding, “detainee had access to information of significant intelligence value, but has been uncooperative with interrogators and remains largely unexploited.”

21 October According to World Food Programme (WFP) director Ertharin Cousin, a lack of funds is hampering

efforts to provide urgent support to Mauritanians and refugees who have fled instability in neighboring Mali. On Wednesday during a three-day visit to Mauritania, which has been affected by erratic rains and encroaching desertification, Cousin disclosed that there is a funding shortage of US $11 million. She has called on the international community for support, stating that the food assistance programme has only half the money needed in order to continue food distribution for the next six months. Cousin further disclosed that 14 percent of children under the age of five are suffering from malnutrition in Mauritania. The WFP aims to provide assistance to just over 540,000 people, in which 50,000 of them have fled violence in Mali.

Niger

28 October Security sources reported Wednesday that suspected Boko Haram militants killed at least fourteen people in an overnight attack on a village in the southeastern region of the country. One source has disclosed that that attack occurred in the village of Ala, which is located in the Diffa region near the Nigerian border, with another source indicating that the assailants had looted the village and then set fire to the houses, adding that Niger’s army is pursuing the militants.

27 October In a bid to boost security, the Nigerien Parliament on Tuesday approved a law that effectively prolongs a 15-day state of emergency for the region of Diffa by three months. This year, Niger’s Diffa region has suffered several cross-border attacks by Nigerian-based Boko Haram militants, whose stronghold in northeastern Nigeria lies just a few kilometres away.

23 October On Friday, Niger was ordered to pay compensation to the family of former president Ibrahim Bare Mainassara, who was killed by members of the presidential guard in a 1999 coup. Five judges, sitting at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice, ruled that Niamey should pay a total of 435 million CFA francs (US $750,000) to Mainassara’s widow, five children and 11 brothers and sisters. The panel at the court, which is located in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, also ruled unanimously that “the right to life of president Ibrahim Bare Mainassara has been violated.” In December 2013, eleven members of the former president’s family sought redress in the court, urging it to compel the Nigerien government to identify the assassins and to bring them to justice. In a judgement, which was read in French by Justice Alioune Sall, the court indicated that “the right of the applicants’ access to justice has been violated by the government of Niger,” adding that the former leader’s widow will receive 75 million CFA francs, each of his five children will get 50 million CFA francs, while 10 million CFA francs will go to his eleven siblings. Mainassara, a 49-year-old army general, was killed at a military base on 9 April 1999, just three years after he himself seized power in a coup that followed disputed elections. The junta that seized power was replaced by a civilian government that December. The court’s decisions are binding on all members of ECOWAS and are final and not subject to appeal.

21 October Niger’s defense minister has reported that two Nigerien soldiers were killed Wednesday in a suicide attack that was carried out by a group of suspected Boko Haram militants in the southeastern region of Diffa. According to Minister Karidio Mahamadou, four attackers attempted to enter the town of Diffa on Wednesday morning however they were intercepted 10 kilometres (six miles) outside and then attacked by security forces. At least one of the militants however still managed to detonate an explosive device. Speaking to reporters, Mahamadou disclosed “two of our soldiers died after being hit by the explosion,” and three others were injured. The latest strike comes just two weeks after a suicide attack by the Islamist group targeted the same region, killing at least 13 people. In the wake of that attack, Nigerien authorities imposed a 15-day state of emergency in the region, implementing a curfew and restricting movements.

On Wednesday, Nigerien defense Minister Karidio Mahamadou announced that in a bid to help Niger in its battle against Nigerian-based Boko Haram, the United States has donated two military aircraft, along with other equipment, in order to improve surveillance and intelligence gathering. The move comes as the US disclosed earlier this month that it would deploy 300 troops, along with surveillance drones, to Cameroon in order to fight the Islamist group.

19 October According to the governor of the capital Niamey, violent clashes erupted between police and students protesting for better study conditions, with on the ground sources indicating that at least seven people were injured and 79 were arrested. Sources have reported that hundreds of college and high schools students demonstrated in the city and clashed with police in the afternoon, adding that demonstrators threw stones and burned tires on the road, paralyzing traffic in pars of the capital. Speaking at a press conference, Niamey governor Hamidou Garba disclosed that the “two national guards and five policemen were injured by stone throwing – one seriously who was in intensive care in hospital,” adding that 79 protesters were arrested over the clashes in which two police vehicles were “ransacked” and another, belonging to the French embassy’s communications officer, was “set on fire.” The governor further indicated that protesters damaged two more vehicles from the UN refugee agency. Officials have warned that further protests may occur.

14 October On Wednesday, Niger imposed a state of emergency on the southeastern region of Diffa, where at least forty people have been killed in recent weeks in attacks that have been blamed on Nigerian-based Boko Haram insurgents. According to a government statement that was read out on state television, the 15-day state of emergency will effectively enable authorities to increase security in the region, impose a curfew and restrict the movement of goods. The government instituted similar measures back in February. Statistics published by the United Nations on Friday indicated that since February, the region of Diffa has endured at least 57 attacks. Furthermore, at least 150,000 refugees seeking protection from Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria live in the region.

4 October According to security sources, suspected Boko Haram militants killed five civilians and a soldier in a double suicide attack in Niger on Sunday. One source has disclosed that “apparently, the assailants, all armed with explosive belts, were going after military targets but they were unable to hit any,” adding, “they were chased by inhabitants who informed the army and they swiftly went after them.” A security official further disclosed that four attackers also died in Niger’s southeastern region of Diffa adding that authorities are searching for two more suspects.

2 October Nigerien army officers reported Friday that Boko Haram fighters killed at least two Nigerien soldiers and wounded four others in an attack on a village located near the border with Nigeria. According to one army officer, “we had officers who fell in an ambush set by Boko Haram, who attacked the village of Barwa on Thursday morning.” A second officer reported that the militants also looted stores.

Nigeria

31 October The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced Saturday that seven men have been jailed for 10 years in Nigeria after being arrested with nearly 1,500 tonnes of contraband petrol. In a statement the EFCC disclosed that the seven individuals, all of whom are Nigerian nationals, were amongst the crew of the MT Good Success, which was stopped by a navy patrol boat off the coast of Lagos in February 2014. On board was some 1,495 tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol/gasoline). The petrol on board, nearly US $1.7 million held by one of the defendants and the vessel itself were ordered to be forfeited to the Nigerian government. The defendants were found guilty at the Federal High court in Lagos on Friday after denying four counts of illegal oil bunkering (theft) and one of unlicensed dealing in petroleum products. Judge O.E. Abang sentenced them to ten years in prison on each of the first four counts and two years on the fifty, to run concurrently. He described them as “lawless,” adding that he hoped that the sentence would serve as a deterrent.

30 October Survivors reported Friday that Boko Haram militants, who have been bombed out of their forest camps, are now attacking remote villages in northeastern Nigeria, killing scores and kidnapping hundreds of women and children. Some fleeing villagers disclosed that they trampled on the corpses of their neighbors in a bid to get away from the militants, who arrived on horseback and motorcycles armed with guns, swords and machetes. Villagers have reported that the attacks

began a week ago in twenty villages located along the border between the states of Borno and Yobe. The news however only emerged Friday as the villagers were forced to walk for days through the bush, with roads washed out by rains, in order to reach the safety of Jakana, which is a village located 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Maiduguri. The survivors also reported that Boko Haram militants herded away hundreds of cattle and sheep.

The United Nation’s top official has reported that the long-awaited regional task force is set to begin raids on Boko Haram enclaves when the rainy season ends soon. In an interview on Wednesday, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, UN Special Representative for West Africa, disclosed that “they will take advantage of the end of the rainy season now to really go after them.” While the rains in northeastern Nigeria usually end in September, they have lasted longer this year. Although earlier this year, Nigerian and Chadian forces forced the militant group to cede large swaths of territory in northern Nigeria, some fighters have since regrouped and have increased suicide attacks and guerrilla raids in the remote border areas located around Lake Chad, where Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria meet. Two main Boko Haram enclaves that remain are Nigeria’s Sambisa Forest, which is a vast former colonial hunting reserve, and the rugged mountains that straddle the Nigerian-Cameroon border.

29 October The Nigerian army has published photos of nearly 100 people whom it says are its most-wanted Boko Haram suspects. The photos on the list appear to have been sourced from Boko Haram propaganda material, including videos. Despite previous claims by the Nigerian army that he had been killed, and claims by Chadian President Idriss Deby in August that the group had a new leader who was open to dialogue, Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau appears tice on the list. The army has indicated that it will circulate the banner across the country in a bid to help track down the insurgent leaders. It has urged the public to phone special hotlines if any of the suspects are spotted. Appeals for public co-operation are written in English as well as in Hausa and Kanuri, which are the two main languages that are spoken in the northeast of the country, where Boko Haram is most active.

The Nigerian Senate on Thursday confirmed the remaining eighteen ministerial candidates who were nominated for cabinet posts by President Muhammadu Buhari. Lawmakers have disclosed that amongst those approved is Okechukwu Enyinna Enelamah, a former Goldman Sachs banker who now heads the country’s largest private equity firm. The confirmation effectively completes the screening process for the thirty-six candidates for the president’s cabinet.

28 October The military reported Wednesday that Nigerian troops have rescued 228 captives, almost all children and women, from Boko Haram camps in a forest in the northeast of Nigeria. A statement released by a Defense Headquarters indicated that thirty extremists were killed in attacks that targeted two camps located on the fringes of Boko Haram’s holdout in Sambisa Forest. The statement further disclosed that separately, troops ambushed and killed four suspects on a bombing mission in northeastern Adamawa state. The military also posted photographs on social media of several guns and ammunition, which it said were seized in the attacks, along with images of bodies of alleged insurgents.

26 October On Monday, Nigeria’s former national security adviser pleaded not guilty to money laundering in connection with US $423,000 and Nigerian naira that were seized at his homes. Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki also denied charges of illegal possession of an arms cache including assault rifles and a submachine gun, which were found when security agents raided to of his homes in July. At the Federal High Court, Col. Dasuki’s lawyer Joseph Daudu objected to a prosecution request for a secret trial in order to hide the identity of witnesses. He also asked the court to return Dasuki’s seized passport, stating that he needs it in order to travel abroad for medical care. The judge adjourned the case to Wednesday. Col. Dasuki was a key adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan and had taken over the role of the Ministry of Defence in procuring weapons. Last year, he was called before a Senate committee in order to explain an incident in which South Africa seized US $9.3 million in cash flow on a private jet and a US $5.7 million bank transfer that South Africa blocked, stating that it was intended to illegally purchase arms. Col. Dasuki however stated that the deals were legitimate.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) is formally removing Nigeria from the list of polio-endemic countries, effectively meaning that the entire African continent is now free of the crippling disease. In a statement released on Monday, the WHO indicated that the move comes after Nigeria reported no new cases for 15 months, after overcoming obstacles which ranged from

Islamic extremists who assassinated vaccinators to rumors that the vaccine was a plot to sterilize Muslims.

25 October According to sources, Nigeria’s secret police have arrested and charged 45 suspects over an alleged Boko Haram plot to attack the country’s financial hub, Lagos. One source has disclosed that “about 60 suspects were picked up from different locations in Lagos by the Department of State Services acting on intelligence information they were planning to attack Dolphin Estate in Ikoyi last month,” referring to an upscale area of the city. Sources have reported that some of the suspects were released after preliminary investigations however 45 others were taken to the magistrate court on Friday, adding, “they were arraigned on holding charges. The DSS urged the court to remand them in prison pending further investigation and their eventual arraignment before a high court.”

On Sunday, four suicide bombers attempting to blow up a military checkpoint in Maiduguri were killed when their car exploded. According to a local vigilante, “around 1:30 PM, a Golf car carrying four people exploded just before the Jimtilo military checkout, on the outskirts of Maiduguri,” adding that “we mobilized to the scene along with military personnel and we discovered the explosion was caused by explosives and the car was engulfed in flames.”

24 October According to residents, a female suicide bomber blew herself up in the northeastern city of Maiduguri on Saturday, killing three people and injuring several others. One local resident reported seeing two female suicide bombers arrive in the area, however one was stopped by people nearby while the other blew herself up. According to a security guard, “three people have been killed and many injured. One of the terrorists was arrested before she could detonate.” Sources have disclosed that the bombing in the city’s Dala Yazaram neighborhood occurred just a day after at least 55 people were killed in attacks that occurred in the northeast of the country. This month, Maiduguri has now been hit seven times, with at least 79 people killed in the attacks. President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a delegation to the states of Adamawa and Borno in order to express condolences and to stress the need for resident’s vigilance.

On Saturday, the Nigerian military claimed that it troops had destroyed Boko Haram camps and enclaves at the border towns of Kerenowa and Chikun Gudu as well as neighboring villages in Borno state. A statement released by the army disclosed that “during the operation which is ongoing, troops discovered and destroyed over 20 well fortified terrorist camps in the general area of Kerenowa.”

On Saturday, a Nigerian court nullified the election of the governor of Rivers state on grounds of irregularities and ordered a new election to take place within ninety days. Justice Suleiman Ambrosa, of the election petition tribunal siting in Abuja, stated that the court was satisfied with the complaint by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Dakuku Peterside that 11 April election was fraught with violence, voter intimidation and ballot fraud, adding that the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria should call a new election in the disputed oil-rich state within 90 days. While Governor Nyesom Wike, of former president Goodluck Jonathan’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP), had been declared the winner of the election, the APC, which had previously controlled the state, described the result as “a rape of democracy.” There were widespread claims from the APC of PDP irregularities in voting in the state at the presidential election on 28 March, leading to demonstrations and calls for a re-run. In the wake of the ruling, the PDP in Rivers state disclosed Saturday that it will appeal against the ruling. In a statement, the party indicated that “no matter the degree of conspiracy by the APC-led federal government, the falsehood and gang-up against Rivers people will amount to a nullity I the end.” It further added that Wike would remain governor as long as an appeal is lodged within 21 days after the tribunal’s ruling.

Lagos State Information Commissioner Steve Ayorinde on Saturday called for the public’s help in ensuring the safety of the city’s 20 million-strong population. In a statement, he disclosed, “our appeal goes to every school, housing estates, religious hoses, markets and shopping complexes, hotels and restaurants and sporting arenas to take issues of security and personal safety more seriously these days and to work with both the government and security agencies in promptly reporting any persons with suspicious activities or unusual gatherings that may compromise security.” Boko Haram has previously threatened to move southward in a bid to further spread its six-year-old insurgency in the country. The capital city, Abuja, has been hit several times,

most recently on 2 October when three suicide bombers killed eighteen people in two satellite towns. Lagos was attacked last June. The car bombing, near fuel depots and the city’s main port, killed at least four people. While authorities initially denied that it was a terrorist attack, Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau later claimed responsibility. Security analysts reported at the time that the Lagos bombing was likely to have been carried out by a small group of Boko Haram sympathizers who had no direct link to the group’s high command.

23 October Heavy casualties were feared Friday after a blast ripped through a newly commissioned mosque in the Adamawa state capital Yola in northeastern Nigeria. According to on the ground sources, the explosion occurred at about 2:00 PM (1300 GMT) at the Jambutu Juma’at mosque in the Jimeta area of the city, shortly after the imam had finished his inaugural sermon. It was not immediately clear whether the attack in Yola was a suicide bombing or whether it was caused by an explosive device that had been hidden in the building.

According to sources, at least 28 people were killed and eleven wounded on Friday in a suicide attack that targeted a mosque in Borno state. Sources have disclosed that a suicide bombing during dawn prayers at the mosque in Maiduguri. The attack occurred shortly after 5:00 AM (0400 GMT) in the Jidari area of the Borno state capital. According to the National Emergency management Agency (NEMA), the latest strike “was carried out by a suspected lone suicide bomber whose two accomplices escaped, when some vigilant members of the community accosted them.” It was not immediately clear if the accomplices were also carrying explosives. Friday’s attack is the sixth to take place in Maiduguri this month, underscoring concerns about the safety of civilians from Boko Haram militants. Furthermore, the attack fits into a pattern, with the militants targeting places of worship, coupled with the use of multiple bombers in order to maximize civilian casualties.

22 October On Thursday, five men were remanded in custody when they appeared in court in connection with bomb attacks that occurred on the outskirts of the capital Abuja and which killed eighteen people. According to court papers and officials, the defendants, aged between 26 and 34, were charged with conspiracy and acts of terrorism. They pleaded not guilty, however one admitted possessing “items suspected to be used for manufacturing improvised explosive devices” or IEDs. According to the charge sheet, items that were allegedly found in their possession included 27 pieces of detonators, chemicals including hydrogen peroxide, soldering wire, 12 ready-made IED’s as well as fertilizer. The case, which was heard at the Federal High Court in Abuja, has been adjourned until a further hearing on 17 November.

The country’s police chief warned Thursday that Boko Haram extremists are building bombs in iPads and cellphones and leaving them for people to pick up. Inspector General Solomon E Arase issued the warning as he announced that five suspects were arraigned on Thursday in Abuja High Court in connection with twin bombings in Nigeria’s capital, which killed fifteen people on 2 October. According to Arase, they were arrested in Abuja with “dangerous bombing tools” including high-tech gadgets. He warned Nigerians to avoid temptation and to not pick up abandoned iPads, phones or laptops “as terrorists now use these items in manufacturing bombs.”

21 October Sources have reported that Nigerian soldiers have killed 150 Boko Haram militants and rescued 36 women and children who were held captive by the militant group. According to sources, the operation was carried out Tuesday night and targeted the areas of Madagali and Gwoza, with officials disclosing that they were acting on intelligence that the extremists wee planning a large attack. One source has reported that at least 150 militants were killed in the assault, with soldiers recovering guns and explosives used in suicide bombings that have killed hundreds in recent months.

According to local sources, twenty people were shot dead by suspected Boko Haram gunmen Wednesday on a road located outside a village in the northeastern state of Borno. One local resident reported that a large group of Boko Haram gunmen fleeing a military offensive on their camp in Nganzai district opened fire on four cars just outside Jingalta village, which is located 70 kilometres (45 miles) north of Maiduguri, killing all twenty passengers inside. Babakura Kolo, a member of a local vigilante group that is assisting the military in fighting the Islamist militants in Maiduguri, indicated that they had “…received information of an attack by Boko Haram gunmen on four cars near Jingalta village where they shot dead all 20 occupants of the vehicles before setting the cars ablaze.” Kolo further added that “the gunmen were fleeing a military operation against one of their enclaves in the area around 9:30 AM (0830 GMT) when they came across the

vehicles on the highway and opened fire on them… They gunmen, who were driving pick-up trucks and motorcycles, then looted and burnt the entire village whose residents had already fled following the attack.”

19 October According to sources, Nigerian intelligence agents have arrested a broadcaster calling for the peaceful secession of the southeast from Nigeria. Sources from two Biafra separatist groups, whose cause prompted a civil war in the 1960’s that killed an estimated 1 million, have disclosed that Radio Biafra director Nnamdi Kanu was detained on Saturday as he was about to fly to London from Lagos.

18 October Police and a local official reported Sunday that two female suicide bombers killed at least 11 people in northeastern Nigeria after hiding amongst residents fleeing a suspected Boko Haram attack on a remote village. According to the former head of the Madagali local government council, Maina Ularamu, the attack occurred in the village of Dar, which is located in the northern region of Adamawa state, on Saturday evening. Speaking to reporters, Ularamu disclosed that “residents fled to the bush. After a while, two women who disguised as fleeing local blew themselves up…while the gunmen shot at survivors.” He added that “so far 12 corpses have been found.” Boko Haram has repeatedly attacked the area, which is located near the border with Borno state to the north and the insurgent’s Sambisa Forest stronghold.

According to a military source, on Sunday, soldiers shot dead a suspected suicide bomber outside the main military base in Maiduguri, detonating explosives that were concealed in her handbag. Sources have disclosed that the target is believed to have been the Maimalari army barracks, which is the main military base in Maiduguri. According to Babakura Kolo, from the civilian force that is assisting troops against the rebels, “soldiers at Maimalari army barracks this morning (Sunday) foiled a suicide attack by a female bomber,” adding that the woman approached the barracks around 7:00 AM (0600 GMT) and headed towards the gates. He further disclosed that military guards at the gates shouted at her to stop for security checks however she ignored them and continued walking towards the gates. Kolo further disclosed that “one of the soldiers opened fire on the woman and the handbag exploded, blowing the woman to pieces.” A military source has disclosed that the use of human bombs is a sign of the group’s desperation and frustration at a fight-back by troops, adding, “they are looking for every opportunity to hit back, which is why they have resorted to soft-target attacks on mosques and markets and such attacks on a military base is intended to show the terrorists are still strong.”

16 October According to officials, four female suicide bombers blew themselves up on Friday after they were challenged by soldiers as they attempted to enter the city of Maiduguri. The attack on Friday, which killed at least 18 people including the bombers, came just hours after two bombs exploded near a mosque in the city, killing at least thirty people.

Dozens of worshippers were killed on Friday when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a mosque in the city of Maiduguri. A statement released by Borno state police officials confirmed that the mosque was hit by twin bombings, adding the mosque collapsed and injured “many people praying.” Witnesses have reported that the bombers entered the mosque disguised as worshippers. Sources have indicated that one of the attackers set off the first blast when he entered the mosque while the second bomber detonated his explosives soon after, when many people had rushed to the scene in order to help the victims. The blasts occurred around 6:30 PM (1730 GMT) in Molai, in the western suburbs of Maiduguri, where worshippers had gathered for evening prayers. There has so far been no claim of responsibility.

In what is a significant escalation of Washington’s role in combatting Islamist terrorism, the Untied States announced Friday that it will conduct surveillance and intelligence operations against Boko Haram inside Nigeria. According to a source familiar with the plan, the operations will be carried out as part of the recently announced deployment of up to 300 US military personnel to neighboring Cameroon. The source has disclosed that “this is going to be part of our Boko Haram efforts that will be operating throughout the region. While the operation will not include boots on the ground or offensive combat, it will see US military operations against Boko Haram in Nigeria for the first time.

15 October A senior Nigerian army officer has been jailed for six months for allowing weapons to fall into the hands of Boko Haram insurgents. According to his lawyer, Brigadier General Enitan Ransome-Kuti was convicted at a five-member court martial in Abuja on Thursday for “loss of equipment” during

the attack in Baga, Borno state in January. Femi Falana further disclosed that the officer was also convicted of failure to discharge his duties, however he was cleared of a third count of “cowardly behavior,” adding that Ransome-Kuti has been in custody for six months and should be released for time served however the conviction and sentence have to be confirmed first by a military panel. Ransome-Kuti’s lawyer also disclosed that an appeal would be lodged as it was “contradictory” to convict his client of losing equipment but clear him of cowardly behavior,” adding, “Boko Haram outnumbered his men. They had more superior weapons than the unserviceable equipment of the Nigerian Army,” which prompted the withdrawal. The attack on Baga in January, which is located on the shores of Lake Chad, saw hundreds of Boko Haram fighters overrun and destroyed the town and surrounding villages, including a military base. Militants were later seen in a propaganda video picking through the armory at the base, which was used by troops from Nigeria as well as Niger and Chad. While hundreds of people were said to have been killed in what has been seen as the militants worst atrocity in the six-year insurgency, the exact death toll remains unknown.

14 October Nigerian-based Boko Haram extremists have urged Somalia’s al-Shabaab rebels to join them in pledging allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group and abandon al-Qaeda. A video that was posted on Twitter on Wednesday tells al-Shabaab fighters that uniting “is of greater benefit to the struggle on the pat of Islam” and will “help in defeating the infidels of the world.” The appeal, which was made by an unidentified armed fighter, is part of a wider courting of al-Shabaab, as similar messages were sent to the jihadist group nearly two weeks ago from militant extremists in Iraq, Sinai, Syria and Yemen. While in recent months, al-Shabaab has been loosing ground in Somalia to a multinational African force, the militant group has continued to show the ability to stage large-scale attacks both in Somalia and in neighboring Kenya. In April, it attacked the Kenyan Garissa University, killing nearly 150 people. While al-Shabaab has yet to comment on the latest video, al-Qaeda and IS are rivals for jihadi recruits.

13 October On Tuesday, three blasts targeted the city of Maiduguri, with Red Cross officials reporting that a number of people were killed. Sources have disclosed that the “huge explosions” occurred in the Ajilari Cross area of the city, which has been targeted by similar attacks twice in the last month, including on 20 September when at least 117 people were killed. According to one local, it was not immediately clear what caused the latest blasts, which occurred in quick succession from 8:10 PM (1910 GMT). There was no immediate comment from the police or the military and details pertaining to the incident were limited as Maiduguri is subject to a night-time curfew. Update (14 October) – The Red Cross reported Wednesday that blasts, which were detonated by three suicide bombers in Maiduguri, killed at least seven people on Tuesday. According to Ba’ana Musa, a member of a youth vigilante group that helped to evacuate people in the area, explosive devices were detonated at Sajeri, a community located on the outskirts of the city centre.

On Tuesday, the country’s most senior police officer, Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase,

disclosed that two people had been arrested on suspicion of masterminding the attack on Abuja, which occurred earlier this month. ON 2 October, three suicide attacks in the satellite towns of Kuje and Nyanya, which are both located outside the capital, killed a total of 18 people and injured 41 others. Boko Haram later claimed responsibility for that attack. In a statement released on Tuesday, Arase disclosed that the arrests had “foiled another attempt…to undertake further attacks in the FCT (Federal Capital Territory),” adding that items recovered from the suspects included 12 “prepared and primed” home-made explosives concealed in soft drink cans, 28 electronic detonator parts and a “large quantity” of bomb-making equipment. The suspects’ identifies have not been revealed.

President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the head of the country’s largest private equity firm to

join his cabinet. On Tuesday, Senate President Bukola Saraki revealed a second batch of the president’s cabinet nominees that need to be approved by the upper house. Saraki however did not specify a portfolio for Okechuku Enyinna Enelamah, who is the head of the African Capital Alliance (ACA). President Buhari will disclose the cabinet portfolios only once the upper house has approved his list. He had submitted a first batch with 21 names to the Senate earlier this month and has since added an extra 15 in order to fulfil the constitutional need for a minister from each of the country’s 36 states.

12 October Senate President Bukola Saraki disclosed on Monday that President Muhammadu Buhari has submitted a second list of candidates for his cabinet to the upper house of parliament for approval. While he did not disclose the fifteen names on the list, he is expected to read them out in parliament on Tuesday. Earlier this month, President Buhari submitted a first list with 21 names to the Senate. He needs to nominate 36 candidates in order to fulfill the constitutional need for a minister from each of the country’s states.

11 October On Sunday, the Nigerian army reported that it is closing in on Boko Haram militants, warning

them of serious consequences should they fail to “surrender.” In a statement, army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman disclosed that “they should follow their colleagues who have so far surrendered. Failure to surrender will result in serious consequences as our troops are fast closing up on them.” The statement further indicated that “we wish to inform them that wer are aware of all their hideouts, camps and enclaves.” Sunday’s statement also appealed to all Nigerians to persuade them to desist and renounce their membership of the group.

In a statement, the military has disclosed that security agencies are working to secure the release

of school girls kidnapping in Chibok on 14 April last year, as well as other citizens held hostage by Boko Haram. In the statement military spokesman Colonel Rabe Abubakar indicated that “the search for abducted Chibok school girls and the rescue of other Nigerians in hostage has never relapsed…” adding, “the military has and will continue to sustain the operation until the entire northeast is cleared of all terrorists and miscreants.”

Shell Nigeria has reported that armed militants attacked an oil flow station in southern Delta,

killing a guard. Shell Nigeria spokesman Joseph Obari disclosed Sunday that an investigation into Friday attack, which occurred at Kolo Cree, has been launched.

10 October Nigeria’s Air Force reported Saturday that a fighter jet on a bombing mission against Boko Haram

crashed in the northeastern region of the country, killing the pilot. In a statement, officials blamed the crash on “bad weather and not under enemy fire” in an area where Boko Haram militants last year shot down a military jet and beheaded the pilot. The statement further disclosed that the Chinese-build Chengdu F7 went down on Friday in a rural area of Adamawa State.

8 October Officials disclosed Thursday that ten people have been quarantined after coming into contact

with a patient with Ebola-like symptoms in the southern city of Calabar. Sources have disclosed that a patient came to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital on Wednesday with symptoms consistent with the viral hemorrhagic fever. Local media have reported that the patient has since died, however there has so far been no official confirmation. According to the hospital’s chief medical director Queeneth Kalu, “we have sent blood samples for testing and quarantined identified contacts.” The country’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has disclosed that ten people are in quarantine. Any confirmed case would cause major concern across the region, where exports had hoped that they were finally emerging from the worst epidemic of the deadly disease on record. Last year in July, the Ebola virus was detected in Nigeria when a Liberian businessman collapsed in Lagos airport. The country however was officially declared Ebola free in October 2014. Update (9 October) – On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that a man who died in southern Nigeria in a suspected case of Ebola did not have the deadly virus. A WHO spokesman has confirmed that the man tested negative for Ebola and Lassa fever.

7 October Two female suicide bombers killed at least fifteen people, including themselves, early on

Wednesday at a mosque in the compound of a government workers’ housing estate and at another location in the northwestern region of the country. Around 6 AM, two suicide bombers targeted a mosque in Damaturu, Yobe state’s commercial centre. According to one local, “one of the suicide bombers gained entry into the mosque and detonated explosives and the other bomber was sighted roaming around the compound and (when) asked questions, she too detonated explosives.” The attacks targeted the Buhari Housing Estate.

Boko Haram insurgents attacked a rural military camp in northeastern Yobe state overnight,

however they were repulsed by troops who killed at least 100 insurgents. According to army

spokesman Col. Sani Usman, seven troops died in the fighting and nine were injured in the village of Goniri.

In a new video released on Wednesday, Boko Haram indicated that its elusive leader Abubakar

Shekau was still alive and still in charge of the Nigerian-based Islamist group. In the 17-minute video, which was posted on social media, a gun-wielding man, who was surrounded by dozens of fighters, declared that “our leader, Abubakar Shekau is alive and remains our leader.” The man, who has appeared in previous Boko Haram videos added that “our allegiance remains with (Abu Bakr) al-Baghdadi.” Shekau has not been seen on video since February and had not spoken until an audio message released last month, where he disputed the Nigerian military’s claims of successes against the insurgents. His absence has sparked rumours about whether he is still alive, or may have been deposed as leader, with other videos this year fronted by an unknown rebel. In the latest video, Boko Haram also denied losing to the Nigerian military, with the armed militant stating, “they lied that they have confiscated our arms, that we have been chased out of our territories, that we are in disarray…It is not true that 200 of our members have surrendered. It is also not true that our wives and children have been liberated, and that they have been enrolled in school.” He added that “the fact is that forces of the infidels have now resorted to propaganda because they have failed to subdue us in any way. We are still a force to reckon with.”

6 October On Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari warned that there was no longer any hiding place for

the corrupt, as he hailed British and Swiss support for the recovery of stolen public funds. The president told both countries’’ ambassadors separately in Abuja that “Switzerland and Britain have been very helpful indeed in the recovery of our assets. But we must build on what we have started.” According to a statement released from his office, the president further disclosed that “it is important to send a signal to the elite that it is no longer business as usual.” Buhari also disclosed that Nigerian authorities had received “much help” from Britain, Switzerland and other nations to track down stolen public funds “by officials of past administrations. He also called for “the processes of investigation, prosecution and repatriation of Nigerian funds stolen by corrupt public officials and their accomplices” to be speeded up. As part of a drive against corruption and to replenish depleted government coffers, the Nigerian president has vowed to recover “mind-boggling” amounts of stolen oil money and bring those responsible to book. In March, Switzerland officials disclosed that the country would return about US $380 million linked to Nigeria’s former military ruler Sani Abacha that was placed in several overseas accounts controlled by his family. Some US $500 million in Swiss bank accounts had already been returned.

Senate President Bukola Saraki disclosed Tuesday that President Muhammadu Buhari has asked

the head of the state oil firm NNPC, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, to join his cabinet. While Saraki, who read out the president’s cabinet nominations, which still need to be approved by the upper house, did not specify a portfolio for Kachikwu, oil industry sources have indicated that he is expected to become state minister of petroleum to oversee daily operations under Buhari, who last week announced that he would hold the petroleum ministry portfolio himself. The president’s other cabinet nominations announced on Tuesday included former state governors such as Babatunde Fashola, the former governor of the commercial capital Lagos. He also proposed Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers State.

An official at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission reported Tuesday that Nigeria has

arrested the co-chairman of local oil firm Atlantic Energy in order to question him over corruption and money laundering charges. According to the official, prominent businessman Jide Omokore was being investigated in connection with a crackdown on corruption in the oil sector that has swept up former oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke, who was arrested in London last week.

5 October On Monday, Nigerian officials confirmed the arrest in London of former oil minister Diezani Alison-

Madueke on suspicion of bribery and money laundering. Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu disclosed that “Nigeria is aware of the arrest of the former petroleum minister in London on money laundering charges,” adding, ‘the government has been informed and the DSS (Department of State Services) is collaborating with the relevant security agencies in the UK to handle the matter.” On Friday, Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) disclosed that it had detained five people on suspicion of bribery and money laundering, however the agency did not disclose the

identities of the suspect. In a statement, it indicated that “all five people arrested were released on conditional bail later that evening, pending further investigation both in the UK and overseas,” adding that “the investigation commenced in 2013 under the Proceeds of Corruption act, and transferred to the NCA earlier this year.” In London on Monday, Westminster Magistrate’s court granted police permission to retain £27,000 (US $41,000) in cash that was seized during Alison-Madueke’s arrest. According to a court official, “the police were applying for the continued detention of the £27,000 seized during the arrest. The application was granted for six months.” Alison-Madueke was not present at the hearing.

On Monday, the office of President Muhammadu Buhari disclosed that that president said Nigeria

would reduce its dependency on oil and develop manufacturing and agriculture in order to create jobs and fight insecurity. The President told a team of French investors in Abuja that “our government came into office at a time when many people had abandoned the country’s manufacturing, agricultural and mining sectors…We are doing our utmost best to encourage diversification into these sectors, which can employ a lot of people and we will welcome your support in this regard.” He further disclosed that “ultimately, reducing unemployment will also help to improve security because unemployment and insecurity are inseparable,” adding that policies to boost domestic manufacturing and attract greater investment to agriculture and mining would be given priority in next year’s budget. He urged the French delegation, which comprised of some fifty companies, to take advantage of the favorable business environment and reassured them that the government was taking steps to tackle security challenges, particularly in the restive northeast. French investors are in Nigeria to explore business and investment opportunities as well as to follow up on the Nigerian president’s visit to France last month.

4 October On Sunday, local residents reported hearing multiple explosions on the outskirts of Maiduguri.

However the army has disclosed that the blasts, which caused some panicked residents to flee, were a result of the test firing of weapons during military exercises in the area. Residents disclosed that the explosions were heard from the areas of Kayamla and Dalori, just three days after Boko Haram insurgents attacked Maiduguri, leaving 10 people dead and injuring many more. The army however has maintained that it was conducting military exercises in the city and has urged residents not to panic. Colonel Tukur Gusau, spokesman for the Nigerian 7 Division in Maiduguri, stated that “it is a routine test-firing of our weapons to ensure they are in a state of readiness

On Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari visited victims of a twin-blast in the country’s capital,

which killed at least 18 people and wounded 41 others, promising to pay for their treatment. In a statement, presidential spokesman Femi Adesina disclosed that “on a visit to the survivors of the attack who are receiving treatment at the Trauma centre of the National Hospital, President Buhari wished them full and speedy recovery,” adding, “the President reassured the survivors that the federal government will take full responsibility for settling their medical bills.” Adesina also indicated that Buhari ordered that the government would pay the medical bills of a young girl who was shot by armed robbers. On Friday, two explosions ripped through the Kuje and Nyanya districts of Abuja in what is the latest violence to be blamed on Boko Haram insurgents.

3 October Two bomb blasts ripped through the outskirts of the capital Abuja, including one target that was

twice hit before by Boko Haram militants. Friday’s explosions occurred near a police station in Kuje and at a bus stop in Nyanya at about 10:30 PM. The same bus station in Nyanya, which is located to the east of the capital, was targeted twice last year. In the first attack, on 14 April, at least 75 people were killed and it was claimed by the Islamists; while the second attack occurred on 1 May and left at least 16 people dead. Kuje, which is located near Abuja’s airport, is some 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of the city centre. It is also the seat of government. Its prison is reportedly holding dozens of Boko Haram prisoners who have been captured by troops. Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) warned of casualties from the simultaneous explosions in Kuje and Nyanya and likened the explosives used to those in the areas that have ben the worst-hit by the group’s six-year insurgency. According to NEMA spokesman Manzo Ezekiel, “it was not an accidental explosion…definitely it was a bomb,” adding, “at this time we can only confirm the explosions. Our officers are on the ground. There are a number of dead but we can’t say anything about numbers now.” Ezekiel further disclosed that the latest blasts occurred almost simultaneously, adding that it appears to use “the same kind of explosives

used in the insurgency.” Abuja was last attacked on 25 June this year, when 22 people were killed in a blast that targeted a popular shopping centre located in the heart of the capital. Boko Haram later claimed responsibility for the attack and a separate strike, which occurred later that day in the Apapa port district of the financial capital, Lagos. Update (5 October) – in a message that was posted on social media on Sunday evening, Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for twin bomb attacks that occurred on the outskirts of Abuja. According to authorities, at least 18 people were killed and 41 injured in the bombings, which occurred on Friday night in Kuje and in Nyanya. The claim of responsibility on Twitter was signed by Islamic State in West Africa Province, used by Boko Haram since it pledged allegiance to the militants in Syria and Iraq in March. The message showed photographs of three men in combat fatigues, holding automatic weapons and in front of the group’s insignia, and claimed that they had carried out “martyrdom operations.” On Saturday, police indicated that “preliminary investigations reveled the bomb blasts were carried out by two suicide bombers – a male and a female.”

1 October On Thursday, police reported that a series of explosions rocked the city of Maiduguri in

northeastern Nigeria. While it was not immediately clear as to how many blasts targeted the Borno state capital, one police officer did report that as many as seven went off, with locals reporting that at least two bombs were strapped to teenage girls. One local disclosed that “the first bomb was strapped to the body of a teenage girl, who wanted to kill worshippers at Ajilari Cross,” adding that the girl’s target appeared to have been a mosque, just as worshippers were preparing for evening prayers at about 7:30 PM (1830 GMT). Exact details of the blasts and causalities are unlikely to emerge until Friday, as Maiduguri is subject to a nighttime curfew. Ajilari Cross, which is located near Maiduguri airport, where there is also a military base, was one of several places in the city targeted ten days ago in an attack that killed at least 117 people. In recent weeks, Boko Haram fighters have increasingly been using suicide bombers to target civilians. Update (2 October) – According to security sources, five young girls were behind a series of deadly explosions that erupted in Maiduguri on Thursday evening. The military has reported that fourteen people, including the girls, were killed in the attack and that another 39 were injured. The attacks targeted a mosque and the house of a vigilante leader. Witnesses and security sources have disclosed that some of the girls were as young as nine.

The Nigerian military reported Thursday that one man has been arrested after troops discovered

and raided what it said was a Boko Haram fuel dump in the Abbaganaram area of Maiduguri on Wednesday. In a statement, army spokesman Sani Usman disclosed that “the fuel depot was used to stockpile petroleum, oil and lubricants by Boko Haram terrorists and their equally heartless collaborators for onward movement to the terrorists’ camps in Sambisa forest.” Separately, Usman also disclosed that eight Boko Haram fighters had surrendered to troops in the town of Bama, which is located some 70 kilometres (45 miles) southeast of Maiduguri.

Sahel & Sahara Regions

5 October On Monday that Red Cross reported that some sixty million people across sub-Saharan Africa are already going hungry, noting that the situation could deteriorate dramatically as climate phenomena increase the risk of drought. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned that a number of climatic shocks in 2014 and 2015 had decimated harvests and left many people in the Gambia, Mauritania, Malawi, Namibia, Senegal and Zimbabwe dependent on food aid in order to survive, adding that floods and drought had dramatically reduced maize production, which is a regional stable, in southern Africa, while the region was also hit by erratic rainfall, failed crops and violence. The IFRC warned that the worst is yet to come, pointing to the strengthening of the El Nino climate phenomenon, which comes with warming sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, causing heavy rains in some parts of the world and drought elsewhere. The IFRC further disclosed that it “…predicts a higher likelihood of flood conditions developing in equatorial Africa, and increased risk of drought in parts of southern Africa and the Sahel region.” In a statement, Miriam Grove, IFRC operations manager in the Sahel region, disclosed that “many families are surviving on one meal a day made from leaves, which have very little nutritional value. Or they are even going without food for days because of the erratic rainfall,” adding, “these people need urgent assistance…if we can help them now, we can maintain their nutritional status and give them the tools and seeds necessary

to survive worsening conditions next year.” The organization has warned that without more aid to the region, “the prospect for many affected people is bleak.”

Senegal

29 October According to the president of the special tribunal in Senegal, the trial of exiled Chadian dictator Hissene Habre for war crimes and crimes against humanity has been suspended until 9 November. Court records indicated that Gberdao Gustave Kam, president of the Extraordinary African Chambers, disclosed Thursday that “the court will uses this time to review.’ According to Marcel Menday, a spokesman for the tribunal, Hissene Habre’s trial was originally scheduled to conclude on 28 October, however it “will likely last until February,” adding, “we still have 20 witnesses to question in Dakar and others who are in N’Djamena.” Kam further disclosed that the 9 November hearing will start with the testimony of Clement Abaifouta of the Association of Victims of Crimes of the Regime of Hissene Habre.

15 October Senegal, Egypt, Japan, Uruguay and Ukraine have been elected to the United Nations Security

Council. The 193-member General Assembly elected Senegal with 187 votes. The five countries will replace Chad, Chile, Jordan, Lithuania and Nigeria on the council on 1 January 2016.

Sierra Leone

15 October According to officials, Sierra Leone has not recorded a single new case of Ebola in the past four weeks, which effectively keeps the West African country on course to being declared free of the virus next month. At a press conference, the head of the government’s National Ebola Response Centre, Palo Conteh, disclosed that “Sierra Leone has no Ebola-positive case recorded in the country for the fourth consecutive week,” adding that there were no more people in quarantine either. The last known Ebola patients were discharged from hospital in late September, which allowed Sierra Leone to begin the standard 42-day countdown towards becoming Ebola-free. If no further cases are recorded, the World Health Organization (WHO) will declare Sierra Leone Ebola-free on 7 November.

Togo

No significant incidents to report.

Central Africa

Angola

20 October The country’s main opposition political party has asked President Jose Eduardo dos Santos to explain why the state was not using strategic oil funds from oil revenues in order to help the economy in its response to last week’s state of the nation address. Last Thursday, Angolan Vice President Manuel Vicente disclosed that the economy will grow more slowly than expected this year, as subdued oil prices sap public spending, affecting the currently and pushing up debt levels. Vicente, who was delivering the state of the nation address in the absence of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, further stated that the country’s economy would grow four percent this year, down from a previous forecast of six percent. Isaias Samakuva, president of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) has indicated that Anglo had strategic funds reserves from its oil revenue from 2011, adding an estimated US $130 billion in strategic oil reserves had been saved up over the years. He noted however that he wondered why the money was not being used to cushion the economy.

Amnesty International reported Tuesday that Angolan rapper Luaty Beirao, who has been on hunger strike for a month, will stand trial next month along with fourteen other activists on charges of “rebellion and a coup attempt.” Amnesty has disclosed that “their lawyers were notified that the activists’ trial would take place between 16 and 20 November 2015 at the Luanda Provincial Tribunal.” According to Beirao’s lawyer, he has lost 15 kilogrammes (33 pounds) since

beginning his hunger strike. Deprose Muchena, Amnesty director for South Africa, has disclosed that “we believe his health is now in critical condition and his life may be at risk,” adding, “his original detention was an affront to freedom of expression and now the authorities seem intent on compounding this shocking injustice by keeping him in detention.” Sources have disclosed that Beirao is in critical condition in a private hospital in Luanda, where he was transferred last week. His family has disclosed that he has only taken water mixed with salt and sugar. The group of fifteen were arrested on 20 June at a youth movement gathering to demand the departure of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos. If convicted, the activists face up to twelve years in prison.

16 October Angola has joined the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical weapons, becoming the 192nd country to enter its ranks. On Friday, The Hague-based organization announced that Angola had formally become a member state a month after acceding to the Chemical Weapons Convention. Director-general of the organization, Ahmed Uzumcu, has welcomed Angola’s step and says he hopes that it “will encourage those countries which remain outside the Convention to join the global consensus against chemical weapons.”

13 October According to sources, police in Angola have arrested twenty people at a vigil for detained opposition activists, including Luaty Beirao, who have been held without trial since June. The incident occurred late on Monday when more than 100 people gathered at a church in the capital Luanda in a bid to demand the release of the 15 activists who were detained in June and accused of seeking to overthrow the Angolan government. On the ground sources have disclosed that dozens of police turned up at the scene and dispersed the demonstration, making 20 arrests. While the fate of those arrested currently remains unclear, a senior police officer who appeared on television on Tuesday disclosed that repeating such vigils were illegal. Beirao, a rapper and key figure in Angola’s opposition movement, has been on hunger strike for 23 days, with his lawyer reporting that his health is rapidly deteriorating. The detained activists, who belong to a youth movement that wants President Jose Eduardo dos Santos to step down, face up to twelve years in prison if convicted. While the June arrests triggered international protests, they were justified by Angola’s deputy state prosecutor who accused them of planning an uprising by students and workers “with incalculable consequences.” Last week, Amnesty International announced its support for an EU parliament resolution, which seeks the release of jailed political prisoners and human rights defenders in Angola.

Cameroon

26 October On Monday, the United Nations’ aid chief disclosed that escalating violence in northern Cameroon, combined with an influx of refugees from Nigeria and Central African Republic, is placing immense strain on local communities that are already struggling to survive. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported that cross-border raids and suicide bombings by suspected Boko Haram militants have uprooted more than 80,000 people in the country’s Far North region over the last year, adding that the region is also home to 60,000 Nigerian refugees who have fled attacks by the militant group. UN humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien has disclosed that “entire communities have been uprooted from their homes…daily livelihood activities such as farming, trade, pastoralism and even movement are hampered by insecurity and increasingly frequent attacks and suicide bombings.” O’Brien made the comments shortly after a visit to Cameroon where food shortages and malnutrition have gripped the country’s north with more than a million people not having enough to eat. Meanwhile in the eastern region of the country, 250,000 refugees from the Central African Republic are living with host communities, with more than half having fled violence that has plagued the country since Muslim Seleka rebels briefly seized power in March 2013.

23 October According to security and regional sources, Boko Haram militants on Friday seized control of a

town in the far north of Cameroon, which lies on the border with Nigeria. A security source confirmed Friday that the militants “…now control Kerawa.” The information was also confirmed by another source close to the regional authorities, who indicated that an unspecified number of civilians had been killed in the assault. Local officials reported Friday that Cameroonian soldiers fought Boko Haram militants who raided a village in the Far North region, just a day after a similar attack in the area. According to one local official, “since yesterday, Boko Haram members raided the Kerawa village…They slit the throats of between three and seven people yesterday

and killed others.” Kerawa, which has 50,000 inhabitants, is located in the Kolofata district, which has been regularly targeted by Boko Haram militants. There is a military camp inside the town, which was last hit by a double suicide bombing on 3 September, which claimed at least thirty lives.

22 October A government official reported Thursday that eight villagers in Cameroon’s Far North region were

killed, adding that nine were injured in a raid carried out by Nigerian-based Boko Haram militants that was followed by a gun battle that occurred between the militants and security forces. According to Babila Akaou, prefect for the Mayo-Sava district, “Wednesday’s attack killed eight and wounded nine,” referring to the overnight attack that occurred in the village of Doulo and adding that “for security forces and Boko Haram militants, we do not yet have a death toll.”

17 October A military official disclosed Saturday that the head of US forces in Africa has donated armoured

vehicles to Cameroon in order to aid the country’s fight against Boko Haram. According to Col. Jean Jacques Fouda, Cameroon’s official in charge of military hardware, the vehicles were formally handed over during Gen. David Rodriguez’s visit to the country on Friday. Fouda further disclosed that the vehicles could “fight against mines” and are some of the best the county has ever received. While the spokesman did not specify how many vehicles were donated, state media has reported that there were six in total and that they had been previously used in Afghanistan.

14 October United States President Barack Obama informed Congress on Wednesday that he will deploy up

to 300 personnel to Cameroon for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations against Boko Haram insurgents. In a letter that was released by the White House, President Obama disclosed that ninety personnel have already been deployed, which marks a modest but significant escalation of US involvement in the fight against the terrorist group, which earlier this year aligned itself with the Islamic State (IS) group. In making Wednesday’s announcement, the White House stressed that personnel will not take part in combat operations and would be armed only for self-defense. According to White House press secretary Josh Earnest, they are being sent under an arrangement with the Cameroonian government to conduct airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations in the region. US officials have disclosed that the focus will still be on a regional coalition that has tried to keep a once regional Muslim anti-colonial movement from metastasizing into a regional jihadist threat. In the statement, the president indicated that the mission will last “until their support is no longer needed.” While Washington has largely shied away from engaging its vast military assets to combat Boko Haram, the White House decision comes as Boko Haram steadily expands operations beyond its traditional base in northern Nigeria, crossing into neighboring Cameroon and Niger.

11 October Officials have blamed Boko Haram insurgents for using teens to carry out suicide bombings in

Cameroon this weekend, in what the Cameroonian government’s spokesman stated is a move to spread terror as a multinational force prepares to deploy against them. According to Cameroon’s Minister of Communications Issa Tchiroma Bakary, two girls between the ages of 13 and 17 carried out suicide bombings in the northern village of Kangeleri, which is located around 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Mora town. At least 9 were killed and 29 were wounded when the first woman detonated a bomb in a tiny milk and donut restaurant. The second suicide bomber killed only herself. The blasts come three weeks after another twin suicide attack in Mora, which left at least three people, including a police officer, dead. Since July, these are the 14th and 15th suicide attacks to be attributed to Boko Haram in the far north region of Cameroon, with officials reporting that the attacks have resulted in more than 100 deaths. Bakary disclosed that Boko Haram has “…shifted their tactics. They have noticed it is impossible to face our forces, so they are now using young girls or young boys with explosives, who go more undetected, in areas they are told to go,” adding that it is difficult to know if the young girls know that they will die, “we guess that they use the girls who were kidnapped here and there, they brainwash them and use them.” A Nigerian military explosives expert has disclosed that many of the bombs are remotely controlled, effectively meaning that the bomber may not know when the explosives will be detonated.

Central African Republic (CAR)

31 October According to a military source, at least two people were killed and several others wounded on Saturday in sectarian violence that erupted in the capital city, in what is the latest outbreak of violence that comes ahead of the elections, which are expected to take place in December. The military source has reported that “several houses were torched and heavy gunfire was heard in the Christian districts besieged by armed Muslims,” adding that several hundred people fled the attacks in Bangui, adding that Christian militiamen and army soldiers “took positions…to protect the residents.” A diplomat has disclosed that some of the UN and French forces who intervened were engaged sporadically by small groups.

On Saturday, transitional President Catherine Samba Panza announced that a first round of legislative and presidential elections and a constitutional referendum will be held next month. She disclosed that “there is already a consensus that these operations be held in December,” adding that while the latest upsurge in violence “perhaps does not jeopardise” the elections, it is “worrying.” She further disclosed that the government is “counting on” UN peacekeepers and French soldiers, as well as the army, to “halt the current violence and especially to protect the people who feel a bit abandoned.” The National Authority for Elections’ latest timetable proposes a constitutional referendum on 6 December, to be followed by a first round of presidential and legislative elections on 13 December. If a second-round run-off is called for, it would take place on 24 January 2016. The constitutional referendum was most recently set for 4 October, while the other polls had been scheduled for 18 October. All had already been postponed twice.

29 October The government announced Thursday that the country’s ministers of defense and public security have been dismissed in a reshuffle that follows renewed sectarian clashes. Presidential spokesman Clement Thierry Tito announced on national radio that the new defense minister was named as Joseph Bidoumi, president of the Central African League of Human Rights, while Chrysostome Sambia, a gendarmerie general, was appointed minister of public security. Bidoumi replaces Marie-Noelle Koyara, the first woman to be appointed defense minister in the country’s history, who had taken office in January, while Sambia succeeds Dominique Said Panguindji, who becomes justice minister. He will also retain his position as government spokesman. The announcement came after members of the country’s interim government fiercely criticized Prime Minister Mahamat Kamoun for his handling of the unrest.

In escalating violence that could threaten the December parliamentary and presidential elections, sources reported Thursday that four people were killed by mobs in the capital Bangui. According to witnesses, three Muslims were attacked early on Thursday as they were leaving the city’s only Muslim enclave, PK5, to enter the Christian sixth district. One witness reported that tow of them were killed immediately and that their bodies were chopped into small pieces while a third man escaped but was later stoned to death by a crowd and his body left by a church. Sources later reported that in an apparent act of retaliation, a Christian was killed later in the morning as he entered PK5. This brings this week’s death toll to eleven and includes three senior negotiators for the Muslim Seleka alliance who were visiting the capital to attend peace talks, which are aimed at resolving the two-year conflict.

On Thursday, hundreds of protesters blocked a main road in the capital Bangui in a bid to denounce the violence while residents fled Christian neighborhoods in order to avoid further reprisal attacks. United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric has disclosed that this week, five staff members were attacked in their homes, with one person left injured.

28 October The electoral commission announced Wednesday that the Central African Republic will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on 13 December. While the polls were initially due to have been held on 18 October, they were postponed in part due to violence in the capital city, Bangui. The announcement, which was made on state radio, further disclosed that a run-off presidential vote will be held on 24 January 2016 if it is needed. In August, a transitional council adopted a new constitution, which will be put to a referendum one week before the elections are to take place. All the main political groups have indicated that they support it, therefore it is likely to be adopted. The anticipated elections are intended to usher in a government with authorities in order to restore order in the country and the pave the way for the departure of UN

and French peacekeepers.

27 October A government spokesman disclosed on Tuesday that three hostages seized in the CAR this week were killed and three more seized later by another group were also killed. Sources have indicated that three officials from the mostly Muslim Seleka alliance were attacked on Monday as they were driving through a neighborhood controlled by the rival milita. Later that same day, three young Christians working in a Muslim enclave of the capital Bangui, known as PK5, were abducted in an apparent act of revenge. Security minister and government spokesman Dominique Said Panguindji has since indicated that all six hostages have been killed. Political sources in the CAR have reported that the assassination of the Seleka members is surprising as they belonged to a moderate faction known as the Union for Peace in Central Africa (UPC), which is mostly composed of ethnic Peuhls. The missing men included the UPC’s spokesman, Ahmat Nejad, and its secretary general, Ahssan Bouba. The abductions come just days after anti-balaka militiamen briefly seized a senior figure in the transitional government outside of Bangui. The incidents risks derailing talks that are aimed at restoring order in the country. The Seleka members had been participating in the talks, which were convened by interim President Catherine Samba Panza. Tensions have been running high in the capital since late September, when a Muslim man was killed – an incident that set off a new explosion of reprisal attacks. On Tuesday, hundreds of youths erected barricades made of lead pipes and wooden planks in the second district of Bangui in order to protest the Christian men’s abduction. They were later dispersed by security forces.

20 October On Tuesday, the UN Security Council disclosed that it was ready to impose a new round of sanctions to punish those responsible for an upsurge of violence in the CAR. The 15-member Council also urged authorities in the CAR to set a new date for elections, after polls, which were initially due to take place in October, were cancelled because of the latest wave of clashes. In a unanimously adopted statement drafted by France, the Council disclosed that it “reiterates its intention to further expand” the sanctions list by “adding those responsible for the recent outbreak of violence.” Sources have disclosed that France is drawing a new list of individuals to be blacklisted following the wave of violence in late September, which left at least 61 people dead and hundreds wounded before French and UN troops intervened to restore calm. This would effectively be the third round of sanctions targeting individuals in the CAR. In August, the UN sanctions committee imposed an assets freeze on the Belgian arm of a diamond firm, Badica/Kardiam, for providing support to armed groups through illegal trading in diamonds and gold. It also imposed a global travel ban and an assets freeze on anti-balaka militia leader Alfred Yekatom as well as a provincial milita commander Habib Soussou. A former Seleka general, Oumar Younous, who has been described as a diamond smuggler close to former President Michel Djotodia, was also added to the sanctions list. Meanwhile the first wave of UN sanctions, which were imposed in May 2014, targeted Bozize, Seleka leader Nourredine Adam and anti-balaka political coordinator Levy Yakete.

19 October In the wake of a new surge of violence between Muslim and Christian militias, anti-balaka fighters have kidnapped the vice president in the CAR. Sources have reported that around fifty anti-balaka forces stopped a car that was transporting the vice president of the country’s National Transitional Council, Lea Koyassoum Doumata, as she was returning from a funeral that was held around 90 kilometres from the capital, Bangui. The incident occurred on Sunday at 4 PM local time. On the ground sources have disclosed that the militas disarmed the two security guards that were travelling with her before taking them to an unknown location. Doumata later disclosed how she negotiated with her abductors for more than two hours before they released her with a list of demands for her government. Hours later, the militia kidnapped six CAR gendarmes, who they only released after the government intervened. Sources have indicated that the anti-balaka milita demanded, amongst other things, the release of a number of people were arrested earlier in the week.

16 October According to military sources, at least one person was killed and ten injured in new sectarian clashes that erupted in a flashpoint neighborhood in the capital city. The violence, which occurred late Thursday in the largely Muslim district of PK-5 was accompanied by gunfire and

forced thousands of residents to flee to other parts of Bangui. According to a military source, “these new clashes broke out following the death of a young Muslim who was killed by suspected anti-balaka members,” adding that the anti-balaka “then launched attacks on PK-5 that were repulsed by armed Muslims.” On the ground sources have reported that many returned to their homes on Friday morning as calm was restored.

14 October Armed groups and politicians in the CAR have boycotted the start of a political forum this week, a move that has effectively dealt a blow to attempts to get the election process back on track. According to Ahmat Nejad of Union for Peace in Central African Republic (UPC), which is a faction of the mostly Muslim Seleka militia, “we categorically refuse these meetings called by a government that is clan-like, sectarian and incompetent.” An official at a party that is linked to the main Christina militia, the anti-balaka, also disclosed that his Party for Unity and Development (PCUD) group would not participate. Sources have disclosed that about ten political parties of the country’s 50, including some led by presidential candidates, have also boycotted the talks. In a statement released on Tuesday, the ten groups indicated that “this is just another example of political fraud, just like the Bangui Forum,” referring to the talks that preceded the May peace deal. Interim president Catherine Samba Panza had called for the discussions, which began on Tuesday, partly to discuss the elections that were scheduled for 18 October but which are now expected to be postponed for security and technical reasons. President Samba Panza has indicated that the talks are aimed at “restoring dialogue, discussions and the search for consensus.” The talks are set to continue until 21 October.

11 October According to a military source, UN peacekeepers in the CAR clashed with rebels who were attempting to march on the capital, adding that the offensive concluded with the militants taking flight. The fighting, which occurred near Sibut, a market town located some 180 kilometres (110 miles) north of Bangui, erupted Saturday after Seleka rebels ignored an ultimatum to halt their advance on Bangui. According to the military source, by Sunday afternoon, the situation was “under the control of international forces who were carrying out a mopping-up operation.” The French army has confirmed that French troops also took part in the operation against the Seleka fighters. Speaking at a press briefing in Paris on Sunday, Colonel Gilles Jaron, a spokesman for the French Army, disclosed that France’s Sangaris military force had received a “request for support” from the MINUSCA peacekeepers near Sibut as the rebels were advancing, adding, “we sent a Tiger helicopter, and returned fire on one of the armed groups. Since then, MINUSCA did not ask for more assistance.” There was no immediate reports of any casualties.

10 October On Saturday, the head of the authority in charge of elections in the CAR disclosed that he has resigned over pressure to hold national polls before the end of this year. The National Elections Authority (ANE) in Bangui has confirmed that Dieudonne Kombo Yaya handed in his resignation on Friday. The ANE chief cited “pressure from CAR’s presidency and the international community” over the election timetable for his decision to resign. After twice postponing the elections, transitional authorities scheduled the first round of the presidential and legislative polls for 18 October, however many fear that security situation remains too turbulent for a peaceful vote. According to a source in the presidency, a strategic committee has been formed in order to work out a new electoral calendar.

7 October The UN has reported that a UN peacekeeper was killed while another left injured when gunmen opened fore on a UN convoy in the CAR on Tuesday. A mission convoy travelling from Damara to Ngerengou came under fire by an unknown group about 55 kilometres (34 miles) north of Bangui. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the killing of the soldier, who was from a Burundian infantry company serving in the UN MINUSCA force. On Wednesday, his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, disclosed that Ban has called for “swift action to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice” and renewed calls for armed groups to end the fighting.

On Wednesday, aid agencies reported that unrest and violence in the capital, which killed dozens, injured hundreds and uprooted tens of thousands of people, are hindering the delivery of humanitarian aid across the country. Fighting broke out in Bangui just over a week ago after a Muslim man was murdered, which triggered reprisal attacks, with armed gangs burning homes and looting shops and aid organizations’ offices. While the latest unrest has largely subsided,

aid agencies describe the security situation in Bangui as volatile and unpredictable, with main roads unsecured and domestic flights suspended. Several agencies have relocated staff members and have either reduced or halted their operations. This has cut off supplies of medicine, fuel and food to provinces that rely heavily on the capital. According to Rodolphe Moinaux, country director for the International Rescue Committee, “shipping supplies and aid overland is very challenging (and) lack of security on major roads also leads to commercial convoys, even with a military escort, coming under fire from armed groups and bandits.” Joan Carey, acting country director at the International Medical Corps, disclosed “we have our teams in the file that are still working, albeit at a reduced rate as we have no way to get either money or supplies to them.” Within Bangui, the violence has also led to the closure of schools, which are being used to house those forced to flee. They may not be able to reopen for several months, which has made it difficult for aid organizations to reach health facilities. According to Donaig le Du, spokeswoman for the UN children’s agency UNICEF, “there are issues with patients who fled the hospitals when violence erupted…dozens of malnourished children, in particular, need to resume treatment quickly.”

5 October The CAR reported on Monday that more than sixty people died in violence in its capital last month as the government increased accusations that the clashes were part of an attempted coup. A statement from the minister of public safety, Dominique Said Panguindji, who is also the government’s spokesman, disclosed that “the latest toll from the violence established by hospital sources is 61 dead and 300 hurt.” Earlier estimates had put the number of fatalities at about forty. The violence began on 26 September after the murder of a Muslim driver. It then spread to several districts of the capital Bangui before French troops and UN peacekeepers from the 10,000-strong MINUSCA force restored calm. During this period of tension, protesters set up roadblocks and demanded the resignation of the country’s interim president Catherine Samba Panza, who was attended the UN General Assembly in New York. Due to the recent spate of violence, more than 30,000 people have fled their homes. After ending her visit short, President Samba Panza stated that those behind the violence had been trying to stage a coup. In remarks that were broadcast on national radio on 1 October, she denounced “an orchestrated manipulation by part of the population” to incite people” to rise up and resurrect sectarian conflicts.” That accusation was amplified in Monday’s communiqué, which stated that “whatever the pretext, this crisis, the latest in an unending series, is the result of a long-prepared and meticulous Machiavellian scheme to put a brake on the process of peace and national reconciliation and the electoral process…The crisis which has been imposed on us is nothing more than a coup d’état, planned by the enemies of peace and by politicians lusting for power, seeking to overturn the transitional institutions,” adding that “the organizers and their clearly identified accomplices staged an armed insurrection to take power by force.” Speaking on 1 October on the sidelines of the General Assembly, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated that it was “clear” that the violence in Bangui “seeks to destabilize the country and imperil the transition process.” The CAR was due to hold presidential and legislative elections on 18 October however the polls will have to be postponed because of delays in registering voters.

3 October The CAR’s interim president on Saturday called for a tougher mandate for the UN mission, MINUSCA, and the disarmament of militas and rebels after more than forty people were killed in the capital. President Catherine Samba Panza, who returned early from the UN General Assembly in New York this week because of the unrest, also declared three days of national mourning for the victims, which is due to begin Monday. IN a statement, which was read on national radio, the president stated that “the whole of the Central African people is convinced of the need for a more robust mandate for MINUSCA forces and the complete and immediate disarmament of the non-conventional forces.” She provided no details on what such a mandate would be. On Saturday, many shops reopened and people returned to the streets however isolated acts of criminality were reported and a nighttime curfew remains in place.

2 October The UN aid chief disclosed Friday that ongoing violence in the CAR is preventing aid workers from helping more than 42,000 people who have fled their homes as a result of the latest flare-up. UN Under-Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs Stephen O’Brien indicated that he was “extremely alarmed” by the violence that erupted in the capital Bangui nearly a week ago, leaving at least 36 dead. In a statement, he further disclosed that the “ongoing violence by

armed groups is preventing humanitarian organizations from reaching more than 42,000 women, men and children who have fled their lives in the past few days in the capital Bangui.” O’Brien has called for an end to the violence in order to allow aid workers to reach those in need, warning that blocking the humanitarian effort is a violation of international law. The UN aid chief also indicated that the offices of several relief organizations were looted on Wednesday adding that some staff were forced to relocate for their own safety. He also indicated that the situation was “deteriorating” outside Bangui with roaming bands of armed groups spreading panic.

1 October Officials announced Thursday that fresh violence in the CAR has forced the delay of the 18 October elections, which were meant to put the troubled country on firmer political ground, noting however that they expect that the polls will take place by the end of the year. The foreign minister and UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous announced the delay to reporters shortly after a high-level UN meeting on the crisis. Also on Thursday, the UN humanitarian agency reported that the number of people displaced by the latest fighting, which erupted on Saturday, has now exceeded 40,000 in Bangui alone. At least 42 deaths have been confirmed in Bangui, with the head of the national Red Cross disclosing that the death toll is far from complete. Despite the latest violence, pressure remains on the interim government to hold elections. A European diplomat has indicated that the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have disclosed that they can only support the country’s transitional government for so long.

The CAR’s interim President Catherine Samba Panza has accused those behind the surge in deadly violence in the capital city of plotting a coup. Speaking on national radio shortly after returning to Bangui, cutting short a visit to the UN General Assembly in New York, the president indicated, “this was nothing short of an attempt to take power by force.” She further denounced “an orchestrated manipulation by part of the population” to incite people” to rise up and resurrect sectarian conflicts,” adding that the aim was to provoke the population into “rising up against international forces and certain friendly countries.” While on Thursday, residents reported that calm had returned to the capital, tensions remained after several days of bloodshed, which began on 27 September. With a curfew in force, the city was quiet overnight and by Thursday morning, most barricades set up by protesters had disappeared. On the ground sources disclosed that the main market in Bangui was open on Thursday while public transport was running. The unrest has killed at least 36 people and has forced almost 30,000 people to flee their home.

Chad

15 October A police spokesman reported Thursday that police in Chad have arrested 62 women for wearing full veils in public as the country steps up security against extremism following a multiple suicide bombing attack. Accoridng to police spokesman Paul Manka, authorities have also arrested eight suspected extremists. He disclosed that the first major arrests of women for the veil ban had been carried out in the capital N’Djamena on Wednesday, adding that while the women have since been released, after paying a 100,000 CFA (US $170) fine, if they are repeatedly arrested, they will be charged with complicity with jihadis. In June, in a bid to prevent jihadi attacks, Chadian authorities banned wearing full veils in public places.

10 October According to security sources, three explosions killed at least 37 people on Saturday in a Chadian

city located on the shores of Lake Chad. Another 52 were wounded in the attacks, which struck at around 4:00 PM (1500 GMT). One blast targeted the fish market at Baga Sola while the other two occurred at a refugee camp on the outskirts of the city. A source has disclosed that a teenager blew himself up at the market while the other two blasts were the work of women wearing the Islamic veil. Officials however have not yet confirmed this claim. This is the first time that Baga Sola has been targeted in such an attack. They believe that the city was relatively safe had led tens of thousands of Nigerian refugees and Chadians displaced by Boko Haram violence to seek shelter there. Update (11 October) - In a communiqué, government spokesman Hassan Sylla Bakari disclosed that authorities are blaming Boko Haram for staging the attacks in the western village of Baga Sola, adding that 41 people have died, including five suicide bombers who were identified as two women, two children and a man. The director general of Chad’s gendarmerie, Gen. Banyaman Cossingar, has reported that female suicide bombers targeted the

market in Baga Sola when it was at its busiest Saturday, killing at least 16 people, adding that a second group of suicide bombers targeted the nearby refugee camp.

6 October According to a Chadian military source, suspected Boko Haram militants killed eleven soldiers in

an attack that occurred in Chad early on Tuesday. An officer involved in the battle in the Lake Chad border region reported that “it was around 4 AM that they attacked us by surprise.” Sources have reported that seventeen attackers also died in the clash, which occurred in an area that has seen a series of raids carried out by the insurgents.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

31 October According to a ruling coalition spokesman, the DRC is not ready for a series of elections, including a presidential vote, which have been scheduled over the next year, adding that the voting calendar should be pushed back by up to four years. On Saturday, speaking to reporters in the city of Lubumbashi, Andre Alain Atundu indicated that “we need to say the truth to the Congolese people that, in the current conditions, we are not able to organize the elections. So, the people must grant us two to four years.”

29 October On Thursday, President Joseph Kabila appointed special commissioners to provisionally govern twenty-one new provinces, in a move that critics have indicated is part of a strategy to remain in power. The nominees, who were announced on state-run television, include several prominent Kabila loyalists. They will administer the 21 new provinces that were created in July from six of the DRC’s previous 11 provinces. The other five older provinces were untouched in the decentralization initiative. Two deputy commissioners were also named in each province in order to oversee economic and political matters. While the government has justified the measure as a temporary response to an order by the constitutional court last month to take exceptional measures in order to address a state of what it called political anarchy in the new provinces, critics have indicated that the nominees aim to reinforce the president’s hold on security and revenue flows in the provinces ahead of a presidential election, which is due to take place in November 2016. His opponents also argue that President Kabila hopes to cling to power by delaying a slate of local, provincial and national elections over the next thirteen months. The first elections in the cycle, for provincial deputies and local counselors, were missed last Sunday after the constitutional court ordered that elections for new provincial governors happen first.

26 October Several towns in the eastern DRC were paralyzed on Monday by a stay-at-home protest, which aims to pressure the government to act, following an attack by Rwandan rebels that left three seriously injured. According to Georges Kasongo, head of an NGO in the territory of Lubero, a three-day shutdown had been declared in order to “challenge the government to restore peace and security” in an area that has been terrorized by rebels. He further disclosed that “we have had enough of the kidnappings…and of insecurity caused by the FDLR,” adding that the first day of the protest had been “a success” because everything was closed, including schools and markets.” Lubero’s administrator Joy Bokele has disclosed that he was “surprised by the magnitude of the movement,” adding that “the problem of insecurity is real in the southern Lubero territory,” where “the population lives with anxiety.” According to local sources, two men and a woman were stabbed by members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) on Sunday and were now “between life and death.”

22 October Local and military sources reported Thursday that six bodies were found with stab wounds and bullet holes in northeastern DRC on Wednesday, with officials suspecting Ugandan Islamist rebels to be behind the deaths. According to the Centre of Study for the Promotion of Peace, Democracy and Human Rights (CEPADHO), a local activist group, the bodies were found in the village of Kamakombo, which is located more than 30 kilometres (19 miles) northeast of the territorial capita of Beni. In a statement, CEPADHO officials disclosed that they believe that the victims were killed by fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). A commander of Congolese army operations against ADF confirmed the death toll and also presumed that the ADF was involved, adding that the bodies were heavily decomposed.

21 October According to a local activist, leaders of two ethnic groups in the DRC have signed an agreement

that is intended to end conflict, which has killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands. David Ngoy Luhaka, a priest and member of the Diocesan Commission for Justice and Peace, disclosed Wednesday that leaders from the two communities signed the accord on Saturday outside the town of Kalemie, adding that he was confident that the accord would help reduce conflict between the Twa and Luba. According to Luhaka, the accord establishes mixed committees to review disputes and find peaceful solutions, adding, “the members of the committees signed a code of engagement that they would remain neutral, that they would be impartial and that they would respect human rights.” He however did caution that the politicization of the situation remained a concern. Violence since May 2013 in southeastern DRC between militas representing the Luba, a Bantu ethnic group, and Twa, has included large-scale massacres. Thirty-four people from the two groups are facing charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in a Congolese court over the violence.

16 October The United Nations reported Friday that a measles outbreak in the DRC’s southeastern region has killed 428 people and infected about 30,000 since the beginning of the year. Officials have disclosed that more than 100 deaths and 10,000 additional cases have ben recorded since mid-August, when the UN committed US $2.4 million to fight the outbreak in the former province of Katanga, which was recently divided into four. According to Yvon Edoumou, spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), “we have continued the disease somewhat in the short term…But its sad to see that the disease is still progressing.” Humanitarian groups however have indicated that the money was not enough and that poor roads and health services in the region were hindering vaccination drives. This outbreak is the country’s worst since 2010 – 2011, when 1,085 people died and about 77,000 were infected in Katanga.

13 October Local authorities reported Tuesday that six civilians have been killed in three separate attacks that have been blamed on Ugandan rebels. Sources have disclosed that the gun attacks occurred within two hours of each other on Monday in the restive northern area of North Kivu province. Amisi Kalonda, the administrator of the Beni area, has indicated that officials “…recorded six deaths yesterday,” adding, “four civilians were killed at Tenambo, one at Mukoko and another at Linzo-Sisene.” Officials have blamed the Ugandan Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) for the killings. Army spokesman Lieutenant Mak Hazukay also confirmed the shootings and stated that the rebels were responsible. Over the past year, the ADF has been accused of killing more than 400 villagers around the Beni area. While the group has typically used machetes to attack civilians, in recent weeks, they have switched to gun attacks, targeting drivers and passersby along the National Road No. 4 that links Beni with Oriental province to the north.

On Tuesday, Burundian radio journalist Egide Mwemero was arrested in the DRC along with two local media workers. According to Mutere Kifara, director of Burundi’s African Public Radio (RPA), the Congolese journalist and technician were released Wednesday however Mwemero remains in custody. Confirming his arrest, South Kivu’s Information Minister Bernadette Masoko disclosed that Mwemero had “used words that seriously threatened peace in Burundi.” Media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) had condemned the arrest and has called on the Congolese authorities to free the journalist immediately.

10 October In a surprise announcement on Saturday, the presidency disclosed that the head of the DRC’s elections commission has resigned. Adding to uncertainty over the presidential election, which is due to be held next year, the head of President Kabila’s press office, Jacque Mukaleng Makal, announced on state-run television that “the President of the Republic informs national and international opinion of the resignation of Father Apollinaire Malumalu…for health reasons.” While no further details pertaining to the decision were released, the resignation comes amidst heated tensions in the DRC over presidential and parliamentary elections, which are due to take place in November 2016. Adding to the tensions is the president’s opposition, who argue that he is seeking to hold on to power illegitimately. Malumalu, a Catholic priest, headed the elections commission during a presidential poll won by Kabila in 2006. He returned to the job after the 2011 polls, which were tarnished by accusations of serious fraud.

8 October The governor of North Kivu province in eastern DRC disclosed Thursday that five civilians had been killed in a UN helicopter attack against rebel fighters that occurred earlier this week. On

Tuesday, the MONUSCO force announced that it had carried out a helicopter-backed raid on rebels Monday under “its mandate to protect civilians” in the central region of Pinga. The raids were targeted at the Nduma Defense of Congo group, which has been blamed for setting villages on fire in the region in recent days. On Thursday, Governor Julien Paluku disclosed that he had met with “a delegation” that had visited the scene, adding, “the delegation confirms that MONUSCO pounded a village essentially made up of civilians,” and “as of today...five civilians were killed.” Rumbo Buna Theophile, a member of the delegation who heads a local organization, reported that the residents of Musanga village reported eight men hit by shrapnel, with four of them dead, adding that MONUSCO had provided no explanation for the attack “in this place where there were no…combatants.” He further indicated that MONUSCO did not “give an exact reason” and was “very reserved.” The governor of the region has called for urgent talks between MONUSCO and regional authorities in order to clarify why the village had been hit given that local authorities said that there had been no violence by rebels in the area. Update (9 October) – The UN has rejected accusations from a governor in the DRC that five people had been killed in a UN helicopter attack against rebel fighters this week. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric stated Thursday that after conducting a fact-finding mission on the ground and visiting a hospital, the UN mission in the DRC said it “does not believe that reports that five civilians were killed are accurate.” Dujarric did confirm that the MONUSCO force carried out a helicopter-backed raid on rebels on Monday in the villages of Musanga and Minova in eastern DRC, in which one combatant was killed. The UN spokesman also confirmed that MONUSCO officials were in contact with Congolese officials in Kinshasa and Goma in order to discuss the incident.

A UN official announced Thursday that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed the current chief of the AU mission in Somalia to head the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC. Maman Sambo Sidikou, a former foreign minister of Niger, will replace German diplomat Martin Kobler, who headed the UN’s largest peace mission in the DRC since July 2013. Kobler is due to leave his post at the end of the month. In his final report to the Security Council, Kobler urged Kinshasa to hold credible elections next year and to give President Joseph Kabila’s opponents political space.

7 October The UN envoy to the DRC warned Wednesday that Kinshasa was clamping down on the opposition ahead of next year’s elections and urged authorities to hold credible polls. Speaking to journalists following a meeting of the UN Security Council on the DRC, Martin Kobler disclosed that “the political space is shrinking for opponents…Its important to have a credible, balanced electoral process.” Making his last report to the Security Council as head of the UN mission and special envoy to the DRC, Kobler stated that political tensions were running high with an increasing number of rights violations. This echo’s comments made by US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), which in a report earlier this week indicated that President Kabila’s ruling party had employed “hired thugs” to attack opposition demonstrators in Kinshasa last month. Twelve people were wounded and one attacker was killed in the violence. Kobler told the 15-member Security Council that “nothing should be done to impede the timely holding of legislative and presidential elections in November 2016 as foreseen by the constitution.” In response to the UN envoy’s comments, the Congolese government issued a statement, indicating that it was investigating the violence that occurred in Kinshasa in September. Government spokesman Lambert Mende stated that “we have been and remain committed to the implementation and protection of democracy, human rights and individual freedoms, including the right to peaceably assemble and petition the government.” While President Joseph Kabila, who has been in power since 2001, is barred under the constitution from seeking a third term in office in elections expected to take place in November 2016, opponents accuse him of maneuvering in a bid to remain in power.

6 October Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Tuesday that top security and ruling party officials in the DRC appear to have “hired thugs” to attack peaceful demonstrators last month in Kinshasa. In a report, compiled after observing the protest, the New York-based watchdog disclosed that “on September 15, 2015, (armed youths) brutally attacked a public meeting organized by political opposition leaders to call for President Joseph Kabila to step down after his constitutionally mandated two-term limit ends in December 2016.” The report further disclosed that at least twelve demonstrators were wounded, while one of the attackers died after protesters began to

fight back, adding that when police officers took his corpse to the morgue, they ordered staff there to tell nobody and labelled it “a body of the state.” The HRW also indicated that several men, who said that they took part in the attacks with sticks and clubs, told HRW that they were amongst more than 100 youths who were recruited by senior security officials and Kabila’s People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), adding that they were paid some US $65. One participant stated that after a night in a military base, these recruits were driven to the scene of the protests, adding, “we were told to start attacking the demonstrators and create disorder as soon as one of the opposition leaders insulted President Kabila.” The report also indicated that witnesses told the HRW that Kinshasa’s’ police chief, General Celestin Kanyama, was “among at least three senior officials at the recruitment meeting the night before the demonstration.” Kanyama has already been implicated in a number of violations of human rights, including the deaths of at least 36 people in a crackdown on an anti-Kabila demonstration that occurred in the capital city last January. Government spokesman Lambert Mende has denounced the findings of the HRW, stating that the report is “politically motivated” and “not credible.” Mende further disclosed that “we’re interested in any denunciation based on verifiable facts to enable the judiciary to do its work.”

On Tuesday, a former militia leader in the DRC urged international justices to free him before the end of his 12-year prison term. Last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) sentenced German Katanga to 12 years in prison for his role in a brutal ethnic attack on a northeastern Congolese village of Bogoro in February 2003. The court found him guilty of complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes. He was also accused of supplying weapons to his milita in the attack, in which some 200 people were shot and hacked to death with machetes. After spending some eight years in prison, on Tuesday, Katanga offered his apologies to his victims, insisting that he had turned his back on the militias. He told the court that he n o longer has “any contact with the militias,” adding that he wants to now live with his six children in his country and be a farmer, as well as enroll in university. He further indicated that he was prepared to work with the UN special mission in the country as well as the government in order to rein in “residual groups of militias.” Under ICC rules, time served in custody before sentencing is taken into account and a defendant has the right to demand early release after serving a total of two-thirds of his time. While the prosecution on Tuesday disclosed that it was not opposed to Katanga’s request, prosecutor Helen Brady stated that he had failed to make a single gesture to compensate his victims. The court adjourned Tuesday to consider his request. Another Congolese warlord, and one-time adversary of Katanga, Thomas Lubanga, was imprisoned for 14 years in July 2012 for recruiting and enlisting child soldiers. Last month, ICC judges turned down Lubanga’s request for early release, sating that the request was “unjustified.”

Equatorial Guinea

No significant incidents to report.

Gabon

No significant incidents to report.

Republic of Congo

28 October Congolese opposition leaders have called for nationwide protests on Friday in a bid to pressure the government into retracting a constitutional amendment that will enable President Denis Sassou Nguesso stand in the next presidential elections. The two main groups opposed to the constitutional changes, the Republican Front for the Respect of Constitutional Order and Democracy (FROCAD) and the Initiative for Democracy in Congo (IDC), had initially called for a boycott of the referendum, and rejected the official results, which were released on Tuesday. On Wednesday, in a joint statement, the two groups announced a campaign of “civil disobedience” in order to “denounce…the cheating by the government” and to “block the path to fraud and dictatorship.” In their statement, the two opposition alliances called for “dead city days” every Monday, Thursday and Friday from 2 November “until constitutional order is restored.” Update (30 October) – Congo’s opposition leaders have cancelled a planned nationwide protest on Friday, which was aimed at pressuring the government to withdraw a

constitutional amendment that enables President Denis Sassou Nguesso to extend his rule. Paul-Marie Mpouele of the FROCAD opposition coalition has indicated that protesters instead will use Friday in order to remember those who died in unrest ahead of a controversial referendum on constitutional change, which was held on 25 October. Mpouele disclosed that “there will be no march, today will be devoted to remembrance,” as 300 people turned out to pay homage to last week’s victims of violence. He gave no reason for the change of plan. While the government has reported that four people were killed in the unrest, the opposition has put this toll at twenty.

27 October On Tuesday, Congolese opposition leaders called for “civil disobedience” in a bid to pressure the government into withdrawing a planned constitutional amendment that will enable President Denis Sassou Nguesso to extend his three-decade rule. In a statement that was read to the media, the Republican Front for the Respect of Constitutional Order and Democracy (FROCAD) coalition, which is one of two opposition alliances in the country, demanded “purely and simply the withdrawal” of the plan, as well as the release of opposition leaders under house arrest. The opposition has dubbed the referendum “a constitutional coup,” with the FROCAD coalition stating that “the vote was neither free, nor just, nor fair, nor transparent.” Referring to a ban on public rallies ahead of the vote and to deadly unrest last week, the group stated that “it was a mockery of a vote held under a state of siege.” FROCAD spokesman Guy-Romain Kinfoussia further stated that “we will maintain civil disobedience until the withdrawal of the planned constitution, which is a masquerade.” FROCAD is mainly made up of longtime opponents of the president. The country’s other opposition alliance, known as the Initiative for Democracy in Congo (IDC), was set up this year by former Sassou Nguesso allies who have now turned dissidents. Last week, two of its leaders, Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas and Andre Okombi Salissa, both of whom are former government ministers, were placed under house arrest. Earlier on Tuesday, the government indicated that the controversial vote had been approved by a landslide 92.3 percent with turnout at 72.44 percent despite opposition calls to boycott the vote. Interior Minister Raymond Mboulou disclosed that “the draft text of the new constitution has been adopted and will come into force as soon as it is put into effect by the President of the Republic.” The referendum proposed two amendments to the constitution, scrapping a 7-year age ceiling as well as a two-term limit. In France, the former colonial power, the foreign ministry disclosed that Paris “takes note” of the official results, however it recalled President Francois Hollande’s call last week to respect the constitution and to ensure a free and fair vote.

Results have shown that more than 92% of voters in the country’s controversial referendum have approved constitutional changes to allow President Denis Sassou Nguesso to run for a third term in office. According to figures read out by the electoral commission on radio on Tuesday, turnout in the referendum, which was held on Sunday, was 72 percent. The electoral commission further disclosed that more than 1.2 million people voted in favor of the change, while nearly 102,000 rejected it. The opposition had boycotted the poll, with a senior opposition leader stating on Monday that the poll should be annulled due to low voter turnout. Clement Mierassa has disclosed that “from what we could see on the day of the vote, the announcement that turnout was more than 72% is extremely scandalous.”

26 October On Monday, a senior opposition leader stated that the referendum, which was held on Sunday, should be cancelled due to low turnout. According to opposition leader Pascal Tsaty Mabiala, secretary of the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy Party, “it (the turnout) totally discredits the referendum. Either they annul it or else he will impose a dictatorship and the Congolese will not accept it,” adding, “the smart thing would be to annul the referendum.” According to witnesses, logistical problems had partly hampered the voting in the capital city on Sunday morning, however turnout had picked up later in the day. There was little information about the rest of the country. Furthermore, an opposition boycott of Sunday’s referendum means that the country’s president is likely to have won voter’s support, which will in effect pave the way for him to run in an election next year and potentially extend his decades-long rule over the country. The counting of votes on Monday was proceeding smoothly, with Pierre Cebert Ibocko Onana, prefect of the city, telling reporters that “we are satisfied to see that the poll was conducted in security. That permitted all residents in Brazzaville to have the chance to go to their polling stations and express their choice without worries.”

25 October On Sunday, Congolese went to the polls to decide on a constitutional charge to enable President Denis Sassou Nguesso, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, to seek a third term in office, however initial reports have indicated that voter turnout was low. While there has been no

official word yet on turnout, initial observations have suggested that the numbers showing up was low at some polling stations in the capital city as well as other major cities across the country. A source in city hall at Ouesso in the northern region of the country disclosed that “there were no crowds or enthusiasm.” Polling stations in Brazzaville throughout the day showed no waiting line of voters, except near the presidential palace, where the president cast his own ballot. Speaking shortly after voting, President Sassou Nguesso stated, “we want change in order to have a constitution of the future, and not as others claim for superficial reasons because the president craves a new mandate.” He had called on his critics to come and express their discontent at the polls rather than abstaining. Sources have reported that some polling stations in Brazzaville started reporting their results after the close of voting, with the vast majority of those who cast their ballots appearing to vote yes. On Sunday, only security forces vehicles and those with a special police permit were allowed in the streets of the capital.

24 October The country’s opposition leaders have called for a boycott of the Sunday referendum vote that could see the country’s president eligible for a new term. Clement Mierassa and Emmanuel Bongouandza, leaders of two opposition parties, also disclosed that the opposition is ready for dialogue about the constitutional referendum.

23 October Congo’s opposition announced that it will obey a ban on public demonstrations, cancelling a Friday protest against a referendum that could allow the country’s president to extend his three decades in office. On Thursday, opposition leader Mpouele Paul-Marie stated “we decided to cancel our meeting tomorrow because the Brazzaville prefecture told us that all gatherings were banned on Friday in the public square.” While authorities have reported that at least 4 people have been killed in unrest after clashes erupted on Tuesday between demonstrators and security forces in Brazzaville as well as in the country’s economic capital Pointe-Noire, Mpouele has reported that at least twenty people have died in the unrest. For a third day running Thursday, mobile Internet, text messaging services and French radio RFI’s signal were cut throughout the city.

22 October Late on Thursday, a Congo Republic opposition leader reported that forces from President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s presidential guard were surrounding his house, detaining him and three allies who are opposed to Sunday’s referendum on extending term limits. Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, a former minister who was dismissed in August for opposing constitutional change, disclosed that around fifty soldiers arrived at his Brazzaville home in military jeeps Thursday morning and began patrolling the premises. He stated that “they only explanation is that I told the president he is not allowed to change the constitution…He is trying to control us, to neutralize us.” He further disclosed that three other presidential critics were also present, including Michel Mampouya, leader of opposition party PSVR, and Andre Okombi Salisa, a dissident within the ruling PCT party, adding that security forces allowed a group of priests meeting with Kolelas to leave the house earlier on Thursday. A meeting between government officials, religious leaders and European Union diplomats designed to ease tensions was cancelled on Thursday because of the opponents’ absence.

21 October Early on Wednesday, a crowd marched towards the police station in the southern district of Makelekele as protests continued ahead of Sunday’s referendum. On the ground sources have reported that protesters build barricades and burnt tires as army reinforcements arrived in order to support police officers, who had been forced to withdraw. By midday however, most protesters had withdrawn from the street. For the second day running, mobile Internet, text messaging services and French radio RFI’s signal were down throughout the city. Witnesses later reported that police arrested and briefly detained 18 opposition activists who were attempting to hold a press conference in the Diata neighborhood of the capital. According to state prosecutor Oko Ngatse Ngakala, authorities opened on Wednesday an investigation into several activists, including Clement Mierassa and Guy Roman Kifouissia, for possession of Molotov cocktails and summoned them to appear on Thursday before the prosecutor.

On Wednesday, an opposition leader in Brazzaville called for a “peaceful uprising” ahead of Sunday’s referendum on whether the president can run for office again. Pascal Tsaty Mabiala of the PanAfrican Union for Social Democracy wants to stop Sunday’s referendum from going ahead. The call comes after at least four people were killed in clashes that erupted on Tuesday between police and protesters.

20 October On Tuesday, at least three people were shot dead and seven injured during anti-government protests held in the capital Brazzaville. Just hours ahead of an opposition rally to protest against the president’s controversial bid to remain in power, communications were cut across the capital city. Sources have disclosed that mobile Internet services, text messaging and French radio RFI’s signal were all cut. An unusual number of police and members of the gendarmerie were also deployed to the streets in the opposition areas in the southern districts of Brazzaville while many shops remained closed. Five people were wounded Tuesday by gunfire and two by tear gas canisters. While calm was restored to most areas of the capital by Tuesday evening, and police were removing burned tires and other barricades from the streets, protests are likely to continue over the coming days. The rally is being held ahead of Sunday’s referendum on a constitutional reform that will effectively determine whetehr President Denis Sassou Nguesso, who has been in power for the past three decades, can seek another presidential term.

18 October According to a local official, six men were injured in clashes between police and opponents of a planned referendum to allow the Republic of Congo’s longtime president to run for another term in office. Alexandre Honore Paka, the city’s administrators, has disclosed that the clashes occurred Saturday in the city of Pointe-Noire, adding that six “uncontrollable” young men had been injured but were receiving treatment and were “doing well.” In a statement, Paka further disclosed that “all other information is nothing but the fruit of the imaginations of those who want to create psychosis in our city, a haven of peace.” However during a press conference on Sunday, opposition leader Andre Okombi Salissa reported that thirteen people had been hospitalized. Salissa and other opposition leaders have called on their supporters to block the upcoming referendum and are planning to start a campaign of “civil disobedience” on Tuesday, which will push for the president’s resignation. On Saturday, prosecutor Andre Galaka Oko issued a statement warning of “very heavy penalties” for those who threaten public order.

10 October Tens of thousands of supporters of President Denis Sassou Nguesso took to the streets of the capital Brazzaville on Saturday to back his controversial bid to change the country’s constitution in order to remain in power. According to on the ground sources, tens of thousands of supporters thronged the city centre, with some wearing T-shirts reading “Yes to changing the constitution” and “Let’s go vote.” Sources have indicated that Saturday’s turnout dwarfed that of an anti-government demo, which occurred late last month, when several thousand people poured onto the capital’s streets in order to protest against the president’s bid to remain in power.

9 October On Friday, the Congo’s interior minister opened the campaigning period ahead of a 25 October referendum on whether President Denis Sassou Nguesso should be allowed to run for a third controversial term in office. In a statement that was carried by the state radio and television channels, Interior Minister Raymond Mboulou disclosed that “in conformity with the law, the vote will be preceded by an electoral campaign that was declared open from October 9 to 23 at midnight.” Mboulou added that the campaign “must be carried out in a climate of social peace, a climate of tolerance, of acceptance of different opinions, a climate the excludes provocation…and which fundamentally preserves the public order.” The current constitution bars the 72-year-old from seeking another presidential term as there is an age limit of 70 as well as a ceiling of two mandates.

Residents in the south of the capital Brazzaville reported Friday that police used tear gas in order to disperse a protest of several dozen activists who oppose the bid to change the constitution, that would effectively allow President Denis Sassou Nguesso to run for a third term in office. According to officials, six people who were detained during the protest were being held for questioning.

6 October The government has called an October referendum on allowing veteran President Denis Sassou Nguesso to run for a third controversial term in office. Under the country’s current constitution, the 72-year-old is barred from seeking another presidential term as there is an age limit of 70 as well as a ceiling of two mandates. Late on Monday, the Congolese government announced that the 25 October referendum would be on removing both the two-term limit for presidential candidates and the age cap. A statement disclosed that “after an enriching debate…the Council of Ministers, with each member fully conscious of the historic character of the event, voted to adopt the project to reform the constitutional law,” adding that the campaign period will run from 9 – 23 October. The proposed amendment would also decrease the presidential term from seven to five years.

Sao Tome and Principe

No significant incidents to report.

East Africa

Burundi

31 October According to police officials and eye witnesses, at least one man was killed and a dozen injured after clashes erupted between police and people in a bus who had been attending a funeral near the capital city Bujumbura. Conflicting details pertaining to the latest violence to erupt in the country’s ongoing political crisis have emerged, with each side claiming that the other had initiated the clash. Police officials have reported that they went to the scene of the incident because of reports that some mourners had weapons and responded to being shot at. The funeral was for a Rwandan, Theoneste Mukurarinda, who police have indicated had led an attack on a youth centre. Contradicting this, witnesses at the site, which is located north of the capital, disclosed that police in riot gear had turned up in three trucks and then attacked the mourners. Police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye gave an account of Saturday’s events to a news conference, stating that “the police were shot at first by those people and (police) responded, killing one person and injuring 12 others, who were arrested.” Witnesses at the scene however have dismissed this version, with one individual stated that “it is not true. Frankly speaking, those people from the funeral were ambushed and attacked by the police from afar.”

30 October On Friday, Uganda’s opposition leaders indicated that they will field a joint presidential candidate to challenge President Yoweri Museveni, after efforts for a coalition collapsed when all wanted to be leader. While the candidate, who will unify the opposition towards President Museveni, has not yet been chosen, the two key leaders – Kizza Besigye, leader of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Party and a three-time challenger, and ex-prime minister Amama Mbabazi – have agreed to it in principle. In a joint statement, that was released following a deal that was signed in London by Besigye and Mbabazi, the opposition parties indicated that “we shall go into the elections, as agreed, as a single coalition with one presidential candidate. In September, efforts to select the candidate for The Democratic Alliance (TDA) coalition collapsed when they failed to agree who would be the leader. President Museveni has already been endorsed by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) to represent it in the vote, which is scheduled for February.

29 October Uganda’s defense minister is in Burundi in what is the latest bid to kickstart peace talks between rival actions in the country. In July, regional heads of state appointed Uganda to lead efforts to end months of unrest, however attempts to broker a deal have made little headway. According to Burundi’s presidential communications chief Willy Nyamitwe, Ugandan Minister of Defense Crispus Kiyonga arrived in Burundi’s’ capital Bujumbura on Wednesday, adding that “he met the presidents of the Senate and the National Assembly.” Several previous rounds of talks, which were mediated by the United Nations, failed to resolve Burundi’s political crisis. A diplomat in Bujumbura has disclosed of the latest talks that “it will not be easy,” adding that “the mediator arrived with the delicate mission of reviving talks…to try to convince the government to sit at the same table as the opposition.” Another diplomat indicated that tensions are high, noting that Richard Sezibera, secretary general of the East African Community (EAC), which is the regional five-nation bloc, was “unceremoniously shoved” by a guard as he went into the senate. Sezibera is from neighboring Rwanda, who Burundi accuses of backing opponents of President Pierre Nkurunziza.

28 October According to police officials, more than a dozen people were killed in clashes in Burundi on Monday and Tuesday, in what is the latest violence that has been linked to the disputed third term of President Pierre Nkurunziza. Activists and officials reported that a number of apparently targeted killings, while residents in opposition strongholds in the capital Bujumbura have reported frequent shootings and blasts. Late on Tuesday, police in the central province of Gitega clashed with a group of about 24 people, several of whom were armed. According to Gitega governor Venant Manirambona seven people were killed. In a separate incident, a couple in a car in Bujumbura were killed by two gunmen on a motorbike. Deputy police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye confirmed the two deaths, adding that another four people died in the capital on

Monday. While it was not immediately clear what was behind the killings, the incident is similar to other recent attacks, which have been tied to the country’s political crisis.

On Wednesday, the ruling party indicated that it was “outraged” by recent sanction threats and lashed out at the EU and African Union (AU), which it said wanted to “destroy the country.” The CNDD-FDD party released a statement, which was signed by its president Pascal Nyabenda, accusing Belgium of “neo-colonialism” and its neighbor Rwanda of harboring “terrorist camps,” which want to attack Burundi. Nyabenda, who is also the president of the national Assembly, accused the AU’s Peace and Security Council of trying to “deny” Burundians their sovereignty and attempting to force them into dialogue with those behind a recent failed coup. On Saturday, the AU announced that it was launching an investigation into rights abuses in Burundi and called for targeted sanctions to be imposed. Meanwhile earlier this month, the EU imposed sanctions against four Burundians charged with undermining democracy and blocking efforts to resolve the political crisis in the country. At the time, the CNDD-FDD indicated that the move was a “provocation.”

On Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council strongly backed the African Union’s (AU) decision to investigate human rights violations in Burundi, pledging to respond to any actions that threaten peace, security and stability in the country. A presidential statement, which was approved by all fifteen members, expressed deep concern at the growing insecurity and continuing rise in violence in the country including extra-judicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests and illegal detentions.

27 October Police reported Tuesday that gunmen threw grenades and battled with police in a series of deadly clashes that erupted in the country. According to officials, at least three people were killed and fifteen others were wounded in Monday’s clashes, that latest to take place in months of unrest triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s successful bid to win a third term in office. Police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye has disclosed that on Monday, police killed a “madman” who tried to attack officers with a machete in the capital city. According to a police officer, later, gunmen hurled grenades and fired on security forces, resulting in a firefight in which one civilian was killed. Seven police, two soldiers and three civilians were also wounded. In a separate attack, a government official reported that gunmen killed at least one policeman in a “very violent” attack that occurred in the Kamenge district of Bujumbura. According to the official, “for nearly an hour, we heard the sound of grenades and rocket explosions, the sound of firearms including machine guns.” Other sources have suggested that the number killed was far higher, with one police officer stating that “many were killed from our ranks.”

According to several witnesses, on Tuesday, a corpse riddled with bullets was found dumped in a Bujumbura residential district. In recent weeks, the finding of bodies has become a regular occurrence in the capital city, with sporadic street protests and violence rocking Bujumbura since April, when President Pierre Nkurunziza launched his third-term bid to run for office, which culminated in his controversial re-election in July.

26 October On Monday, the European Union called in Burundi for “consultations” on rights violations in the African country, a step which could lead to a suspension of aid. According to a statement, “the objective of the talks is to find a solution acceptable to all parties and identify the measures to take to redress non-respect of the accord,” citing the provisions of the Cotonou agreement, which is the framework for the 28-nation EU’s economic and development ties with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. A letter addressed to Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza, and approved by EU development ministers on Monday in Luxembourg, stated that the bloc hoped that the consultations would lead to “a mutually acceptable solution,” adding, “the consultations will allow Burundi to present the government’s programme, notably in so far as it concerns democratic principles, human rights and governance.” Under ACP rules, the president has thirty days in order to reply.

24 October On Friday, Burundi’s president swore in a national commission for dialogue, which is aimed at resolving the deep political crisis, however opponents have already dismissed the body as a sham. The 15-member commission for dialogue, known by the French acronym CNDI, was sworn in at a ceremony that was held in Burundi’s second city, Gitega, however it will be based in the capital Bujumbura. According to a decree, the commission’s goal was “to conduct the process of inter-Burundian dialogue across the country.” The members are aimed at representing different political groups, religions, security forces, ethnic groups, youths and others. While the United

Nations and African mediators have tried to broker talks in recent months, there has been little to show for it. Furthermore, the opposition has dismissed the latest initiative. A leading opposition politician, Charles Nditije, disclosed Monday that “we will ask our members to boycott all activities of the CNDI,” adding, “we need to discuss key issues such as the illegal third term secured by President Pierre Nkurunziza, security and the reopening of private media,” referring to sporadic violence and the closure of private radio stations.

23 October The UN human rights office has expressed concerns about the “rapidly worsening” security situation and respect for human rights in Burundi in the wake of the shooting deaths of at least nine civilians in the capital city. On Friday, spokesman Rupert Colville disclosed that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights estimates that 198 people have been killed in Burundi since 26 April, including 63 in the last three weeks. He disclosed that nine people, including national TV cameraman Christophe Nkezabhizi, his family and Evarist Mbonihankuye, a staffer of the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration (IOM), were “reportedly summarily executed” by special police forces on 13 October in the Ngagara neighborhood of Bujumbura. Colville has indicated that an investigation is currently underway in order to determine the circumstance, however he noted that “it appears to be an act of vengeance.”

22 October EU diplomats have disclosed that the Burundian government will be invited to talks in Brussels to seek a solution to a political crisis in the country, and warned of a suspension of aid if the talks fail. Officials have indicated that EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will send a letter to President Pierre Nkurunziza early next week, effectively setting in motion a 150-day consultation process that the EU hopes will end the country’s worst crisis since a civil war ended in 2005. According to a draft copy of the letter, Mogherini states that “the consultations will provide an opportunity for Burundi to present the government’s programme, particularly as regards democratic principles, human rights and governance.” The talks, which must begin 30 days after Burundi receives the letter, are the net step in the EU’s diplomatic efforts to stabilize the fragile situation. The EU has stated that more than 120 people have died and 190,000 people have been forced to flee the country since April, when President Nkurunziza announced his plans to seek a third term in office.

19 October On Monday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Radio France International (RFI) filed a complaint after their correspondent in Burundi was held and badly beaten after being arrested by security forces in August. On 2 August, Burundian journalist Esdras Ndikumana, 54, was taking pictures at the scene where a top general was assassinated in the capital Bujumbura when he was detained by members of the National Intelligence Service (SNR). He was held for around two hours, during which he was subjected to severe beatings on his back, legs and the soles of his feet. Following the ordeal, he was hospitalized. In an interview on Monday, Ndikumana disclosed that “one of those who was torturing me wanted to take my wedding ring…I protested a bit. Someone grabbed by hand, they hit me with a steel bar, which broke my finger, and they took my ring.” In the wake of the incident, both AFP and RFI sent a protest letter to the country’s government, strongly condemning the attack. While in August, Burundi’s presidency denounced the assault and disclosed that President Pierre Nkurunziza had “personally instructed” the SNR’s chief to investigate, so far no official has been punished. On Monday, in a joint statement, AFP and RFI disclosed that they had been driven to lodge the complaint at the Supreme Court of Justice due to the continued “silence of Burundi’s authorities.” In the statement, the two organizations disclosed that “only the prosecution and conviction of the perpetrators of the assault can bring Esdras Ndikumana – who, more than two months after his attack, continues to receive treatment abroad – the minimum of assurance that he can return to his country and practice his profession without fear for his physical safety.” The suit has been filed against Persons Unknown.

17 October On Saturday, the African Union’s peace and security council recommended that the organization speed up plans for deploying troops to Burundi if violence in the country worsens and has called for investigations into rights abuses there. The council also disclosed that the union would impose sanctions against anyone who incited further violence in Burundi. In a statement, the council stated, “(The Peace and Security Council) requests the Commission…to expedite and finalize the contingency planning…for the purposes of the deployment in Burundi, should the situation so require, of an African-led Mission to prevent widespread violence in the country,” adding, “(The Peace and Security Council) decides…to impose targeted sanctions, including a travel ban and asset freeze, against all the Burundian stakeholders whose actions and statements contribute to the perpetuation of violence…” The council has also called for the African Union’s human rights

body to investigate human rights abuses in Burundi and for a meeting of all parties involved to be held in either the Ugandan or Ethiopian capital.

15 October On Thursday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for a rigorous investigation after nine civilians, including an International Organization for Migration (IOM) staff member, were shot to death in Burundi, reportedly at close range. Ban has condemned the killings, in which two police officers also died during exchanges of heavy gunfire in Bujumbura on Tuesday. Residents have reported that a Burundian journalist, Christophe Nkezabhizi, his wife and two teenage children were killed in their home. Accoridng to a UN statement, Evarist Mbonihankuye, a staff member of the IOM, was also killed in the violence. The statement further disclosed that the UN chief “urges Burundian authorities to undertake a rigorous and prompt investigation into the circumstances and motives behind these despicable crimes in order to ensure that their perpetrators are brought to justice.”

14 October Residents reported Wednesday that a Burundian journalist, his wife and their two children were shot dead by security forces in a flashpoint district of the capital Bujumbura. Burundian police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye has disclosed that at least six people, including an officer, were killed on Tuesday in violence that occurred in the anti-Nkurunziza neighborhood of Ngagara. In a statement, Nkurikiye reported that two police officers had been kidnapped by “insurgents” in Ngagara. The spokesman further disclosed that one officer was killed and one was severely wounded by gunfire, adding that five other people were killed in clashes that erupted when the police intervened. A third police officer, who had also been allegedly kidnapped, was later found safe and sounds. Residents however have accused the security forces of killing at least seven civilians, including the journalist and his family. Several residents reported that members of the presidential guard (API) “executed” at least seven civilians by shooting them in the head or the chest, adding that amongst the dead was RTNP cameraman Christophe Nkezabhizi, his wife and two of their children, a 16-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy. Neighbors have indicated that the journalist, who was in his sixties, and his family were shot at close range in their home.

9 October According to the Belgian foreign ministry, the Burundian government has demanded that Belgium replace its current ambassador. Foreign ministry spokesman Didier Vanderhasselt has disclosed that Burundi’s envoy to Belgium has confirmed the request to the cabinet of Belgian foreign minister Didier Reynders. Sources in the Burundian capital Bujumbura have indicated that the government in Burundi requested the removal of the Belgian ambassador due to the “deterioration in trust” with Belgium, which is the country’s largest aid donor until the current crisis broke out. The revocation of ambassador Marc Gedopt comes just days after the Belgian government suspended several development practices in an effort to place pressure on President Pierre Nkurunziza.

Police officials have reported that attackers armed with guns and grenades killed the son-in-law of a prominent Burundian human rights activist and campaigner against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term in office on Friday. According to officials, Pascal Nshirimana’s, the son-in-law of Pierre Clave Mbonimpa, was ambushed by a group of people on motorbikes at around noon at the gate of his home in the capital city. Police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye confirmed the details of Nshirimana’s death, however he disclosed that it was not politically motivated, stating, “many think he was killed because he was in-law of Pierre Claver Mbonimpa; but it is not true…We have attributed the incident to a settling of accounts with businessmen he was working with.” Mbonimpa, who heads the Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Detained Persons (APRODH), was himself shot and wounded in August by gunmen on motorbikes. He is currently receiving treatment in Belgium.

7 October A Burundian official has disclosed that the country has expelled a Rwandan diplomat, whom it accuses of destabilizing the country. Desire Nyaruhirira had been a top adviser at the Rwandan embassy in Burundi for many years. The expulsion comes amidst worsening relations between the two countries. Last week, Burundi accused Rwanda of training rebels seeking to destabilize the country, allegations which Rwanda has denied.

4 October Sources reported Sunday that at least a dozen civilians have been killed in weekend clashes that erupted between police and anti-government protesters in the capital Bujumbura. According to deputy police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye, who has blamed “armed criminals” for attacking his officers in Mutakura, a northern suburb of the capital, “the clashes started at noon on Saturday…Two of the assailants were killed and two policemen injured.” Witnesses however have

reported that Saturday’s clashes were more widespread and more deadly. According to three witnesses and a local official, in Cibitoke, which has been a protest hotspot since April, six corpses were found on the streets with bullet wounds early Sunday. A witness in Mutakura, which borders Cibitoke, also reported that four more bodies were found Sunday morning while others disclosed that the number was five. Some of the dead had been shot in the head. Sources have disclosed that the trouble began late Saturday morning when police arrested some young people in Mutakura, a move that sparked clashes with angry residents who attacked police with arms and explosives. The unrest then spread to nearby districts.

5 October On Monday, the country’s ruling party accused the European Union of ethnic bias after it imposed sanctions on four senior officials. The party has called the move a “provocation.” It comes after the EU last week imposed a travel ban and an asset freeze on four Burundian officials, accusing them of blocking efforts to restore the political crisis in the country. A statement released Monday accused the EU of seeking to stoke divisions between Burundians and stated that “the sanctions…imposed by the EU on Burundians of one ethnic group are likely to undermine dialogue (with the opposition) before it has even begun,” adding that the EU decision was “illegal” and accusing the bloc of backing anti-government protesters – “most if not all are housed and fed by certain EU countries.” Last week, an EU official identified those affected by the sanctions as deputy police chief Godefroid Bizimana, senior cabinet official Gervais Ndirakoubuca who is responsible for the police, intelligence agent Mathias-Joseph Niyonzima and former general Leonard Nendakumana. They were sanction over their alleged involvement in repressing the protests.

1 October Burundi’s president has disclosed that those in possession of illegal arms have one month in order to relinquish them, adding that the authorities will hold to account the “few” security officials behind cases of killings and torture. In an address on state radio and television, President Pierre Nkurunziza disclosed “the government gives one month to those who illegally possess arms to hand them over,” adding “beyond this period, whoever is caught with arms will be punished.” The president further indicated that the judiciary had uncovered cases of “security officers caught red-handed killing or torturing people while they are supposed to be ensuring peace and security, noting, “even if they are few, we are going to seriously deal with them as criminals.” The president’s comments come after the UN human rights chief reported earlier in the week that there had been an “alarming upsurge” in arrests and killings, with some bodies of victims showing signs of torture. In recent weeks, there have been a spate of shootings, grenade attacks and killings that have targeted top government officials, as well as members of the opposition and others. Bodies have often been found lying in the street after overnight violence in Bujumbura. In the latest incident, a spokesman for the intelligence service SNR, Telesphore Bigirimana, reported that an officer and owner of a bar in the capital where he was drinking were killed by gunmen on Wednesday night, adding that gunfire was also heard overnight in other area. On Thursday, a police spokesman disclosed that a police officer was also killed on Wednesday afternoon, however he ruled out a political motive.

Burundi has accused neighboring Rwanda of training rebels seeking to destabilize the country. The country’s Foreign Minister Alain Nyamitwe has reported that Rwanda is hosting Burundi’s failed coup leader, adding that the country is helping rebels launch cross-border attacks. He further disclosed that Rwanda was “facilitating” attacks that the coup plotters were orchestrating in Burundi, adding “we also have extensive information about recruitments in refugee camps, especially in Mahama refugee camp, where refugees are taken for military training, and some of the trainers are Rwandans.” Rwanda however has denied the allegations, stating that Burundi is trying to deflect attention from its own problems. In March, President Pierre Nkurunziza survived a coup attempt that was led by renegade Gen. Godefroid Niyombare, who opposed the president’s bid for a third term in office. Gen Niyombare has been seen in public since then. Since July, when President Pierre Nkurunziza won disputed elections, Burundi has been hit by a string of assassinations and attempted assassinations.

Djibouti

No significant incidents to report.

Eritrea

21 October European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has called for greater respect for human rights in Eritrea, which is a major source country of refugees who risk their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean in order to reach Europe. Speaking to reporters during a visit to Addis Ababa, capital of neighboring Ethiopia, Mogherini disclosed that “in Eritrea there is a relevant need for important reforms inside the country, to improve on the one side the human rights record and on the other the living conditions of the population.” According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, 5,000 people flee Eritrea each month, with those who make it to Europe often stating that they fled indefinite military conscription and other human rights abuses. Officials in Asmara however have consistently denied the charges, maintaining that human traffickers, and not rights abuses, are to blame for the large exodus of people from the Horn of Africa nation. In September, EU officials announced that the bloc aimed to agree on 200 million euros (US $226.72 million) in development aid for Eritrea by year-end in order to help stem the exodus of people. Eritrea had been receiving EU funds until 2011, when Asmara decided to stop the foreign aid programme.

Ethiopia

23 October Five Ethiopian dissident groups in exile have indicated that they have formed an alliance in order to bring a change of government back home, describing Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn’s government as oppressive. On Friday, the new group, which is called the People’s Alliance for Freedom and Democracy, issued a statement in Oslo, Norway, where the group met recently. The group disclosed in its statement that “the (alliance) will create an opportunity for all peoples in Ethiopia to co-create a transitional political order that is based on the consent of all peoples, where the outmoded hegemonic culture of a single group dominating the rest is dismantled and a new just political order is established, where the respect of the right to self-determination is genuinely granted to all,” adding that the group “will conduct diplomatic, advocacy, information and other campaigns to change the current undemocratic political culture and oppressive system in Ethiopia.” The statement further disclosed that the alliance was formed by the Benishangul People’s Liberation Movement, the Gambella People’s Liberation Movement, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, the Oromo Liberation Front and the Sidama National Liberation Front.

16 October On Friday, four Ethiopian bloggers and journalists were acquitted of terrorism after eighteen months in prison in a case that has been widely condemned by rights groups as an assault on press freedom. After the court ruling, defense lawyer Ameha Mekonnen stated, “they shouldn’t have stayed in prison for so long – 539 days – in fact they shouldn’t have been prosecuted in the first place. The bloggers were accused of planning attacks and collaborating with US-based opposition group Ginbot 7, which has been labelled a terrorist organization by Ethiopian authorities. According to Ameha, “the court said all the evidence presented was very weak to prove they were planning any kind of terrorism – the court connected their writings to freedom of expression.” While three of the jailed, Atnaf Berhane, Abel Wabella and Natnail Feleke, were expected to be released from custody later on Friday, another journalists, Befekadu Hailu, remains in custody on charges of inciting violence, a crime that carries a sentence of up to three years, despite being acquitted on terrorism charges. A fifth, Soleyana Gebremichael, is in exile in the US and was acquitted of all charges in absentia.

14 October The Ethiopian government has called for international assistance in order to help feed 8.2 million people after erratic rains devastated crop yields. According to Mitiku Kassa, secretary of the Ethiopian Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Committee, the government has allocated US $192 million for food and other aid however it is appealing for US $596 million in assistance from the international community for the remainder of 2015. According to a government assessment, which was conducted in September, more than 300,000 children are in need of specialized nutritious food while a projected 48,000 children under the age of 5 are suffering from severe malnutrition. John Aylieff, an official in Ethiopia with the UN’s World Food Programme, has disclosed that the situation is “incredibly serious,” adding that Ethiopia needs the international community in order to help remedy the worst effects of El Nino conditions. Dennis Weller, the USAID mission director in Ethiopia, further disclosed that the conflict in South Sudan is also exacerbating the food insecurity situation, adding, “we are seeing malnutrition rates go up in some of the host communities. We are looking at ways of reducing the stress levels to the host communities in Ethiopia by providing supplementary feeding that could bring the malnutrition levels down.” Since violence broke out in South Sudan in mid-December 2013, hundreds of

thousands of South Sudanese refugees have fled to Ethiopia and are living alongside the local communities.

7 October Ethiopian lawmakers have approved a cabinet proposed by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. Amongst the high-profile changes, the prime minister appointed Abdulaziz Mohammed as the Minister of Finance and Economic Cooperation, replacing Sufian Ahmed, who was a candidate for the African Development Bank presidency earlier this year. Abdulaziz will now head a body crucial in implementing the five-year development plan that is set for parliamentary approval in the next few weeks. Elsewhere, Prime Minister Desalegn retained Tedros Adhanom as Foreign Minister and Siraj Fegesa as Defense Minister in his appointments, while Demeke Mekonnen, Communications and Information Technology Minister Gebremichael and Civil Service Minister Aster Mamo were re-appointed as Deputy Prime Ministers.

5 October On Monday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn was re-elected prime minister for a second term. The ruling coalition also held on to all of its seats in parliament. Hailemariam is expected to make a speech in the coming days when he names a new government.

Kenya

30 October Sources have reported that hundreds of students at Moi University, in western Kenya, are fleeing the school’s dorms over fears of a deadly extremist attack by some of their previous colleagues. On the ground sources have disclosed that students wee seeking accommodation outside the campus in the town of Eldoret after it was revealed that four missing students allegedly joined Somali-based extremist group al-Shabaab, which has claimed responsibility for the 2 April gun attack on Garissa University that killed 148 people. University Vice Chancellor Richard Mibey has reported that rumours that the four missing students had threatened to come back to attack the institution were causing panic. Sources have reported that heavily armed policemen were deployed to the campus, which has about 30,000 people, however students still were not confident about the security. Earlier this month, Kenyan officials warned of the threat of an attack by al-Shabaab, which has vowed retribution for Kenya’s continued troop presence in Somalia.

25 October Kenya’s military has reported that it has destroyed a base in Somalia that was operated by al-Shabaab militants, adding that fifteen of its fighters were also killed in the operation. In a statement released Sunday, Kenyan military spokesman Col. David Obonyo disclosed that Kenyan troops under the African Union (AU) million in Somalia destroyed an al-Shabaab base at Yantooy by Jubba River in southern Somalia in a dawn attack. He disclosed that two boats that the rebels have been using in order to cross the river were also destroyed adding that Yantooy has been the main base used by the rebels to cross the river from Jilib, which is an al-Shabaab base in the Lower Shabelle region, and infiltrate the Lower Jubba region which is located near the border with Kenya.

21 October The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that nearly 700 recruits have returned to Kenya after quitting al-Shabaab. A newly released report however warns that a failure to reintegrate returnees may lead to further radicalization. While the report does not disclose where the returnees came from, Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) Hassan Ole Nadu has confirmed that they were fighting for al-Shabaab. The 36-page report was compiled by the IOM, Supkem and Kenya’s interior ministry. The report disclosed that researches found that while most adults joined the group voluntarily, nearly a third of the children who were interviewed disclosed that they were forced to enlist. The report states that the return of the youth provides both “opportunities and threat for and to Kenyans…On the one hand, they present an opportunity to counter the radicalizing ideologies and recruitment strategies of armed groups,” adding that “on the other, the response of the security forces is widely perceived to be promoting further radicalization as they returnees themselves believe that they are unsafe and have limited integration options.” Participants who were interviewed for the report disclosed that security in the country was the main obstacle to their successful reintegration in the country. A total of 185 respondents were interviewed, representing nearly 30% of the estimated total of 684 returnees in the country. The majority were between the ages of 18 and 34. Sources have indicated that Somali-based al-Shabaab militants are believed to be heavily recruiting in neighboring northeastern Kenya.

15 October On Thursday, Kenyan media reacted with dismay after lawmakers approved a bill that could see journalists slapped with huge fines or jailed if they are found guilty of “defaming” parliament. The clause, which outlaws any publication of words deemed to be “defamatory to parliament,” provides for fines of up to 500,000 shillings (US $4,850) or a two year prison term. The media restrictions are part of the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges bill, which effectively requires approval by senators and President Uhuru Kenyatta before becoming law. While similar media restrictions were passed in 2013, they were later sent back to parliament for review. Lawmakers however have defended the bill, stating that it would stop parliament from being subjected to “mob justice.”

An official from the Kenyan National Police Service Commission disclosed Thursday that sixty-three senior police officers, including a police spokesman, have been fired for “corruption and integrity issues.” According to Johnstone Kavuludi, investigations revealed a hierarchy in the way of proceeds of corruption are shared among police officers, adding, “during the vetting, investigations showed some of them were involved in corruption and were even doing it through their juniors…Through scrutiny of their accounts, the commission was able to establish that junior officers working in the traffic department regularly transferred fixed amounts of money to some of their seniors, suggesting that they had been given targets.” As part of a reform package, which the government agreed to undertake after adopting a new constitution in 2010, Kenya is vetting all its police officers. The aim is to prevent a repeat of the postelection violence that was seen in the country following a flawed presidential election in December 2007. At the time, Kenya’s police force was accused of taking sides during the violence.

6 October Kenya’s interior minister has suggested that United Nations staff members working with refugees in the country’s Dadaab camp are “facilitating terrorist activities.” Joseph Nkaissery, the secretary for internal security, hinted that some employees of the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, may face arrest for either direct involvement in planning terror attacks or for failing to act against those planning them. Speaking at a meeting of the UNHCR in Switzerland, Nkaissery stated that “we are very concerned about the alleged involvement or complacency of some UNHCR personnel, who facilitate terrorist activities in this country.” Located in northeastern Kenya, some 50 kilometres from the border with Somalia, Dadaab is the largest refugees camp in the world with an estimated 350,000 people who live in makeshift shelters. Many of those living in the camp have fled the conflict in Somalia, however the camps numbers increased considerably in 2011 after a major drought, which impacted East Africa and affected 11 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Following the September 2013 terrorist attack that targeted the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi, and the attack on Garissa University in April, both of which have been claimed by al-Shabaab, the Kenyan government has sought to close the camp and to repatriate its occupants, stating that it served as a “nursery” for the terror group. While the Kenyan government has faced considerable pressure from the West not to close the camp, Nkaissery repeated the claims this week, stating that the final planning and logistical support for nearly all the terrorist attacks in Kenya could be traced to Dadaab. During his speech, he pointed to the seizure by security forces this week of a large cache of arms as well as phones, stating, “the planning of the Westgate attack was finalized in the camps. The weapons used in the attack on Garissa University College earlier this year were ferried and hidden in the camps…This reality, uncomfortable as it may be, must be addressed. We cannot, as a country, continue to offer asylum and protection to populations in areas that have been taken over by criminal elements.” In response, Karin de Gruijl, spokesperson for the UNHCR in Kenya, stated that officials were “very surprised” by the minister’s comments, adding “UNHCR is not aware of any staff who are complicit in terrorism related matters…If there are indeed any substantial allegations, we expect the Government of Kenya will inform us and take appropriate action, in full accordance with the law.”

Madagascar

12 October Two Madagascans on Monday were sentenced to hard labour for life over the murder of a French couple whose bodies were discovered badly mutilated in 2012. The criminal court found the two guilty in the killings of husband and wife Gerald Fontaine, 41, and Johanna Delahaye, 31, who owned a restaurant in the southwestern region of the country. The couple had gone by quad bike to a beach to swim. One of the lawyers for their families disclosed that Delahaye’s body was later found “almost decapitated” while her husband had “but limbs.” Fontaine’s remains were

found nine days later, some 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the coastal town of Tulear, while his wife’s body was discovered closer to the beach after a three-day search. Victorian Lahiniriko and Regis Alain have been sentenced to hard labour for life. Eight others who had been suspected of complicity to murder were acquitted.

9 October On Friday, a court in Madagascar handed four men the maximum sentence of hard labour for life over the mob lynching in 2013 of two Europeans and a local man, who were beaten and then burned on a beach. The court tried 37 people over the October 2013 murders. Twenty-five suspects on Friday were given the benefit of the doubt and released while another was formally acquitted. One was sentenced to seven years of hard labour while the rest received prison sentences ranging from three months to six years. Amongst the 25 suspects were two police officers, in which one was released on Friday while the other was sentenced to six months.

8 October On Thursday, Madagascar’s state prosecutor sought the maximum sentence of hard labour for life for twelve suspects who are currently on trial for the lynching of two Europeans and a local man in 2013. Three days into the trial of 37 suspects, the prosecutor asked for a life of hard labour for twelve of the fourteen people who are being prosecuted for kidnapping and murder. This is the maximum sentence in Madagascar, which has abolished the death penalty. Attorney general Jean de Dieudonne Andrianaivoson appealed to the court over the indictment of two policemen accused of failing to come to the victims’ aid and the other 23 suspects on trial for kidnapping and murder. Christian Raoelina, who is defending the police officers and is seeking his client’s acquittal, claimed that they did all that they could in order to save the victims, adding that “…the real culprits are the public prosecutor, the head of the district” and the mayor “who did not honor their responsibilities and instead put the blame on the police.” The trial will continue into Friday, when the court may reach a sentence.

5 October The 37 defendants, who are on trial in Madagascar for the 2013 lynching of two Europeans and a local man, sought on Monday to prove that they were not part of the murderous mob. On 3 October 2013, residents of the country’s tourist hotspot Nosy Be went on a rampage after the body of a missing eight-year-old boy was found on the beach. Acting on false rumours of foreign involvement, the mob killed French tourist Sebastien Judalet and French-Italian resident Robert Gianfalla, beating them with logs before burning their bodies. After locating the boy’s uncle, the mob then beat and burnt him to death. The 37 defendants, who include 35 civilians and two policemen, have been charged with a number of offences including murder, kidnapping and vandalism. They have all pleaded not guilty. Defense lawyers argued in court that the accused had little to do with the mayhem, stating that they were onlookers who were arrested by police who were too scared to tackle the mob and to arrest the real perpetrators. Defense lawyer Me Jacky Razafiamandroso disclosed that “no one has been caught in the act, the policemen didn’t dare confront the crowd, instead preferring to arrest people on the fringes.” On Monday, five of the defendants testified in court, while on Tuesday, the court will hear from others accused of vandalism, followed by those charged with kidnapping and murder.

Malawi

No significant incidents to report.

Mauritius

No significant incidents to report.

Mozambique

9 October On Friday, Mozambican police blockaded opposition leader Afonso Dhlakama in his house in the central city of Beira, two weeks after a roadside gun battle, which involved his convoy, killed 24 people. Dhlakama indicated Friday that “Special Forces circled my house, and asked that we hand back weapons of theirs that we retained from September 25,” adding, “this shows that Frelimo were behind the two attacks.” Dhlakama, head of the Renamo party, has accused the ruling Frelimo party of being behind the gun battle in which several Renamo members were killed. Dhlakama also survived an ambush on his convoy a few days before. The government has denied responsibility for the attacks, which Dhlakama has stated were both attempts to murder him. While neither the police nor interior ministry have commented on Friday’s incident, state radio

has reported that security forces had conducted an operation in order to disarm Dhlakama’s bodyguards.

Rwanda

29 October In a move that has been opposed by the United States and other donors, Rwanda’s lower house of parliament on Thursday voted to allow President Paul Kagame to extend his rule beyond a second term, which ends in 2017, and possibly stay on until 2034. According to lower house speaker Donatilla Mukabalisa, Article 172 of the amended constitution, which would allow the president to extend his rule, was supported by all 75 lawmakers present. The lower house has 80 seats however some lawmakers were absent. Under the amendments, which were approved after debates were held on Wednesday and Thursday, the presidential term will be decreased to five years from seven. Furthermore, while the limit of two terms will remain, an exception is made for the currently president, namely Kagame. According to one lawmaker, who explained the amendment, article 172 effectively allows President Kagame to serve out his seven-year term, which ends in 2017, and also to seek a third seven-year term after that. Furthermore, even beyond that, the president could seek two more five-year terms. President Kagame, who has not explicitly indicated that he wants to run again, stating only that he is open to persuasion, could effectively remain in power until 2034. While draft amendments to the country’s constitution, which have been approved by the lower house, still need to be backed by the upper house of senators and then put to a referendum, they are not expected to stumble at either stage. Parliament, which is dominated by the president’s backers, debated the issue after a petition calling for changes was signed by 3.7 million supporters of the president. While the country’s main but small opposition, the Democratic Green Party, attempted to block the amendment to extend the president’s term, a court rejected the bid. Critics however have disclosed that the government stifles opposition media and politicians, a charge that officials have denied.

28 October On Wednesday, revisions to the country’s constitution, which would allow President Paul Kagame to seek a third seven-year term in office, appeared on Parliament’s agenda, with the lower house of the Kagame-controlled body expected to vote later in the day.

23 October Rwanda has dismissed accusations that it was meddling in neighboring Burundi’s political crisis, with Kigali’s foreign minister stating that Rwanda only wants peace. Late Thursday, Lousie Mushikiwabo told reporters in Kigali that “Burundi’s problem is not Rwanda’s Burundi’s problem is Burundi’s,” adding, “we believe, as leadership, that when leaders take decisions they should be able to live with the consequences of the decisions.” Mushikiwabo further indicated that “our wish is for Burundi to be peaceful, for those who’ve sought refuge in Rwanda to repatriate, and for the region to advance.” Since April, Burundi has been rocked by violence in the wake of President Pierre Nkurunziza launching his now successful but highly controversial bid for a third term in office. Relations between Rwanda and Burundi grew tense shortly after Rwandan President Paul Kagame urged President Nkurunziza to end his bid for a third term. The Rwandan capital Kigali has become a refuge for many opposition and civil society activists, as well as dissidents from Nkurunziza’s ruling party. Burundi however has claimed that rebel forces, set up by mutinous soldiers after a failed coup in May, are also there and are enjoying Rwandan support. Kigali however has indicated that it does not want to be drawn into the accusations, with Mushikiwabo stating that “we are not in the logic of exchanging accusations and denials,” adding, “tis not that we’ve kept quiet, we want them (Burundians) to solve their own problems, and after we shall talk about our relations.”

12 October On Monday, Rwanda’s parliament opened debate on amending the constitution to let President Paul Kagame run for a third consecutive term in office in 2017. According to sources, deputies in parliament backed the outlines of a draft revision of the constitution that would effectively remove the two-term limit. While all MP’s who spoke during the debate gave their public backing to the president, two deputies cautioned of the risks of changing the constitution, as opposed to just making an exception for President Kagame. MP Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi stated, “the people have asked that we only change the mandate limit for Kagame,” while another deputy said, “we don’t know what will happen in 30 years from now.” Both houses of parliament are dominated by the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and are expected to pass the amendments before putting the changes to a referendum. The revisions of Article 101, which limits presidential terms to two years, and other parts of the constitution come after three weeks of

“popular consultations,” which were carried out by MP’s who travelled across the country and found just a dozen voters who are opposed to the reform.

8 October On Thursday, Rwanda’s Supreme Court ruled that President Paul Kagame could run for a third seven-year term in office, effectively rejecting an attempt by the main opposition party to block changes to the country’s constitution. In July, the Kagame-controlled parliament backed a motion to let him run again as the leader of the East African state. While the constitutional changes still must pass a referendum, there is little chance of them failing due to the president’s control over the media and many other aspects of public life. In response to Thursday’s ruling, the opposition Democratic Green Party, which brought the case before the Supreme Court, disclosed that it would continue to push for protection of existing constitutional term limits. Green party leader Frank Habineza stated, “we are not happy but we’ve not given up. We are going to appeal to the president.” While the president has not explicitly stated that he wants to run again, he has made clear he is open to persuasion. Thursday’s ruling is likely to attract attention in other African nations where term limits are under similar pressure.

Somalia

28 October The United Nations has reported that flash floods in Somalia have destroyed thousands of makeshift homes, as well as latrines and shallow wells. The Un has predicted that up to 900,000 people could be hit by the strongest El Nino weather phenomenon in decades. Experts have indicated that the floods, which have made roads impassable and which have cut thousands from aid, could reverse many of the humanitarian gains that have been achieved in the southern region of the country since 2011, when the Horn of African nation was devastated by famine. In a statement issued late on Tuesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicated that “the El Nino conditions come amid an already fragile humanitarian situation,” adding that some 3.2 million Somalia, about a third of the population, already needed life-saving aid and over one million were internally displaced prior to the rains beginning on 7 October. The statement further reported that “flash floods have affected thousands of people in the low lying areas of the southern and central parts of Somalia.” While the UN indicated that it could not give a figure for the number of people hit by flooding nationwide, its regional breakdown detailed over 55,000 affected, at least 18,000 of whom had been displaced, in seven areas, adding that between 500,000 and 900,000 Somalis could be affected by El Nine. El Nine, which is caused by warming of the Pacific Ocean, has caused drought in other areas of Africa, including Ethiopia, where eight million people need food aid. In Somalia, aid workers have pre-positioned boats, food, medical supplies and hygiene and sanitation kits in the most at risk areas. Furthermore, river banks are being strengthened while people displaced in the capital Mogadishu have been moved to higher ground. The OCHA has reported that “protection efforts include a particular focus on internally displaced (IDP) given that many of the existing IDP settlements are located in areas prone to flooding, with shelters providing insufficient protection against heavy rains and winds.” They Dey rains, which are one of the country’s two annul rainy seasons, typically end in December, while this year’s El Nino phenomenon is expected to peak between October and January and may turn into one of the strongest on record.

21 October On Wednesday, UN refugee agency head Antonio Guterres launched a plan that aims to return home 135,000 Somalis who have fled their conflict-town country and called on donors to put up US $500 million to fund the operation. Speaking at a pledging conference in Brussels, Guterres stated that “it is the responsibility of the international community to fully support Somalia at this moment, to make sure the Somali story will be a story of success, to make sure Somalis go back.” He also reminded the conference, which was attended by EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini and top Kenyan and Somali officials, that Somalis were also amongst the hundreds of thousands of people who have crossed the Mediterranean in a bid to seek safety in Europe. According to UNHCR figures, war and upheaval in Somalia have displaced more than two million people, with some 420,000 fleeing to neighboring Kenya while another 250,000 are in Ethiopia and about the same number are in Yemen. The UNHCR has indicated that in cooperation with Kenya and Somalia, it has helped 5,300 Somalis return home since end-2014, with Guterres stating that the numbers could now be increased after “tangible signs of stabilization” in at least some parts of Somalia. He further told the conference that “we are now getting ready to move into the enhanced phase of this operation which will aim to assist 135,000 refuges to return to Somalia…(in) a voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity,” adding, “it is in the interest of

everybody that Somalia succeeds. Somalia will then be a positive member of the international community…(making) an important contribution to the security region and the whole world.” Pledges for the UNHCR so far come to more than US $105 million. The EU has pledged 60 million euros (US $68 million) for the UNHCR, part of its own efforts to control the migrant crisis by getting countries of origin across Africa and the Middle East to take back their people.

7 October According to police officials, al-Shabaab gunmen ambushed and killed the nephew of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud in the capital Mogadishu on Wednesday. Police Major Mohamed Nur has disclosed that al-Shabaab fighters attacked a car that was carrying Liban Osman, and a lawyer named Abdikadir Mohamed, through the city, adding that the militants shot both of the men. According to Nur, Osman had just returned from abroad and was about to begin working as the director of a hospital in Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab has since claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, with the group’s military operation spokesman, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab disclosing that the group targeted Osman because he was “a very important official at the presidential palace.”

6 October A spokesman for al-Shabaab has indicated that the rebel group will fight British troops, who are to be deployed to the country as peacekeepers. Speaking on the group’s radio on Tuesday, Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, a spokesman for the militant group, disclosed that the group’s fighters would welcome the British troops with bullets and drag beheaded British soldiers through the streets. His comments are in response to British Prime Minister David Cameron’s announcement last month that as many as seventy British military personnel could be deployed to Somali in order to bolster the United Nation-backed mission to support the Somali government against the extremists. This would be the first time that Britain has formally joined the international contingent backing the African Union’s (AU) long-running efforts against al-Shabaab.

On Tuesday, Somali journalists and rights groups condemned the arrest of two colleagues and the closure of a key television station by the government. According to sources, security forces raided the independent Universal TV in the capital Mogadishu on 2 October, adding that the station was taken off the air a day after it broadcast a debate on the role of foreign forces in Somalia. Sources have disclosed that Regional director Abdullahi Hersi and produce Awil Dahri Salad were both arrested. On Tuesday, Somali journalists’ union chief Mohamed Ibrahim stated that “we condemn the way the office of Universal was closed and the journalists arrested.” The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the government to “stop this arbitrary harassment of journalists and respect freedom of the press.” The information ministry has indicated that it is liaising with security forces in order to secure the release of the journalists. The CPJ has reported that Universal TV, which has its headquarters in Britain, was previously taken off-air in August in the southern Somali region of Jubbaland.

2 October On Friday, Somalia’s Prime Minister Omar Sharmarke reported that the government wants to liberate all remaining territory held by al-Shabaab in the coming year and have its own forces take over the country’s security from the African Union force in the next two to three years. In an interview, Sharmarke stated that he believes that both goals are achievable, disclosing that al-Shabaab “has lost a lot of ground” though they still pose a threat especially in rural areas where they still operate. He compared Somalia to other hotspots, like Afghanistan and Iraq, stating Somalia is “…the only country that consistently has decreased this radicalization.” The Somali Prime Minister further disclosed that al-Shabaab now carried out a major attack every two to three months, like the suicide bombing at the gate of the country’s presidential palace on 21 September, usually when they loose ground to show that they are still viable and to attract young recruits. He noted that in contrast, in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq, there are sometimes several attacks a day, adding, “so i think we really have moved the ground out of a dark…period, and moved really much more in a positive kind of environment.” Sharmarke also noted that Somali and AU troops have successfully pushed al-Shabaab extremists from all the towns they controlled along the Indian Ocean, which has impacted the militants’ efforts to maintain a parallel economy, adding that they are now pressing the fight to other areas that al-Shabaab controls in a bid to contain and defeat the “radical insurgency.” He also reported that the Somali government is trying to build up and train its military, with help from the US and Britain, so that it can gradually take over all security from the AU force.

South Sudan

29 October Rebels in South Sudan freed 18 peacekeepers on Thursday but still kept 12 U.N. contractors they had seized on a barge in a contested area of the war-torn African country, U.N. officials said. The rebels said they had taken the vessels because they were thought to be transporting weapons for government troops. Although South Sudan's warring factions signed a peace deal in August, fighting persists, especially the contested states of Upper Nile and Unity. On Monday, a U.N. barge resupplying fuel on the Nile River was blocked in the Kaka area by over 100 heavily armed men affiliated with rebels who detained the peacekeepers and the barge crew. The fuel and peacekeepers' weapons were then looted, the U.N. statement said. "UNMISS is extremely concerned that the national crew of the barge have not been released, the barge has not been returned to the United Nations, and neither has its equipment," the U.N. statement said, urging rebel leader Riek Machar to free the contractors. The barge was seized on the rebel-controlled west bank of the river. The east side, where the U.N. mission has bases, is held by government troops. Two government soldiers, three South Sudan national security agency officials and six barge technicians are among those still in detention, said Nyagwal Ajak Dengkak, a local rebel spokesman. Rebel forces are taking "tough action against our enemies ... for the world to know the truth of the conspiracy between" the South Sudanese military and the U.N. mission, he said in a statement. It was not possible to verify the rebels' statement. Twelve of the freed

peacekeepers are from Bangladesh.

22 October South Sudan faces a serious risk of famine by the end of this year and 30,000 people are already classified as being in a food security catastrophe, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said on Thursday. Hunger in the world's newest state has grown steadily worse in the nearly two years since a political crisis led to fighting that reopened ethnic fault lines between President Salva Kiir's Dinka people and ethnic Nuer forces loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar. The two have signed a series of peace deals but fighting rages on. The IPC, whose members include the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), said famine had not been officially declared because it was hard to get data from conflict zones. But there is a "likelihood" of famine occurring in the coming months in parts of oil-rich Unity State, one of the hardest-hit areas, unless urgent humanitarian access is allowed. "There is a great concern that famine may exist in the coming months but it may not be possible to validate it at that time due to lack of evidence as the result of limited access to the affected areas and populations," it said. South Sudan's government agriculture minister Beda Machar told a news conference there was no "famine" in the country and the food security situation has in fact improved. "We advise against the irresponsible use of a word such as "famine" by stakeholders, including the media," the minister said. Intense fighting in some parts of the country has forced humanitarian groups to pull out, and they say displaced families are surviving on just one meal a day. In extreme cases, people fleeing violence survive by eating water lilies. This marks the first time since the conflict erupted that the ICP has identified that some in South Sudan have reached the fifth phase - catastrophic food insecurity - on its five-point scale. "This is the start of the harvest and we should be seeing a significant improvement in the food security situation across the country," said WFP Country Director Joyce Luma. "Unfortunately this is not the case in places like southern Unity State, where people are on the edge of a catastrophe that

can be prevented," Luma said.

ISIS' faction in Libya recently released a video showing a captive wearing an orange jumpsuit making a short statement in which he gave his name and nationality. His executor justified the murder on the grounds of revenge for alleged persecution of Muslims in South Sudan. In an interview with Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, Sheikh Juma said the beheading of a South Sudanese Christian by the Islamic State (IS) in Libya is not an act that represents the views of Muslims in South Sudan. The sheikh further said the so-called 'Islamic State' know nothing about how Muslims live with Christians in South Sudan. “We, as Muslims in South Sudan, the Christians are our brothers,” he said. “God said in Quran that the Christians are closer to Muslims in terms of love, so we condemn what was done by the IS,” he added. The Muslim leader further praised South Sudan’s government for granting the people of South Sudan freedom of religion. Juma advised the South Sudanese to be watchful, claiming South Sudan could be targeted in an attempt to

cause havoc and division among its citizens.

The voluntary withdrawal of Ugandan troops from South Sudan is a demonstration of the government’s commitment to fully implement the peace agreement signed between President Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar, according to presidential spokesman Ateny Wek

Ateny. He says the pullout of troops from the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) from South Sudan will be completed within the first week in November. The withdrawal was a key demand of rebels loyal to former vice president Machar during peace negotiations to end the nation's conflict held in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. The government resisted the rebels’ demands, citing a government-to-government agreement between the administrations in Juba and Kampala that necessitated the presence of the Ugandan troops in South Sudan. Ateny says President Kiir has shown the political will to restore peace in the country. “This is a process that was provided for in the agreement on the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan that called for the Ugandan forces and any other forces to withdraw from South Sudan… What it means is that the government is serious to implement the agreement,” said Ateny. There will, however, be UPDF forces in South Sudan’s Western Equatorial region, where they have been stationed to pursue and combat the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. Opposition groups and rebels loyal to Machar say the pullout of the UPDF forces will be a significant boost to the implementation of the peace accord. The agreement aimed to restore peace to the country following the conflict that has displaced at least 2 million people from their homes. Ateny says the rebels also will have to show commitment to the implementation of the peace agreement.

21 October Former Chairman of National Committee for Finance and Resource Mobilization for the Sudan people’s Liberation Movement/Army-In Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) and leader of rebel splinter faction Gabriel Changson Lew Chang has called on rebel forces to abandon Dr. Riek Machar, claiming Machar is not serving the interests of the people. The South Sudan News Agency (SSNA) has obtained a leaked audio recording of minutes of a meeting held on the 18th of October 2015 between the leader of the splinter group Changson and his supporters most of whom live in the United States, according to the SSNA’s investigations. The SSNA agrees not to publish sensitive recordings of the meeting until the SSNA’s translation team completes conversion of the entire audio. In the transcripts, Changson can be heard complaining that the armed opposition leader is a dictator and that Machar appoints people and interferes with their works. Changson also urges his supporters to help establish military bases in any area in Upper Nile, Unity, and Jonglei States. The leader of the splinter group further calls on the army wing of the SPLM-IO to desert

Dr. Machar’s rebellion and support his movement.

17 October South Sudan's ruling party has dissolved its leadership secretariat in a move that could raise political tensions following a peace deal with rebels, a presidential spokesman said Saturday. President Salva Kiir remains chairman of the party, known as SPLM, and will appoint a new leadership at an upcoming national convention, said Ateny Wek Ateny. The decision reverses steps made toward reunifying the party, which ruled South Sudan as a de-facto one party state since independence from Sudan in 2011 but splintered two years later with the outbreak of a rebellion. Kiir head the government, while his former deputy, rebel leader Riek Machar, leads an armed breakaway faction. Kiir is trying "to split the SPLM permanently" by dissolving the party's leadership body, said James Gatdet Dak, a spokesman for Machar. The factions signed an agreement in Tanzania earlier this year to reunite the broken party, but presidential spokesman Ateny said the Arusha agreement is now "nullified." The convention will proceed next month even if Machar and Pagan Amum, an influential politician who leads a group of dissidents, are not present in Juba, the South Sudanese capital, he said. The SPLM cannot wait any longer to adopt a new party constitution and register itself as stipulated by South Sudan's political parties act, he said. Dissolving the party leadership is aimed at pushing Kiir's rivals to form their own parties, said Luol Deng of the Juba-based think tank Ebony Center for Strategic Studies. Implementation of the August peace deal between Kiir and Machar is slow and fighting persists in some parts of

the country.

15 October Sudan and South Sudan Wednesday agreed to activate a buffer zone between the two countries and to deploy joint units to monitor the border, three years after the signing of security arrangements agreement in September 2012. The deal was signed after an extraordinary session of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM) held in Addis Ababa where the parties discussed the status of the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone (SDBZ) and the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mission (JBVMM). "The Parties agreed to activate all the mechanisms relating to the JPSM as provided for in the relevant agreements, in particular the JBVMM in coordination with the UNISFA (of Abyei area)," said a statement released on Wednesday . On 27 September 2012, the two countries signed a security agreement with the purpose of stopping the flow of guns and supplies to the rebel groups across the border. Khartoum and Juba accused each

other of backing armed movements. South Sudan was reticent to the implementation of the agreement, fearing that delimitation of the centreline, which passes through contested areas, may be seen as final location of the boundary. On 22 November 2013, Juba suspended its participation in the JMVMM ending the monitoring operations. However, Wednesday’s statement says that the two sides accepted the map presented by the AUHIP to the parties in November 2011. It further stressed that the centreline and buffer zone, which run 10 km along either side, "represent only the location of the separation line between the armed forces of the two States". The agreement also provides that the centreline will not affect the current administrative

arrangements in any area along the demilitarized zone.

13 October South Sudan cabinet approved the expansion of states from 10 to 28 during Tuesday’s extraordinary meeting chaired by President Salva Kiir. The country’s information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth said the president’s decree on creation of new states would soon be tabled before lawmakers. “The council of ministers applauded the decision of the president and directed the minister of justice to table an amendment bill before parliament,” said Makuei. President Kiir, in his decree read on the state owned SSTV on 2 October, explained that his unexpected decision came in response to demands of the South Sudanese. The move was, however, described by the armed opposition leadership as being unconstitutional and a violation of peace agreement both parties signed in August. Last week, both the Troika countries and the East African regional bloc (IGAD) called on the South Sudanese leader to revoke his decision on creation of new states. “The amendment bill will be presented to parliament as soon as possible,” said Makuei. South Sudanese lawmakers who are currently on recess have been recalled at the request of the of the president to amend article 162 of the country’s Transitional Constitution that defines the young

nation as a territory composed of 10 states.

11 October A newly published report has recorded significant reduction in attacks in South Sudan by the Ugandan rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), led by Joseph Kony, contrary to previous claims by the South Sudanese government blaming the Ugandan rebels for many of the recent attacks in the states of Western Equatoria and Western Bahr el Ghazal. A 7-page report released by the Resolve LRA Crisis Initiative on 8 October 2015 has tracked the rebels activities way back to 2009 in the countries affected by the LRA, including South Sudan. It contained a concise assessment of the patterns and survival strategies between January and August 2015, concluding that many of the recent attacks were committed by other armed groups, not LRA alone. “Civilians in LRA-affected areas continue to suffer from attacks by a wide range of armed groups in addition to the LRA, including poachers, armed bandits, rebel groups, and rogue military forces. In some attacks, the perpetrators remain unidentified,” partly reads the report. The report tracked that LRA groups only frequently targeted South Sudan’s Western Equatoria and Western Bahr el-Ghazal states way back from 2007–2011, but have only attacked civilians there on five occasions since 2012. However, the report said despite the drop in violence, the LRA’s record of brutality in South Sudan continues to have ripple effects on the region. In recent months, tensions have mounted between the predominant Zande ethnic group in Western Equatoria state and Dinka herders and members of the South Sudanese army (SPLA).

5 October The International Committee of the Red Cross says it has withdrawn its staff from a humanitarian compound in a violent county in South Sudan after its office was looted and its aid workers threatened. The aid group said in a statement Monday that dozens of armed men entered the compound over the weekend and stole equipment, medical supplies and money. The statement said two vehicles were also taken in the incident that happened amidst intense fighting between armed groups in Leer County in the disputed Unity state. It also said the group is concerned for the vulnerable people who are left with no access to humanitarian aid. South Sudan's warring factions signed a peace deal in August, but they accuse each other of launching attacks in

violation of the cease-fire.

Tanzania

31 October On Saturday, police reported that two bombs exploded minutes apart in the main city of the country’s semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago without causing casualties. The incident however has added to already high tensions on the island in the wake of a disputed election. According to Zanzibar police commander Mkadam Khamis Mkadam “two bombs went off this

morning within a space of 10 minutes from each other. No one was killed or injured,’ adding that the incident occurred in a residential area of Zanzibar City, which lies on the main island of the archipelago. Mkadam further disclosed that the devices were “home-made,” adding that a mobile phone used to detonate one had been found while another explosive device was found in another district on Friday however it was destroyed in a controlled explosion. On Sunday, Tanzania held national elections, which included a vote for local authorities in Zanzibar, however Zanzibar’s election commission annulled the vote for the island’s president, citing “gross violations.” The opposition has rejected the move, stating that it had won the poll.

30 October On Friday, the country’s new leader, John Magufuli called for unity after winning hotly contested polls, which the opposition claimed to have won, and amidst growing tensions after Zanzibar annulled the polls. In his first speech since being declared winner of the country’s presidential poll, Magufuli stated that he promises “…to deliver my election pledges, but we need to work together. Let us strive for peace and national unity.” He further stated, “let me express my profound gratitude to all Tanzanians, those in CCM, the opposition and others who have no political affiliation.” Outgoing President Jakaya Kikwete has indicated that Magufuli is the “right person” for the job, adding that he is “…happy” to be leaving his job after a decade in power, stepping aside after serving his two-term limit. An official swearing in ceremony will take place on 5 November.

29 October The National Electoral Commission announced Thursday that Tanzania’s ruling CCM party candidate, John Magufuli, has won the presidential election after the opposition challenged the tallying process and demanded a recount. Speaking at a news conference, National Election Commission Chairman Damian Lubuva disclosed that Magufuli, a minister for public works, secured 58 percent of the votes, beating his main opposition rival, former Prime Minister Edward Lowassa, who gained 40 percent of the votes.

The police commissioner disclosed Thursday that police have arrested several youths in the semi-autonomous Zanzibar who were blocking roads in protest of the local election being scrapped after the opposition announced that it won. According to Zanzibar police commissioner Hamdani Omar Makame, “we arrested several suspects on Wednesday night at two separate areas in Zanzibar when some youths started gathering on the streets and blocked roads after the Zanzibar electoral body announced the nullification of the presidential election.” Although Makame did not disclose the number of those arrested, he did indicate that the situation was now calm, adding that “police are patrolling the streets to make sure there is peace and security.” While Zanzibar’s opposition claimed victory after Sunday’s vote for the president on the archipelago, the local election commission scrapped the Zanzibar presidential vote after it cited “gross violations.” New elections will now be held.

28 October On Wednesday, Tanzania’s opposition presidential candidate Edward Lowassa called for a recount of Sunday’s poll, citing voting irregularities in the East African nation’s tightest election in more than five decades. While Tanzania’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) had been planning to announce the official results of the election on Thursday, on Wednesday, Lowassa called on the NEC to cancel the announcement. Speaking at a news conference in Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam, Lowassa stated, “we demand that NEC should do a verification of the results and recount the votes.” The electoral commission and the ruling CM party have both dismissed opposition allegations of rigging. On Wednesday, Damian Lubuva, the chairman of the NEC, told journalists that “claims of vote rigging highly misleading…It is not true at all.” On Monday, results from the presidential election began trickling in, showing that CCM candidate John Magufuli had a lead on former prime minister Lowassa.

The election in Tanzania’s semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago has been annulled after the local election commission cited “gross violations.” This announcement has raised tensions on the islands. An official from the opposition Civic United Front (CUF) has disclosed that annulling the poll was a ploy to rerun the vote it had won. There was no immediate comment from the CCM, however it has previously indicated that it was on track for a slim win there. The CCM has indicated that it has complaints about violations that occurred in at least four parliamentary constituencies, where it had lost to the opposition. Officials have indicated that they will go to court in order to contest the parliamentary outcome, noting, however that the overall picture was that “elections were free and fair” and that voting reflected the will of the people.

27 October According to partial results, which were released Tuesday by the country’s election commission, five Cabinet members from the ruling party have lost their parliamentary seats. They lost to candidates representing an opposition alliance of four parties, which includes Chadema, the main opposition party. Results from the weekend presidential election are trickling in and full results are expected to be released on Thursday. Suleiman Kova, a police commander in Dar es Salaam, has indicated that 166 people are being held on allegations that they published unofficial poll results on social media. Amidst growing tensions, the election commission has called for calm and has warned that only it can declare results.

26 October On Monday, an opposition party in the island archipelago of Zanzibar declared victory in a presidential election there, even as official tallying continues, raising tensions as mainland Tanzania also awaits official results from the weekend polls. Maalim Seif Hamad of the Civic United Front (CUF) party announced on Monday that he had won the Zanzibar presidential election, stating that he beat his rival, Ali Mohamed Shein of Tanzania’s ruling party, with more than 52 percent of the vote. In a statement, he indicated that “our supporters know we have won. They have gathered to celebrate. They have been extremely patient and it would be counterproductive to attempt to trick them out of their moment,” adding, “for those who have still not come to grips with this reality, and still think there are ways of fabricating a different outcome, we would like you to know that it is over.” Hamad also urged Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete “to facilitate a smooth transition and not to allow Zanzibar to descend into chaos.” While a part of Tanzania, Zanzibar is run by a semi-autonomous government that has its own president. Tensions were high on the island on Monday as police fired tear gas in a bid to disperse Hamad’s supporters who had gathered to celebrate here and on the islands of Pemba. Full results of the weekend election are expected to be released on Thursday.

The opposition Chadema party reported Monday that police had detained forty of its volunteers after a combined presidential and parliamentary election on Sunday, in an incident that marred an otherwise broadly peaceful voting process. According to the Chadema party, which is part of the Ukawa coalition that former prime minister Edward Lowassa heads, the arrest of 40 of its volunteers was part of a government bid to intimidate the opposition. John Malya, a Chadema lawyer, disclosed that “police also confiscated computers and mobile phones of our volunteers who were tallying results of the presidential election.” While there was no immediate comment from the government, Police Commissioner Paul Chagonja disclosed that some arrests were made due to “violations of electoral procedures” at the Chadema centre, where volunteers were tallying the vote. The commissioner however did not provide any further details. Another opposition party, the Civic United Front (CUF), has reported that police fired teargas at a crowds of supporters who were celebrating what the party said was its victory in Sunday’s race on the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar. In Zanzibar, the CUF reported that police fired teargas at supporters gathered outside the party’s headquarters to celebrate the party’s victory. CUF officials have indicated that it had won the vote based on its own count. On Monday, results began to trickle in, showing that Magufuli is ahead after just 65,000 ballots were counting in the nation of 47 million, in which 22.75 million are registered voters. The electoral commission has indicated that the presidential winner will be announced on Thursday. Lowassa has indicated that he would not concede defeat if he did not deem the election free and fair.

25 October Tanzanians voted in presidential and general elections on Sunday. Polling in the East African nation officially closed at 4:00 PM (1300 GMT), with election officials indicating that they expect the results of the presidential race within three days. On the ground sources reported that long lines of voters had begun gathering hours before dawn in the main city Dar es Salaam.

24 October On Saturday, presidential hopefuls held their final campaign rallies, a day before the country holds general elections, which are expected to be the tightest in the nation’s history. Outgoing President Jakaya Kikwete, who is not running after having served his constitutional two-term limit, has ordered the police to increase security in order to ensure that voting passes off peacefully. In one of his final speeches, John Magufuli of the long-ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, and the favorite to win the national race, stated that he wants “…to lead the country to development and good welfare,” adding, “everyone deserves a better life irrespective of his or her political inclination.” Many however believe that Magufuli will face a tough challenge from the main opposition parties, who have rallied around ex-prime minister Edward Lowassa, who recently defected from the CCM to the opposition Chadema, heading a coalition of parties. Analysts war that the tight race could spark tensions, with the opposition providing the first

credible challenge to the CCM since multi-party democracy was introduced in the East African nation in 1995. Both Magufuli and Lowassa have made repeated calls for the preservation of peace and national unity. As well as the presidential race, voters will also be casting ballots in parliamentary and local polls on Sunday, including on the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, which will also hold its own presidential elections. On Zanzibar, campaigning has been largely peaceful, however residents are stockpiling food and water over growing fears of possible unrest after the polls. The archipelago’s president and vice-president, ruling as part of a unity government, will go head-to-head as frontrunners in the race, which will see just over 500,000 registered voters on the islands cast their ballots. Leading candidates are incumbent president Ali Mohamed Shein of the ruling CCM, and current vice-president Seif Sharif Hamad from the opposition Civic United Front (CUF), who are currently sharing power in a unity government.

23 October Media reports indicated Friday that attackers tried to hack the genitals off a man with albinism, just two days before presidential and parliamentary elections are due to take place. According to a local government officer in Pwani district, which is located near to the main city of Dar es Salaam, the man, 35-years-old, “…was attacked at his home…he is currently hospitalized, but he is not in danger.” Officials have reported that the attack occurred overnight Wednesday.

22 October On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that Tanzania is facing a major cholera outbreak, counting nearly 5,000 cases and dozens of deaths. The WHO has called for urgent action in order to stop the disease from spreading to neighboring countries. The UN health agency has reported that from August through Wednesday 21 October, 4,922 cases of cholera had been tallied in twelve regions of the country, and 74 deaths. According to Dominique Legros, head of the WHO’s cholera unit, the country’s largest city Dar es Salaam remains the most affected, with some 3,500 cases. Legros disclosed that the fact that the disease had reached the city, which is home to more than four million people, sparked great concern, adding that Dar es Salaam’s size and its numerous slum areas was “making things more complicated in terms of access to water and to build latrines.” Legros further warned that cholera is endemic in the region, warning that the looming rainy season, with a “very bad” weather forecast, threatened to push the outbreak beyond the country’s borders, adding, “we have to really be ready for this and try to control the outbreak as soon as possible in Tanzania.” The WHO had disclosed that US $2 million are needed in order to urgently ramp up efforts to control the outbreak, including water trucks, chlorinating water and treatment for the sick.

20 October On Tuesday, the ruling party’s presidential election candidate denounced the killing of albinos as “silly” and a “national shame.” The Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party candidate, John Magufuli, made the comments when he was speaking during a campaign rally in the northern district of Sengerema, which is situated on the southern shores of Lake Victoria, ahead of this Sunday’s elections. While the upcoming polls have been marked by fears of a spike in albino murders, with rights groups warning that some politicians may also bee seeking lucky charms, Magufuli however has described such beliefs as “utter nonsense.” According to UN experts, at least 76 albinos have been murdered since 2000 with their dismembers body parts selling for around US $600 and entire bodies fetching US $75,000. Dozens more have survived having parts of their bodies hacked off while still alive.

19 October As Tanzania prepares for what is expected to be the tightest electoral race in the country’s history, tensions are rising on the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar. While campaigning has been largely peaceful, sources have disclosed that residents are stockpiling food and water amidst growing fears of possible unrest in the wake of the 25 October elections. The archipelago’s president and vice-president, ruling as part of a unity government, are due to go head-to-head as frontrunners in the race, which will see just over 500,000 registered voters on the islands cast their ballots. In recent years, Zanzibar has experienced political and sectarian tensions, including grenade explosions. Furthermore, there have been wider tensions around Zanzibar’s union with the mainland, with some opposition political parties calling for a break in ties and a return to the independence that it briefly enjoyed in early 1964.

Uganda

28 October On Wednesday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) dropped plans to hold a hearing in Uganda to confirm charges against a Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander, citing concerns pertaining to politician tensions ahead of the upcoming elections. Dominic Ongwen is the first commander

of the LRA rebel group, which is led by fugitive Joseph Kony, to appear before the ICC, where he faces charges for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Prosecutors have accused Ongwen and his troops of at least 67 crimes against civilians fleeing the LRA’s decades-long reign of terror. While the ICC had initially declared it “desirable” that the hearing should take place in Uganda, near where the alleged crimes occurred, after holding talks with Ugandan authorities, the court decided that political tensions surrounding February’s presidential elections “may have an adverse impact on the court.” The ICC disclosed in a statement “today the presidency of the ICC decided that the confirmation of charges hearing in the case against Dominic Ongwen, scheduled for January 21, will take place in The Hague.” The ICC’s presidency further noted that while there were advantages in having the hearing in Uganda, including improving the ICC’s image and bringing proceedings closer to affected communities, the “potential benefits…are outweighed by the significant risks,” adding that it “noted particularly the possibility, expressed by Uganda itself that political tensions may increase during an upcoming electoral period, especially during January 2016.” The court also added that it was hamstrung by its planned move to a new building in The Hague in December.

16 October On Friday, the Ugandan government denied the existence of a secret programme to use computer spyware on its opponents, stating that a report compiled by a London-based advocacy group is based on a fake document. Speaking to reporters, government spokesman Col. Shaban Bantariza disclosed that the purportedly classified document citied by Privacy International is not an authentic government document, adding, “it is an assumed government report,” referring to the document which details the alleged secret espionage programme to hack and blackmail perceived opponents. The government spokesman noted that “we do not surveille political activists,” and warned that “the government and the state certainly have the means, which include equipment, to monitor those who would like to endanger Ugandan security.” Francis Mwijukye, an aide to opposition leader Kizza Besigye, however has disclosed that the report proves it is “time for Ugandans to say enough is enough” with the government of long-time President Yoweri Museveni.” According to Privacy International, FinFisher spyware was deployed against Museveni’s opponents during street protests that followed elections in 2011. The group has stated that the Ugandan government “used surveillance tools explicitly to be one step ahead of their opponents,” adding, “it is seeking out more capabilities to hack computers and devices, and aims to build a national monitoring centre capable of sweeping up large amounts of Ugandans’ communications data.” The group published what it said was a leaked Ugandan presidential briefing which said “hordes of data” had been gathered by the spyware.

15 October Ugandan police arrested Opposition presidential aspirant Kizza Besigye on Wednesday as he prepared to travel to the country’s eastern region to attend a rally. According to a police spokeswoman, Besigye is under house arrest to prevent him from holding rallies that have been called illegal by the government adding that he is being detained in his own home near the capital, Kampala, as a preventative measure “to ensure that there is no breach of peace.” The spokeswoman further disclosed that Besigye, of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, was arrested because he planned public rallies, and not the indoor meetings for which he got approval, in eastern Uganda.

On Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned that police brutality against opposition supporters in Uganda is on the rise ahead of elections, which are due to take place next year. According to Maria Burnett of the New York-based advocacy group, as momentum rises in the run-up to the election next February, opposition supporters and activists “risk beatings, arrest or worse,” adding that “Uganda’s police brutality consistently favors the incumbent.” HRW has reported that the police in Uganda is notorious for its use of tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray and batons when confronting opponents of President Yoweri Museveni, who next year will mark three decades in power. His main opponent, Kizza Besigye of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party has himself been arrested, beaten and teargased on numerous occasions in the past. In a recent example that was cited by HRW, a female FDC supporter at a political protest in Rukungiri in western Uganda was snatched from the crowd by police, manhandled, partially stripped and flung into a truck. While the incident, which occurred on Saturday and sparked outrage on social media, it has had little impact on police actions. In another incident that occurred Wednesday, women protesting her rough treatment in the capital Kampala were themselves pepper-sprayed and kettled by officers.

12 October A government spokesman has disclosed that Uganda will announce plans to begin withdrawing its troops from South Sudan on Monday, in a move that is likely to be welcomed by Western and other states who have long voiced concerns about the presence of Ugandan forces. Uganda deployed an undisclosed number of soldiers in December after the conflict erupted in South Sudan, with most being posted to the area around the capital, Juba. Update (13 October) - The country’s armed forces announced Monday that the Uganda army will be leaving neighboring South Sudan by next month. Speaking to reporters in the capital Kampala, General Katumba Wamala stated, “…we will be out by the first week of November.”

Zimbabwe

No significant incidents to report.

South Africa

Botswana

29 October Botswana has granted asylum to a group of ten Eritrean football players who sought refuge after playing in a World Cup qualifying match earlier this month. The group had refused to board their plane home on 13 October after playing the match against Botswana. They then claimed asylum, becoming the latest in a series of defections by athletes from Eritrea, which is currently under investigation by the United Nations for human rights violations. The players had been kept at a detention centre for illegal immigrants in the city of Francistown, where the match was played. Similar defections by Eritrean football players occurred in Kenya in 2009, in Tanzania in 2011 and Uganda in 2012. After a year-long investigation, the United Nations reported that slavery-like practices are routine and that torture is widespread in Eritrea. The UN investigation also found that Eritrea subjected its citizens to indefinite national service and killed people who tried to flee the country. The Eritrean Foreign Ministry has dismissed the report without addressing specific allegations.

Lesotho

No significant incidents to report.

Namibia

No significant incidents to report.

South Africa

28 October South African police fired stun grenades and arrested one student in clashes at Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand on Wednesday as country-wide protests for free tertiary education entered a third week. According to Wits University spokeswoman Shirona Patel, “most of the students have returned to the academic programme. We have about 30 students or so who have been marching around campus since this morning.” Patel further indicated that police had been allowed onto the campus in order to restrain the protesters. Local media have reported that some of the students are suspected of having torched a bookshop overnight. Some students at Wits are demanding free higher education as well as improved conditions for contracted university workers.

27 October One of South Africa’s top universities will re-open Wednesday after reaching agreements with students whose protests against tuition hikes spread to other campuses last week and forced the closure of a number of universities across the country. In a statement, the university disclosed that the academic programme and other activities will resume at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, adding that students will be informed of a new schedule for exams that were postponed because of the disruption. Despite President Jacob Zuma on Friday making a concession to the protesters, stating that there would be no fee increase for university students in 2016, there have been reports of continuing protests, however major demonstrations of the kind that led to violent confrontations with police outside parliament in Cape Town and the main government complex in Pretoria have ceased. Meanwhile on Tuesday, the University of

Johannesburg warned of a US $14.5 million shortfall because of the freeze on fee increases in 2016, stating that it will implement austerity measures and expects that the state will cover the rest of the shortfall. The university further indicated that discussion about free university education would continue into next year, in line with government pledges to consider the issue.

26 October Despite the president agreeing to freeze tuition increases, some South African students continued university fee protests on Monday. Wits University in Johannesburg, where the protests began, along with the University of Cape and the University of Western Cape remained closed on Monday, with students demanding free quality education for all. The protests began last week when university management announced a 10 – 12 % increase in fees. Sources have disclosed that students say that a number of their other demands have been overlooked, including racism at the country’s previously white institutions and free education for the poor. The students are also demanding that exams, which are due to take place this week, be postponed indefinitely.

24 October On Saturday, South Africa’s police minister defended officers who fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades at a large student protest that was held outside the government’s headquarters in Pretoria. In a statement released after Friday’s protest, Police Minister Nathi Nhleko disclosed that “our policemen and women…showed remarkable professionalism even under extreme provocation from a section of students,” adding that “the police showed the necessary control but in the end had to assert and maintain law and order to protect those who came to protest in peace.” Over the past week, thousands of students have been demonstrating against proposed rises in university fees, with some tearing down fences, setting fore to portable toilets, and throwing bricks at police.

23 October On Friday, thousands of angry university students capped a week of protests with a march on the buildings in Pretoria where President Jacob Zuma has his offices. On the ground sources have reported that police had set up guard around the building before a scheduled address by the president. Student leaders are due to meet with President Zuma and university professors at the Union Buildings in order to press their cases, arguing that the costs of tuition are too high for many. In a statement, the presidency disclosed that “the President will use the meeting to gain a first-hand account from students about issues that are of concern to them which affect their capacity to learn and do well at the institutions,” adding that “President Zuma also welcomes the gathering of students at the seat of government, the Union Buildings, today.” Update (24 October) – President Jacob Zuma has ruled out fee increases for universities next year following a week of nationwide protests by students, which culminated in a mass gathering outside the main government offices on Friday.

22 October On Thursday, President Jacob Zuma announced that he will meet with student leaders and university authorities on Friday in order to discuss planned hikes in tuition fees that have sparked a week of nationwide protests, some of which have turned violence. The president has not spoken publicly about the protests. While on Wednesday, students stormed the parliament precinct in Cape Town, in an attempt to disrupt the reading of Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene’s interim budget, President Zuma remained stony-faced throughout Nene’s speech as chaos erupted outside. On Thursday however, the president released a statement. Referring to plans for fees to rise as much as 11.5 percent, President Zuma disclosed that “nobody disagrees with the message that students from poor households are facing financial difficulties and possible exclusion.” On Wednesday, Finance Minister Nene disclosed that a process to take money from other skills development funds and move them to university education was already under way, however he did not elaborate.

Twenty-nine South Africans have been charged with public violence amidst ongoing student protests. The 29 people, who appeared in court in Cape Town, were not asked to plead. The accused have been released from police custody and the case has been postponed until February 2016. Amongst those charged is the 63-year-old parent of a student at the University of Cape Town. The News24 site reports that “high treason” was amongst the alleged offences for which he had been detained, however, the charge was not mentioned in court.

21 October On Wednesday, South African police used stun guns outside the parliament building in Cape Town in a bid to disperse students demonstrating against planned tuition fee hikes. On the ground sources have reported that the violence unfolded after students pushed their way through a parliament gate and scuffled with riot police. Earlier in the day, security guards forcibly removed a group of opposition lawmakers from the parliament floor after lawmakers, who are sympathetic

to the students, disrupted the debate by chanting: “Fees must fall!” The protests are part of a wave of nationwide protests that have resulted in the closing down of many South African universities, which say they are struggling with higher operational costs as well as inadequate state subsidies. Earlier this week, Blade Nzimande, who is the higher education minister, proposed a 6 percent limit on tuition fee increases for next year. However student leaders have rejected this proposal, stating that they will continue with their protests. The University of Witwatersrand (WITS) in Johannesburg, has suspended lectures and other operations for the rest of the week. It had dropped a proposed hike of 10.5 percent in tuition fees after several days of protests. Other universities had also planned increases of at least 10 percent.

South African prosecutors have charged seventeen miners with murder over the killing of ten people during a violent wildcat strike at platinum producer Lonmin’s Marikana mine in August 2012. While charges against the miners were initially withdrawn, pending the findings of an independent probe called the Marikana Commission, on Wednesday, lawyer Andries Nkome disclosed that the charges have now been reinstated, adding that he will seek to have them withdrawn as the action was premature because the Marikana Commission had recommended and inquiry be made into who must be charged. The Marikana Commission blamed Lonmin, police and labour unions for the violence and deaths.

20 October On Tuesday, South African students burned tires and erected barricades at their Cape Town campus, which led to the arrests of 23 people. On the ground sources have reported that students barricaded the entrances at University of Capet Town (UCT) and refused to leave while their peers at Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) overturned vehicles driving into the campus. Officials have indicated that 23 UCT students were arrested and they would face charges of disrupting peace. Several other UCT students gathered at the police station where the 23 were being held and demanded that they also be detained in solidarity. At least five campuses across the country have been affected by the demonstrations after universities proposed hiking fees by up to 11.5 percent next ear. At Rhodes University, which is located in Grahamstown in the southeastern region of the country, police fired stun grenades in order to disperse protesters. UCT and Rhodes remain closed while students at Fort Hare University in Eastern Cap also joined the protests. Stellenbosch University authorities obtained a court interdict to bar protests as students gathered in groups on its campus east of Cape Town. While a meeting between university dons and the higher education minister Blade Nzimande resolved to cap fee increases at 6 percent for 2016, in line with inflation at 4.6 percent, some student leaders rejected the offer and the rallies continued.

19 October On Monday, student protests halted teaching at three top universities as demonstrations spread against fee increases, which many say will force poor students further out of the education system. Thousands of students have attended rallies against the fee hikes during months of growing campus activism. On Monday, officials at Rhodes University, the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) announced that classes were suspended due to the wave of protests. In recent days, protesting students at the university of Wits in Johannesburg have blocked entrances, demanding that the proposed 10.5 percent fee increase for 2016 be scrapped. The university has announced that it will remain closed on Tuesday “due to the ongoing protests.” Currently, Tuition fees at Wits range from 29,620 rand (US $2,233) per year for a Bachelor of Arts degree and 58,140 rand per year for a medicine degree, excluding accommodation and supplies, such as textbooks. A late-night meeting on Saturday between students and university officials led to a suspension of any decision on the fees while negotiations are held.

Members of the African Union’s (AU) new 25,000-strong multinational standby force have gathered in order to begin field training for the first time. The exercises, which are taking place in South Africa, aim to make sure that the force is ready by January 2016 to respond to crises across the continent, with sources disclosing that the force will be made up of five brigades from Africa’s economic blocs. It is set up in order to avoid reliance on the outside work in peacekeeping across the continent. The logistical base for the African Standby Force (ASF) will be in Douala in Cameroon following a deal that was signed last week. On Monday, training began at the South African Army Combat Training Centre in Lohatla, while on Tuesday, 5,000 officers from the military and police will be in the field where the ASF will have to intervene in a fictitious country. The operation, which continues until 5 November, is intended to help evaluate how ready the force is to respond to crises and monitor peacekeeping missions.

15 October On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) disclosed that it will give South Africa more time in order to explain why it defied an order to arrest Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir. The court has extended the deadline until a Pretoria court finalizes the case. The court’s decision comes after it initially gave Pretoria until 5 October to defend its failure to detain President Bashir when he landed in the country in June to attend an African Union (AU) summit. A statement released Thursday by the ICC disclosed that “the Chamber grants South Africa’s request for an extension of the time-limit to submit its views on the events surrounding Omar al-Bashir’s visit…until such time as the currently ongoing relevant judicial proceedings before the courts of South Africa are finalized.” The ICC also ordered South Africa to “promptly report…any developments in the relevant judicial proceedings as they occur,” adding, “should no such developments prior to 15 December 2015,” South Africa must submit a report on the “status of judicial proceedings no later than 31 December 2015.”

14 October On Wednesday, several thousand demonstrators marched through Johannesburg to protest against government corruption as public anger grows over the country’s weakening economy. Wednesday’s rally was led by the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA), which has become a powerful voice of opposition to President Jacob Zuma and the ruling Africa National Congress (APC) party. According to the latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts, economic growth in South Africa will fall to just 1.4 percent this year and will decline again next year. Furthermore, a falling rand and unreliable electricity supplies have added to the country’s problems. The president’s private residence has also become a symbol of alleged government misspending after US $24 million was used on “security” improvements to his private home. While President Zuma led the ANC to an easy victory in last year’s general election, analysts believe that he could face defeats in several cities at municipal elections due to take place in 2016. Last week, the president admitted that the party was seen as having a corruption problem and was loosing support after being in power since 1994. The ANC is due to select a new leader in 2017, with analysts indicating that it will likely be a battle between deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and the president’s ex-wife and current African Union Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

The office of President Jacob Zuma has disclosed that the president has suspended police chief Riah Phiyega while allegations of misconduct are examined. Last month, the president’s office launched an investigation into her role in the 2012 killing of thirty-four miners by officers during a strike at the Marikana mine. The move followed an inquiry’s finding that police followed a “defective” plan to break up the strike. Gen Phiyega has disputed the findings and defends police handling of the strike. A three-member board will now examine Gen Phiyega’s leadership decisions and actions, which led to the death of the 34 mineworkers. It will assess whether she or other police officers concealed information on decisions that they took in handling the unrest. Currently no one has been charged or held responsible for the killings.

11 October On Sunday, the country’s ruling party disclosed that it wants South Africa to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), stating that the court has lost direction and no longer fulfilled its mandate. According to Obed Bapela, who heads the ANC party’s international relations commission, “the National General Council has just resolved that South Africa should withdraw from the international court. However, only after we have followed certain processes.” While the ANC disclosed that it still believed in the founding principles of the ICC, such as prevention of genocide and stopping the violations of human rights, and that such principles led the country to become a signatory to the Rome Statute that oversees the court, Bapela noted that the ICC “has lost its direction.” The ANC also raised concerns that there were powerful nations, which were refusing to be members of the court, yet have “unfettered powers to refer matters to the ICC.” The resolution came out of an ANC policy meeting, during which leaders reviewed the party’s politics ahead of the country’s municipal elections in 2016. The decision comes in the wake of a spat with the court over South Africa’s failure to arrest Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir when he arrived in the country in June in order to attend an African Union summit.

5 October The South African government reported on Monday that it had requested additional time from the International Criminal Court (ICC) to explain why it defied an order to arrest Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir. The court had given South Africa until 5 October to defend its failure to arrest Bashir when he arrived in the country to attend an African Union summit in June. Bashir is currently wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes relating to the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. The South African government has argued that Bashir had immunity from arrest

because he was visiting the country at the head of a member state of the African Union. On Monday, Pretoria indicated that the decision to ask for additional time was taken in light of “complex and conflicting legal principles involved both in international and in South African domestic law.” The Department of International Relations and Cooperation disclosed in a statement that the government acknowledged that the ICC had warned in advance of Bashir’s visit that it was under an obligation to arrest him however when South Africa “approached the court with a view to consult” it was “not afforded the opportunity to present legal arguments,” adding “South Africa is of the view that a serious infringement of South Africa’s rights as a State Party has taken place and that the court has acted against the letter and spirit of the Rome Statute.” South Africa is planning to press for the issue of immunity for serving heads of states of countries such as Sudan, which are not party to the Rome Statute, to be discussed at a meeting of the ICC’s political body, which is due to be held at The Hague next month. While the decision to not arrest Bashir sparked international condemnation, which was met with a threat from Pretoria to withdraw its membership with the ICC, Monday’s statement indicated that the government remained committed to international criminal justice and cooperation with the court.

1 October A South African king has been jailed for twelve years for a series of charges that include kidnapping, arson and assault. Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, from Nelson Mandela’s Tehmbu ethnic group, was jailed by the Supreme Court of Appeals (SCA). He had approached the SCA in a bid to overturn a 2009 court ruling on the mater, which had sentenced him to fifteen years. The charges relate to a dispute he had with some of his subjects more than two decades ago. He was accused of kidnapping a woman and her six children, setting their home on fie and beating up four youths, one of who died, because one of their relatives had failed to present himself before the king’s traditional court. Reports have indicated that the king has never denied the charges but believed his actions were in line with disciplining his subjects.

Swaziland

No significant incidents to report.

Asia Pacific Eastern Asia

China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

30 October A Hong Kong billionaire has been rescued after allegedly being held hostage for more than a month over a 70 million HKD ransom. Wong Yuk-kwan, chairman of Pearl Oriental Oil Limited, was found tied up and covered in bruises inside an abandoned cottage in rural western Taiwan. The businessman was reportedly abducted on September 20. A total of 15 suspects have been arrested by Taiwan police.

27 October Beijing has accused the US of threatening China's "sovereignty and security interests" after a US Naval destroyer sailed through the disputed waters of the South China Sea, directly challenging its territorial claims. The USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago, where the Chinese government has been engaged in extensive and highly contentious land reclamation activities. A spokesperson for the US navy reaffirmed Washington's position that US freedom of navigation operations were meant to "protect the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law".

19 October A prominent US security firm has claimed that in the three weeks since Washington and Beijing agreed not to spy on each other for commercial reasons, hackers associated with the Chinese government have tried to penetrate at least seven US companies. CrowdStrike Inc said software it had installed in five US technology and two pharmaceutical companies had succeeded in detecting and rebuffing the attacks, which began on September 26. A day earlier, on September 25, US president Barack Obama said he and Chinese president Xi Jinping had reached an agreement that neither government would tacitly support or actively engage in cyber theft of corporate secrets. The agreement did not preclude attempts by security and intelligence organisations from attempting to obtain government secrets, including those held by private contractors.

6 October In Hong Kong, construction workers at the Queen Mary Hospital site found a metal-shelled object believed to be an explosive device. Firefighters and police officers arrived at the scene and over 500 people were evacuated. Hong Kong Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel arrived at the scene and detonated the bomb.

5 October According to Hong Kong’s anti-graft body, former leader Donald Tsang has been formally charged with misconduct during his time in office. From 2005 to 2012, the 70-year-old held the post of chief executive, ending his term in disgrace after admitting that he had accepted gifts from wealthy individuals in the form of trips on luxury yachts and private jets. Ever since, he has since been under investigation by the city's Independent Commission Against Corruption.

1 October Chinese authorities are investigating an explosion in Guangxi province, following a series of parcel bombs that have left 10 people dead in October. The most recent incident took place at an apartment block at in Liucheng county. So far, police have been unable to determine the cause of the blast. Local police issued a statement calling on the public to be wary of accepting parcels sent by strangers. The parcel bombs which took place on September 30 targeted a prison, a railway station, a hospital and a shopping centre among other locations. It is not known whether yesterday’s explosions are at all related to the incident which took place today. No one was injured in today’s explosion

In Hong Kong, a small number of protesters gathered in Wan Chai to rally against the annual flag raising ceremony in Golden Bauhinia Square. Civic Passion and Hong Kong Localism Power were among the groups that showed up ahead of the 8:00am ceremony. However, the groups were not allowed near the square as police blockades kept them a block away.

North Korea

25 October South Korea's navy has fired warning shots at a North Korean patrol boat near the rivals' disputed

maritime border. The North did not return fire or take other action, the spokesperson said. North Korea has always rejected the so-called Northern Limit Line (NLL), which was drawn up at the end of the Korean War, as the maritime border, insisting on a line further south.

16 October Analysis of satellite images suggests that North Korea is getting ready to carry out tests of its new submarine-launched ballistic missile, a weapon that could theoretically increase the security threat to both South Korea and the United States. Examination of the images suggests that work on the payload delivery system is making progress. The images, taken from a commercial satellite, show that a launch superstructure has been built at North Korea's Sinpo South Shipyard, identical to the equipment that would be needed to test functions like the stabilization and fire-control systems of a missile.

10 October At a parade to mark the 70th anniversary of North Korea’s ruling Worker’s Party, Kim Kong-Un said that the North was ready to deal with any threat from the US. ”Our party dauntlessly declares that our revolutionary armed forces are capable of fighting any kind of war provoked by the US and we are ready to protect our people and the blue sky of our motherland," he sai

Japan

29 October In spite of vocal protests from local residents, Japan has resumed construction work needed to relocate a U.S. air base from one area of Okinawa's main island to another. The land reclamation work on Henoko Bay got underway as police dragged away opponents of the plan attempting to block access to the area. Local residents opposed to the construction work are also opposed to living nearby U.S. Marine Air Station Futenma and want the base moved out of Okinawa. Current plans call for moving it to a less developed area on the island called Henoko. The central government had suspended the work in August to allow time for talks on a compromise. Okinawa's governor revoked his predecessor's approval for the plan, but that decision was overridden by the Transport Ministry.

25 October Clashes have occurred outside the Turkish embassy in Japan. Security was stepped up after a few injured Kurds were taken to hospital. The brawls began as the Turkish citizens were waiting at their country’s embassy in Tokyo to cast advance votes for Turkish elections which are to be held on November 1. It is not immediately clear why the groups of Turkish and Kurdish voters clashed. Some witnesses suggested that a flag being flown near the embassy was the cause of the unrest. Sporadic clashes continued for several hours. At least two police officers and seven civilians were taken to hospital in the aftermath.

16 October Four and a half years after the Fukushima disaster closed all of that country’s nuclear plants, and two months after the first reactor restart on the same site at Sendai, Japan has restarted the second of its shuttered nuclear reactors. Following the 2011 accident, all of Japan’s 48 commercial reactor units were shut down for safety checks and upgrades and 25 plants have applied to be restarted under the new safety standards.

12 October India, Japan and the United States have announced their intention of holding joint naval exercises each year, as the three countries begin the first round of drills in the Bay of Bengal. The United States has deployed the aircraft carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt, and a nuclear-powered submarine to take part in the week-long exercises. ”These exercises are all-encompassing, starting from one spectrum to the other including anti-piracy operations, board, search and seize and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief," said Indian navy spokesman Captain D.K. Sharma.

South Korea

27 October South Korea has revealed its intention to raise defence spending by 4 percent next year, more than the average for the entire budget. The increase comes after indications that North Korea has been expanding its nuclear arsenal and improving the range and capability of its missiles. “We were able to confirm this past summer that the door to normal dialogue and cooperation can be opened when we maintain our national defence without a gap based on firm principles,” Park said in a speech at the National Assembly in Seoul. In recent years, South Korea has been investing heavily in high-tech weapons to be able to conduct preemptive strikes should North Korea show signs of launching a nuclear attack.

South Korean authorities have intercepted five members of the Islamic State (IS) terror group

trying to smuggle a key bomb-making ingredient out of the country. Rep. Lee Cheol-woo of the Saenuri Party said that they were captured while trying to smuggle ammonium nitrate out to Lebanon. “Our authorities blocked them from taking ammonium nitrate to their country,” Lee said in the interview. “They are still in Korea, and our authorities are taking care of them before deporting them soon.”

Southern Asia

Afghanistan

31 October A rocket which security officials believe was fired by members of the Islamic State (IS) terror group has hit a mosque in eastern Afghanistan, killing six worshippers and wounding at least four others. The attack in Achin, southeast of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, occurred during evening prayers, district governor Haji Ghalibhe said. It has so far not been made clear whether the rocket was aimed at the mosque or went astray after being fired at a nearby military base. Hazrat Hussain Mashriqiwal, a spokesman for the Nangarhar police chief, said security forces had detained two suspects, one of whom was a foreigner.

30 October In Kandahar province’s Shorabak district, a multi-day operation has targeted what could be the largest al-Qaeda training camp to have been discovered by NATO forces during the 14 year Afghan war. The training area, which is believed to have been used by al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, sprawled over 30 square miles along Afghanistan’s southern border with Pakistan. U.S. and Afghan troops were involved in the ground assault, with 63 airstrikes launched to cover them. Some 160 al-Qaeda fighters were reported killed. The facilities are believed to have been in existence for up to a year.

29 October In Paktia province, at least four police officers have been killed in a bomb explosion. The incident took place in the Sayid Karam district when the policemen’s patrol car hit a buried explosive device, provincial police chief General Zalmai Oryakhail said. No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the incident. Meanwhile, the Afghan Interior Ministry said army troops had killed 59 Taliban militants and wounded about three dozen others in a series of clean-up operations across the country over the past 24 hours. The operations were carried out in the provinces of Badakhshan, Faryab, Helmand, Kabul, Kunduz, Logar, Nangarhar, Paktia and Takhar, it said in a statement.

At least four suspected militants belonging to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed in the Lal Pora area of Nangarhar province. An unmanned drone targeted a militant hideout, killing four while injuring two, security officials have confirmed. Earlier in the day, US drone strikes in Nazyan district of Nangarhar province killed at least three suspected militants, belonging to the Islamic State terror group.

28 October In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Taliban insurgents overran the city of Darqand in Takhar province. According to Abdul Khalil Asir, a spokesman for the Takhar police chief, said security forces had withdrawn from the district after six hours of fighting overnight. He was unable to provide any information regarding casualties but Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that 12 police were killed and several wounded.

UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has confirmed in a statement to parliament that the 450 troops Britain has stationed in Afghanistan are to remain there for another year. While PM David Cameron withdrew all combat troops in 2014, the support mission stayed on to train domestic forces. The statement comes after President Barack Obama announced that a force of 5,500 would stay beyond the end of his term of office in 2017. The UK and US appear to be extending their presence amid an escalation in Taliban attacks amid fears that Afghan forces are currently not as capable of maintaining security as they had hoped.

27 October Islamist militants firing from Afghanistan into Pakistan have killed seven members of the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary (FC) in South Waziristan region. "Heavy fire from across Pak Afghan border early morning today on a FC check post northeast of Angoor Adda in South Waziristan," the military said in a statement. "Resultantly seven FC soldiers embraced shahadat (martyrdom).” An anonymous military official said Afghan-based militants were responsible.

26 October A statement issued by the Afghan Defence Ministry has confirmed that at least 97 militants have

been killed in cleanup operations by Afghanistan security forces. ”A total of 97 militants, including four local commanders, were killed, 65 were injured and four others were detained after security forces conducted cleanup operations over the past 24 hours.” The raids were lunched in Kunar, Laghman, Parwan, Kabul, Ghazni, Herat, Badghis and Helmand provinces, out of the country's 34 provinces, the statement added. "A total of six army personnel were also killed during Sunday's attacks across the country," the statement said.

25 October In the Khamab district, at least 20 militants were killed in clashes with security forces struggling to recapture lost territory from the Taliban along the border with Turkmenistan. ”The security forces after killing 20 Taliban rebels and arresting 10 others over the past four days recaptured Khamab district as Taliban fighters fled to jungles around the area," provincial Governor Lutfullah Azizi said. A total of 10 security personnel were killed and four others were injured during the clashes, the governor said.

At least 15 Taliban terrorists were killed in security operations in Helmand province over the past four days, security officials have confirmed. It is believed that the operations will continue in the Baba Ji, Malgir, Loimanda, Shawal, Sistani and Nahr-e-Saraj areas until peace is returned to the region.

24 October Afghan airstrikes in Helmand province’s Lashkar Gah have killed at least 47 Taliban militants, an army spokesman has confirmed. "The army attacked Taliban hideouts in Baba Jee area outside Lashkar Gah on Friday, killing 47 insurgents," Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Rassoul Zazai, said. Five local Taliban commanders were among the killed, Zazai said, adding "the air attacks were part of an ongoing raid in the area and the operation will continue till the area is cleared of enemies."

23 October Two US drone strikes in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province have killed at least 16 suspected militants. The first drone is thought to have targeted a militant compound in the Nazyan district of Nangarhar. Six suspected militants were killed while three others were injured in the strike. The second drone fired two missiles targeting a hideout in Bandar area of Nangarhar killing 10 suspected militants. The dead as well as the injured are believed to have belonged to the Islamic State terror group (IS).

20 October In Afghanistan’s northern province of Faryab, at least five people were killed and more than two dozen others wounded when their vehicle touched of an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Andkhoy district of the province. Officials have confirmed that three of the deceased were = civilians and two were soldiers. No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, Afghan forces have killed more than 50 Taliban militants and arrested nearly two dozen others during various clean-up operations across the country over the past 24 hours.

The Afghan Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday that 90 militants were killed and 106 others wounded in a series of operations carried out in the provinces of Daykundi, Ghazni, Kandahar, Kapisa, Logar, Maidan Wardak, Nangarhar, Uruzgan and Zabul.

In the Sayid Karam district of eastern Paktia province, Taliban militants fired upon and hit a US F-16, an unusual occurrence given the advanced fighter jet fighter’s defensive capabilities. While the aircraft sustained significant damage, forcing the pilot to jettison his fuel tanks and munitions, it was nevertheless able to return to base.

Turkey, Germany and Italy are likely to maintain their current deployment levels in Afghanistan, senior NATO officials said after the US government’s announcement that it would prolong its 14-year-old military presence there.

18 October As many as 18 Taliban militants have been killed in airstrikes, which targeted Taliban hideouts in Nad Ali district of the southern Helmand province with Lashkar Gah. ”Acting on tip-off, the warplanes carried out air raids and struck Taliban hideouts in Loimanda area of Nad Ali district Sunday morning, killing 18 rebels on the spot," Brigadier Mohammad Rasoul Zazai, army spokesman of the province said.

Over the last 24 hours, at least 42 Taliban militants were killed in military operations across Afghanistan the country's defence ministry has announced. "A total of 42 terrorists were killed, 31 were injured and two others were detained as the army, police and intelligence agency personnel launched several joint military operations in different provinces over the past 24 hours," the defence ministry announced. Security forces also seized weapons and defused

roadside bombs and landmines, the statement added. A total of five army personnel were killed during the 24-hour period, the statement said.

17 October A female German aid worker who was kidnapped in Afghanistan in August has been released and is in good health. ”The German GIZ employee, kidnapped some nine weeks ago in Afghanistan, is free again," the German international development organization said in a statement. The aid worker, whose identity has not been made public, was taken on August 17 from a central Kabul neighbourhood where a number of foreign aid agencies are based.

16 October President Barack Obama has announced that the United States will maintain a force of 9,800 through most of 2016. While he had previously intended to withdraw all but a small US-embassy based force in the capital before he leaves office in January 2017, around 5,500 troops will now be based at four locations - Kabul, Bagram, Jalalabad and Kandahar. Afghan forces have struggled in assaults from Taliban militants, who briefly took over the northern city of Kunduz. In his address Obama acknowledged militants are still capable of launching deadly attacks on cities, saying that if Afghanistan were to fail “it would endanger the security of us all.”

15 October The United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) estimated around 13,000 families escaped Afghanistan's fifth-largest city in the past two weeks. These families join the one million Afghans who are already considered internally-displaced persons (IDPs) — effectively refugees in their own country.

14 October In the Nawzad district of southern province of Helmand, at least 19 Afghan border police officers were killed when Taliban fighters overran their posts. Officers said the insurgents overran three police checkpoints and that five policemen were missing in addition to those killed. At least four were injured in firefights over the last three days.

13 October Two weeks after successfully capturing the northern city of Kunduz, Taliban militants stormed another provincial capital. ”This morning some 2,000 Taliban fighters launched attacks on Ghazni from several directions," deputy provincial governor Mohammad Ali Ahmadi said. "They managed to come as close as five kilometres to Ghazni city as fierce fighting flared but were quickly pushed back by Afghan forces.” This development comes after days of sporadic clashes. Security officials have confirmed that Afghan military reinforcements had arrived from neighbouring provinces to help secure the city against the onslaught.

12 October A Taliban suicide bomber targeted a British forces convoy in downtown Kabul, triggering a powerful explosion in a rush-hour attack that injured at least three civilians. The British defence ministry confirmed that the military convoy came under attack in Kabul but said the explosion was caused by an IED. "There were no [British] casualties," it said in a statement.

10 October At least 100 Taliban militants have been killed in airstrikes in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, local officials have confirmed. ”The militants were gathered in Shurabak and had planned to capture the district but the airstrikes carried out by Afghan army killed 100 insurgents and injured 50 others," Kandahar police office are reported to have said.

9 October Two would-be suicide bombers were stopped from launching a major terror attack at a Kabul restaurant after being shot and killed by security forces. The militants - armed with guns and explosive devices - targeted the Kolbah Solh Restaurant in western Kabul, where they opened fire on diners. As soon as they did so, they were reportedly shot dead by Afghan security officials, but not before killing two people. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

5 October A new video purportedly released by the Islamic State and filmed in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, shows a man accused of spying being beheaded. In the video, the man is interviewed by an IS jihadist. He is then dressed in an orange jumpsuit and led into the streets of Nangarhar by militants dressed in black. After a brief recitation of the “crimes” the man committed, a blade-wielding militant beheads the man as a crowd looks on.

4 October Medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has demanded that an independent international inquiry be conducted into a suspected US air strike that killed 22 people in one of its Afghan hospitals. The group claim that patients burned to death in their beds during a bombing raid that went on for half an hour after US and Afghan authorities were informed the hospital had been had been targeted. "Relying only on an internal investigation by a party to the conflict would be wholly insufficient," MSF general director Christopher Stokes said in a statement.

Bangladesh

31 October In Dhaka, one man was killed and three others were injured in what appear to be acts of politically motivated violence. The body of Faisal Abedin Deepan, of the Jagriti Prokashoni publishing house, was found inside his office, said senior police officer Shibly Noman. The publisher had filed a complaint with police after receiving death threats on Facebook. Earlier in the day, publisher Ahmed Rahim Tutul was attacked in the office of the Shudhdhoswar publishing house and seriously wounded. Two writers were also wounded in that attack. All three of the victims were hospitalised, and Tutul was in critical condition, police said. A local Islamist group, Ansarullah Bangla Team, had claimed responsibility for the killings and recently threatened to kill more bloggers.

24 October The Islamic State (IS) terror group have claimed responsibility for the bombing of the main Shiite shrine in the Bangladeshi capital that killed one person and wounded nearly 80 during the annual Ashura procession. Police officers said a 14-year-old boy died at the scene after three small bombs were thrown at the Hossaini Dalan, the main Shiite site in Dhaka. ”There were some 20,000 people in and outside the building at that time. They were preparing to hold the annual Muharram mourning procession when the three (bombs) were exploded," deputy commissioner of Dhaka Police Mofiz Uddin Ahmed said. The IS group later claimed the killing on Twitter but police said they had found no evidence to show the jihadists were behind the blasts.

10 October Paramilitary soldiers have been deployed at various diplomatic zones in Dhaka in an attempt to thwart any further untoward incident after the murder of two foreign nationals. "Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel will be deployed for nighttime patrolling in Gulshan and Baridhara streets everyday from now on until further order in this connection," a Home Ministry official said.

Customs officials at Bangladesh's main airport in Dhaka seized 45 gold bars weighing 45 kg from three passengers from Malaysia, an official said. SM Sohel Rahman, assistant commissioner of the Customs Intelligence Department, said that "We've seized 45 gold bars weighing about 45 kilograms from three persons who landed here from Malaysia by a Malaysian Airlines.” Acting on a tip-off, Rahman said the customs officials conducted the raid and found the gold bars. He said the suspects who were identified as Malaysian nationals, Hi Wi Cong, Zohari Bin Harun and Mohd Azwan Bin Salihin, claimed that they were only the carriers.

9 October At least five Bangladeshis including a woman were injured when the members of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) opened fire on people of a bordering village in Lalmonirhat. The BSF members of Barther Bari camp entered Bangladesh territory and opened fire indiscriminately when some people of Chowratari village under Durgapur in Aditmari had gone near the border to bring their cattle.

6 October The 26-year-old chief of the military wing of Jamaat-ul Mujahidee was killed when a grenade exploded while he was in police custody, hours after being arrested in possession of weapons, police said. Mohammad Javed was arrested along with four other members of the group in the port city of Chittagong. Senior police official Babul Akter said Javed was killed while he was helping police recover more weapons in Chittagong. “The grenade exploded when the team was trying to recover it from a drain,” Akter said. Two policemen suffered minor wounds, he added.

5 October In northwestern Bangladesh, police have arrested five suspected members of Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh for alleged involvement in an attempt to kill a Christian pastor. Police chief Alamgir Kabir in Pabna district said that the individuals were arrested in raids in the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere over past few days. The Rev. Luke Sarker, 52, suffered minor injuries when three men attacked him with a knife at his home. The men had told Sarker that they wanted to learn about Christianity.

The Islamic State (IS) terror group has claimed responsibility for the killing of a Japanese man in Bangladesh, the second fatal attack on a foreign citizen in the South Asian nation in less than a week. Unidentified assailants shot and killed Hoshi Kunio, a 65-year-old Japanese man, in a village in the northern district of Rangpur. His assailants fled the scene on a motorbike. The Islamic State has also claimed responsibility for the killing of an Italian aid worker who was gunned down while jogging through the diplomatic zone of Dhaka last week. Authorities are still investigating both cases.

India

30 October 10 kilograms of cocaine has been seized at the border between Bangladesh and West Bengal, making it the biggest cocaine haul ever in eastern India. Acting on a tip-off, the Border Security Force (BSF) launched a special operation team at Petrapole and began searching all incoming vehicles. The BSF officers eventually stopped a truck with a West Bengal number plate that was coming from Bangladesh. The truck was searched and a sealed bag containing an unknown was discovered. Subsequent tests have proved the substance to be cocaine.

29 October Indian security forces in Kashmir killed a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander who allegedly was involved in several attacks in the disputed region in recent years. Abu Qasim was the most-wanted militant in Kashmir said Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani, the chief of police in Indian Kashmir. Gillani said the killing of Qasim would dent the operational capabilities of LeT and hurt coordination between various militant groups.

27 October Rajendra Nikalje, one of India's most wanted criminals, has been arrested on the Indonesian island of Bali. Widely known as Chhota Rajan or Little Rajan, he is wanted for over two dozen murders and has been on Interpol's wanted list since 1995 for running a crime syndicate that involved in extortion, arms smuggling and contract killing. "We tracked Chhota Rajan's movements closely and informed the police in Indonesia and Australia," said Anil Sinha, director of the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Indian capital. "Eventually the Indonesian police managed to arrest him.” Ibrahim allegedly masterminded India's deadliest bombings, which killed at least 250 people and wounded more than 700 in Mumbai in 1993.

13 October China and India’s armies have kicked off the fifth round of their annual anti-terror military drills in the Chinese city of Kunming. "The drills will play a significant role in safeguarding domestic security and strengthening mutual trust between militaries of both sides and contribute to the sound development of bilateral relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying said during a media briefing in Beijing. India fielded a contingent of 175 troops from 2nd Battalion of Naga Regiment from Eastern Command while China deployed troops from 14 Corps of China's Chengdu Military Region. The purpose of the exercise is to develop joint operating capability, share useful experience in counter-terrorism operations and to promote friendly exchanges between the armies of India and China.

7 October The Border Security Force (BSF) has seized 36 kg of marijuana from near the Bangladesh border in West Bengal’s Nadia district, a BSF officer said. “A BSF party intercepted some miscreants who were carrying some bags towards the Bangladesh border. While they managed to flee taking advantage of the darkness, we seized the bags from which 36 kg of ganja was recovered,” said a Border Security Force officer. The BSF has so far this year seized over 640 kg of marijuana and apprehended 13 smugglers from across the South Bengal frontier.

Pakistan

29 October A group of six armed terrorists tried to attack two schools in Shabqadar but were fought off by civilians with guns. “Some men were trying to climb the boundary wall of a private school and on seeing them, the school guard opened fire after which the men fled,” district police chief Shafiullah Khan said after the event. He said residents also took out their guns and fired into the air to scare the intruders away from screaming children. Announcements were believed to have been made in local mosques calling for help to defend the children and no deaths were reported.

29 October Alleged terrorist Usman Ghani was arrested in Italy with the help of Interpol and brought back to Pakistan early this morning. Ghani is wanted in Pakistan for multiple cases of terrorism including suspected links to the APS Peshawar attack.

On the outskirts of Quetta, seven people where killed when their convoy touched off a roadside bomb. One of the deceased, Mir Gul Khan, was a local tribal elder who police believe to have been the target of the attack.

24 October Pakistani soldiers targeted nine Indian military outposts and villages in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba, firing mortar shells and violating the ceasefire between the two countries. One civilian is reported to have been killed and four others injured in the attacks. The latest round of border firings was triggered after Pakistan fired at a Indian Border Security Force party and some labourers repairing the border fence on Friday evening. The Border Security Forces retaliated to

Pakistani firing.

22 October A suicide bombing at a Shi'ite Muslim mosque has killed at least 10 people in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan, officials claim. Six children were among the dead and more than 20 people were wounded in the attack in the town of Bhaag, provincial Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti said.

A suspected suicide blast in the southern Pakistani city of Jacobabad has killed at least 24 people, a provincial minister has confirmed. The attack, which took place outside the residence of a local Shiite leader, came as devotees were setting off towards a main procession in the city. Regional police chief Sain Rakhio Mirani said that at least six of the victims were children.

20 October At least 11 people were killed and many more wounded on Monday when a powerful bomb ripped through a passenger bus in southwest Baluchistan province, local officials said. A bomb disposal official said a large explosive device was planted at the rear of the bus, which was carrying labourers working in central Quetta to their homes on the outskirts of the city. "The death toll from the bus explosion is 11, while 22 people are injured," Akbar Hussain Durrani, home secretary of Baluchistan province said.

18 October Eight militants have been killed today by police during a fierce gun battle in Karachi, authorities said. The militants were killed when a special team of police commandoes raided their hideout near the Northern Bypass in the Manghopir area. "It appears these militants were planning some terrorist attacks on the occasion of Muharram," senior police official Rao Anwar said.

Pakistani authorities claim to have eliminated all members of the Uighur militant group the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) from its territory. China, Pakistan's only major ally in the region, has long urged Islamabad to target what it says are militants from Xinjiang. ”We believe they're all eliminated," Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told reporters at a security forum. "I think there (were) a small number in tribal areas, they're all gone or eliminated. There are no more there."

14 October Seven people have been killed and 10 others wounded in a suspected suicide bomb attack on the office of a Pakistani MP. The blast ripped through a building opposite the home of Sardar Amjad Farooq Khosa in Dera Ghazi Khan, where the MP said supporters and workers were waiting.

11 October The US has given Pakistan $265 million during the current fiscal year under Foreign Military Financing (FMF) to enhance their capacity to fight terrorism and counter-insurgency, a US state department report has revealed.

At least 22 terrorists were killed in military airstrikes carried out in Pakistan's North Waziristan region. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jets carried out aerial strikes close to the Afghan border. It added that six militant hideouts were also destroyed as a result of strikes.

5 October A pro-government tribal elder was killed when a roadside bomb hit his vehicle in the town of Bakakhel in Pakistan's restive northwest. Malik Sayed Ali Wazir, who headed an anti-Taliban militia in the town, died on the way to hospital. Wazir's son, who was in the vehicle was wounded and is fighting for his life in hospital. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

1 October Pakistani forces have killed 25 suspected militants in airstrikes near the border with Afghanistan, the Pakistani army said. “Twenty-five terrorists were killed today in precise aerial strikes close to Pakistan-Afghan border in North Waziristan,” a Pakistani military spokesman said in a press release.

Nepal

28 October Nepal's parliament has elected communist lawmaker Bidhya Bhandari as the country's first female president after the adoption of a landmark constitution last month. The former defence minister defeated her opponent Kul Bahadur Gurung to become the Himalayan nation's ceremonial head of state.

13 October Nepal's fuel crisis has eased slightly as the Himalayan nation began issuing petrol for private vehicles while also reopening a northern border crossing with China that had been damaged by April's earthquake. Nepal has been hobbled by the fuel crisis, which started when Indian trucks began halting at the border after Nepal adopted a new constitution. The constitution angered

ethnic Madhesi groups, who are now demanding it be amended. Nepal accused India of imposing a blockade to force the government to meet the demands of Madhesis, who have close ties in India. India denies there is any official blockade, saying truckers are simply afraid to cross into areas of protest.

5 October The main group protesting against a new constitution in Nepal has agreed to take part in talks with the government in the first step toward easing the crisis in the Himalayan nation. United Democratic Madhesi Front said in a statement that they had selected a four-member team to hold talks with the government. The front is the main group leading protests in southern Nepal that have left more than 45 people dead and have stopped the flow of fuel and supplies to the country's north, including the capital. They said they will continue their protests, including blocking highways and border points with India.

Sri Lanka

29 October Thirty nine university students were arrested in Sri Lanka for clashing with police while holding a protest in the capital, police officials said. Hundreds of students took part in the protest, which lasted for hours, urging the country's new unity government to address several issues within the university system. The anti riot squad fired water cannons and tear gas at the students as they attempted to forcibly enter the University grants commission. At least six students and one policeman were injured as riots broke out between the protestors and police.

16 October Officials from Sri Lanka’s Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) have arrested a Director, a Deputy Director and Assistant Director of Customs for soliciting a bribe of of Rs 125 million. Director General of the CIABOC Dilrukshi Wickramasinghe said that the arrests were made following a complaint to the Commission. The three Customs officers had solicited a bribe of Rs 500 million each from the complainant to let him off the hook for having to paying a fine. It is the largest bribery detection ever recorded in Sri Lankan history.

12 October The third India-Sri Lanka joint training exercise ended today. The 14-day joint training exercise included developing interoperability and enhancing the conduct of joint tactical operations.

South - Eastern Asia

Cambodia

30 October Three men and three women were arrested in Phnom Penh on suspicion of trafficking Cambodian women to China to be sold as brides, police said. Keo Thea, chief of the municipal police’s anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection bureau, said his officials first arrested a woman believed to be the ringleader while she was en route to Vietnam. “Three victims and the ringleader were found while they were traveling on a bus…to Vietnam and from there would be sent to China,” he said. Thea said police had been monitoring the woman who was arrested for a long time and had been waiting for an opportunity to put her activities to an end.

26 October Two members of Cambodia's opposition party were beaten up outside the National Assembly by protesters who were demanding that the deputy opposition leader step down as parliamentary vice president. More than 1,000 demonstrators had gathered to demand the resignation of Kem Sokha, deputy leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party. Opposition spokesman Yim Sovann said lawmakers Nhoy Chamreoun and Kong Sakphea were beaten after leaving the morning session of the assembly. One was knocked temporarily unconscious and the other was seen with a bloodied nose.

19 October Two Chinese nationals were arrested and 72 others were temporarily detained in a series of coordinated raids carried out by the Interior Ministry to dismantle a suspected cybercrime ring run by Chinese citizens extorting people in their home country, officials said.

8 October Military police in Battambang province have arrested a suspected drug dealer and confiscated about 2,000 methamphetamine pills from his home on a farm along the Thai border.

7 October A Vietnamese national has been charged with smuggling animal parts after he was caught with 43 kg of ivory at Siem Reap International Airport on Sunday nigh.

5 October Around 1,500 protesters marked World Habitat Day by marching through Cambodia’s capital

Phnom Penh and calling on the government to put a stop to forced evictions in the Southeast Asian nation. Evictees, monks, and activists joined the march to the National Assembly. Outside of the Assembly, protesters spoke about land tenure insecurity, inadequate housing, and the lack of infrastructure necessary to ensure good living conditions for people living in settlements for the rural and urban poor.

Indonesia

30 October Pirates have kidnapped two sailors from their yacht in the Strait of Lombok off the coast of Bali in Indonesia. The location of their 20-metre vessel is still unknown, and no ransom request has been received. A spokesperson from the Indonesia Police Department said: “We have [been] ordered to carry out search tasks to the maximum and to investigate the accident. We understood about the accident from a text message from a passenger on board. The owner of the yacht, Diana Christa Lorens, made a short call to her family, but after that they communicated only by text messages.”

23 October Indonesia's conservative Aceh province has enacted a strict Islamic criminal code, local government officials said late on Friday, criminalizing homosexuality, adultery and public displays of affection outside of a legally recognized relationship. Aceh is the only province in the Muslim-dominated country to adhere to sharia, Islamic law.

In the province of Aceh, an armed mob set fire to a small Protestant church in the district of Aceh Singkil. One Muslim vigilante was shot dead in the attack, while thousands of Christians fled to a neighbouring province. Hardliners in the district have used the media to call for almost all of the 22 churches in Aceh Singkil to be torn down.

Malaysia

16 October The Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has thwarted the biggest sea robbery attempt in Malaysia to date off Tanjung Piai. MMEA maritime enforcement chief Aminuddin Abdul Rashid said his officials foiled a robbery attempt on Liberia-flagged tanker Almi Spirit. Six robbers armed with machetes boarded the vessel carrying around 90,000 tonnes of marine fuel oil (MFO) valued at US23 million. Two of the armed men entered the engine room but they were spotted by the chief engineer, who immediately sounded the ship alarm. The armed men saw the approaching MMEA patrol vessel and fled the scene empty handed.

Malaysian authorities have arrested a hacker accused of stealing the personal information of more than 1,000 US security officials and giving it to the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria. Ardit Ferizi, a citizen of Kosovo, entered Malaysia in August 2014 to study computer science and forensics at a private institute in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. "Early investigation found the suspect communicated with one of the right-hand man (sic) of IS terrorist group in Syria to hack a few servers containing information and details of US securities personnel and team," Malaysian police said.

9 October A five-year-old boy, who was abducted by two men near a kindergarten in Sungai Chua, has been reunited with his family. The boy was taken on Friday morning when a man stopped the boy’s mother on the pretext of asking for directions. While she was speaking, his accomplice grabbed the boy and ran to a black Proton Saga. Police have recovered almost all of the ransom money that was paid, said Selangor police chief Abdul Samah Mat.

Myanmar

30 October An opposition MP in Myanmar is recovering after being attacked by men wielding knives and swords at a campaign rally. The attack comes just over a week before a historic election in Myanmar. National League for Democracy (NLD) MP Naing Ngan Lin was rushed to hospital with head and hand injuries, but the party said his life was not in danger. The attackers were detained by police, who said the motive was not clear.

29 October Myanmar police arrested the leader of a student movement who had spent more than six months in hiding. Kyaw Ko Ko, 34, head of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU), organised a march on the country's biggest city, Yangon, in February and March to protest against an education bill the students said would stifle academic freedom. The police forcefully dispersed

the students taking part in the march and sent Kyaw Ko Ko into hiding.

28 October More than 40,000 special police officers have been recruited in Myanmar to maintain law and order at polling stations across the country as the November general election draws near. Those enlisted come from the civilian population and will be employed as unarmed, temporary officers for the month of November.

26 October Three people were wounded and one car was damaged by a blast in Taunggyi, the capital of eastern Shan State. Police said that the explosion was caused by a grenade thrown onto the street from a motorbike. A suspect has been identified but is still at large. Two men injured by the blast are being treated at a local hospital, while a third suffered only a minor injury and is recovering at his home.

23 October Fighting has flared in areas of Myanmar controlled by ethnic rebels who refused to sign a ceasefire. The army clashed with the Shan State Army-North, one of the ethnic armed groups that did not sign the deal, 37 times between October 6 and 19. Seven SSA-N members were killed and the army suffered an unspecified number of casualties.

18 October A Night curfew has been imposed along the 380 kilometre Indo-Myanmar border in Ukhrul, Chandel and Churachandpur districts in Manipur for six months following a request made by Indian Army and Assam Rifles. Magistrates in the three districts issued orders prohibiting movement of any person within 3 km belt from the international border. The curfew will be in force from 5 pm to 5 am, officials said.

16 October Myanmar has signed a ceasefire with eight ethnic minority armies in a step towards ending decades of civil war. However, this achievement was undermined somewhat by the refusal of several other rebel groups to join the deal. Hopes for a full nationwide ceasefire before the November 8 election crumbled recently after several rebel groups baulked at any deal without the inclusion of all insurgent forces – notably smaller organisations locked in conflict with the army.

12 October Fighting between government forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has broken out again near Aung Latt village. Major Tan Hsan said: “On October 7, the army attacked. Battles broke out in two places in Jar Yar Yan and near Aung Latt. There were minor injuries on both sides.”

11 October Ethnic groups have staged a protest in Kyaikkasan Ground in Tamwe Township, Yangon, against the detention of individuals arrested for having a connection with unlawful organisations. They were initially refused permission to demonstrate at the Myanmar Peace Centre.

9 October A negotiator in Myanmar’s peace talks with ethnic rebels has accused neighbouring China of attempting to derail a nationwide ceasefire deal last week that would have brought Japan and western nations in as observers to monitor an end to decades of conflict. Beijing has denied the accusation but Min Zaw Oo, a senior official at the government-linked Myanmar Peace Centre said that China’s special envoy had pressed two key rebel groups not to sign the peace accord.

7 October Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested a Myanmar national with 150,000 Yaba tablets in Cox’s Bazar. Major Jafrul Haque, commanding officer of BGB-42 said that, acting on a tip off, a team of the BGB intercepted a boat which was coming from Myanmar. Sensing danger, all but one of the boat’s passengers jumped into the river and managed to flee.

Philippines

27 October A Philippine Army officer was killed in a clash with New People's Army rebels in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, the Armed Forces of the Philippines Southern Luzon Command reported. Army spokesman Major Angelo Guzman identified the officer as Lieutenant Mike Nollora. Guzman said Nollora was leading his men on security patrol when they encountered a group of rebels. Guzman said the 18 other soldiers engaged in a firefight that lasted five minutes with about 10 rebels surrounding the remote village of Batasan.

Five people were killed in an ambush on the national highway in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao. A Toyota carrying seven people was fired upon by unknown assailants using high-powered firearms. Two survivors were immediately taken to the nearest hospital by police officers who responded to the incident. The suspects fled on board an undetermined vehicle towards the

direction of the city.

25 October Philippine forces claim to have killed three gunmen belonging to an al-Qaeda-linked group in the southern island province of Basilan. In a statement, the military said Joint Task Group Basilan encountered a group of 50 Abu Sayyaf militants in the village of Baiwas. The encounter had occurred while the task group was conducting a sweep of the area, triggering a 40-minute shootout. “The Abu Sayyaf bandits sustained casualties that prompted them to withdraw in different directions,” he said.

22 October A Philippine soldier opened fire on a prayer meeting at a military base today, killing five of his comrades before troops intervened and shot him dead, an army spokesman said. Nine other people were also wounded in the rampage at an army camp on the southern island of Basilan, said Colonel Benjamin Hao. Responding soldiers shot the gunman dead but the motive for the attack remained unknown.

21 October Two Chinese diplomats were killed and one was injured during an attack at a restaurant in the central Philippine city of Cebu. The Chinese consulate's deputy consul and finance officer were killed, and the consul general was wounded, national police spokesman Wilben Mayor said. Two Chinese nationals - both embassy employees - have been arrested, Mr Mayor said. Philippine foreign ministry spokesman Charles Jose said authorities were still determining what happened.

20 October Police and military officials say suspected communist rebels have abducted and killed a southern Philippine town mayor who helped the government’s anti-insurgency campaign and his son. Chief Superintendent Vert Chavez said the bodies of Mayor Dario Otaza and his son, Daryl Otaza, were found dead with multiple gunshot wounds on in southern Butuan City, a matter of hours after suspected New People’s Army rebels took them from their home. Mr. Otaza was a former rebel who became an outspoken critic of the Communist movement.

14 October Suspected Muslim militants have posted a video purportedly showing for the first time two Canadians, a Norwegian and a Filipino who were abducted from a southern Philippine resort last month and demanded that government forces stop their artillery attacks. The video shows the hostages sitting in a grassy clearing with a dozen mostly masked gunmen standing behind them. Two black flags hang behind them. The three foreign hostages, speaking at gunpoint, urged the Philippine government to stop the military assaults.

10 October Police said they have identified a local criminal gang as being behind the abduction of an Italian restaurant owner and retired priest in the southern Philippines. Senior Superintendent Cleve Taboso said the gang snatched Rolando del Torchio in the city of Dipolog on Wednesday, in a raid that shocked the diners at his pizzeria. The group is still believed to be in the southern peninsula of Zamboanga despite earlier fears they had fled to Jolo island, the stronghold of the Muslim extremists Abu Sayyaf.

The crew aboard the Philippine-flagged M/V Cecilia V thwarted a piracy attempt off the coast of Davao del Sur province. According to Sarangani Coast Guard officials, nine pirates approached the ship on two motorized boats. Captain Elvy Elim spotted the pirates as they approached his vessel and ordered his crew to close all possible entry points and barricade themselves in their rooms. Elim then notified the coast guard that there were pirates approaching his ship. The pirates reportedly walked around the ship for close to an hour trying to enter its rooms. The coast guard’s response team arrived on the scene about one hour after Elim’s distress signal, but the pirates had already fled the scene.

6 October Philippine authorities have arrested a suspect in the abduction of four people from a yacht marina in the country’s south. The suspect, a man named Pandajar Adona, was identified through security camera footage at the Holiday Oceanview Samal, where 11 gunmen seized the sailors on Sept. 21.

4 October A Muslim father and three of his children were killed after gunmen broke into their house and shot them in the troubled southern province of Sulu. A police report said that the Ayyub family was asleep in the island town of Banguingi when three men armed with M-16 rifles broke in and fired on all the occupants. A police spokesperson has said they believed three men carried out the attack and that they subsequently fled the scene in a motorized outrigger. Police are still looking for a motive for the attack.

2 October A South Korean man was shot to death by an unidentified armed assailant in his house in the

Calabarzon region, south of Manila. His wife is thought to have been killed outside their home while running away. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

1 October A bomb concealed in a parked motorcycle taxi exploded and hit the passing convoy of a vice mayor in the southern Philippines, killing four people - including her driver, another passenger and two pedestrians - and wounding at least six others, the police and military said. The blast occurred about an hour after a bomb blew up on a crowded passenger bus in the town of Polomolok, injuring at least 18 people. No group claimed responsibility for either attack.

Singapore

29 October A haul of drugs estimated to be worth over $118,000 was seized by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in two separate operations on Thursday. A CNB spokesperson said that the drugs comprised 1.2kg of heroin, 445g of cannabis, 69g of 'Ice' and 183 'Ecstasy' tablets. Four suspected drug offenders, all Singaporeans, were also arrested.

5 - 8 October The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said that it has arrested a total of 81 people during a three-day island-wide operation and seized drugs estimated to be worth more than $314,000. They included about 3kg of heroin, 495g of 'Ice', 326 'Ecstasy' tablets, 64 Erimin-5 tablets, 42g of cannabis and a small amount of new psychoactive substances (NPS). 26 drug trafficking suspects and 55 drug abuser suspects were also arrested during the operation that targeted syndicated drug trafficking activities.

Thailand

24 October A Japanese man has been arrested in Thailand for possessing more than 2 kilograms of an illegal stimulant drug and an automatic gun, while three others were arrested for trying to bribe the police into letting him go, Thai police said. Yutaka Itakura was arrested in Bangkok with around 2.3 kg of methamphetamine that he tried to sell to an undercover police officer.

19 October A roadside bomb killed two paramilitary soldiers and wounded five others in southern Thailand, where the military is fighting Malay Muslim insurgents. The blast hit their vehicle during a routine patrol in the Sai Buri district of Pattani province. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

11 October A crowd hurled homemade firebombs and torched vehicles outside a police station in Phuket to protest against the deaths of two young men who died in a motorcycle crash while being chased by police. The protest occurred outside Thalang police station, where a crowd that swelled to more than 300 blocked the road to passing traffic. Police and soldiers were called in to restore order after at least nine cars were set on fire and 11 other vehicles damaged by the crowd.

Vietnam

17 October Police have intercepted a truck carrying more than 500 imported guns and ammunition on National Highway 13 in the Bau Bang District. The truck’s driver was immediately arrested while the owner of the guns being illegally transported tried to escape.

7 October A Vietnamese national was charged with smuggling animal parts Tuesday after he was caught with 43 kg of ivory at Siem Reap International Airport on Sunday night.

1 October Vietnam’s Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang and Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs Ahmad Zahid Hamidi have signed an agreement on preventing and fighting transnational crime. This is the first agreement of its kind Malaysia has signed with an ASEAN country, creating a legal framework to bring cooperation between the police forces of the two countries to a new level.

Oceania

Australia

31 October Two Canadian women were arrested and charged after Australian Border Force officers at Sydney Airport found 8 kilograms of cocaine concealed in the lining of their luggage. Border Force officers found white powder in the lining, with initial testing returning a positive result for cocaine.

20 October Federal authorities have seized 73 kilograms of drugs and arrested three Malaysian nationals trying to smuggle their illicit cargo through Melbourne Airport. After arriving yesterday at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport on a flight from Kuala Lumpur, the three men attempted to pass through customs but were intercepted by members of the Australian Border Force (ABF). Their luggage contained 55 kilograms of methamphetamine and 18 kilograms of heroin were found. According to ABF Acting Commissioner Michael Outram, the haul was one of the largest that had ever been seized at an Australian airport. “This seizure represents one of the largest seizures in Australian history through an Australian international airport, which proves law enforcement agencies are working harder than ever to keep drugs out of our community,” he said.

18 October A Malaysian national has been arrested for attempting to smuggle two litres of liquid methamphetamine to Melbourne. Tze Thong Too was arrested after Australian Border Force officers detected the shipment, from Hong Kong and China. Tze has been charged with the importation of a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug and was remanded into custody.

15 October Officers from the Australian Border Force (ABF) have seized almost 6 million cigarettes that were smuggled into Australia by an illegal tobacco syndicate from the United Arab Emirates. It is believed that the smuggling ring was trying to avoid paying $2.7 million in tax. ABF Assistant Commissioner Clive Murray said the haul was the result of a four-month investigation into a UAE based criminal group.

8 October A 32 year old Nigerian man has been arrested in a sting operation after receiving 10 kilograms of methamphetamine – worth about $10 million – hidden inside a statue imported from China. Australian Border Force (ABF) officers’ suspicions were roused when a package containing three 20 kilogram statues arrived in Australia from China on October 8. An examination revealed an estimated 10 kilograms of ice concealed in one of the statues. The ABF officers substituted the drug with a benign substance and allowed it to pass through customs. Doing so allowed them to identify and arrest the Nigerian man who received the parcel.

6 October An alleged Moreton Bay island drug laboratory has been shut down by police, who seized chemicals that could have been used to manufacture over $1 million of ecstasy. The Australian Crime Commission and Queensland Police raided the Macleay Island property where they found an lab producing large quantities of the drugs ecstasy and fantasy. An additional 30 kilograms of precursor chemicals, were also seized in the raid.

3 October A 15-year-old gunman has shot dead a New South Wales police civilian employee in what authorities are calling an act of terrorism. The radicalized youth, who has been named as Farhad Jabar Khalil Mohammad, killed the police employee, Curtis Cheng, as he was leaving police headquarters at Parramatta in Sydney's west this afternoon. The offender then fired several more shots at officers as they emerged from the building to respond to the incident. He was killed when the officers returned fire. Commissioner Andrew Scipione said :”We believe his actions were politically motivated and therefore linked to terrorism.” Update (7 October) - Five young men between the ages of 16 and 24 were arrested in Sydney as a part of an investigation into last week’s murder of an accountant in a Sydney suburb, which New South Wales Police deputy commissioner Catherine Burn called a “terrorism event.” Over 200 police officers raided four different houses in Australia’s largest antiterrorist raid this year.

New Zealand

27 October New Zealand authorities have intercepted a multi-million-dollar drugs haul hidden in thousands of plastic toys sent from China. A 25 year-old man has been charged after almost 10 million NZ dollars (6.74 million U.S. dollars) worth of ephedrine, a precursor to methamphetamine, was found stuffed in the toys that arrived in a shipping container.

8 October New Zealand diplomat Carl Worker has become the country’s first counter-terrorism ambassador. The specialist role was created last year after New Zealand confirmed plans to send troops to Iraq. According to Foreign Minister Murray McCully: "Appointing a specialist ambassador will enable New Zealand to contribute further to international and regional efforts to counter terrorism and allow us to expand our diplomatic engagement with important international counter-terrorism forums, including the Anti-ISIL Coalition, the Global Terrorism Forum, and the United Nations."

Europe Eastern Europe

Belarus

29 October The European Union has suspended sanctions against Belarus following smooth elections there coupled with the government’s decision to release political prisoners. In a statement released Thursday, the EU disclosed that asset freezes and travel bans on 170 people have been lifted for a period of four months, noting however that an arms embargo and restrictions on four others will remain in place. The 28-nation bloc further disclosed that it will continue to monitor democracy and human rights in Belarus and will leave open the possibility that the sanctions could be lifted permanently.

28 October Belarus Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei was quoted as stating by Russia’s Kommersant newspaper that Belarus sees no need to discuss placing a Russian airbase in the country as it will not help to lower tensions in the region. In an interview with Kommersant, Makei stated that “placing an airbase will not reduce military and political tensions in the region. Conversely, the air base will lead to irritation towards both Minsk and Moscow,” adding, “we think there is no need to have a discussion on placing a base in Belarus.” While Makei was on a visit to Russia on Tuesday, the trip does not appear to have changed the Belarussian government’s views on the base. Moscow wants to establish the base in order to counter what it sees as NATO’s eastward advance.

11 October Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko has won a fifth term in office in Sunday’s elections, which was slammed by international voters who indicated that the vote fell short of democratic standards. On Sunday, Lukashenko, who won the election by a landslide 83.5 percent, stated that Belarus had fulfilled all commitments for free and fair elections. According to Kent Hasted, head of the Organization for security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) observer mission for the election, “it is clear that Belarus still has a long way to go towards fulfilling its democratic commitments,” adding, “the recent release of political prisoners and a welcoming approach to observers were positive developments. However the hope that this gave us for broader electoral progress was largely unfulfilled.” Hasted expressed particular disappointment over shortcomings during the counting and tabulation of votes. The European Union has disclosed that it could lift its sanctions on Belarus, including those on Lukashenko himself, after Sunday’s vote, barring any last-minute crackdown. The lifting of EU sanctions would be welcomed in Belarus, whose economy has been battered this year by a slump in the currency of Russia, which is a key trading partner and source of remittances from migrant workers.

9 October According to a EU official, following the release of political prisoners in Belarus earlier this year, the bloc may suspend sanctions on the country. The official disclosed Friday that ambassadors from the 28 EU member nations had reached an “agreement in principle” and that “the most restrictive measures” could be suspended temporarily by the end of October. The EU official noted however that a formal decision on the matter remains to be made, adding that it will take into account the conduct of the country’s upcoming elections this Sunday. The EU official added that in four months, there will be a further review of the bloc’s restrictive measures targeting Belarus, as well as the possibility of increased cooperation.

6 October In a statement that has highlighted a strain between the two neighbors and allies, President Alexander Lukashenko stated Tuesday that Belarus does not want to host a Russian military air base. In his statement, President Lukashenko disclosed that he knows nothing about plans to set up a Russian air base in Belarus, adding that his nation doesn’t need it. The Belarusian leader’s statement follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to his government last month to sign an agreement on a Russian military base in Belarus. The two countries have close economic, political and military ties, with Belarus depending on Russian energy and other subsidies. While the Russian military already has an early warning radar and a navy communications facility set up in Belarus, the setting up of an air base would mark a significantly bigger military presence. The Russian move comes at a time when Lukashenko has moved to improve Belarus’ ties with the West, which have long been strained over his crackdown on dissent and free media. On Tuesday, the Belarusian leader also hinted that Moscow may want to establish the base in order to try to

hamper Belarus’ efforts to warm up ties with the West. Lukashenko stated that “maybe they are worried that we are going to go to the West, and they raised the issue so that the West starts asking us about it and having doubts whether we really want to normalize ties.”

4 October On Sunday, about 1,000 opposition activists gathered in the Belarusian capital to protests Russia’s plans to set up a base, with protesters voicing fears that it would add to regional tensions that have already been heightened by the conflict in Ukraine and that it would make it impossible for Belarus to maintain neutrality between Russia and the West.

Bulgaria

29 October The Interior Ministry has reported that a former Bulgarian security agent escaped unhurt in a grenade attack on his car in Sofia on Thursday. The target, Alexey Petrov, is a former member of the country’s anti-terrorist unit who was arrested and charged in 2010 for running a criminal gang that dealt in money laundering, racketeering, drug trafficking, bribery and tax fraud. Prosecutors however later dropped the case for lack of evidence. According to Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova, “police officers were dispatched immediately after receiving a signal…They found that there was shooting with a rocket-propelled grenade,” adding that no one was hurt in the attack. Petrov, who survived a previous attack in 2002, described the shooting on his car as a mistake, stating, “everything I’ve done makes me think I haven’t given anyone a reason to take this action against me.”

26 October On Monday, exit polls and partial official results indicated that the country’s ruling centre-right GERB party won a comfortable victory in Sunday’s local elections, effectively boosting the stability of its coalition government. According to preliminary results from pollster Alpha Research, Prime Minister Boiko Borisov’s GERB received 34.5 percent of the vote nationwide, an increase from the 32.7 percent that it received in last October’s parliamentary election. Meanwhile the Socialist Party (BSP), which is the main opposition party in Bulgaria, received 17.2 percent, up from 15.4 percent in last year’s national election. GERB’s junior coalition partner, the Reformist Block, also increased its support slightly to 9.1 percent, from 8.9 percent. Final election results are expected to be released by the end of Tuesday. GERB, which has promised economic reforms in a bid to spur growth but which has done little so far in order to tackle endemic corruption in Bulgaria’s judicial system, won most of the mayoral and local government seats in the country’s main cities and towns. The party’s incumbent mayors were re-elected in the capital Sofia, in the Black Sea cities of Varn and Burgas and also in Stara Zagora, Veliko Tarnovo and Blagoevgrad. On Sunday, voters were also asked whether they backed the introduction of electronic voting in future elections. While more than 70 percent of votes approved the measure, turnout was not sufficient in order to make the decision binding on parliament. Officials however have disclosed that it was probably enough to prompt lawmakers to debate the issue again and to approve such a step.

24 October According to Bulgarian Prime Minister Boikov Borisov, Bulgaria, along with Serbia and Romania, are ready to close their borders if Austria and Germany close theirs in a bid to stop refugees from coming in. On Saturday, speaking shortly after a meeting with his Serbian and Romanian counterparts, Prime Minister Borisov disclosed that “the three countries, we are standing ready, if Germany and Austria close their borders, not to allow our countries to become buffer zones. We will be ready to close borders.”

16 October Bulgarian authorities have disclosed that a man from Afghanistan has been shot dead near the border with Turkey after being hit by a ricochet from a warning shot that was fired by border police. According to Interior Minister chief of staff Georgi Kostov, the incident occurred around 10 PM on Thursday near the southern city of Sredets, adding, “a group of 54 people, aged between 20 and 30 – all from Afghanistan – was intercepted by a patrol of two border guards and a police officer after crossing into Bulgarian territory.” He added that “one of my colleagues used his personal weapon and fired,” and that as a result of a ricochet, one of the group was injured and later died from his wounds. Kostov disclosed that the other migrants were detained and taken into custody while an investigation into the case was launched.

According to Boris Cheshirkov, the Bulgarian representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, some 3,100 migrants have died this year while attempting to reach the European Union, noting that the incident at the Bulgarian-Turkish border on Thursday was the first case of a fatal shooting on the borders of the EU.

8 October Bulgarian officials disclosed Thursday that three Dutch people wanted on “terrorism” charges allegedly trying to cross the border into Turkey. Bulgarian prosecutors have indicated that two men, 18 and 22, and a woman, 17, are wanted on European Arrest Warrants issued by their home country for “participation in a terrorist organization.” The trio, who have not been named, were arrested on Monday trying to ross Bulgaria’s main Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint with Turkey.

Czech Republic

28 October Several thousands of Czechs have used a national holiday, Independent Czechoslovak State Day, in order to rally against asylum seekers. Wednesday’s rallies, which occurred in major cities across the country, were organized by fringe political groupings and parties that exploit anti-migrant and anti-Muslim sentiments. Officials have disclosed that the biggest demonstration was held in Brno, the country’s second-largest city, where more than a thousand people turned out. Other protests occurred in Prague, Liberec, Usti nad Labem and Ostraval, with each mustering a few hundred protesters. Officials have not reported any significant incidents.

27 October The Czech Prime Minister has indicated that his government is ready to agree to a proposal to

take in 152 Christians who are currently in camps in the Iraqi city of Irbil. Bohuslav Sobotka has disclosed that the group was forced to flee their homes due to advancing Islamic State (IS) extremists in Iraq and their situation is difficult, adding that they approached the Czech Republic with a request for asylum through a non-governmental organization. Sobotka has indicated that Interior Minister Milan Chovanec will present a proposal for the government to accept them after talks scheduled with the United Nations for next week to clarify their states.

A non-governmental organization, which helps refugees in the Czech Republic, has disclosed that

the European Court for Human Rights has ordered the country to release an Afghan family from a controversial migrant centre. According to Martin Rozumek, from the Organization for Aid of Refugees, which filed a complaint against the 1 September detention of the six people, the Strasbourg-based court made a preliminary ruling that they have to be released from the Bela-Jezova centre by Wednesday midnight.” The Interior Ministry has since reported that the family will be released because there is no reason anymore for their detention. The head of the UN refugee agency has criticized the conditions in Bela-Jezova.

22 October According to sources, a delegation of Czech lawmakers is stuck at Moscow’s airport and have

been prevented by Russian authorities from boarding their plane. A Czech government passenger jet landed at Sheremetyevo Airport on Thursday in order to allow representatives of the Czech embassy to board. According to Petr Gazdik, deputy speaker of Parliament’s lower house and the head of the delegation, the lawmakers were on their way to Russia’s Ulyanovsk to unveil monuments to the Czech troops who took control of almost the entire Trans-Siberia railway at the end of World War I. He further disclosed that Russian officials have not given any explanation, adding that the Czechs sent a diplomatic note to complain after being stuck at Sheremetyevo for hours. Gazdik told Czech public television that he considers this situation to be “a very serious diplomatic incident.”

Both the president and the interior minister have rejected criticism by the UN human rights chief

of their country’s police of detaining migrants and refugees and their treatment. On Thursday, speaking through his spokesman Jiri Ovcacek, President Milos Zeman dismissed the criticism as a campaign against the Czech Republic, with Ovcacek stating that the president is not ready to change his critical views of Islam and the refugees. The statement comes after UNHCR chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein suggested that the Czech Republic systematically violates the human rights of migrants. Zeid singled out the Bela-Jezova centre where refuges are detained with their children. Last week, the country’s ombudsman condemned conditions in the detention facility last week stating that they violate the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights. President Zeman previously stated that asylum-seekers may bring terrorism and infectious diseases and has called for the deployment of the armed forces in order to protect the country’s borders against them.

19 October The Czech Republic is deploying fifty police officers to Hungary in order to help contain the influx of migrants. On Monday, the Interior Ministry reported that the decision comes at the request of Hungary, adding that officers will be deployed alongside their Hungarian colleagues on the border with Serbia by the end of October and should remain until 15 December. The Czech Republic has already sent twenty soldiers to Hungary, adding that they are ready to deploy up to 100 if needed. Poland and Slovakia are also contributing officers to help Hungary.

9 October The Czech Republic is sharply increasing policing of the border with Austria in a bid to deal with

a possible influx of migrants. After they increased security on the Austrian-Czech border on 13 September, in response to Germany’s decision to restore border controls, they have been mounting random controls at fourteen border crossings. Late on Thursday, the Interior Minister announced that such measures will be done on 20 crossings as of this Saturday. On Friday, police officials disclosed that the number of officers on the border will increase from 200 to 720 on Saturday and will be present along the Austrian border. Police further disclosed that the country is not restoring border controls, at least for now.

7 October Czech police have disclosed that they have carried out one of the biggest seizures of illegal

explosives and other dangerous substances in the country’s history. According to spokesman Pavel Hantak, more than 100 kg (220 lb) of various explosives were seized, adding that four men, who were allegedly planning to sell the explosives on the black market, were arrested. The explosives included Semtex, which is a plastic explosive that is used in commercial blasting and demolitions, as well as over 1,000 detonators. Investigators also seized close to 150 kg of materials that are used to make explosives and 50 kg of dangerous poisons and toxic materials. Following rumours that large amounts of explosives were being sold illegally, police officials launched a massive operation, with three raids taking place simultaneously in the regions of Pardubice, Hradec Kralove and Central Bohemia. While the raids occurred last week, they have only now been publicly announced. If convicted, the arrested men, who are aged between 26 and 73, face up to eight years in prison.

According to a new survey, half of Czechs are against accepting any refugees from war zones,

underlying the deep opposition in the Czech Republic and in central Europe to policies that open the door to growing numbers of asylum seekers. The government has opposed the EU’s plans to distribute asylum seekers around the EU, and most of the Czech political class, including openly anti-immigration President Milos Zeman, has shared this position. While the country does not lie on any major migration path, and the few thousand migrants that have been detained this year were nearly all heading for neighboring Germany, anti-immigration sentiment remains high. A survey produced by the Czech Public Opinion Research Centre (CVVM) found that 50 percent of respondents were against taking in refugees from conflict zones while 40 percent supported taking them in but only until they can return home. Only 4 percent of the 994 people that were surveyed supported taking in war zone refugees permanently. The centre conducted the survey in September, when debate over the EU’s response to its migrant crisis was dividing the EU bloc.

5 October The Czech Republic is sending a unit of twenty-five soldiers to Hungary in a bid to help protect

the external border of Europe’s Schengen zone. Defense Minister Martin Stropnicky has disclosed that the unit will be deployed for two months, beginning 15 October. On Monday, he indicated that he was gong to consult with his Hungarian counterpart in Brussels on Thursday about further possible support for Hungary. Interior ministers of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland are due to discuss further possible ways of helping Hungary, where about 300,000 migrants have arrived this year.

1 October Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has disclosed that his country is opposing any large EU

pan for a permanent compulsory redistribution of asylum-seekers amongst the bloc’s 28 nations. During a debate on the migrant crisis in the lower house of Parliament on Thursday, Sobotka stated that “we’re in the middle of a battle over a realistic approach of the entire European Union to the migrant crisis. The Czech Republic will vote against such a proposal. No government would be able to change such a mechanism in the future.” The Czech Prime Minister’s comments come after EU ministers last week agreed to redistribute 120,000 asylum seekers in EU member sates, despite opposition from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary.

Hungary

29 October Hungary’s foreign minister has disclosed that the European Union needs to wrest back control of its borders and has dismissed as “hypocritical” criticism of his country’s construction of a border fence to stem the flow of refugees. Speaking Thursday after talks with his Cypriot counterpart Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto indicated that Hungary built the fence with Serbia to comply with EU rules on the movement of people and good, adding that this must happen through official border crossings during specific opening hours and that the only choice was to build a “physical obstacle.” The Foreign Minister also disclosed that fellow EU foreign ministers were unable to offer an alternative when challenged, adding that “this kind of hypocritical behaviour should be forgotten in Europe.”

22 October On Thursday, Hungary’s prime minister stated that if the EU is incapable of stopping the waves of

people arriving at its “eastern gate” of Greece, then it must stop those entering at its “western gate” of Hungary and Slovenia. Speaking Thursday at a meeting of the European People’s Party in Madrid, Prime Minster Viktor Orban described those escaping war and poverty in Asia, Africa and the Middle East as a “people’s migration made up of economic immigrants, refugees and armed foreigners.” He further disclosed that there is a “moral responsibility to give these people back their homes and countries. But it can’t be our goal to provide a new European life for them.”

Officials from Hungary and Serbia have reopened a border checkpoint where Hungarian police had

earlier used tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons against hundreds of refugees trying to enter the country. On Thursday, Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter indicated that the reopening of the smaller of two crossings at Roszke in Hungary (Horgos in Serbia) meant that all official checkpoints between the two countries were back in operation.

21 October On Wednesday, the Hungary government announced that the country has no intention of opening any

corridor for migrants who are trying to get into the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone from the south. Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs made the remarks shortly after a meeting of police chiefs from Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and Hungary in Vienna. Speaking at a news conference, Kovacs disclosed that “Hungary has made it abundantly clear…that it does not support any proposal to open corridors on the border sections closed in the south or to provide means of transport for migrants within the Schengen zone.” Hungary has closed its southern borders with Serbia and Croatia in order to stem the flow of migrants.

20 October According to prosecutors, 21 police officers working at a border crossing with Ukraine have been

detained, suspected of regularly taking bribes from foreigner travelers and allowing them to enter or leave the country illegally. On Tuesday, Chief Prosecutor Imre Keresztes disclosed in a statement that thirty police officers had been questioned after a raid on Monday at the Zahony border crossing, with several admitting responsibility. Sources have disclosed that a passport control officer had 950 euros (US $1,080) in his underwear, adding that prosecutors confiscated several thousand euros during searches of 39 locations, including the border checkpoint building. Prosecutors have reported that the bribes ranged between 20 and 100 euros (US $23 - $114), with travellers handing the cash to customs police inside their passports.

17 October Hungary has indicated that it has temporarily reinstated border controls at its frontiers with Slovenia

in a bid to prevent migrants from entering the county in an unrestricted manner. The measure, which was announced on Saturday, comes just hours after Hungary closed off its borders with Croatia. In a statement, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto indicated that the government was defending Hungary and its citizens from the “mass wave of unidentified, uncontrolled migrants.” Since Croatia announced that it would begin sending migrants to the border with Slovenia, Hungarian officials fear that they could try to cross into Hungary from Slovenia on their way to Germany and other European destinations.

16 October On Saturday, Hungary closed down its border with Croatia to the free flow of migrants, a move which

could leave thousands of people on their way to western Europe stranded in the small Balkan nation. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced the decision shortly after a meeting of the national security Cabinet. The border, which is reinforced with razor-wire fence, was closed from midnight (2200 GMT) on Friday. Speaking to reporters in the border village of Zakany, government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs disclosed that several hundred migrants who reached the border minutes

before the deadline would still be allowed to enter Hungary for humanitarian reasons, adding, “the Hungarian government has taken the steps…to protect the internal European freedoms and the security of the citizens of Hungary and Europe.” Hungary decided to order the border closure after EU leaders who met Thursday in Brussels failed to agree on a plan backed by Hungary to deploy EU forces to block migrants from reaching Greece.

15 October The Hungarian government has disclosed that a fence built on the border with Croatia has been

completed and that a decision on closing that border section to the free flow of migrants could be made soon. On Thursday, Janos Lazar, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff, indicated that a decision depended on the prime minister’s meetings later in the day in Brussels, which will focus on the migration crisis. Earlier, Lazar had disclosed that Hungary was consulting with Austria and Germany on the issue.

8 October The Hungarian government announced Thursday that troops from the EU or NATO will be allowed to

help defend the country’s borders due to the migrant crisis. A government decree disclosed that up to 1,000 troops from Hungary’s allies can take part until 15 March in the “Common Will” border defense operation, adding that their tasks may include participating in joint exercises as well as supporting Hungarian troops on the border, noting however they will not be directly policing the border. Currently some 4,700 Hungarian soldiers are at the country’s southern borders with Croatia and Serbia. The Czech Republic is sending 25 soldiers by 15 October while Slovakia has offered to send 50 police officers.

A top government official disclosed Thursday that Hungary will decide in a week whether to close its

border with Croatia, where a double fence aimed at stopping the flow of migrants through the country is “99 percent finished.” Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Janos Lazar, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff disclosed that the country has seen more than 330,000 migrants pass through its territory so far this year, adding that the government wants to pass an end to the flow. Officials have indicated that about 6,000 migrants are passing through daily now, coming over the border from Croatia and being sent directly to Austria. Since the closure of the border with Serbia, only a few dozen per day now try to enter the country illegally. The closure of the Hungarian-Croatian border however could cause a new bottleneck to form, as the flow of migrants would have to go further west to Slovenia and then on to Austria, or via Romania. Lazar has indicated that “the government has a plan to build a border closure on the Romanian border as well if one becomes necessary.”

6 October A top Hungarian official has disclosed that several Eastern European countries are cooperating on

controlling the flow of migrants at the external borders of the EU, a programme that he has said could set an example for the rest of the 28-nation bloc. On Tuesday, Zsolt Nemeth, head of the Hungarian parliament’s foreign relations committee, disclosed that his country is working jointly with the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia to help protect Hungary’s border with Croatia, which is also an extern border for the EU’s Schengen travel zone, adding that the project aims to return the flow of migrants “to its normal course.”

Hungary’s foreign minister disclosed on Tuesday that the government is preparing to step up its

opposition to the EU’s plan to relocate 120,000 asylum seekers. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto disclosed that the government would seek support from all parties in parliament “to be able to take up the fight against the mandatory quota to take in migrants with the strongest authority possible.” While last month, Hungary was amongst four Eastern European countries to vote against the EU relocation plan, the country initially said it respected the majority decision. Since then, however, opposition to the plan has grown more vocal.

Arpad Goncz, who was jailed after Hungary’s failed 1956 uprising against Soviet Rule and went on to

become its first post-soviet President, died on Tuesday at the age of 93. 2 October Hungarian Prime Minister has reported that his Croatian counterpart is an envoy of a global left-wing

organization whose job is to attack Hungary. On Friday, Orban disclosed on state radio that the parties in the Socialist International, which includes Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic’s Social Democratic Party, think that the wave of migrants reaching Europe is a “good think” and that their leaders “are following the orders not so much of their people as of the Socialist International.” Orban further reported that Hungary does not consider “what the Croatian prime minister says to be the

opinion of the Croatian people.” Since Hungary’s decision on 15 September to close its border with Serbia with a high fence protected by razor wire, police and soldier, politicians from the two countries have been trading barbs. Now thousands of migrants a day are entering Hungary from neighboring Croatia in search of routes towards German and other destinations within the EU. Hungarian officials have indicated that they are close to completing a fence on the Croatian border.

The government announced Friday that Hungary, along with other states in central and eastern Europe,

will host a command centre to help coordinate deployment of NATO’s rapid reaction force in an emergency. Officials have disclosed that the command centre, known as a NATO Force Integration Until, will be staffed by 40 officers from Hungary and other NATO member states, noting however that it would not be a base for forces. The government spokesman’s office has indicated that “its task in peaceful times is to organize and plan international exercises and, in an emergency, the coordination of the NATO Reaction force.” The role of NATO’s spearhead force, which is due to be fully operational early next year, is likely to be discussed by alliance defense ministers at a meeting due to take place in Brussels on 8 October. The military alliance has already activated similar centres in Lithuania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Poland, Latvia and Romania.

1 October The European Union is threatening to take action against Hungary over laws, which it introduced in a

bid to limit the flow of migrants through its territory. On 21 September, Hungary introduced laws, which effectively make it a criminal offense to cross its border illegally or to damage an anti-migration razor-wire fence it erected. On Thursday, the head of the European Commission’s migration and protection wing, Laurent Muschel, told EU lawmakers that there are “a number of issues that we find problematic in their new legislation,” adding that “we are ready to take any further steps if needed.” While he did not go into any further details, he did disclose that the Commission would lay out its concerns in a letter to Hungary by the end of this week. The EU’s border agency has reported that more than 155,000 people have crossed Hungary’s borders this year.

Hungary has disclosed that it is in “constant consultations” with Poland, the Czech Republic and

Slovakia about cooperating on issues of border defense. On Thursday, Janos Lazar, Prime Minister Victor Orban’s chief of staff, disclosed that the prime Minister had talked about the issue with the leaders of the three countries in the so-called Visegrad Group. Lazar further disclosed that over 291,000 migrants had entered Hungary so far this year, including 87,000 who crossed over from Croatia after Hungary closed down its border with Serbia on 15 September with a 4-metre (13-feet) high fence that is protected by razor wire, police and military patrols. Lazar noted that a similar fence is being built on the border with Croatia, noting that it will be completed soon.

Moldova

30 October Moldova’s president has named an acting prime minister after the government lost a no-confidence vote due to corruption allegations. On Friday, President Nicolae Timofti appointed deputy Prime Minister Gheorghe Brega as interim premier until a new government is formed. Brega has since indicated that a new pro-European government should be formed as soon as possible. Parliament now has three months in order to approve a new government. On Thursday, lawmakers voted against the government of Prime Minister Valeriu Strelet, who defended former premier Vlad Filat, who is accused of corruption.

29 October Following a no-confidence vote, the Moldovan Parliament has dismissed the government of Prime Minister Valeriu Strelet. On Thursday, a total of 65 lawmakers in the 101-seat legislature voted against the government of Strelet, who was appointed on 30 July.

25 October Authorities have released the mayor of the country’s second-largest city, who was detained on suspicion of violating privacy laws after he published a telephone conversation between the country’s former prime minister and a businessman. On Friday, Renato Usatii was detained for illegally intercepting a telephone conversation, a charge that can lead to up to three years in prison. He had published a telephone conversation between a businessman and former Prime Minister Vlad Filat, who has been arrested and charged with taking a US $260 million bribe. Judges however have rejected the prosecutor’s request to arrest Usatii for thirty days and released him on Sunday.

22 October According to sources, Moldova’s Parliament will vote on a no-confidence motion against the coalition government after opposition leaders submitted a request to parliament on Thursday after weeks of public protest over a US $1 billion banking fraud. On Thursday, Socialist Party leader Igor Dodon disclosed that the vote will take place next Thursday.

15 October On Thursday, Moldova’s Parliament lifted the immunity of a former prime minister, who was later detained and charged with being involved in a bank fraud of up to US $1.5 billion. Officials have reported that a total of 70 lawmakers, out of 101, voted to lift the immunity of Vlad Filat, who was prime minister from 2009 until 2013, so that he can be investigated for the money that went missing from three banks ahead of the November 2014 elections. Sources have disclosed that masked officials later escorted Filat from Parliament to the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office, where he was charged with corruption, including bribery, and influence peddling, which carry a maximum penalty of fifteen years in prison. He is currently being detained for 72 hours. Filat, who is the most senior politician to ever have his immunity lifted, has denied any wrongdoing and has disclosed that the probe is politically motivated.

7 October Moldovan police working with the FBI are reported to have stopped four attempts by smugglers to sell nuclear material to extremists in the Middle East over the past five years. Sources have disclosed that the most recent case occurred in February when undercover agents were offered a large amount of radioactive caesium. Investigators have disclosed that much of the material is believed to come from Russia adding that some gangs have alleged links to Russia’s intelligence services.

On Wednesday, Moldova signed a 150 million-euro (US $168 million) loan agreement with neighbor Romania, which it hopes will bolster its currency and promote investment. Moldova Prime Minister Valeriu Strelet has indicated that the five-year loan, which has a 1.5 percent annual interest rate, was a reminder of the close relations between the neighbors, adding that Romania is “the only country in the world which constantly says: tell us how we can help you.” Romania’s Parliament still needs to approve the loan. Update (13 October) – Moldova’s Prime Minister has thanked Romania for the five-year loan, stating that it will be spent on modernizing the former Soviet republic, which wants to join the EU. On Tuesday, Premier Valeriu Strelet disclosed that the loan, which was agreed upon last month, will bolster reforms and be spent on joint projects that “raise (Moldova’s) development level closer to Romania’s and Europe’s.”

3 October Anti-government demonstrators in Moldova’s capital city have erected dozens of tents in the city’s main avenue, intensifying weeks of protests over a huge banking fraud that has fuelled inflation and tarnished the pro-European administration. On the ground sources have reported that protesters set up about 300 tents outside government buildings last month in a bid to demand the resignation of President Nicolae Timofti and other senior officials over the disappearance of US $1 billion from the banking system. Mounting anger over the issue, which has weakened the local currency and driven prices higher, prompted the central bank chief to resign, however leaders of the governing coalition have, so far, rejected calls to quit. Speaking shortly after about fifty more tents were erected on Chisinau’s central avenue late on Friday, Renato Usatii, head of the opposition movement “Our Party,” disclosed that “for now the authorities are ignoring our demands, so we’ve gone to plan ‘B.’ the blocking of traffic on the main avenue of the country is the first step, later there will be more.” Usatii has also called on Moldovans to stop paying their utility bills to “sabotage” the government,” adding, “until the authorities solve the problem of the stolen billion, we won’t pay our bills.” Another protest group has called a rally for Sunday.

Poland

27 October The state election authority announced on Tuesday that the Law and Justice party has won a majority of seats in Poland’s parliament and can govern alone. The party got 235 seats in the 460-seat lower house of Poland’s parliament and also won a majority in the Senate. The party has the backing of President Andrzej Duda. Four other parties won seats in parliament: Civic platform, which is the pro-market party that governed Poland for the last eight years, won 138 seats; a group led by anti-establishment rock star Pawel Kukiz won 42 seats; Modern, a party led by a pro-business economist, Ryszard Petru, got 28 seats; while the agrarian Polish Peoples Party won 16 seats. Poland’s president has indicated that he would proceed with convening the new parliament and designating the new prime minister as soon as the allocation of parliament seats

is known. Some party members have disclosed that they want the new government to be in place by mid-November.

25 October Polish lawmaker Beata Szydlo has indicated that she will be the country’s next prime minister if official results confirm an exit poll, which shows a decisive win for her conservative Law and Justice Party. An exit poll shows that Law and Justice took 39 percent of the vote on Sunday, which would translate into a comfortable majority of 242 votes in the 460-seat lower house of parliament. Official results are expected to be announced on Monday. Szydlo ran as the party’s candidate, however there had been speculation that party chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski might end up taking that job himself. For the first time in Poland’s post-community history, Poles elected a new parliament on Sunday that will not include the Democratic Left Alliance, which is the heir to the former communists, or any other parties on the left. Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz earlier in the day conceded defeat after the exit poll showed that her pro-European Civic Platform party faced a decisive defeat by the Law and Justice party. According to the exit poll, the Civic Platform will get 133 seats and only three other parties will make it into parliament.

20 October The EU’s border agency Frontex has disclosed that members of the bloc have agreed to provide 291 border guards to be deployed immediately to Greece and Italy in order to help identify and register migrants. The Warsaw-based agency disclosed Tuesday that 291 guards amount to about a fourth of what it had requested to handle the record number of migrants arriving in Europe. In a statement, the agency’s director, Fabrice Leggeri, indicated that he hopes that countries will continue to volunteer more guards even though a deadline for the call has passed.

16 October Poland’s prime minister has announced that she will deploy border guards and equipment to help Hungary seal its border with Serbia where thousands of migrants are passing. On Friday, Ewa Kopacz disclosed that five vehicles with night vision equipment, several other cars and some seventy Border Guard officers will be deployed, adding that they will be patrolling the stretches of the border away from the guarded crossings. The prime minister however has not provided any timing for the mission. The decision was taken during Thursday’s meeting in Brussels of the Visegrad Group, which consists of the leaders of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Poland will also deploy another forty officers for the mission of Europe’s border agency Frontex, in addition to 40 officers and a plane already made available.

15 October According to Poland’s defense minister, he expects that heavy US army equipment will be placed in the country before July, when Poland is due to host a NATO summit. On Thursday, Minister Tomasz Siemoniak indicated that Warsaw and Washington want the equipment and supplies placed in warehouses at five Polish sites before July. Sources have indicated that the command and some 200 items of equipment would be placed in Ciechanow, in the northeast of the country, while other sites will include an air base in Lask, a test range in Drawsko Pomorskie, warehouses in Skwierzyna and a spare location in Choszczno.

14 October Former Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski has stated that migrants who have arrived recently in Europe are carrying disease that could hurt the local populations. On Tuesday, Kaczynski, whose opposite Law and Justice party is expected to win parliamentary elections on 25 October, told voters that “there are already signs of the emergence of very dangerous diseases, which haven’t been seen in Europe for a long time: cholera on Greek islands; dysentery in Vienna; various types of parasites, protozoa, which aren’t dangerous in the organisms of these people, but which could be dangerous here.” His comments sparked a sharp response on Wednesday from left-wing politician Janusz Palikot, who slammed Kaczynski’s words as racist language that Adolf Hitler “would not be ashamed of.”

13 October The EU’s border control agency reported Tuesday that 170,000 migrants were detected entering the bloc in September, down from a record high of 190,00 that was recorded in August. Frontex, the Warsaw-based agency also disclosed that the total number of migrants entering the EU from January to September stands at 710,000, with the Greek islands, particularly Lesbos, being the hardest hit by the influx of people. This compares to 282,000 people that were recorded entering the bloc in 2014. Officials at Frontex have indicated that Syrian refugees make up the largest group of people arriving in Europe by that route. The organization also noted that the number of migrants arriving in Italy by boat from Libya has fallen because of a shortage of boats in Libya coupled with the worsening weather. Frontex disclosed that the numbers arriving in Italy fell by half in September to 12,000.

7 October A Chinese Navy destroyer, a Chinese frigate and a Chinese supply vessel sailed into Poland’s navy port of Gdynia on Wednesday on the first such visit ever, marking 66 years of diplomatic ties and aiming to strengthen them even more. On Wednesday, Capt. Maj. Przemyslav Plonecki, the spokesman for Poland’s 3rd Navy Flotilla stated that the flotilla’s command officers paid a visit to the destroying in an official welcoming ceremony. The Chinese Embassy website disclosed that Poland is the vessels’ sixth stop on a “worldwide visit,” adding that it was responding to an invitation from Poland’s Navy command. The anti-air force destroyer Jinan 152, the Yiyang 548 frigate and the Qiandaohu 886, which belong to the Chinese Navy’s 20th Task Force, will remain in Gdynia until Sunday.

5 October Poland has deployed a helicopter and crew to Hungary in order to help patrol the border with Croatia. The mission is part of efforts by Frontex, the EU’s border agency, to increase border security in the face of mounting pressure from immigrants. On Monday, Joanna Rokicka, spokeswoman for Poland’s Border Guards, disclosed that a Border Guard chopper with eight crewmembers and one liaison officer was sent to Hungary on Sunday, adding that the mission will continue through 9 November.

A spokeswoman for the EU’s border agency disclosed on Monday that it is seeking hundreds of

additional border guards in order to help in the task of identifying migrant as they arrive in Europe. Ewa Moncure indicated that Frontex has appealed to EU and Schengen members last week to jointly provide 775 experts in identification and interpreters, adding that they would be deployed this month to Greece and Italy, which are taking the brunt of the migrant wave.

Romania

28 October The Romanian Parliament has approved the prosecution of a former tourism minister who prosecutors are seeking to arrest on suspicion of bribery and money laundering. On Wednesday, lawmakers voted 193 to 106 to allow the prosecution of Elena Udrea, who was once one of the country’s influential politicians. They will later vote on whether to approve her arrest. Between 2008 and 2012, Udrea was the minister for tourism and regional development. According to prosecutors, she is suspected of receiving US $3.8 billion in 2012 from a businessman in the energy sector in exchange for allowing him to control an electricity provider. Prosecutors have further disclosed that she is also suspected of making false statements, influence peddling and abusing her position. Udrea however has denied wrongdoing and has claimed that prosecutors are meddling in politics and are harming the country’s image.

27 October Romania’s president has called the Prime Minister for talks about the migrant crisis after the pair traded insults over the situation. Sources have disclosed that President Klaus Iohannis reprimanded Prime Minister Victor Ponta for meeting with the prime ministers of Bulgaria and Serbia in Sofia this weekend, where they agreed that they would close their borders to refugees if Germany and Austria decided to close their borders. On Monday, President Iohannis accused Prime Minister Ponta of failing to consult him prior to going to Sofia and for becoming increasingly “bellicose” to divert attention from corruption charges against him. Prime Minister Ponta then called the president “a deaf man at a dance.” On Sunday, President Iohannis attended an emergency summit in Brussels on the migrant situation. According to the country’s constitution, the president is in charge of foreign policy.

26 October In his first comments about the death of a police officer escorting his motorcade last week, Romania’s interior minister stated on Monday that he was unaware of the accident at the time. Over the weekend, hundreds, including some 300 motorcyclists who rode through the capital city on Saturday carrying a portrait of the dead officer, protested against Interior Minister Gabriel Opera, in what has reflected widespread anger about the case. Policeman Bogdan Gigina died after riding his motorbike into a hole on 20 October. Gigina was in a motorcade that was easing a route in Bucharest for the interior minister. Opera indicated that his motorcade stopped on that evening, however he did not know this, adding that a police officer then told the vehicles to move on. Opera has insisted that he did not break the law by using the motorcade, however he has not indicated why he needed it other than that it was for “professional purposes.” On Monday leaders of the opposition Liberal Party indicated that they would file a motion of no-confidence against the government over the case. Prime Minister Victor Ponta has accused opposition politicians and journalists of speculating about the death for political reasons. Many however are angry because they believe that politicians abuse their positions by overusing motorcades, snarling traffic in the overcrowded capital. Prosecutors who are investigating

possible manslaughter have disclosed that they have received incomplete information from the interior ministry and police.

21 October On Wednesday, a former Romanian president appeared before the country’s top court, which is prosecuting him for crimes against humanity during a bloody anti-government protest 25 years ago, during which six people died and hundreds of others were injured. Ion Iliescu, 85, appeared at the High Court of Cassation and Justice on Wednesday to hear charges connected to the violent repression of the June 1990 protest. While he denies wrongdoing, he made no statements during the session. The head of the Romanian Intelligence Service, Virgil Magureanu, who is a close ally of Iliescu, also appeared before the court. Asked whether he was guilty of crimes against humanity, he responded, “that’s a stupid question.” Later on Wednesday, the defense minister at the time, Victor Stanculesu, also appeared before the court, later telling reporters that prosecutors had cited him as a suspect in the case. A court statement disclosed that Iliescu is being prosecuted for the deaths of four people, the shooting of three others and depriving 1,000 people of their freedom. Prosecutors have not explained why Iliescu is being charged with four deaths rather than six deaths, which have been consistently reported.

14 October A day ahead of a European Union summit on the immigration crisis, the president of Romania has called for negotiations on the war in Syria. On Wednesday, President Klaus Iohannis stated that the fighting in Syria will be discussed at the summit on Thursday, which will take place in Brussels. He disclosed that “the fact that Russia is militarily involved in Syria doesn’t help solve the crisis, but complicates it,” adding that “all parties involved must be brought to the negotiating table.” He also indicated that Romania was one of the few countries that still had staff at its embassy in Damascus.

On Wednesday, a hearing on the appeal of a 90-year-old communist-era prison guard sentenced to twenty years for crimes against humanity was quickly adjourned because he did not have a lawyer. Alexandru Visinescu, commander of the Ramnicu Sarat prison from 1956 until 1963, was convicted for deaths of twelve political prisoners during his command. The prison housed the intellectual, political and military prewar elite. Visinescu has maintained that he was merely following orders. While Visinescu was sentenced in July, he remains free pending his appeal. The next hearing has been set for 25 November.

13 October On Tuesday, the US ambassador to Romania urged politicians to continue reforms, stop political meddling in the management of stat-owned companies and create a regularly system that fosters investment. At a conference, which was organized by the American Chamber of Commerce, Ambassador Hans G. Klemm stated, “stop meddling in the management of state-owned enterprises for political gain and allow these enterprises to operate according to good business practices, so that all Romanians reap the benefits.” While the ambassador did not cite any cases of meddling “for political gain,” amongst hundreds of corruption prosecutions, there have been examples of politicians who extorted or embezzled money in order to enrich themselves and bestow favors in a bid to advance their political careers. Ambassador Klemm did praise Romania for taking steps to reduce nepotism and for the anti-corruption drive, which has seen the prosecution of senior politicians, including Prime Minister Victor Ponta, whose trial began in September. The ambassador did note however that the country’s regulatory climate “still lacks cohesion and long-term vision,” and called for rules that are transparent, predictable and stable.

12 October Vote returns showed on Monday that Romania’s ruling Social Democrats (PSD) have elected a former minister convicted of electoral fraud as their new leader in order to replace a previous chief who is now facing a corruption probe. Preliminary results from the weekend’s ballot show wide support for Liviu Dragnea, who took over as interim PSD leader in July when Prime Minister Victor Ponta stepped down from the party leadership after being indicted for forgery, money laundering and serving as an accessory to tax evasion. While the final results from the weekend’s vote have yet to bee announced, a PSD official has disclosed that “yes’ votes for Dragnea are overwhelming, way above 90 percent.”

5 October The country’s prime minister has disclosed that Romania has not been confronted by a large influx of

asylum-seekers and should be open to receiving more. On Monday, Victor Ponta disclosed that Romania has received 944 asylum requests this year, of which 18 were in August. The Prime Minister called it “an insignificant” increase compared to the previous year, adding that it was easier to support the efforts of countries who are willing to accept migrants “than to build walls, fences.” Speaking to lawmakers in Parliament, Ponta stated that Romania should increase its allowance to refugees, which

is currently 3 lei (70 eurocents; US $0.80) a day and that migrants and refugees should have access to health care, education and jobs. He also criticized Russian airstrikes on Syria, stating that they would aggravate the situation.

Russian Federation

30 October The country’s health minister announced Friday that Russia will double its spending on HIV care and prevention next year in the face of a growing epidemic. Earlier this week, Veronkia Skvortsova raised the alarm about the HIV epidemic in Russia, stating that it would spiral out of control by the end of the decade if the funding for treatment is not increased. She further indicated that with the current funding the government can provide care for less than a quarter of HIV-positive patients in Russia. On Friday, she indicated that the Russian budget will allocate more than US $600 million next year to double this year’s spending, adding that some of the funding will go to NGO’s who help to raise HIV awareness across the country. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev indicated that the number of HIV-positive Russians grows by 10 percent every year, adding that it is expected to hit 1 million by the end of the year.

29 October Russia’s foreign minister has indicated that talks on Syria in Vienna will finally bring together all the

key players for the first time. Sergey Lavrov stated Thursday that Moscow stands for coordination of efforts by all those who could help fight terrorism, warning that “ill-considered, unilateral actions only are pushing the Middle East and North Africa toward further degradation, expanding the space of instability and anarchy in the region.” According to Russian news agency, Lavrov was expected to meeting in Vienna with his Iranian counterpart later on Thursday.

A senior Russian diplomat has disclosed that he has met with some representatives of the Free Syrian

Army (FSA) amongst other Syrian opposition groups. Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted by state news agency RIA Novosti as stating Thursday that he had met in Moscow and in Cairo with several people who indicated that they represented the FSA, adding that he also had talks with various other Syrian opposition figures. The Russian diplomat’s claim follows other statements by Russian diplomats, who have disclosed that Moscow has reached out to various Syrian opposition groups who are opposed to the Islamic State (IS) group.

According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, international talks in Vienna should help launch an inter-Syrian

political dialogue and achieve political settlement. Speaking at Thursday’s briefing, Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova disclosed that Moscow is satisfied to see that Iran and Egypt have been invited to join the talks amongst other participants adding that using the potential of all regional players is essential for the success of the talks and unilateral approaches will not work. She also voiced the hope that the talks will be frank and constructive. The spokeswoman however again rejected allegations that Russia’s air campaign in Syria has caused civilian causalities as lies, reaffirming that the Russian warplanes only target terrorist infrastructure.

28 October Russian intelligence has warned of an increased risk of Taliban or Islamic State (IS) fighters invading

Central Asia. In comments that were carried by Russian news agencies on Wednesday, FSB director Alexander Bortnikov disclosed that a concentration of Taliban fighters, some of whom had pledged allegiance to the IS group, at Afghanistan’s northern border make the risk of invasion tangible. Afghanistan shares a porous border with the former Soviet republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the situation in Afghanistan “close to critical” and called on other former-Soviet nations to be prepared to act together in order to repel a possible attack.

27 October The Finance Minister indicated on Tuesday that Russia will deplete one of its two rainy day funds by

the end of next year as it tries to plug the state deficit amidst the economic downturn. Speaking to parliament on Tuesday, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told parliament that the Reserve Fund, which holds 4.7 trillion rubles (US $74 billion) is likely to halve by the end of the year with oil prices as low as they are, adding, “this means that 2016 could be the last year when we have these reserves to spend… From then on, we will have no resources like this.” The economy entered a recession this year for the first time since 2009 due to a drop in prices for the country’s crucial energy exports and Western

sanctions. Personal incomes have also fallen for the first time since president Vladimir Putin came to power 15 years ago.

25 October Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has disclosed that the Kremlin wanted Syria to prepare for

parliamentary and presidential elections, as Moscow intensified its drive to convert its increased clout with Damascus into a political settlement. In comments, which mark a shift in Russia’s position, the foreign minister also indicated that Russia’s airforce, which ha been bombing Islamic militants in Syria since 30 September, would be ready to help the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, if it knew where they were. While the Kremlin has in the past spoken broadly about the need for elections in Syria, Lavrov’s comments are its most specific call for political renewal yet and come just days after a surprise visit by Syrian President Assad to Moscow. In an interview with Russian state TV, which was broadcast on Saturday, Lavrov stated that “external players can not decide anything for the Syrians. We must force them to come up with a plan for their country where the interests of every religious, ethnic and political group will be well protected,” adding, “they need to prepare for both parliamentary and presidential elections.”

24 October According to news agencies, the government’s Anti-Terrorist Committee (NAK) has disclosed that

Russian security forces killed a militant linked to the Islamic State (IS) group in the North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan early on Saturday. Interfax has reported that special forces and police found Abdula Nusafaev in a house in the village of Gimry, adding that he was killed when he refused to surrender and opened fire. The NAK, which coordinates anti-terrorism operations, has reported that Nusafaev had been behind an explosion at Irganaiskaya power plant in Dagestan in September 2010 and was also involved in numerous attempts on the lives of law enforcement officers and civilians, adding that he swore fealty to IS in 2015.

The Russian foreign ministry has reported that on Saturday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov phoned US

Secretary of State John Kerry in order to discuss organizing talks between the Syrian government and opposition. According to the ministry, the two men spoke of the need to tap the potential of other countries in the region to push the political process forward. John Kirby, a State Department spokesman, confirmed the conversation, stating that the two men “…focused on their shared pursuit of options to achieve a political transition and discussed the potential for future multilateral meetings on the topic.”

22 October Russia announced Thursday that it will expand its military presence on the Kuril Islands, which lie off

Japan’s northern coast and which are claimed by Japan. According to Russian Defense Minister Serge Shoigu, the Kuril base will be developed along with four Artic bases. He indicated that the military infrastructure on the Kurils will include leisure facilities for the soldiers and their families, including cinemas, modern housing, hospitals and new roads, adding that a new airport has been opened in Iturup. A separate report has disclosed that the backbone of the military presence already on the islands was the 18th machine-gun artillery division, which numbers 3,500 and which is equipped with T-80 tanks and Buk M-1 anti-aircraft missiles. In July, the Defense Minister indicated that two garrisons were being built on Kunashir and Iturup, which are the main islands in the group near Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island.

21 October Syrian President Bashar Assad has traveled to Moscow in what is his first known trip abroad since war

broke out in his country in 2011. Officials have indicated that during his visit, he met with his strongest ally, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, adding that the two leaders stressed that military operations in Syria, in which Moscow is the latest and most powerful addition, must lead to a political process. The surprise visit, which occurred Tuesday, reflects renewed confidence from the embattled Syrian President after Russia and Iran, which is another ally, dramatically escalated their support recently as Moscow began carrying out airstrikes on Syrian insurgents and Tehran sent hundreds of round forces. Putin disclosed that he had invited Assad, thanking him for “coming to Moscow despite a tragic situation in your country. A Syrian official confirmed Wednesday that Assad had returned to Damascus.

Russia’s foreign ministry announced Wednesday that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary

of State John Kerry have agreed to meet in Vienna with their counterparts rom Saudi Arabia and Turkey in order to discuss the ongoing crisis in Syria. The statement, which was released Wednesday, comes just a day after Syrian President Bashar Assad went on a surprise visit to Moscow, where he met with President Vladimir Putin.

On Wednesday, the RIA news agency quoted Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stating that Russi

and Belarus plan to create a joint military defense mechanism within two years. 20 October According to President Putin, intelligence agents have foiled twenty terror plots in Russia this year.

Speaking on Tuesday at a ceremony at the Kremlin, President Putin indicated in televised comments that the FSB intelligence agency this year had foiled 20 terror plots, arrested 560 militants and killed 112 others in Russia’s North Caucasus in raids clashes. The Russian leader also asked the FSB to increase its efforts in preventing terror attacks as well as uncovering militants’ links to international groups. Just a few hours after the president’s announcement, police disclosed that they had detained twenty members of a banned Islamic organization in the Moscow region. Late on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry reported in a statement that authorities have “destroyed a cell” of the Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir in the Moscow region. Hizb ut-Tahrir, which preaches a radical brand of the Islamic faith but which has renounced violent methods, is banned in Russia and several Central Asian nations. According to the ministry, 97 people have been taken in for questioning in a “large-scale operation” involving police and intelligence services with 20 of them already detained. Officials have indicated that Hizb ut-Tahrir “secret cell” was raising funds for unnamed Islamic militants and attracting new members.

On Tuesday, Russia and the US put into practice new rules that are designed to minimize the risk of air collisions between between military aircraft over Syria. According to a Russian defense official in Moscow, the “memorandum of understanding” suggests a potential for US-Russian counterterrorism cooperation, however US officials have disclosed that it was a narrow arrangement that does not lessen Washington’s concern about the Russian military campaign. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook has disclosed that there is no plan to establish zones of cooperation in the parallel air campaigns or to share intelligence or target information in Syria.

19 October On Monday, Russia’s intelligence agency FSB disclosed that it has detained a man who was planning to

blow up a train in southern Russia and go to fight in Syria. Local news agencies quoted the FSB as stating Monday that they detained the Russian man, an assistant train driver, in the Krasnodar region last week, adding that the man moderated a “terrorist-leaning” social media group and was going to join Syrian militants after blowing up a train.

16 October On Friday, President Vladimir Putin disclosed that Russian airstrikes in Syria have killed hundreds of

militants as he called for a shared military effort of ex-Soviet nations to prevent possible militant incursions to Syria from Afghanistan. Speaking at a meeting of leaders of ex-Soviet nations in Kazakhstan, Putin disclosed that the Russian military has achieved “impressive” results during the air campaign in Syria, which was launched on 30 September. He further disclosed that “dozens of control facilities and ammunition depots, hundreds of terrorists and a large number of weapons have been destroyed. The Russian president reaffirmed that the Russian bombing of IS militants and other radicals in Syria will continue “for the period of the Syrian troops’ offensive operations against terrorists,” however he did not elaborate, on stating that between 5,000 and 7,000 people from Russia and other ex-Soviet nations are fighting alongside IS militants.

On Friday, a high-ranking military official disclosed that Russia has hit more than 456 Islamic State

group targets since launching its bombing campaign in Syria on 30 September. In a defense ministry statement, Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov, a senior Russian General Staff official reported that “since the Russian air force went into action on September 30, we made 669 combat sorties…in the strikes, 456 targets have been destroyed,” adding, “according to the General Staff, we were able to significantly disrupt the militants’ infrastructure, supply and control systems of the terrorist groups.” Karatpolov did note that the airforce is avoiding areas where the Free Syrian Army, which is the main Western-backed opposition force, is believed to be operating, adding, “we only hit targets of internationally-recognized terrorist groups. Our planes are not working in southern Syria, where, according to our information, the Free Syrian Army groups are located.” Despite the fact that many of the sites struck appear to fall outside territory held by IS, Moscow’s military has systematically claimed that its strikes are hitting IS group targets.

14 October A court in Moscow has sentenced a former defense factory chief from Ukraine to six years in prison on

espionage charges. On Wednesday, the Moscow City Court found Yuri Soloshenko, the 73-year-old former head of the Znamya electronics plant in Poltava, guilty of spying. In a statement, the Federal

Security Service, which is Russia’s main domestic security agency, disclosed that Soloshenko was arrested in Moscow in august 2014 while trying to buy secret components for the S-300 air defense missile system.

13 October A top Russian official has disclosed that the Dutch Safety Board report into the downing of Malaysia

Airlines Flight 17 is flawed. On Tuesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov disclosed that the “attempt to make a biased conclusion, in essence to carry out a political order, is obvious.” In the report, the Dutch concluded that the Buk missile that brought the plane down was fired from a specific territory in eastern Ukraine, lane which was held at the time by Russian-backed separatists. Even before the Dutch report was released, the Russian maker of Buk missiles presented its own report in a bid to try to clear the separatists, and Russia itself, of any involvement in downing the plane. Almaz-Antey contended that its experiments, in one of which a Buk missile was detonated near the nose of an airplane similar to a 777, contradict the conclusion, with the company stating that the experimental aircraft’s remains showed a much different damage pattern than the remnants of MH17.

12 October Security officials reported Monday that they have thwarted a planned attack on Moscow public

transport system by militants trained by the IS group. Sources have disclosed that several terror suspects, some of whom intelligence officials say were trained by IS militants in Syria, were arrested on Sunday. In a statement released on Monday, the Federal Security Service (FSB), Russia’s main domestic security agency, disclosed that a device with 11 pounds of explosives was found in a Moscow apartment that was being rented by the suspects. The FSB further reported that some of the suspects had been trained by IS militants and that they were plotting a terrorist attack on Moscow’s public transport. While authorities have not disclosed how many people were detained on Sunday, they have indicated that “between six and 11 people” frequented the apartment, with the FSB reporting that the men had arrived in Moscow “well before” Russia began carrying out airstrikes in Syria on 30 September. Russian authorities have reported that about 2,400 Russians have joined IS militants, voicing concerns that they may pose a threat when they return home.

10 October Russia’s defense ministry has announced that the country is increasing the number of air strikes

against IS in Syria. On Saturday morning, the ministry reported that it had hit 55 IS group targets in Syria in the last 24 hours. The Russian military reported Saturday that the most recent air strikes, which were carried out in the provinces of Aleppo, Damascus, Raqqa, Idlib and Hama, destroyed 29 “terrorist” training camps as well as 23 defensive positions, two command centres and an ammunition depot. To explain the intensified strikes, it cited “a significant increase in the number of ground targets” located by air-based and space-based reconnaissance teams across Syria. A statement released by the defense ministry disclosed that “in the initial stage of our operation, our aircraft destroyed the principal and largest logistical hubs of the IS terrorist group,” adding that “this has led to a significant reduction in the fighting potential of armed groups, and a reduction in their mobility and their capacity to launch offensives.”

On Saturday, Russia indicated that it wanted to see a bigger European monitoring mission in Ukraine

in order to help oversee withdrawal of mortars, tanks and light artillery under recent agreements. Russia’s backing for an expanded Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission may be a further sign that it wants to see the peace process in the country succeed, an outcome which could eventually lead to Western sanctions being eased against Russia. A statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry disclosed that “Russia is in favor of increasing the number of observers to the maximum permitted 1000,” adding that the mission currently has 543 staff members. The statement noted that “this is especially current in view of the new tasks of fulfilling the agreements of Sept. 29 on withdrawing mortars, tanks and light artillery.” The ministry issued the statement ahead of Moscow’s talks on Monday between Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier.

9 October Russia has denied that cruise missiles fired at Syrian targets from a warship in the Caspian sea fell short

of their target, and instead landed in Iran. On Thursday, anonymous sources claimed that four of the 26 missiles that were launched landed in a rural part of Iran, however it was unclear exactly where. Northern Iran and Iraq are on the 1,450-kilometer (900-mile) flight plan to Syria. Russia however has claimed that all 26 missiles fired from the warship hit their targets in northern and north-western Syria. Reacting to the claims from US sources, the Russian defense ministry disclosed that “no matter how unpleasant and unexpected it is for our colleagues in the Pentagon and Langley, our strike

yesterday with precision-guided weapons at ISIS infrastructure in Syria hit its targets.” Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency also reported that the Iranian defense ministry had rejected the reports, claiming that they were part of the west’s “psychological warfare.”

Russia’s justice minister has disclosed that Moscow is open to discussing handing over to Kiev a

Ukrainian pilot who has been charged with the murder of two journalists. On Friday, Russian Justice Minister Alexander Konovalov was quoted by Russian news agencies as stating that Nadezhda Savchenko’s transfer to Ukraine “could be discussed” as soon as the verdict in the case is in. Savchenko, a Ukrainian pilot who served in a volunteer battalion fighting alongside government troops against Russian-backed rebels, says that she was kidnapped by Russians after she was captured by the rebels in June 2014. Russian prosecutors however insist that Savchenko escaped from the rebels and was caught when she cross the border into Russia. Senior officials in Ukraine and in the West have been calling for her release, stating that Russia has effectively taken her hostage.

7 October Russia has indicated that it has launched rocket strikes on Islamic State (IS) group targets in Syria from

warships in the Caspian Sea, located about 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) away. According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, four warships fired 26 sea-based cruise missiles on 11 targets, destroying them and causing no civilian casualties. Meanwhile Syrian officials have disclosed that Syrian ground troops have launched an offensive under Russian air cover. It appears to be the first co-ordinated offensive since the air campaign by Russia, which is a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, began on 30 September. Russia has also denied claims that its week of strikes have mainly hit non-IS targets. While Russia has indicated that it is targeting “all terrorists,” at least some of its air strikes have reportedly hit civilians and Western-backed rebels. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported earlier this week that “the most intense fighting in months” in Hama and Idlib provinces, adding that the clashes followed a wave of Russian air strikes in the same areas. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter has reported that coalition forces fighting IS in Syria would not co-operate with Russia, indicating that “we believe Russia has the wrong strategy…They continue to hit targets that are not IS. We believe this is a fundamental mistake.”

6 October Nato has reported that Russia’s violation of Turkish airspace over the weekend “does not look like an

accident.” While Russia has indicated that Saturday’s incursion was brief and due to bad weather, adding that it is examining claims of another violation, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has indicated that Russia had not provided “any real explanation” of the violation, which “lasted for a long time.” Turkey’s army also says that an unidentified fighter jet locked its radar on to eight of its jets on Monday. This echoes a similar incident that occurred Sunday, when an unidentified Mig-29, which analysts say may have been Syrian, locked its radar onto Turkish jets for more than five minutes over the Turkish-Syrian border.

5 October On Monday, Russia signaled a deepening intervention in the Syrian war by strongly hinting that its

“volunteer” ground forces would soon be fighting there. Sources have disclosed that the addition of Russian ground forces to the assaults that are already underway by Russian warplanes especially threatens to undermine Turkey’s Syria policy, which aims for the establishment of a “safe zone” along the Turkish border where some Syrian refugees could return in the future.

3 October Russia has pledged to intensify its air strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria, stating that the

bombing has significantly weakened the militants. In a statement, Col. Gen Andrey Karapolov stated that Russian aircraft had already made more than thirty sorties with the aim of hitting more than “50 infrastructure targets of the Islamic State terrorist organization,” adding, “our intelligence shows that militants are leaving areas under their control. Panic and desertion have started in their ranks…Some 600 mercenaries have abandoned their positions and are trying to get to Europe.” Col Gen Karapolov stressed that because of these results, Russia would now “not only continue but intensify” its air strikes. Britain however has stated that Russia’s strikes were supporting its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The West also states that Russia is also hitting non-IS rebels. Moscow however has denied the claim.

2 October The Russian Defense Ministry released a statement Friday, indicating that the latest wave of airstrikes

in Syria targeted only IS and destroyed a command post near Daret Azzeh in the Aleppo region and hit a field camp near Maaret al-Numan in the Idlib region, wiping out bunkers and weapons stores. The ministry also released cockpit video of the bombing of the Kassert-Faradz command post and of two

attacks that occurred in Maaret al-Numan. Russian jets appeared to be primarily bombing the central and northwestern regions of Syria, which are strategic regions that are the gateway to Syrian President Assad’s strongholds in the capital of Damascus and the coast.

1 October On Thursday, Russian jets launched a second day of air strikes in Syria. According to Russia’s defense

ministry, Sukhoi-24M and Sukhoi-25 aircraft had flown eight sorties, hitting an ammunition depot near Idlib as well as a three-storey Islamic State (IS) command centre near Hama. It further disclosed that a pinpoint strike had destroyed a facility located in the north of Homs aimed at rigging cars with explosives for suicide attacks. Sources however have reported that the areas that were targeted by Russian warplanes are not held by IS. IS, which is largely based in the north and eastern regions of Syria, does not have a substantial presence in Hama or Homs. Al-Mayadeen, a pro-Damascus television channel, has reported that the jets carried out at least thirty strikes against an insurgent alliance, known as the Army of Conquest, which includes the Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch, but not IS. In recent months, the alliance has been advancing against government forces in northwestern Syria. It has the support of regional countries that oppose both IS and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Slovakia

14 October On Wednesday, the Slovak government voted to deploy fifty police officers in order to help neighboring Hungary control the number of migrants that are crossing its border on the southern boundary of the EU. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico disclosed Wednesday that “if the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary join their forces it will be a significant contribution to the protection of the Schengen border between Hungary and Serbia.” According to documents on the government website, the Slovak police will work on Hungary’s border with Serbia for a month. The Czech government has also greed to deploy soldiers and police.

8 October Slovakian President Andrey Kiska has criticized the government for its handling of the migrant crisis and opposition to EU quotas. Addressing the country’s Parliament on Wednesday, Kiska stated that the government does not understand that the quota plan shows solidarity amongst EU member states. He further indicated that Slovakia is in a position to take in thousands of refugees fleeing war and that it would not harm his country, adding that it is the refusal to accept to the quota system that harms the country and which has led it to isolation. The leftist government of Prime Minister Robert Fico is challenging a EU decision to redistribute 120,000 asylum-seekers amongst the bloc’s 28 nations. Slovakia voted against the plan, along with Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic.

Ukraine

27 October Ukraine has reported that one of its soldiers has been killed by rebel forces that were violating a cease fire in the astern region of the country. On Tuesday, Oleksander Motuzyanyk, from the presidential administration, disclosed that one soldier was killed the day before when government positions came under fire from the direction of the Donetsk airport. This is the first reported government loss in fighting since mid-October. The airport was a major flashpoint during the conflict and was largely destroyed last year. Russian-backed rebels reported that government troops fired on their positions at the airport for several hours on Tuesday.

26 October On Monday, four exit polls from Ukraine’s local elections indicated that the governing coalition would

retain its dominant position in the western and central region of the country despite widespread disappointment with the government of President Petro Poroshenko. Meanwhile in the southern and eastern regions of the country, voters favored the Opposition Bloc, which was formed from the remnants of the party of the former pro-Russia president, who was overthrown in early 2014 after months of street protests. The Central Election Committee disclosed that it had received data from only 30 percent of the vote by early Monday morning, which reflects the challenge of calculating the results of elections for more than 10,700 local councils as well as mayors. Complete results of the elections are expected on 4 November.

25 October On Sunday, Ukrainians voted in local elections, which are seen as a test of strength for President Petro

Poroshenko’s government and for the oligarchs accustomed to running their own regions, however a last-minute dispute blocked the ballot in a key port city. Voters on Sunday were choosing more than 10,700 councils as well as mayors in elections held nationwide, except for in parts of the Donetsk and

Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine that remain under the control of Russian-backed rebels. In those eastern areas that were recaptured by government forces after fierce fighting last year, former separatists were running for office as candidates from the Opposition Bloc. Voting however was scrapped on Sunday at the very last minute in Mariupol which is a major port and steel city on the Sea of Azov, where tensions have been rising over the influence of Rinat Akhmetov, who is Ukraine’s richest man whose industrial holdings are key to the city’s economy. The local election commission in Mariupol on Sunday refused to accept the ballots as they had been printed by a company that is owned by Akhmetov, who supports the Opposition Bloc. According to Alexander Yarosheno, the mayoral candidate for Mariupol from the party of Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister, “they are trying to throw us back to the terrible past when one oligarch decided the fate of elections, but today the situation has changed.” The Opposition Bloc also accused the government of suspending the local election in Mariupol because it feared total defeat. The president ordered the national parliament and central elections commission to make sure that the vote in Mariupol took place soon. The city was already severely affected after more than a year of worry that it was about to be overrun by the Russian-backed rebels, who seized territory just a few kilometres away. A similar situation also occurred in the nearby eastern city of Krasnoarmiisk, where the vote was postponed when local election officials refused to accept the ballots.

24 October Rebels in eastern Ukraine have ousted an international task force of doctors, in a move that has

effectively denied thousands of civilians urgent medical care. The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic has blacklisted Medecins Sans Frontieres. Bart Janssens, MSF’s director of organizations, has indicated that rebel chiefs gave no reason for the ban and warned that the ruling is likely to lead to the deaths of patients. He urged the rebels to reconsider the move, stating, “as a medical organization we ethically cannot accept being forced to abandon our patients.” Medics with the Ngo have treated Ukrainian civilians wounded in the war as well as patients with chronic and potentially fatal illnesses. The group supplies more than 75% of insulin in the DPR and almost all its dialysis equipment. Janssens disclosed that MSF treats around 150 prisoners in the DPR who suffer from drug-resistant tuberculosis, adding, “there is a huge risk that the health of these patients will deteriorate soon.” He further warned that an interruption to their treatment “will lead to a major risk to public health.”

Direct flights between Ukraine and Russia will stop on Sunday, as new sanctions, which were initiated

by Kiev, come into effect. Ukrainian officials have indicated that flights will end at midnight on Saturday, after last-minute crisis talks failed. While Russia initially called Kiev’s ban on Russian airlines “madness,” it has since announced that it will mirror the move. Up to 70,000 passengers a month will be affected. The sanctions are intended to punish Russia for annexing Crimea and for supporting armed rebels in eastern Ukraine.

19 October A law firm representing former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has disclosed that he is suing

Ukraine for violating his human rights. In a statement released on Monday, London-based Joseph Hage Aaronson disclosed that Yanukovych has lodged a lawsuit against Ukraine’s government with the European Court of Human Rights for “repeatedly” violating his human rights. In February 2014, following months of anti-government protests, Yanukovych fled to Russia, later insisting that he was threatened and forced to leave the country. In August, a district court in Kiev began trying Yanukovych in absentia for his alleged role in the massacre on Kiev’s main square at the end of the protest. His lawyers have indicated that Yanukovych has suffered “discriminatory treatment due to this political status and opinions” and that he cannot return to Ukraine because of security risks.

15 October On Thursday, Ukraine gave Russia two weeks in order to accept to write off part of its loans to the

country, as other international creditors have agreed to do. In a statement released on Thursday, Arseny Yatsenyuk disclosed that all Ukrainian bondholders on Wednesday agreed on the restructuring deal at a meeting in London, however a Russian representative did not show up. Yatsenyuk further indicated that he would give Moscow two weeks, until 29 October, to agree to likewise trim a US $3 billion loan that Russia gave to Ukraine in 2013. While Yatsenyuk threatened to sue Russia if it does not agree, it remains unclear what legal basis Ukraine would have. Moscow has insisted on being fully repaid for the loan, which is due by the end of the year. Speaking on Thursday to reporters, Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, disclosed that Russia has no intention to agree to any restructuring. Ukraine’s potential failure to pay down the debt on time could result in a show-down between the two countries at the end of the December, which may spill into possible asset seizures. In

August, Ukraine and its international creditors agreed to write off 20 percent of Ukraine’s bond holdings, effectively decreasing US $19 billion in the country’s sovereign debt to US $15.5 billion.

Ukraine has won a seat on the UN Security Council, effectively giving it a global platform to wage its

political battle against Russia for annexing Crimea and supporting Ukrainian separatists. Four other countries, Egypt, Japan, Senegal and Uruguay, were also elected to the UN’s most powerful body. All five countries were unopposed in their bids for the non-permanent seats and will begin their two-year terms on 1 January 2016. Officials however have already indicated that there will almost certainly be tensions after Ukraine takes its seat alongside permanent member Russia. Despite sources reporting that Russia had quietly campaigned against Ukraine’s bid, Ukraine easily won approval from the required two-thirds of the 1973 UN members states that voted on Thursday. Senegal was the top vote-getter with 187 votes, followed by Uruguay with 185, Japan with 184, Egypt with 179 and Ukraine with 177.

14 October On Wednesday, Ukraine reported its fist military fatality from pro-Russian rebel fire in a month as a

fragile new truce in the separatist east faces one of its biggest tests to date. The military in Kiev has reported that rebels shot at positions south of Avdiivka, which is a northern suburb of the separatists’ self-declared capital Donetsk. A statement released by the Ukrainian military disclosed that “the bandits did not stop at their regular provocations and fired at our positions using barrel-mounted and automatic grenade launchers,” adding, “one soldier was killed and two were injured.”

A senior Ukrainian rebel leader has rejected a Dutch report, which concluded that a Russian-made

missile downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in 2014. Aleksandr Zakharchenko has disclosed that the investigation into the disaster “hadn’t been carried out properly at all.” On Wednesday, Zakharchenko, leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR), denied that his forces had possessed Buk missile launches, and criticized the board, questioning why it did not disclose to whom the missile belonged or the location from which it was fired. He further questioned, “why were the Malaysians not given access? Why didn’t they collect all the wreckage? They still haven’t collected all the wreckage.” Under rules governing international crash investigations, the Dutch board did not have the authorities to apportion blame. Furthermore, the unstable security situation in eastern Ukraine hampered efforts to retrieve debris and bodies in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.

13 October Ukraine’s foreign minister has defended the country’s decision not to close its airspace on the day that

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was brought down, stating that no one in Kiev knew that Russia had brought highly sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles into Ukraine. On Tuesday, Pavlo Klimkin told a news conference at the UN headquarters in New York that the government had consulted all Ukrainian authorities involved in risk assessments and that it found “no clue” that anyone even imagined this possibility before the attack on 17 July 2014. Klimkin did praise the Dutch report, stating that it was objective, “fully unbiased and transparent,” and that now the criminal investigation must show the chain of command and bring the perpetrators to justice. On Tuesday, the Dutch Safety Board revealed in its report that the plane was brought down by a missile fired from eastern Ukraine. All 298 people aboard were killed. At the time of the incidents, Russia-backed separatists controlled that territory.

12 October On Monday, Russia’s gas monopoly Gazprom resumed supplies to Ukraine. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller

disclosed that supplies, which were suspended in the spring, recommenced earlier after the company received US $234 million out of a promised US $500 million repayment from Kiev. The deal, which was signed last month with the help of the EU, will effectively ensure that Ukraine will receive Russian gas for a period of six months, through March 2016. Previous gas disputes between the two countries have led to cutoffs of supply.

Kiev has announced that it will ban all flights from Russia beginning on 25 October in retaliation to a

similar Russian ban. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure, this will apply to all Russian airlines, and will be in effect until Moscow lifts the ban that it imposed on Ukrainian carriers on 29 September. In a statement, the ministry disclosed that “after the lifting of the ban by the Russian side, Russian airlines, which were not included in the sanctions list will be able to fly to Ukraine.” On 29 September, Russia closed its skies to Ukrainian airlines in response to Ukraine’s ban on 16 September of all but one Russian carrier, when Kiev added them to their sanctions list. They included Aeroflot,

Transaero, S7, Red Wings, Gazpromavia, Rossiya and Ural Airlines. UTair was the only Russian carrier that was not included on the sanctions list.

10 October On Saturday, one person was killed and three others were wounded as fresh clashes erupted in the

eastern rebel bastion of Donetsk. According to pro-Moscow rebels, Ukrainian army fire killed one fighter and wounded two others near an airport smashed by months of fighting in the outskirts of separatist “capital” Donetsk. Sources have reported that bursts of what was likely light artillery could be heard as night fell. The Ukrainian army has denied responsibility for the causalities claimed by the separatists and has instead blamed the rebels for the unrest, in which it said one soldier was wounded. According to army spokesman Oleksandr Zavtonov, “we came under heavy machine-gun and grenade-launcher fire” from the airport,” adding, “we retaliated using firearms so that we could evacuate a wounded person, but those forbidden (by a fragile peace deal) were not used.” The clashes violated a ceasefire that had been holding for several weeks. This is the first serious incident to take place in the flashpoint area since an early September truce agreement. It also underscores the fragility of the internationally backed peace process between the warring parties.

9 October Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Natalia Yaresko, failed to

reach a deal at their meeting on Friday on restructuring Kiev’s US $3 billion debt to Moscow, however they have agreed to continue the talks. Speaking shortly after the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank semi-annual meeting, Siluanov disclosed, “we stated our position on the need to repay the debt to the Russian Federation.” In a separate statement, the Ukrainian side indicated that “(Yaresko) provided details on the debt restructuring agreement reached with Ukraine’s Ad Hoc Committee of creditors and called Russia to participate in that agreement.” Ukraine has agreed to a debt restructuring deal with a group of its largest creditors in order to plug a US $15 billion funding gap under an International Monetary Fund-led US $40 billion bailout programme. However major creditors still need to approve the plan. Russia has stated on numerous occasions that Ukraine must repay the debt in December, when it falls due. Friday’s meeting, which was the first between the countries’ finance ministers since June, when Ukraine announced its plan to restructure its foreign debt, was brokered by Germany and attended by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.

6 October On Tuesday, Ukraine’s pro-Russian insurgents took a major step towards political reconciliation by

announced that they will push back disputed local elections into next year, which is inline with Western demands. The chief negotiators of the self-proclaimed “people’s republics” have indicated that they had “agreed to postpone the (Donetsk) elections of 18 October and the (Lugansk) poll of November 1 until next year.” The announcement was immediately welcomed by Kiev’s pro-EU leadership and the Kremlin. The EU has also called the move a “fundamental step” towards peace. The decision coincided with the withdrawal of Ukrainian tanks from the line splitting government forces from the rebels of one of the two separatist eastern industrial provinces.

5 October President Petro Poroshenko has stressed that Ukraine must regain control of its eastern border by the

end of December even if full implementation of a February peace agreement with Russia is delayed until 2016. In view of remarks by French President Francois Hollande, who stated at a media event held after a summit meeting on the crisis in Paris on Friday that he saw no way the February deal could conceivably be implemented by its end-of-year deadline, President Poroshenko was seeking to clarify his stance, telling Ukrainian television late on Sunday that “the border is a key component of our sovereignty and we are not going to compromise over it.” The main sticking point is the date of local elections in Ukraine’s eastern separatist provinces of Lugansk and Donetsk. Under the truce agreement, Russia must cede the entire 400-kilometer (250-mile) stretch of Ukraine’s porous eastern frontier the day after those polls are held. However President Hollande told reporters that there was insufficient time “to draw up a law, an electoral law that perfectly conforms” to international norms, adding that the planned elections could take place only 90 days fter such legislation is put in place. The Donetsk insurgents intend to hold their polls on 18 October while their neighbors in separatist Lugansk have their own vote that is scheduled to take place on 1 November.

3 October Despite fighting having all but stopped in the country’s separatist east, the leaders of Russia, Ukraine,

France and Germany have agreed to delay local elections in Ukraine in order to ensure that they meet international standards. While the latest ceasefire, which was called last month, has largely been observed by both pro-Russian and Ukrainian forces, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko warned at a summit in Paris that Russia still had “plenty of work to do” before economic sanctions could be lifted.

Rival elections planned by Kiev and the Russia-backed rebel regions have also proved to be a major sticking point in implementing a peace agreement, which was reached in Minsk in February. Addressing the media shortly after the summit, French President Francois Holland and German Chancellor Angela Merkel disclosed that the leaders had agreed that a rebel vote planned in the east on 18 October could not go ahead. Hollande stated that “we don’t want elections to take place in eastern Ukraine that do not respect the Minsk dead,” adding that there was a need for “time to draw up a law, an electoral law that perfectly conforms” to international standards. The French president further disclosed that only 90 days after such a law is voted in could the planned local elections take place, effectively meaning that the Minsk deadline of 31 December 2015 for the vote had to be pushed back. He further disclosed that it was on the security front that the peace deal “has made the most progress,” adding that light weapons would be withdrawn from the frontline in eastern Ukraine beginning on Saturday. However in a blow to Poroshenko, Hollande called for “amnesty” and “immunity” for all election candidates, including the rebels.

2 October International monitors have reported that they have found a new type of Russian-made rocket system

in rebel-held eastern Ukraine. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) spotted the powerful TOS-1 Buratino multiple rocket launcher in Luhansk. In a statement, the OSCE, which is monitoring the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, reported that it found the Buratino on a military training ground run by the so-called People’s Republic of Luhansk in the village of Kruhlyk. The rockets have two types of warhead, either incendiary, which can spread flames over tens of kilometres, or thermobaric, which sucks up oxygen in order to boost the explosion. A spokesman for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine has indicated that this is particularly significant because of the damage that the rockets could cause.

1 October Ukraine’s defense minister disclosed Thursday that government forces will pull out small-caliber

weapons from the war-torn eastern region of the country in two day’s time if the cease-fire holds. On Tuesday, Ukraine, along with Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe agreed on the withdrawal of tanks and other weapons from the front line. The agreement was signed with rebel leaders in Donetsk and Luhansk on Wednesday. The agreement, which was reached Tuesday in Minsk, Belarus, by the so-called Contact group, calls for tanks, artillery and also mortars up to 120 mm to be pulled back at least 15 kilometres (9 miles) from the front line. Officials have disclosed that the withdrawal is expected to take 39 days. On Thursday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak indicated that Kiev will pull out all small-caliber weapons ion Saturday if the ongoing cease-fire holds. A February agreement, which called for a pullback of large-caliber artillery, has been largely observed. The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany are meeting in Paris on Friday in order to push forward a political settlement for eastern Ukraine. On Thursday, a French diplomatic official disclosed that France supports autonomy for the east as long as it remains a part of Ukraine. The official further reported that Paris would speak out for lifting the sanctions if the peace accords are fulfilled.

Northern Europe

Denmark

28 October According to Danish police, a 58-year-old man faces preliminary charges of racism and violence for allegedly spitting on a group of refugees from a highway overpass near the southern port town of Roedby. On Wednesday, police spokesman Kim Kliver declined to name the man, however he confirmed that the man is from the area. A photo of him spitting from the E47 highway bridge on 8 September circulated on social media and was met by critical comments. The refugees were walking on the highway after a ferry crossing from Germany. They were believed to be heading for Sweden and other Nordic countries.

The Danish military has reported that an air force F-16 fighter jet crashed in the North Sea off western

Denmark, adding that the pilot ejected safely under “controlled circumstances” and was picked up at sea by a helicopter. On Wednesday, the civilian Accident Investigation Board indicated that it is investigating the cause of Tuesday’s crash, which occurred off the island of Fanoe. The jet fighter was on a training flight when the pilot reported technical troubles. The pilot then emptied the jet fighters fuel tanks over the North Sea before ejecting.

5 October On Monday, Denmark, which earlier this year slashed benefits for asylum seekers, announced that it is making it more difficult to acquire citizenship in the country. In a statement, Integration Minister Inger Stojberg disclosed that “acquiring Danish citizenship is something very special, and therefore it also reasonable that we now raise the bar for when a person can call themselves a Danish citizen.” Sources have indicated that those wanting to become Danish nationals will have to meet tougher requirements on language skills, and be financially self-sufficient for four years and six months of the past five years, an increase from the current two years and six months. Applicants will also have to score better on a current affairs test, answering correctly on at least 80 percent of questions, up from the current 73 percent. For those applicants who have a criminal record, the period of time that has to elapse since their conviction before they can apply for citizenship will be increased by 50 percent. Danish media have reported that the new regulations will come into force on 15 October. On 1 July, Denmark decreased benefits for asylum seekers in a bid to lower the number of refugees coming to the Scandinavian country. Under the new rules, which came into effect in September, an asylum seeker without children receives 5,945 kroner (US $882; 797 euros) per month in benefits, almost half the 10,849 kroner they had previously received. Single parents arriving from a non-EU country receive 11,888 kroner per month, down from the previous 14,426 kroner.

Estonia

7 October A small, anti-immigrant opposition party in Estonia has called for a referendum to make sure that the country does not increase the number of refugees it has agreed to take in. EKRE Chairman Mart Helme has disclosed that the populist, nationalist party has mailed a petition to 530,000 Estonian households this week, adding that so far, about 2,000 have signed the petition. On Wednesday, Helme disclosed that the three-party government coalition “has betrayed the Estonian people” by agreeing to take in about 550 migrants.

Finland

20 October Finland expects to receive fewer Iraqi asylum seekers after it re-assessed the country’s security and decided that people will not qualify simply because they come from Iraq. This year, most of the 23,000 asylum seekers that arrived in Finland are Iraqis who have been encouraged by the country’s relatively broad asylum criteria coupled with an existing Iraqi community. Under Finland’s standard for granting asylum, people must have a “well-founded fear” of persecution in their own country to be granted asylum. However on Tuesday, the Finnish Immigration Service disclosed that judging whether they qualify will now depend on individual circumstances, not just the fact that they come from Iraq. The Immigration Service also disclosed that security has improved in the province of Babylon and in the city of Kirkuk, adding that “while the security situation in Baghdad is still problematic, all people who come from Baghdad cannot be considered to run a personal risk of falling victim to violence.”

16 October Prosecutors in Sweden have indicted an Eritrean asylum-seeker on two counts of murder for the stabbing deaths of a 55-year-old woman and her 27-year-old sun at an Ikea furniture store in August. According to prosecutors, the man used kitchen knives from the store in Vasteras, central Sweden, to stab the two victims. He then slashed himself in the stomach. Just before the attacks, the man had learned that his application for asylum had been rejected. Speaking to reporters, chief prosecutor Eva Moren disclosed that the man had confessed to the 10 August attacks, stating that he had been thinking about killing someone or himself if he was not allowed to stay in Sweden.

15 October Finland’s Border Guard police, who are working with Swedish officials, have arrested fifteen people suspected of running an “extensive” human trafficking ring, which has smuggled dozens of migrants from Sweden into Finland. On Thursday, border guard officials disclosed that the suspects are Iraqi-born residents of Finland and Sweden, adding that they are suspected of bringing at least 100 persons to Finland from Turkey via Sweden over the past year. Officials further indicated that the suspects have received “substantial financial gain” from running the ring charging sums of up to 10,000 euros (US $11,500) for a single trip from Turkey to Finland.

14 October On Wednesday, Finland lowered its estimate for the number of asylum seekers who are expected to arrive in the country this year to 30 – 35,000 from its previous estimate of 50,000. The Interior Ministry has reported that the decline is due to its measures to control immigration, such as opening a registration centre in northern Finland for those who have crossed over from Sweden.

Government records have indicated that so far this year, 22,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Finland, most of whom are from Iraq. This is up from the 3,600 people who arrived in the country in 2014.

12 October On Monday, Iraqi asylum seekers rallied in central Helsinki and signed a petition against Finland’s plans to negotiate a deal with Baghdad that could lead to their deportation, arguing that their country should not be considered safe. Encouraged by relatively broad Finnish asylum criteria and an existing Iraqi community, many have taken the long journey thorough centre Europe and Sweden in order to reach Finland’s border. The government however has responded by suspending decision-making on asylum claims by Iraqis and Somalis, stating that it may tighten guidelines for granting people asylum after reassessing the security situation in both countries. Sources have reported that Helsinki has also begun to negotiate an accord with Iraq on deportations of asylum seekers who have been judged not to have genuine fear of their safety or of persecution, but rather to have come more as economic migrants to better their living standards. In the wake of this move, more than 300 Iraqi asylum seekers have signed a petition to the Finnish government, criticizing its plans. Around 50 Iraqis also rallied in central Helsinki.

5 October Officials have reported that some 11,000 asylum-seekers arrived in the country last month, effectively

brining this year’s figure to more than 19,600 so far, up from a 2014 total of 3,650. 3 October Demonstrators for and against the thousands of migrants entering Finland have rallied in the northern

Finnish border town of Tornio, which is the sole entry point for migrants arriving from Sweden. Finish police have disclosed that no incidents wee reported during Saturday’s demonstrations, which attracted fewer than 100 people favoring refugees. Another 200 opponents held Finish flags and banners saying “migrants not welcome.

2 October On Friday, Finland raised its estimate for the number of asylum-seekers expected the reach the country

this year, increasing the number from 30,000 to 50,000 after a heightened influx that occurred in September. In a statement, the interior ministry disclosed that “a new railway connection from southern Sweden to Lulea (Up north), due to open on Saturday, may in the short term increase the number of asylum seekers coming to Finland.” The statement further disclosed that its new forecast resembles the numbers seeking asylum in Germany or Sweden, which are two of the most favored destinations for migrants streaming into Europe. Last month, after a long journey through Central Europe and neighboring Sweden, thousands of Iraqi refugees arrived in Finland after being drawn to the country by an existing Iraqi community and eased asylum criteria. So far this year, Finland has registered 18,400 asylum-seekers, compared with 3,600 in all of 2014. While Finland abstained from a majority vote of the EU’s 28 interior ministries last month to set mandatory quotas for redistributing migrants from Italy and Greece, Helsinki is now taking a number of measures in order to tighten its asylum policies. It has suspended decision-making on asylum claims by Somalis and Iraqis, stating that it would reassess whether they had genuinely been threatened by war or persecution back home. The government is also looking to reduce cash and social integration benefits for asylum seekers. Last month, it began random border checks in the town of Tornio and set up a registration centre there in order to better control refugee flows in the north.

Ireland

13 October Ireland has crafted its second consecutive expansionary budget, with an expected 1.5 billion euros (US $1.7 billion) in tax cuts and spending hikes. The 2016 budget, which was unveiled Tuesday, will be the last before Prime Minister Enda Kenny calls an expected election in March 2016. Kenny is hoping to campaign on a platform of sound economic stewardship following the country’s descent to the brink of bankruptcy under the previous government.

Latvia

20 October Latvia has announced plans to build a fence along parts of its 270-kilometer (168-mile) border with Russia in a bid to prevent illegal immigration into the small Baltic country. On Tuesday, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Daiga Holma disclosed that the fence, which will be equipped with high-tech sensors, will cover 90 kilometres of the land border in several sections, adding that it is part of a 20 million euro (US $23 million) project over the next four years that aims to strengthen and better mark Latvia’s border with its eastern neighbor. While the fence was planned well before the migrant crisis

in Europe, Holma has disclosed that the project has become “a priority” because of fears that traffickers will use Latvia as a route for immigrants. Officials have reported that some 300 migrants, mostly from Vietnam but also from Syria and Iraq, have entered the Baltic country illegally from Russia this year.

Lithuania

No significant incidents to report.

Norway

30 October Norway has indicated that it expects up to 33,000 people will seek refuge in the country next year. According to officials, more than 13,000 asylum seekers have so far travelled to the Scandinavian country, with estimates indicated that the numbers could reach up to 25,000 this year. On Friday, Finance Minister Siv Jensen indicated that Norway “must have a strict but just asylum police,” adding that it was “necessary to review rules and procedures that can reduce costs per asylum-seeker and the flow of new applicants.

26 October On Monday, Norway raised its forecasts for how many asylum seekers will arrive in 2015, as the

government prepares to offer an amendment to its 2016 budget that could increase state spending to deal with the increased arrivals. The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) has disclosed that asylum applications might reach 30,00 to 35,000, an increase from a forecast of 20,000 to 25,000, which was made on 5 October. According to Christine Wilbert, the section director at UDI in charge of reception centres, “now we think it is probably going to be over 3,000…It is not unthinkable that we are going to land between 30,000 and 35,000.” Sources have disclosed that the government of Prime Minister Erna Solbert will soon offer an amendment to Parliament concerning its 2016 budget, which it presented less than three weeks ago, in order to adjust the cost of more people seeking protection. On 7 October, the Norwegian government indicated that it planned to make its first net withdrawal of money from the country’s wealth fund next year in order to pay for tax cuts and to help boost an economy that has been affected by weak oil prices. Solberg has since disclosed that the rapid influx of asylum seekers could lead to an even larger withdrawal from the US $865 billion fund.

20 October The country’s justice minister has ruled that asylum-seekers arriving from Russian can be returned if

they have documents allowing them to stay in that country. On Tuesday, Justice Minister Anders Anundsen disclosed that immigration in Norway is “controlled and strictly regulated” and that it is important that officials send “a clear signal” to people who do not need protection or have legal residence in Russia. He further disclosed that officials have seen a number of cases of people coming in who had “strong connections to Russia through dual citizenship, residence permits or visas.” The decision comes as an increasing number of migrants have been crossing into Norway from Russia at the remote Arctic border post in Storskog, many on bicycles and other forms of transport as pedestrian crossings are not allowed there. Last week, sources disclosed that 500 of a total 2,000 asylum-seekers arriving in Norway came through Storskog.

15 October Government ministers reported on Thursday that the country is seeking to return a growing number

of Syrian asylum seekers arriving in the Arctic north back to Russia. The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration has reported that about 1,200 people have made the journey this year, up from just a dozen in 2014. While the journey is a more roundabout, but legal and safer way to enter Europe than by crossing the Mediterranean, as of next week, the Nordic country will seek to return Syrians who have lived in Russia for an extended period prior to entering the country. Speaking to public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday, Justice Minister Ander Anundsen disclosed, “Some of the people who are passing the Storskog border crossing have lived for a long time in Russia and have leave to remain there. So they are not fleeing war, need and hunger…They have had a safe place to be in Russia. We have had a return agreement with Russia and we should use it.” Sources have disclosed that Foreign Minister Boerge Brende addressed the issue with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during a phone call late on Wednesday. A member of the centre-right Conservatives told the NRK early on Thursday that Brende had “…asked for a briefing on what he (Lavrov) thinks are the causes of this,” adding, “what type of visa do they have in Russia. Have they (the refugees) had residency for a long time?”

13 October Norway’s Prime Minister has disclosed that the country would be willing to take its share in the EU’s

relocation of refuges from countries hardest hit by the migration crisis. Erna Solbert has stated that

while non-EU member Norway has not yet decided how many people it will take, the number of asylum-seekers could reach 23,000 this year, up from previous estimates of 16,000, adding that in 2016, it could reach 33,000.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Erna Solberg told parliament that Norway may have to spend an extra 40

– 50 billion crowns (US $4.9 – 6.2 billion) over the next five years in order to cope with a rising number of people seeking asylum. Solberg disclosed that “if 40,000 to 50,000 asylum seekers were to receive residency, the costs the next five years would like between 40 and 50 billion crowns,” adding that “with many minors coming alone, those numbers could be even higher.” She disclosed that without measures to cut expenses, the extra costs of accommodating refugees would number several billions of crowns in 2016, adding that the government will “shortly” present an amendment to the 2016 budget it presented last week, based on the new forecasts. Earlier in the day, the prime minister was reported as stating that Norway may have to tap its US $856 billion sovereign wealth fund more than planned next year in order to cope with a rising number of people seeking asylum. Last week, her right-wing government stated that it would make the first net withdrawal from the fund in order to finance tax cuts and to boost a slowing economy that has been hit by weak oil prices.

5 October Officials in Norway on Monday raised the country’s prediction for how many people will seek asylum

in the country this year, the third such increase in just a few weeks as the influx from Syria to western Europe’s northernmost nation increases. The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) reported that it now expects to receive 20,000-25,000 asylum applications this year, an increase from an estimated 16,000-20,000 seen on 16 September, adding that in 2016, more than 30,000 people will probably arrive. So far this year, 13,246 asylum seekers have arrived in Norway, an increase of about 4,500 from the same period in 2014.

Sweden

30 October According to Swedish prosecutors, a man has been charged with encouraging, recruiting and training others to commit terror by giving instructions to his son, who at the time was in Syria. The Swedish Prosecution Authority has indicated that the man gave instructions on how to blow up a prison wall in Aleppo, Syria, adding that this advice was given between December 2013 and January 2014 in Jarfalla, west of Stockholm. Neither the man, nor his son, have been identified, however Prosecutor Ronnie Jacobsson has told Swedish news agency TT that the son later died in Syria. TT has also reported that the man has denied any wrongdoing.

29 October Police have disclosed that firefighters have extinguished another small fire in a house for

unaccompanied refugee children. According to police officials, an “inflammable liquid was poured in through a window” of the house early on Thursday. Police are calling the blaze arson. No one sustained injuries in the fire.

28 October Sweden’s immigration agency reported Wednesday that it will no longer publicize the location of

facilities intended to house refugees after more than twenty fires, many considered arsons, have either destroyed or made the buildings temporarily unusable. Migrationsverket spokeswoman Johanna Uhr has disclosed that the future sites “will somehow be kept concealed,” adding that the agency has not yet decided how to do that. While last week, Migrationsverket indicated that the idea, which was initially put forth by a Swedish municipality, was unrealistic, the agency’s new position came after two more blazes occurred early Wednesday. In recent weeks, Sweden has seen a number of arson attacks on asylum centres or buildings to be used as such as an influx of refugees has surged.

Swedish authorities have reported that fourteen refugees are refusing to leave a bus in northern

Sweden, adding that they are protesting that they do not want to stay in chalets in a remote and cold part of Sweden. According to Immigration agency spokeswoman Maria Lofgren, the standoff began late Sunday when sixty refugees from Syria and Iraq arrived in Lima, which is located close to the Norwegian border. On Wednesday, Lofgren reported that police were handling the case, adding that the refugees would stay there only while their claims are being processed.

23 October On Friday, police officials disclosed that the man who stabbed two people to death at a school in

southern Sweden before being shot and killed by police had planned the attack. According to investigator Thord Haraldsson, police have “found evidence that the incident was planned” and that

the 21-year-old masked man had acted alone. He further disclosed that police had also found “a kind of suicide note” that was left behind by the attacker in his apartment.

On Friday, the Swedish government and centre-right opposition reached an agreement to tighten rules

on immigration only a day after it expected a record of up to 190,000 refugees this year. The Social Democratic government and opposition parties disclosed Friday that a deal had been reached and that a press conference would be held later in the day. According to a Migration Agency spokeswoman, the deal includes the introduction of three-year temporary residence permits, with exceptions for some groups including families with children, unaccompanied minors, noting that except for very rare cases, everyone granted asylum in Sweden is given permanent residency. On Thursday, the Migration Agency reported that it needed an extra 70 billion Swedish crowns (US $8.3 billion) over the coming two years. Finance Minister Magdalena Anderson disclosed that across-the-board spending cuts and raised borrowing was needed in order to cope with the situation, noting however that it would anyway take longer time to get back to balanced public finances.

22 October On Thursday, migration authorities reported that the country now expects to receive up to 190,000

applications this year, which will strain the country’s reception capacity with no housing available for up to 45,000 of the recent arrivals. According to the Migration Agency’s forecast, between 140,000 and 190,000 asylum applications are expected for this year, in which of those, between 29,000 and 40,000 are unaccompanied minors. For 2016, the country expects to receive between 100,000 and 170,000 asylum seekers, including 16,000 to 33,000 unaccompanied minors. The Migration Agency added however that the situation remains uncertain, warning that the numbers could shift. According to Migration Agency analyst Merjem Maslo, “the EU’s and individual member states’ actions will place a decisive role in how many asylum seekers come to Sweden in the future.”

On Thursday, a masked man attacked a school in southern Sweden before being shot by police. Health

authorities have confirmed that one teacher and a student were killed in the attack. A statement released by police disclosed that students fled Thursday morning from the Kronan school in Trollhattan, which is located near Goteborg, adding that the attack took place in the schools’ café area. Police spokesman Thomas Fuxborg has indicated that the attacker was in his 20s and carried more than one weapon, including “at least one knife-like object,” adding that police fired two shots, one of which hit the attacker. The school has 400 students, ranging from pre-school to high school, however officials have not disclosed whether the man had any connection with the school. Swedish media have reported that the school held a meeting Thursday morning in order to discuss teachers’ worries that the school was too open, with a café for adults that meant the school could not control who comes in. Update (23 October) – According to police officials, the attacker who stabbed two people to death at a school before being shot and killed by police had a racist motive. Police have labeled the stabbing in the industrial town of Trollhattan a hate crime based on discoveries that they made when searching the mans’ home, the way he dressed, his behavior at the scene and the way in which he selected his victims. A statement released by the police indicated that “all together, this gives a picture that the perpetrator had a racist motive when he committed the crimes at Kronan school.” The 21-year-old masked man entered the school on Thursday and stabbed four people, two of whom died, before he was shot by police. He later died of his wounds. Police have indicated that they had seized a car that the attacker could have used however they declined to comment on a report that some kind of suicide note had been found.

According to local media reports, a former retirement home, slated to house refugees, was burned

Thursday in what police suspect was an arson attack. The fire in the southern town of Oderljunga followed one at a former boys’ school set to house about 170 refugees in a nearby town over the weekend. Three other centres were engulfed by fire in southern Sweden last week.

17 October Police officials have reported that a disused school in the southern area of the country, which was

initially planned to house 80 refugees, has burned to the ground in what officials say is a case of “aggravated arson.” Ljungby town officials have disclosed that the school in Kanna had been destroyed and that so far no arrests have been made. The school closed in 2011 and had received a make-over to be ready to house refugees.

11 October On Sunday, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven stated that he has no plans to oust the Green Party from his

government, noting however that he wants more cooperation with the centre-right opposition. While

analysts feared that the collapse of an agreement on Friday could bring about snap elections in Sweden, in a televised debate on Sunday, Prime Minister Lofven of the Social Democrats rejected calls from the opposition Liberals to oust the Green Party from government in order to facilitate smother cooperation with the opposition. He stated that “forming a new government is not on the agenda…But I welcome the attitude (of cooperation).” Several other party leaders in the debate talked of the need for cooperation, with Anna Kinberg-Batra of the Moderate Party, which is the largest opposition party, stating that she would not try to bring down the government’s budget in a parliamentary vote in December or use the possibility to alter it after it had passed.

9 October According to Sweden’s prime minister, preliminary estimates indicate that more than 150,000 asylum seekers will arrive in the country this year. On Friday, Stefan Lofven disclosed that nearly 9,000 people have sought asylum in Sweden in the past seven days alone, adding that the country is preparing for a crisis situation. Sources have reported that the government has ordered the Swedish Migration Agency to set up tents to provide temporary accommodation and has tasked local authorities with drawing up an inventory of all premises in the country that can be used as shelters. The prime minister has cautioned that it will take longer for authorities to process the asylum applications, adding that the government will inform about the cost of housing the arrival after the migration agency delivers a more precise estimate of the number of arrivals in a couple of weeks.

On Friday, Sweden moved closer to a new national election after a budget deal with opposition parties,

which had been made it possible for Prime Minister Stefan Lofven’s centre-left coalition to rule as a minority government, collapsed. A grassroots rebellion at the Christian Democrats convention prompted the smallest opposition party to vote to pull out of the accord, with other centre-right parties quickly following. While the opposition would have to united on a joint budget bill for the government to fall, that has raised the chances that Prime Minister Lofven will call Sweden’s first snap election in more than half a century and just a little more than a year after he won power.

6 October The EU has announced that a controversial programme to relocate 40,000 refugees within the bloc

from overstretched frontline states will formally begin on Friday when a group of Eritreans will travel from Italy to Sweden. According to the EU’s home affairs office, “first relocations within EU take place on Friday” following an agreement by interior ministers in September, confirming that “Eritrean refugees will be relocated from Italy to Sweden.”

5 October Immigration officials in Sweden have disclosed that the number of migrants who arrived in the country

last month more than doubled over the previous month to 24,000, effectively bringing this year’s number at the end of September to more than 73,000.

2 October Data released on Friday, which shows applicants have already exceeded a full year forecast that was

issued by Sweden’s migration agency just over two months ago, indicates that Sweden is likely to receive a record number of asylum seekers in 2015. Data published by the migration agency showed on Friday that in the year to 1 October, more than 74,000 people sought asylum in Sweden, meaning that the full year figure will almost certainly top the record 84,000, which was seen in 1992 during the Balkan wars. Syrians fleeing civil war make up a third of total numbers and are the biggest group.

United Kingdom

30 October The last UK resident detained at Guantanamo Bay returned to Britain on Friday after almost 14 years in prison. According to officials, Shaker Aamer, a Saudi citizen who married a British woman and moved to London in 1997, landed at Biggin Hill airport at about 1 PM local time aboard a private plane. Aamer, who was never charged with a crime, was released from the US military prison in Cuba on Thursday evening. According to one of Aamer’s lawyers, Clive Stafford Smith, “he needs, first, to be in a hospital, and then to be with his family.” Sources have indicated that Aamer, 48, had told his lawyers that he would seek a medical examination in Britain because of concerns about his health stemming in part from repeated hunger strikes while at Guantanamo. Aamer has indicated that he went to Afghanistan to help run a school for girls, adding that he fled during the chaos that followed the US invasion. He was captured by the Northern Alliance and turned over to the US for a bounty. He was taken to Guantanamo in February 2002. The US Defense Department has indicated that he was accused of significant links of terrorism, disclosing that he shared an apartment in the late 1990’s with Zacarias Moussaoui, who was convicted of taking part in the September 11 conspiracy. The Department further indicated that he had met

with Richard Reid, who tried to blow up a US passenger jet with explosives in his shoes, had undergone al-Qaeda training in the use of explosives and missiles and had received a stipend from Osama bin Laden. Those allegations, and more, were later found in a November 2007 detainee assessment which was obtained and published by Wikileaks, which described him as a member of al-Qaeda and a “close associate” of bin Laden. The US however has never charged him with a crime and Aamer and his supports have denied the allegations.

29 October British MP’s are to investigate the “intelligence basis” for a UK drone strike, which killed two

British Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Syria. The Intelligence and Security Committee has indicated that it would not be assessing the legality of the strike, stating that this was a matter for Parliament and Number 10. The government has described the strike as “an act of self defence.” According to former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, an “immediate priority” is to look at the intelligence behind the strike, adding that it was “mindful” that the committee “cant look at issues that concern current operations,” noting however the he hoped it would be able to start its work “as soon as possible.” Explaining its terms of reference, he indicated that “it would not be the legality or the political decision making (of the strike) – that is the mater for Parliament and Number 10…What we can and will want to look at is the intelligence that underpinned the decision that this was a strike that had to be carried out…We should be in a position to get that information.” Meanwhile the Joint Committee on Human Rights has announced a separate inquiry into “government drone strikes.” Reyaad Khan, 21 from Cardiff, and Ruhul Amin, from Aberdeen, were killed in a precision strike in Raqqa by a remotely piloted aircraft on 21 August. Prime Minister David Cameron has indicated that the men were linked to the Islamic State (IS) group and had been planning terrorist attacks on UK soil. The RAF strike was the first targeted UK drone attack on a British citizen.

Britain’s Ministry of Defense has reported that the Royal Navy has rescued 541 people this week

as they scoured the Mediterranean Sea in operations that are aimed at countering refugee smugglers. According to the Ministry, the HMS Enterprise, a survey vessel, rescued 439 migrants while the HMS Richmond, a Type 23 frigate, rescued 102 migrants. The Ministry declined to disclose where the operations took place. Since May, Royal Navy ships in the Mediterranean have rescued almost 7,000 asylum-seekers.

Sir John Chilcot has announced that the much anticipated Iraq Inquiry will be published in June

or July 2016, adding that the two million word report will be finished in April, with two months or so then set aside for national security checks on it. Many have criticized the time taken in order to publish the inquiry, which began in 2009. Prime Minster David Cameron has indicated that he was “disappointed” and offered resources in order to speed up the process. The inquiry is considering how UK forces came to participate in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and its aftermath.

The head of MI5 has stated that the terror threat level facing Britain is the highest he has seen

in his 32-year career. During a speech in London on Wednesday, Andrew Parker, director general of the Security Service, stated that six terror plots had been thwarted in the last year, warning that the so-called Islamic State (IS) group is planning “mass casualty” attacks on Britain. He further described a “three dimensional threat” at home, overseas and online, with an increasing amount of MI5’s casework linked to Syria and IS, adding “it (IS) uses the full range of modern communications tools to spread its message of hate, and to inspire extremists, sometimes as young as their teens, to conduct attacks in whatever way they can.” He further warned that the threat posed by IS “shows no sign of abating” after more than 750 British extrmeists travelled to Syria. He also highlighted that al-Qaeda groups in South Asia, the Arabian Peninsula and parts of Africa remain a threat, adding “all of this means that the threat we are facing today is on a scale and at a tempo that I have not seen before in my career.” Parker’s remarks come just days before the UK government is expected to publish a draft of landmark legislation cover spies’ activities in the digital era.

27 October Britain is reviewing the powers of the House of Lords after unelected peers stalled legislation

that would have eliminated some tax allowances for the nation’s poor. On Tuesday, senior Conservatives expressed their fury after Labour and Liberal Democrat members of the upper chamber of Parliament blocked the measure that would slash £4.4 billion (US $6.8 billion) in tax

credits for parents and people in low-income jobs. In the wake of the vote, London Mayor Boris Johnson has described the House of Lords as being in “grave danger” while Treasure chief George Osborne has stated that the consequences of the defeat would “need to be dealt with.” The move comes at a time when the future of the upper house is being debated.

24 October According to transport police, projectiles, including smoke bombs were thrown at police on

Saturday outside a London train station where a protest to highlight the plight of migrants seeing refuge in Britain was taking place. A posting on a website called “Calais Migrant Solidarity” read that protesters gathered against the detention of migrants who walked along the Eurotunnel to Britain and those who have died at the French port of Calais. Pictures depicted over a dozen police holding protesters behind metal gates placed in front of an entrance to London’s King Cross St Pancras station, from where Eurostar trains to continental Europe arrive and depart. In a statement, British Transport Police disclosed that they had been facilitating a peaceful protest at the station when others arrived, adding, “around this time a number of other individuals arrived at the station causing disorder, and missiles, including smoke bombs were thrown at police officers.” Sources have reported that up to 150 protesters attempted to enter the station.

21 October US and British officials have indicated that the pilot of a US Marine Corps F-18 was killed

Wednesday when the plane crashed near a British air base in eastern England. The US Embassy in London has confirmed the death of the pilot, however no other information has been released. The Marine Corps has disclosed that the plane was an F-18C Hornet from Marine Attack Fighter Squadron 232 based in the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California.

China and Britain have agreed not to engage in industrial hacking or cyber theft of trade secrets.

Prime Minister David Cameron disclosed Wednesday that he and visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping had “open discussions” on difficult issues” such as cyber espionage. According to the prime minister’s spokeswoman, there was a clear commitment by both sides “not to conduct or support the cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, trade secrets or confidential business information.” The agreement, which follows a similar pact that was agreed on between the US and China in September, is the first time that such a commitment has been made between London and Beijing. It also follows concerns about allowing China to invest in sensitive British infrastructure, such as the Hinkley Point nuclear power station, which is located in southwestern England.

Police on Wednesday dragged away a protester who rushed towards a building as Chinese

President Xi Jinping war arriving. Sources have disclosed that the protester was taken into custody after scaling barriers surrounding the Mansion House as the Chinese president’s convoy was arriving for an event with Prime Minister David Cameron. Beforehand, the protester had handed out cards, identifying himself as Shao Jiang with an organization called Research Politics and Democracy and Civil Society.

On Wednesday, President Xi Jinping signed an agreement that will see China’s state-owned power

company take a 6 billion pound (US $9.3 billion) 35 percent share in a new plant, which is to be build with France’s EDF.

The Ministry of Defense has reported that a number of boats carrying dozens of migrants,

including children, have landed at the RAF base at Akrotiri in Cyprus. It is believed that there wer about 140 people on board however their country of origin has not yet been established. This is believed to be the first time during the current Mediterranean migrant crisis that people have arrived on UK sovereign territory. The MoD however has noted that responsibility for them rests with the Cypriot authorities. Update (22 October) – On Thursday, a Cyprus foreign ministry official disclosed that 114 people aboard two boats that came ashore at a British air base on the east Mediterranean island on Wednesday are the responsibility of British authorities. The official disclosed that a 2003 agreement, which Cyprus signed with the British Bases, does not obligate Cyprus to accept asylum seekers, whether or not their applications are accepted. The official further indicated Thursday that the agreement stipulates that Cyprus must help British authorities screen and house asylum seekers until their bids are examined. It currently remains unclear what will happen to those who do not apply for asylum or who do not meet application

criteria. On Wednesday, British Bases authorities indicated that the agreement holds the Cyprus government responsible for such arrivals.

19 October British Prime Minister David Cameron has unveiled new plans to combat extremism, effectively

expanding the government’s power to seize passports from young people who are at risk of travelling aboard to join groups like the Islamic State. On Monday, Prime Minister Cameron also challenged Muslim communities to “own” the problem, arguing that those who reject extremism were the key to driving out radicals in schools, universities, local councils, charities and prisons. In the strategy document, Cameron wrote, “in responding to this poisonous ideology, we face a choice. Do we close our eyes, put our kid gloves on and just hope that our values will somehow endure in the end? Or do we get our there and make the case for those values, defend them with all that we’ve got and resolve to win the battle of ideas all over again?” While the British prime minister did not define what he considers extremist views, he did highlight the hundreds of young people who have left home to fight in Syria, along with the recent case of a 15-year-old convicted of inciting terrorism abroad. Currently, the British government has already been able to seize the passports of those under 16 at their parents’ request, and that will now apply to 16- and 17-year olds as well. The measures also include barring people convicted of extremist offences from working with children. Muslim organizations however have rejected Cameron’s “One Nation” strategy, warning that it risked alienating Muslims and could be counter-productive. According to the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, Shuja Shafi, the strategy is based on a “fuzzy” conception of British values, adding in s statement that while the council supports efforts to fight terrorism, the government must not suppress freedom of thought or expression. Human rights advocates have also expressed concern about the lack of detail in the proposals, particularly in regards to the definition of extremism.

15 October Ecuadoran officials have asked the United Kingdom to allow WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

leave his asylum at the country’s embassy in London briefly for medical checks. On Thursday, Britain responded by stating that he could have medical care however he would be arrested if he leaves the embassy. Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino has disclosed that Assange requires an MRI for a pain in his shoulder, which began three months ago. Patino disclosed that “we are asking for a special safe conduct pass that lasts a few hours only so he can take a magnetic resonance and return under our protection,” adding, “and possibly beneath the protection of British police, if they want to put 10,000 police alongside the vehicle to take him to the hospital.” In a statement, Britain’s Foreign Office disclosed that Britain would not “in any way seek to impede Mr Assange receiving medical advice or care. We have made this clear to the government of Ecuador.” Patino has since indicated that an option would be for another country or the Red Cross to bring a portable MRI machine to the embassy.

On Thursday, Prime Minister David Cameron told EU leaders that he will soon lay out detailed

proposals for the reform of the EU that will ensure his support for the country’s continued membership of the bloc in a national vote, which is due to take place sometimes in the next couple of years. Facing increasing criticism and frustration from EU institutions and member states over his government’s lack of reform details, Cameron stated that his proposals would be clear by the start of November, promising that he will “quicken the pace” of those negotiations in the run-up to a December summit of EU leaders, where Britain’s membership will take centre stage. Following a lunch with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Cameron stated, “I am confident we can get a good deal for Britain, fix those things that need to be fixed.” Cameron has promised a referendum on Britain’s membership in the EU bloc by the end of 2017. The referendum pledge was a central pillar of his Conservative Party victory in the general elections that occurred in May.

Prosecutors have disclosed that they have identified two new Libyan suspects in the bombing of

a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, adding that they want US and Scottish investigators to interview them in Tripoli. On Thursday, Scotland’s Crown Office indicated that Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch had agreed that there is “a proper basis in law in Scotland and the United States to entitle Scottish and US investigators to treat two Libyans as suspects” in the bombing of Flight 103. It further indicated that Scotland and the US were asking Libyan authorities to help Scottish detectives and FBI officers interview the suspects. The office has reported that the two Libyans are suspected of involvement with Abdel Baset al-

Megrahi, the only person convicted in the attack. While officials have not disclosed the names of the two suspects, Scottish media have named one of them as former intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi, who was sentenced to death in July for crimes during the 2011 uprising against Moamer Kadhafi. Sources have named a second person as Abu Agila Mas’ud, a bomb expert, who is also reportedly in Libyan custody. On 21 December 1988, a bomb exploded on board the New York-bound Boeing 747 as it flew over Scotland. All 259 people aboard and 11 on the ground were killed. Many of the victims were American college students who were flying home for Christmas. Update (21 October) – Scottish and American investigators have been invited to travel to Libya to question two new suspects in the Lockerbie bombing. The offer to speak to the men came from a spokesman for the National Salvation government in Libya, which controls the capital, Tripoli, and large parts of the rest of the country but which is not recognized by the international community. According to National Salvation government spokesman Jamal Zubair, “they can send some investigators, they come here to see those guys and see what they can do.” A spokesman for the Crown Office has indicated that officials are aware of the reports concerning the two Lockerbie suspects, adding, “the Crown will continue to work with the British Embassy as well as colleagues in the United States regarding the investigation.”

12 October Hundred of lawyers, retired judges and academics have urged the British government to take in more

Syrian refugees, stating that the offer of 20,000 is “too low, too slow and too narrow.” The letter, which was published on Monday, states that the UK’s offer is “deeply inadequate,” nothing that in Lebanon, there are 1.2 million registered Syrian refugees. The lawyers have disclosed that even though the refugees have a right to legal protection, they are being driven “into the hands of people-smugglers,” adding that many members of the EU make it impossible for people to seek asylum via normal means of travel and that the entire system is dysfunctional.

London’s police force announced Monday that police will no longer keep officers stationed outside the

Ecuadorean embassy to catch WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been holed up inside for over three years. Police however did note that they would maintain a “cover plan” to arrest Assange, 44, who entered the embassy in June 2012 in a bid to avoid being extradited to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over a rape allegation, which he denies. Assange has maintained that he fears Sweden will extradite him to the US where he could be put on trial over WikiLeaks’ publication of classified military and diplomatic documents five years ago, one of the largest information leaks in US history. If he were to leave the embassy, he faces immediate arrest for breaching bail conditions. London’s Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) had been guarding the embassy round the clock for the last three years at an estimated cost of £12.6 million (US $19 million). A statement released by the MPS disclosed that “like all public services, MPS resources are finite…With so many different criminal, and other, threats to the city it protects, the current deployment of officers is no longer believed proportionate.” The statement noted that the operation to arrest Assange would however continue, disclosing that “whilst no tactics guarantee success in the event of Julian Assange leaving the embassy, the MPS will deploy a number of overt and covert tactics to arrest him.” The statement added that the decision was taken after discussions with the Home Office and the Foreign Office.

9 October Prime Minister David Cameron is to hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on EU reform,

Syria and the migrant crisis. The two leaders will meet for a working dinner at the prime minister’s country residence, Chequers, on Friday evening. Sources have disclosed that the wide-ranging talks will also cover the threat of the Islamic State (IS) group, the situation in Iraq and Ukraine. The PM is also due to hold talks with Estonian Prime Minster Taavi Rovias at Downing Street. The meetings with his European counterparts come on the day that a new campaign to get the UK to leave the EU is being launched ahead of the in-out referendum, which has been promised by 2017.

A Scottish nurse, who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone last year, is in “serious condition” after being

readmitted to an isolation unit in London. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde confirmed that the virus is still present in Pauline Cafferkey’s body after being left over from the original infection. Health officials however believe that she is not contagious. Cafferkey has been flown back to the isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London. Bodily tissues can harbor the Ebola information months after the person appears to have full recovered. Update (12 October) – Fifty-eight people are being monitored after having recent close contact with Pauline Cafferkey, with health officials reporting that twenty-five of them have been given an experimental vaccination, having had close contact with her bodily fluids.

A statement released by the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Trust indicates that the “close contacts” are a mixture of healthcare workers and Mr Cafferkey’s friends, family and community contacts.

8 October The MoD has confirmed that about 100 British military personnel will be deployed to Estonia, Latvia

and Lithuania, adding that a further 25 will be involved in a continuing training mission in Ukraine. Defense Secretary Michael Fallon has disclosed that troops in the Baltic region would deter Russian aggression beyond Ukraine and would also reassure Eastern European NATO members. Mr Fallon, who is currently in Brussels attending a NATO meeting, also called on Russia to change its strategy in Syria, where it has been carrying out air strikes over the past week.

7 October Britain has announced that it is hoping for a vote in the coming days on a UN resolution that would

authorize the EU and individual countries to take “enforcement action” on the high seas off Libya against vessels that are trying to smuggle refugees to Europe. On Wednesday, Britain’s UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft disclosed that the Libyan government has approved the EU mission and has expressed hope for a vote possible this week with a high number of “yes” votes. However Russia’s deputy ambassador, Petr IIichev disclosed, “we still have concerns” about the proposed resolution, which would also allow the seizure and destruction of boats after the migrants were taken to safety. A number of African countries have objected to the resolution, which is being drafted under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which can be militarily enforced.

Prime Minister David Cameron has defended his decision to order the RAF drone strike, which killed a

Cardiff jihadist in Syria. Speaking to a Tory party conference, the prime minister stated that he took “decisive action to keep Britain safe,” claiming Reyaad Khan was one of two British men planning terrorist attacks on UK soil. Mr Cameron stated that his job was “not to debate; its to decide,” adding that if he had stalled on such a decision, “we could see innocent people murdered on our streets.” Khan, 21 from Cardiff, died on 21 August in what Mr Cameron called “precision airstrike” when he confirmed the RAF’s involvement in September. Ruhul Amin, from Aberdeen, died in the same attack. Three days later, Junaid Hussain was killed by a US drone strike.

6 October On Tuesday, Home Secretary Theresa May told the Conservative party conference that she would not

agree – “not in a thousand years” – to a common European immigration policy to deal with the flow of migrants and refugees coming to the continent. At the conference, May disclosed that Britain should tighten control of its borders, admitting vulnerable refugees but keeping out many people who aspire to a better life. She further disclosed that other European countries should also toughen up, arguing that in the last few years more people had applied for asylum in the EU from Balkan countries than from Syria, and adding that the migration crisis “can only be resolved by nation states taking responsibility themselves – and protecting their own national borders.”

4 October Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to increase Britain’s military capability to fight Islamic

State (IS) militants in Iraq and Syria, including a doubling of the RAF’s fleet of drones. On Sunday, the prime minister disclosed that the UK would spend hundreds of millions of pounds on state-of-the-art equipment for special forces, adding that it was essential to meet the terrorist threat facing the UK. He has disclosed that the UK would replace its ten Reaper drones with “twice as many” of a new drone called Protector, which is capable of flying longer distances and carrying more advanced weapons and equipment. He further indicated that they would “keep us safe and to give us the intelligence and information and potentially give us the capacity to hit people whoa re potentially planning to hit us.” The prime minister disclosed that the SAS and other elite special forces would receive new equipment and weapons in order to ensure that they are “properly beefed up,” adding that the forces would get extra recruitment if they requested it. The prospect of extending UK military strikes against IS from the current operation in Iraq to also include Syria is opposed by the Labour’s new leader Jeremy Corbyn. While reports have indicated that a number of Labour MP’s could support action in Syria, Mr Cameron disclosed Sunday that he believed it “may well become possible” to win Commons backing, adding that “an enhancement of our special forces and particularly on the issue of surveillance aircraft” was a necessary response to one of the country’s “biggest threats.” He noted however that the use of drones was “obviously a last resort…We try and take every step we can but at the end of the day we have to keep the British people safe from terrorist threats.”

3 October Nigeria’s former oil minister has been arrested in London after Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA)

disclosed that it had detained five people over alleged international corruption. The NCA, which

investigates serious and organized crime, confirmed in a statement that its international corruption unit arrested five people across London, adding that the arrests were “part of an investigation into suspected bribery and money-laundering offences.” While the identities and nationalities of those held have not been disclosed, sources have revealed that the relatives of Diezani Alison-Madueke confirmed that she had been arrested in the British capital. No further details have been released, however Nigerian media have reported that Alison-Madueke was granted bail but that her passport was seized and that she was ordered to remain at her London address. Alison-Madueke was Nigeria’s minister of petroleum resources from 2010 until earlier this year, when President Muhammadu Buhari defeated Goodluck Jonathan in presidential polls. She was the first woman to hold the post in Nigeria and the first female president of the global oil cartel OPEC. A close ally of the former president, she faced accusations of graft in the past but denied wrong-doing. She has reportedly been overseas since President Buhari came to power on 29 May. While no one from Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commented on the arrests, online and social media reports have indicated that the EFCC had sealed Alison-Madueke’s home in the capital, Abuja. Update (5 October) – On Monday, Westminster Magistrate’s court granted police permission to retain £27,000 (US $41,000) in cash that was seized during Alison-Madueke’s arrest. According to a court official, “the police were applying for the continued detention of the £27,000 seized during the arrest. The application was granted for six months.” Alison-Madueke was not present at the hearing. Officials in Nigeria have confirmed the arrest in London of the former oil minister. Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu disclosed that “Nigeria is aware of the arrest of the former petroleum minister in London on money laundering charges,” adding, ‘the government has been informed and the DSS (Department of State Services) is collaborating with the relevant security agencies in the UK to handle the matter.”

2 October A 15-year-old British boy, who plotted to behead police officers at an Anzac Day parade in Australia,

has been sentenced to life imprisonment. The Blackburn teenager, who the judge ruled must remain anonymous due to his age, will serve at least five years in custody for inciting terrorism. During the trial, the court heard that he sent thousands of online messages to an alleged Australian jihadist and that he was planning “a massacre.” The boy, who was aged 14 at the time, adopted an older persona in his messages to alleged Australian jihadist Sevdet Besim, 18, in which he instructed him to carry out an Islamic State (IS) terror group inspired attack. The boy is believed to be the youngest Briton guilty of a terror offence.

Southern Europe

Albania

No significant incidents to report.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

6 October A Bosnian court has convicted and sentenced four men for recruiting and attempting to join the Islamic State (IS) group. On Tuesday, the Bosnian State Court disclosed that Huseign Erdic was sentenced to 3 ½ years in prison for having organized the rip for Nevad Husidic and Merim Keserovic, who were sentenced to one year. The fourth, Midhat Trako, was found guilty of having financed the trip and will serve 1 ½ years in prison. Sources have indicated that Bosnia’s intelligence service has been monitoring groups and individuals suspected of financing and recruiting fighters, adding that the four were arrested in February.

Croatia

28 October According to Croatian police, fewer refugees than usual have entered the country in the past day and a half. Spokesman Domagoj Dzigumovic disclosed that 2,700 migrants came in Wednesday morning, and 5,700 on Tuesday, numbers which are down from the past weeks. On Saturday alone, Croatia reported a record 11,500 refugees entering the country. Dzigumovic however noted that it is still too early to say whether the migrant wave towards Western Europe is slowing down, adding that at least ten days must pass before any conclusions can be drawn.

27 October According to Croatian police, the first train carrying asylum seekers directly to Slovenia has left a station in the eastern region of the country. The train is carrying some 1,300 people. This is

the first time that migrants are not unloaded on fields close to Slovenia’s border with Croatia. Instead, they will be taken straight to the Slovenian border village of Dobova.

The prime minister has indicated that he expects the refugee flow towards Western Europe to ease after the 1 November parliamentary election in Turkey, which is the starting point for most migrants’ journey. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic stated that “in ten days or so, after the vote in Turkey…you will see the change.” It appears that European officials are assuming that Turkish officials will have more time to focus on the refugee crisis when the demands of campaigning are over, noting that the cold weather could also decrease the number of people who try to venture into Europe. Since 15 September, when Hungary closed its border with Serbia, more than 260,000 people have passed through Croatia. The country is due to hold its own parliamentary vote on 8 November. The prime minister’s leftist government faces a challenge from conservatives who have criticized the handling of the refugee crisis.

According to Croatian police, a 105-year-old Afghan woman is amongst the migrants who have arrived at the country’s main refugee camp, which is located near the border with Serbia. Police have indicated that the woman came to the Opatovac camp around noon on Tuesday after crossing from Serbia with a group of migrants. Spokesman Domagoj Dzigumovic has disclosed that authorities have been checking whether she needs medical attention.

26 October Croatian police have disclosed that more than 13,000 migrants have arrived from Serbia in the past 24 hours. Since mid-September, about 260,000 have passed through Croatia in the wake of Hungary putting up a fence at the border with Serbia, which effectively diverted the flow to Croatia.

25 October Croatia has indicated that a record number of 11,500 migrants have entered the country in one day, in what is a sign that the flow of people toward Western Europe is not abating despite the cold weather. On Sunday, Interior Ministry spokesman Domagoj Dzigulovic disclosed that the number of people who crossed into the country on Saturday was the highest in a single day since migrants began coming to Croatia in mid-September.

23 October On Friday, Croatia and Serbia agreed to ease the flow of migrants over the border between the two countries after thousands of people, including children, were forced to spend the night out in the open in near-freezing temperatures along a muddy border passage. The interior ministers of Serbia and Croatia have disclosed that they will begin shipping migrants by train directly from Serbia to Croatia so that they will not have to cross on foot as has been the case so far. The ministers further disclosed that the migrants will register when they enter Serbia and will be able to cross into Croatia without delays, which should speed up the process significantly.

22 October Croatia’s interior minister disclosed Thursday that Slovenia should speed dup migrant acceptance so that newcomers can swiftly move on towards Western Europe. Ranko Ostojic indicated that Croatia has offered to transport migrants in trains directly to a Slovenian border crossing with Austria, adding, “I don’t know what else we can do so these people don’t freeze.” He further indicated that migrants have already been registered in Croatia before they reach Slovenia, so “stalling them is not necessary.” A meeting is due to take place with Serbian officials on Friday. The meeting aims to resolve problems at the Serbia-Croatia border, where migrants have been spending long hours in the open in freezing temperatures.

21 October The country’s Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic disclosed Wednesday that she is encouraged that several EU and Balkan leaders in Brussels will hold a special migrant summit this weekend, stating, “up until now we didn’t have anything, we haven’t worked together at all…We hope we will come up with some kind of an agreement on coordinating the handling of these people.” The massive influx of migrants has increased tensions in the Balkans region, with neighbor states accusing each other of mishandling the flow of hundreds of thousands of people through the region towards Western Europe.

20 October Croatia’s interior minister has reported that the country is trying to coordinate the transfer of migrants with Slovenia, which has accused its neighbor of failing to manage the relentless flow of people. On Tuesday, Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic stated that Croatia had asked Slovenian police on Monday where they wanted to receive the migrants but that they had yet to receive a reply. Ostojic further disclosed that Croatia expects Slovenia every day to take in half of the migrants arriving in Croatia, stating, “if we are receiving 10,000 then 5,000 people have to

transited to Slovenia. If the number in Croatia is 5,000, then its 2,500, or 50 percent.” Slovenian officials however have indicated that the country cannot handle more than 2,500 per day.

19 October Croatian officials have indicated that they will start sending migrants to the border with Slovenia after Hungary closes its border for migrants wishing to reach western Europe. On Friday, Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic disclosed that Croatia will coordinate the migrant flow with Slovenia, which has said it wants to control the number of migrants that are entering the country. Pusic further indicated that about 5,000 migrants on average have entered Croatia daily since mid-September, noting, “we have succeeded in taking care of these people, but we expect the European Union to stop the wave at the Greek border.” Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic has indicated that Croatia will be transporting migrants in trains and buses to three crossings with Slovenia.

A photographer working for Agence France-Presse has disclosed that he has been assaulted by Croatian border police who also grabbed his cameras and threw them into the mud. On Monday, Andrej Isakovic disclosed that the incident occurred while he was covering the migrant backlog at the Serbian-Croatian border. According to Isakovic, two Croatian policemen first demanded the camera’s memory cards adding that when he refused, “they stormed at me, pulled me down to the ground, grabbed both of my cameras and threw them in the mud.” Isakovic maintains that he was not on Croatian territory during the indicant and has called the action “totally unprovoked,” adding that another freelance photographer was also assaulted. In a statement, Croatian police disclosed that the two had crossed illegally into Croatia with the migrants, adding that police officers had issued warnings and sent them back with their equipment.

A train carrying about 1,300 migrants in Croatia has reached the Slovenian border, just hours after another train was stopped and its passengers were stranded on the boundary for hours overnight. Officials have indicated that the migrants from the second train walked on Monday across a bridge over the Sutla river, which divides the two countries, as they lined up to be registered by Slovenian officials. The earlier train arrived early on Monday. While Croatian police let the migrants off the trains, Slovenian police were deployed to the border and put up barriers in order to prevent a mass entry. For hours, migrants sought ways in order to sneak into Slovenia, before Slovenian authorities eventually let them all into the country. Slovenia, which has indicated that it can handle 2,500 people a day, has denounced Croatia for sending larger groups into the country.

According to a UN refugee agency official, Croatia has opened its border with Serbia for migrants, letting in thousands who have been stranded for nearly two days. UNHCR spokeswoman Melita Sunjic, who is on the border, disclosed on Monday that “without any announcement, the borders opened. When the borders opened, everybody rushed” over. There were between 2,000 and 3,000 migrants stuck on the border when the gates were opened.

Croatia’s interior minister has rejected Slovenia’s accusations that Croatia broke an agreement on limiting the numbers crossing their border to 2,500 a day, stating that Slovenian officials have kept changing the figure. On Monday, Rank Ostojic disclosed that “on the first day, they said they will allow 8 thousand. The figure turned to 5,000 in 24 hours, and then to 2,500. In the end, it became zero.” He further indicated that Croatia will not allow itself to become a “migrant collection centre” for the EU. He also accused Greece for failing to stem the flow of tens of thousands into Europe from Turkey. According to Croatian police, more than 197,000 people have entered the country since Hungary closed its border with Serbia on 15 September, diverting their flow to Croatia.

17 October According to Croatian police, more than 5,000 migrants have entered the country since Hungary closed its border because of the flow of people trying to reach Western Europe. Croatian police also disclosed Saturday that a little over 190,000 people have come in from Serbia since mid-September. While most have been transferred to Hungary, Croatia started redirecting them to Slovenia after Hungary placed a barbed-wire fence on the migrant crossing at midnight on Friday.

15 October Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic has urged European leaders to support Turkey in dealing with refugees and migrants, to design a common EU asylum policy and to strengthen the European border agency, Frontex. Speaking on Thursday during a visit to the Opatovac Admission Centre, where asylum seekers are given clothing, food and some shelter from the cold before they board buses and trains to move on to Hungary, Pusic stated, “Turkey has been shouldering the responsibility for four years and whatever you may think, they deserve support.” She added that

“there are European member states who are even thinking of sending troops to the borders of other member states, including to the Croatian border. This is absolutely unacceptable and insulting to the European idea.” She also noted that if countries insist on border control, “they can support Frontex instead of building walls and iron curtains in Europe again 26 years after we brought them down.

14 October The country’s conservative president has disclosed that Croatia might need to build a fence on its border in order to stop the migrant influx. On Wednesday, President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic disclosed that “I think some kind of fence or physical barrier will be needed in the future,” adding, “I would like to avoid that, but I don’t see how else we can protect ourselves,” particularly if neighboring countries close their borders with Croatia. Hungary has already sealed its border with Serbia and has threatened to do the same with Croatia because of the tens of thousands of migrants crossing through to go to Western Europe.

9 October According to Croatia’s defense minister, plenty of individuals and even some state businesses are profiting from the increase of migrants through the Balkans. On Friday, Minister Ante Kotromanovic stated, while visiting a migrant camp in eastern Croatia, that the exodus of Syrians and other people fleeing war and poverty is “a big business, which is organized,” adding, “up to our border, someone is profiting big.” While he did not elaborate, Croatian officials have alleged that migrants in Serbia have paid unreasonably high prices to taxi drivers and state bus companies in order to be driven to the Croatian border, from where they head to Hungary and onto Western Europe. Croatian police have disclosed that nearly 137,000 people have crossed from Serbia since mid-September, including 7,798 on Thursday

5 October On Monday, the country’s president called a parliamentary election for 8 November. The Social Democrat-led ruling coalition of Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic is trailing in opinion polls and faces a fight to defeat the conservative HDZ, which is led by former intelligence chief Tomislav Karamarko. In recent weeks, the gap between the two parties has closed, with Milanovic appearing to benefit from the economy’s return to growth this year, coupled with his handling of the migrant crisis and a decision to impose on banks the cost of converting Swiss franc-denominated loans into euros to aid borrowers. In a poll that was published on Sunday by Promocija Plus, the HDZ-led opposition coalition led with 32.9 percent while Milanovic’s bloc had 31.9 percent. The HDZ has stated that, if elected, it will have the economy growing by five percent by the end of the four-year mandate. Critics however have stated that its programme offers little that is radically new, noting that it is unclear on how it would tackle the country’s bloated public sector, a task that successive governments have ducked.

1 October Croatian police have reported that more than 90,000 migrants have passed through the country and moved on toward Western Europe in little more than two weeks. On Thursday, Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic disclosed that only five people remain in one of two main refugee camps in Croatia, adding that the rest have already moved on to Hungary. In mid-September, Croatia became a transit country for migrants after Hungary closed its border with Serbia in a bid to stop the flow coming that way. While there are growing fears of worsening weather conditions as winter approaches, officials have reported that the migrant tide is not expected to slow down.

The Supreme Court has ordered a retrial of former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and has annulled his 2014 conviction of rigging public tenders and abusing state funds. After nearly three years in prison, Sanader can now leave on bail of 12.4 million kuna (US $1.8 million) after the court ruled on Thursday that procedural errors had affected his right to a fair trial. In July, the country’s Constitutional Court had annulled two other corruption convictions against Sanader, who is the former head of the then ruling conservative HDZ party. The court had also ordered a retrial, which began last month. In March 2014, Sanader was sentenced to nine years in prison while HDZ was ordered to return about 29 million kuna that was paid into party funds by state-owned firms between 2003 and 2009. He was also sentence to 8-1/2 years in prison for taking a bribe from Hungary’s oil firm MOL in 2008 to allow it to purchase a dominant stake in Croatian oil company INA, and for taking bribes from Austria’s Hypo Bank in 1994 and 1995 when he was deputy foreign minister.

Greece

31 October On Saturday, protesters clashed with police guarding a border fence in northern Greece, following

a series of sea accidents that killed dozens of migrants. Sources have reported that about 500 anti-government protesters, who travelled from Athens and several towns in northern Greece were involved in the clashes, which occurred near the border with Turkey after challenging a police cordon that was blocking access to the fence that spans more than 10 kilometres (6.2 miles). Youths threw rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades. No arrests or injuries were reported. Demonstrators are demanding that Greece tear down the fence and allow refugees to cross by land instead of risking their lives on the sea crossing to Europe. The government however has indicated that it cannot remove the fence for “practical reasons” and has called on other European Union countries to speed up additional support promised for search and rescue operations in the east Aegean Sea.

30 October Greek authorities have raised the death toll from Wednesday’s sinking of a boat, which was crammed with 300 migrants in the eastern Aegean Sea, to 29, from 16. Last Friday, the Merchant Marine Ministry disclosed that a total of 274 people have been rescued from the sea of the northern coast of Lesbos island.

Greece’s Prime Minister has lashed out against European “ineptness” in handling the migration crisis after twenty-two people drowned in two shipwrecks on Friday. The Merchant Marine Ministry has reported that nineteen people were killed and 138 were rescued near the eastern Aegean Sea island of Kalymnos, in one of the worst accidents in Greek waters since the mass migrant flows began after the war in Syria. Officials have disclosed that at least three more people died when another migrant boat sank off the nearby island of Rhodes, and three more were missing. Meanwhile on the islet of Agathonissi, a fisherman recovered the body of a boy missing from yet another accident on Wednesday. Nearly 600 people were rescued by the coast guard in the past 24 hours, while thousand more made it safely to the islands. The death toll in the Aegean over the past three days has now reached nearly fifty, in which most are children. In the wake of the tragedies, Greek Prime Minster Alexis Tsipras has accused Europe of an “inability to defend its (humanitarian) values” by providing a safe alternative to the dangerous sea journeys. The Prime Minister accused western countries of shedding “crocodile tears” over children dying in the Aegean but doing little for those who make it across, he further blamed the migrant flows on western military interventions in the Middle East, which he said furthered geopolitical interests rather than democracy.

29 October Greece’s foreign minister is pressing for the creation of registration centres in Turkey, from which European countries could directly take in refugees, in a move that could spare migrants from making the dangerous sea crossing towards Greece. However on Thursday, Nikos Kotzias conceded that this would create “difficulties” for EU members who have so far resisted significant participation in the EU’s relocation programme of about 160,000 people. Speaking at a press conference in Athens along with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Kotzias also called for a crackdown on the gangs that smuggle migrants to Greece. He further defended the country’s handling of the migrant influx, stating that the country has spent 2.8 billion euros (US $3 billion) so far on addressing it, which he indicated was about five times the pension cuts the country has agreed to carry out under its bailout programme.

Greece’s Merchant Marine Ministry reported Thursday that the bodies of four more refugees, who were trying to reach Europe, have been found off the Greek island of Lesbos. Authorities on Lesbos have reported that the death toll has now risen to seven after a wooden boat carrying migrants sank en route from Turkey to Greece. At least thirty others are still believed to be missing in the capsizing while another 242 people were rescued Thursday night. Update – The Greek Coast Guard has reported that one more body, that of a boy, has been found from the boat that capsized off the island of Lesbos, bringing the death toll to eight. Rescue workers are continuing to search for about thirty others.

28 October According to Greek authorities, at least five people, including four children, have drowned as thousands of refugees continued to head to the Aegean Sea islands from Turkey despite the worsening weather. On Wednesday, the coast guard reported that two children and a man died off the coast of Samos while 51 people from the same small boat were rescued. A five-year-old girl also drowned in a separate incident of Samos. Meanwhile a 7-year-old boy died off Lesbos, where most migrants land, while a 12-month-old girl is in critical condition in hospital form the same boat accident.

26 October Greece’s government has indicated that it is preparing a rent-assistance programme in order to

cope with a growing number of refugees. On Monday, government spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili disclosed that the scheme will cover 20,000 migrants and is an alternative to a European Union proposal to house them in camps. She disclosed that Athens had rejected the proposal Sunday at a meeting of European countries affected by the crisis in Brussel’s, insisting that “there will be no concentration camps in our country.”

Greece’s foreign minister has indicated that the European Union needs to give money to improve conditions in camps housing refugees fleeing Syria in countries such as Jordan and Lebanon in order to stem the flow of people heading to Europe. According to Nikos Kotzias, there are indications that 300,000 people now living in these refugee camps are on the move and heading to Greece. Kotzias made the comments on Monday after talks with Cypriot counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides, adding that action must be taken in order to avoid destabilizing other countries in the region like Egypt, which could make the migration problem much worse.

On Monday, a European Union official indicated that Greece and its bailout creditors remain divided over how to toughen foreclosure laws, noting however that the overall talks on getting the country the next batch of loans are on track. According to Valdis Dombrovskis, a European Commission vice president for the euro, Greece has already done many reforms quickly, warning however that ‘there is no time to lose. There is a need to work very actively to modernize the Greek state and economy.” Dombrovskis further disclosed that the Greek government officials he met in Athens at the start of a two-day visit agreed that differences remain on the issues of foreclosures.

25 October According to Greece’s coast guard, a woman and two children aged 7 and 2 have drowned after their boat smashed into coastal rocks on the island of Lesbos amidst turbulent seas. The coast guard has reported that the boat was carrying 63 migrants at the time, adding that 53 of the passengers have been rescued. Another seven are missing. The bodies of the dead have been recovered and two helicopters and two ships, from the Greek coast guard and from the EU border agency Frontex, continue the search.

On Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras disclosed that a summit of European Union and Balkan leaders on the migrant crisis is of little use if Turkey is not involved. Tsipras also chided some EU nations for only looking at ways to keep migrants out and not how to tackle the crisis together, stating, “unfortunately, till today, it was difficult to find a solution, because a series of countries adopt a stance of ‘not in my own background.’” He further disclosed that Turkey bears a special responsibility in the migrant crisis, adding that “at the end of the (migrant) corridor, there is an entrance. So if we will not be able to agree with the country at the entrance, I am afraid that it will be very difficult to find a solution.”

23 October According to the International Office for Migration (IOM), Greece over the past week experienced the largest single weekly influx of migrants this year, averaging some 9,600 per day. The IOM has reported that between 17 – 21 October, some 48,000 people crossed from Turkey to the Greek islands “despite deteriorating weather conditions, adding that over 27,000 arrived in Lesbos while another 9,750 in Chios, nothing that this “…influx has left many local authorities unprepared.” The agency also reported that a total of eighteen people died in two instances during this past week, including fourteen off the island of Samos. Overall, the IOM estimates that 680,928 people have crossed the Mediterranean this year, and that 3,175 have died.

On a second day of a visit to Greece, French President Francois Hollande backed a Greek request to begin negotiations with bailout lenders by the end of the year for better debt repayment terms. President Hollande disclosed that the talks should start after bailout inspectors complete a review of Greece’s reforms progress, which is expected next month. Speaking shortly after holding talks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Hollande disclosed that “of course Greece must honor its commitments. But they are not contesting that…What Greece is asking for is flexibility – that’s understandable,” adding, “of course when the (bailout) review is completed, the renegotiation for the debt should begin, to lighten the debt burden.” The French president is on a two-day official visit to Greece. He travelled with Finance Minister Michel Sapin as well as several other members of his cabinet. They discussed Europe’s refugee crisis and the ongoing civil war in Syria, signed agreements to boost support by French experts for reforms to improve the Greek state administration.

On Friday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras promised to honor bailout comments “to the letter,”

claiming however that “extreme neoliberal” supports in Europe – a thinly veiled reference to fiscal haws in the German finance ministry – were attempting to undermine the agreement. The Greek leader further stated that “its one thing to honor our commitments and agreements, and another to consider Greece not to be an equal partner but a convict serving a sentence,” adding, “we are equal partners, not convicts.”

22 October On Thursday, French President Francois Hollande arrived in Athens for a two-day visit as the country seeks help from European rescue lenders for relief on its massive bailout debts. Greece’s government laid out heavy security measures for the visit, mobilizing 2,500 police and blocking off parts of the city centre. The French president, most of whose meetings were scheduled for Friday, is accompanied by Finance Minster Michel Sapin and a number of French business executives.

21 October Greek emergency workers have joined a search for fifteen people who have been reported missing after a small boat carrying refugees sank in Turkish waters while on its way to a Greek island. The Greek coast guard has reported that on Wednesday, two vessels and a helicopter were combing the sea northeast of the island of Samos for the missing migrants. Turkish authorities, who picked up several survivors, are also searching in their waters. On Wednesday, the Greek coast guard also disclosed that in the past 24 hours, officials have rescued 870 refugees.

On Wednesday, Greece and its international lenders began talks to test its compliance with terms of an 86 billion euro bailout deal, as authorities disclosed that a recession this year would be milder than expected. Team leaders from three European Union institutions and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are reviewing reforms that Athens adopted on 16 October as well as future “milestones” that Greece must pass soon in order to be eligible for a loan payment of 3 billion euros. The payment is part of an initial tranch of 23 billion euros. Another 10 billion has already been disbursed to Greece and 10 billion set aside to cover recapitalization of the country’s four big banks. On Wednesday, Finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos told reporters that he believes that 2 billion euros, out of the three billion euro tranche, could be disbursed by the end of the week. He further disclosed that “we are on a good path…There is a broad agreement on the fiscal targets. There is agreement on the macroeconomic scenario, that there will be contraction of about 1.3 percent this year and 1.3 percent next year.” He further disclosed that representatives of the quartet of institutions had questions on how Greece will reduce its primary budget deficit by 0.25 percent of gross domestic product this year and build a 0.50 percent surplus next year, adding, “they want to have more discussions on this.”

20 October On Tuesday, the UN disclosed that over half a million refugees and migrants have arrived by sea in Greece this year, adding that the rate of arrivals is rising with over 8,000 coming on Monday alone in what is a rush to beat the onset of the winter period. According to UN refugee agency spokeswoman Melissa Fleming, 27,500 refugees and migrants remained in transit on Greek islands near Turkey from which hundreds of thousands have come. Speaking at a news briefing, Fleming disclosed that “we have reached another dramatic milestone, with the arrival yesterday (Monday) of 8,000 people, bringing the total to 502,000. Obviously we knew this was coming, but we do see a spike in arrivals in Greece.” She further disclosed that “it is of utmost importance here, as in other parts of Europe, that reception conditions be adequate to the task. Without this essential element, the relocation programme agreed by Europe in September is in serious peril and may fail.”

19 October The coast guard has reported that it has rescued 2,561 people in dozens of incidents in the eastern Aegean over the weekend. On Monday, the coast guard disclosed that the rescues occurred in 69 operations from Friday morning until Monday morning near eight Aegean islands. The number however does not include those who make it ashore themselves from the nearby Turkish coast.

Greece’s international lenders will begin assessing the country’s economic reforms next week. According to the EU Commission and Greek officials, the mission chiefs of Greece’s international lenders will be visiting Athens for talks with authorities between Wednesday and Friday. An EU Commission spokesman disclosed that the inspection will focus on assessing economic reforms passed by parliament and the outlook for the first review. A formal review, which had been due to begin in mid-October, was pushed back because of parliamentary elections, which occurred on 20 September. It currently remains unclear when the review will begin. Last week, the Greek parliament approved a first raft of reforms to the pension and tax systems, sought by lenders as a condition for up to 86 billion euros in aid. Under the reforms, the retirement age will

incrementally rise to 67 and there are increased penalties for early retirement and higher fines for tax evasion. With the first bundle of taxes passed, Athens must now prepare a new batch of reforms by increasing tax on farmers, which is a powerful lobby. Then there should be further pension reforms in order to ensure viability of the system until 2050, which will effectively mean further pension cuts.

Greece’s largest union has called for a nationwide strike on 12 November. The private sector umbrella union GSEE called for a 24-hour strike to protest reforms demanded by the country’s lenders under its third ballot. According to GSEE chairman Yiannis Panagopoulos, “this tax blitz has smothered wage earners and just adds to the ‘blood tax’ paid through high unemployment…we cannot remain apathetic and hope to be saved by God.” This will be the union’s first strike since the left-wing government took power in January. Farmers, who will see tax on profits rise in up to 26 percent by the end of 2016 from the current 13 percent rate, have also indicated that they will take action. PASEGES, which is an umbrella organization that represents agricultural cooperative across Greece, has disclosed that it would start mobilizing members on a local level and hold further consultations in December on broader action.

17 October The Coast Guard has reported that four children on a boat carrying migrants have drowned after the vessel sank off the small island of Kalolimnos in the southeastern Aegean. Officials have indicated that the victims are three girls, ages 5, 9 and 16, and a 2-year-old boy. A woman, a man and a 9-year-old boy are missing at sea. The coast guard vessel rescued eleven men and two women in the same incident.

16 October Authorities in Greece are investigating a series of allegations that Syrian refugees who entered the country by land from Turkey were robbed and forced back across the border by Greek police. On Friday, a judicial official disclosed that Thessaloniki prosecutor Lefteris Michailidis has ordered the police internal affairs squad to investigate more than twenty complaints that have been forwarded by human rights groups. Refugees have claimed that the attacks took place earlier this year in the northeastern region of Evros, where Greece and Turkey are separated by a river that can easily be crossed in the summer. Refugees indicated that Greek police stole their money and belongings before pushing them back across the river.

Greece’s parliament has approved a new round of austerity measures, in what is the first major test for Prime Minister Alexi Tsipras after snap general elections last month. Early on Saturday, lawmakers votes 154 – 140 in favor of the bill that is required for a 2 billion euro (US $2.3 billion) loan installment, which is part of the country’s third major bailout agreement with eurozone leaders, worth 86 billion euros (US $98 billion) over three years.

15 October Greece’s coast guard has reported that it has rescued 830 people in twenty search and rescue operations that occurred between Wednesday morning and Thursday morning off the eastern Aegean islands. According to officials, the rescues, which occurred near the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Agathonissi and Kos, do not account for those who reach the shores themselves, generally in overcrowded inflatable dinghies.

14 October On Wednesday, authorities recovered the bodies of a woman, a young girl and an infant from an overturned dinghy that was spotted by a helicopter of the European Union’s border policing agency Frontex. The recovery came after an all-day search following the rescue in nearby Turkish waters of 21 others who had been in the dingy.

13 October On Tuesday, Greece indicated that it has no plan to carry out joint sea patrols with neighboring Turkey in a bid to stem an influx of migrants and refugees into Europe. On Monday, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert suggested that Greek and Turkish coast guard and navy teams were up to cracking down on traffickers that migrants are turning to in their effort to reach Europe. However in an statement released Tuesday, foreign ministry spokesman Constantinos Koutras disclosed that “Greece…never considered assigning to its navy or armed forces in general the task of confronting refugees of war, and nor can it even discuss the novel ideas expressed lately, such as that of joint Greek-Turkey patrolling of maritime borders.” Koutras further indicated that Greece wants to cooperate with Turkey in order to improve the management of migrant inflows and crack down on trafficking, however this could be done mainly by exchanging information or sending back migrants who arrive without documentation. Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas has called on the EU to treat Turkey generously and offer it “incentives and rewards,” including financial support to accommodate refugees there.

12 October Greek authorities have reported that they have rescued a total of 1,624 refugees and economic migrants who entered the country in dozens of frail boats from neighboring Turkey over the past three days. On Monday, the coastguard disclosed that the migrants were picked up at sea in 47 incidents that occurred near Greece’s eastern Aegean islands of Lesbos, Kos, Chios, Samos, Leros, Agathonissi and Farmakonissi.

10 October Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called on Syriza members on Saturday to overcome “the ills of the past” and to broaden its support base in a bid to bolster the party. Speaking to the party’s central committee, which convened for the first time since the September election, Tsipras stated, “in order to achieve its political targets, our party needs to change,” adding, “having a party operate within a party is over.” Tsipras also stated that the party should immediately being with “reconstructing” Syriza’s member organizations and campaigning to register new members ahead of a party congress in February. He disclosed that the party should be open to people “who believe in Syriza, regardless of whether they were supporters of the (centre) Pasok or (centre) New Democracy for decades.” While some Syriza members are worried that such change may hinder the party’s plans to fight corruption and reform the state and may overshadow its leftist values, Tsipras reiterated that cracking down on corruption and mitigating the impact of austerity for the poorest were amongst the government’s priorities, adding that he wanted the party to act as a guarantor that its programme would be implemented. Over the summer, Syriza was significantly weekend when lawmakers from its far-left faction broke away in protest at Tsipras accepting a third bailout, which was attached to tough austerity measures that he had once vowed to tear up. Despite this, Tsipras was re-elected on 20 September, this time with a mandate to implement the 86-billion euro programme and thanks to the votes of both the left and the right centre.

EU officials have reported that Greece’s first migrant processing centre will open over the next ten days and will allow migrants and refugees to be flown to other EU countries, mostly to their preference, and have their asylum applications processed there. According to Dimitris Avramopoulos, European Migration and Home Affairs Commissioner, the first centre will open on the island of Lesbos, with up to four more on other Greek islands.

9 October According to Greece’s coast guard, it has rescued 542 people in 12 search and rescue incidents that occurred between Thursday morning and Friday morning. The coast guard has disclosed that the rescues occurred off the coasts of the eastern Aegean islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Agathonissi and Farmakonissi. Officials have disclosed that a wooden boat carrying a large number of refugees and other migrants ran aground on the small eastern Aegean island of Leros, adding that an infant died after the inflatable dingy he was in partially sank off the coast of Lesbos Island. The wooden boat, which was carrying about 100 people, ran aground Friday on the northeast coast of Leros, with officials disclosing that those on board were being taken to shore by coast guard and private vessels that arrived to help. In the Lesbos incident, the coast guard rescued 56 people from the sea Thursday night after the rear part of the dinghy burst, partially sinking the boat. A 1-year-old boy was recovered unconscious and transported to a hospital however rescuers were unable to revive him.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has disclosed that it has seen a sharp rise in the number of people landing on Greece’s eastern islands over the past week, adding that around 7,000 people arrive every day. On Friday, the IOM reported in Geneva that the increase may be due to migrants’ expectations that weather conditions will soon worsen. The group has disclosed that its staff members were seeing around 4,500 arrivals per day at the end of September and the figure was as low as 2,711 on 1 October.

The head of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) European department has disclosed that Greece cannot deal with its public debt through reforms alone, adding that it needs a significant extension of grace periods and longer maturities from its European creditors. Speaking at a news conference in Lima, on the sidelines of a meeting of the IMF, Poul Thomsen stated “we think that Greek debt…has become highly unsustainable,” adding, “we think that Greece cannot deal with its debt without debt relief. Greece cannot deal with debt just through reforms and adjustment.” Thomsen also disclosed that the discussion on how to provide debt relief to Greece has shifted towards capping gross financing needs. The chairman of euro zone finance minister stated Thursday that there was broad support for capping Greece’s financing needs at 15 percent of GDP annually, stating, “what the exact targets should be, we will have to discuss, but there is no doubt in our mind that if Europe wants to go the route of providing relief by lengthening the

grace period and lengthening the repayment period, we are looking at a significant lengthening of the grace period and significant lengthening of the repayment period.”

8 October Early on Thursday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his new coalition government won a confidence vote, effectively bolstering his efforts to enforce the country’s third bailout while he seeks to revive the economy. As was expected, all 155 lawmakers in the governing coalition in the 300-member Parliament backed Tsipras. The vote came after three days of debate on the new government’s policy programme, which is a standard procedure after general elections in Greece. In a speech to Parliament before the vote, Tsipras stated that his priorities were to recapitalize Greece’s banks by the end of the year and to wind relieve for the country’s huge debt burden. He promised that “despite the difficulties ahead of us, we will exit the crisis in the next four years.”

7 October Police reported Wednesday that they broke up an international criminal organization smuggling migrants and refugees through Greece. According to the force, officers arrested twelve people from Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq and Syria in raids that targeted apartments and other locations across Athens early on Sunday, adding that they confiscated hundreds of fake identity cards, passports and other documents. A statement released by police officials disclosed that the smugglers were divided into six units, which helped migrants travel from Turkey via the Greek island of Kos on to Macedonia and Italy on planes, buses and trains. Police also attached an organization chart of at least thirty suspects, as well as an unknown number of associates in Turkey, which was drawn up after what they called one of their biggest operations against people smugglers. Police officials further disclosed that the gang gave fake asylum registration documents to migrants arriving in Kos in exchange for about 3,000 euros (US $3,400) each.

5 October Greek authorities reported on Monday that they have freed 34 men, women and children who allegedly had been locked up in a cramped central Athens flat by a mostly Afghan gang of extortionists that preyed on newly arrived migrants. Police officials have disclosed that they arrested one suspect in the weekend operation, adding that they are now seeking five others, including an Egyptian man. On Monday, police reported that the suspect offered Afghan migrants accommodation, bus tickets and forged documents, adding that once in the flat, migrants faced imprisonment and beatings unless they paid the gang.

4 October The badly decomposed bodies of two children were found washed up on the Greek island of Kos on Sunday. According to officials, a dead baby boy, thought to be less than a year old, was discovered on a hotel beach early Sunday, while the decomposed body of an older child, believed to be three- to five-years old, was found just hours later at the same spot. Authorities believe that the children were from migrant families that had been trying to reach Kos by dinghy. Both bodies have been transferred to hospital for an autopsy and DNA testing.

3 October On Saturday, re-elected leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stated that Greece must implement its bailout programme quickly in order to achieve its main aim of regaining access to market financing and escaping international supervision. Speaking to lawmakers of his Syriza party, on the day that a new parliament was sworn in, the premier stated that he aimed to complete the first review of a 86 billion euro bailout, which was agreed in August, as soon as possible so that Athens could open negotiations with its euro zone partners on debt relief. In order to achieve that, Greece is required to enact a number of reforms of taxation, pensions, healthcare, the financial sector and public services by 15 November in order to unlock the next tranche of aid and to receive help in recapitalizing its banks. On Saturday, Tsipras stated that “implementing the bailout is not going to be easy. But we are obliged to make these decisions although we don’t like them,” adding, “its necessary, in order to exit this system of surveillance and immediately start the discussion on the debt issue.” He further indicated that “our main target is to exit this system of supervision, and regain market access. But a necessary condition for that is to return to growth.”

2 October The UN refugee agency has reported a “noticeable drop” this week in arrivals of refugees by sea into Greece. On Friday, the UNHCR disclosed that 1,500 people crossed the Aegean Sea a day earlier, down from an average of 5,000 per day in recent weeks. Officials have cited cooler, windier weather, which makes the crossing from Turkey more dangerous. UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards disclosed that “any improvement in the weather is likely to bring another surge in arrivals,” adding that the agency anticipates 700,000 arrivals total by year end. The UNHCR currently estimates that 396,500 people have entered Greece via the Mediterranean this year,

noting that seventy percent of them have come from Syria.

1 October Officials in Greece have reopened a disused Olympic venue in order to house migrants and refugees who have been camping out in central Athens. Police officials on Thursday escorted buses carrying about 500 people, mostly from Afghanistan and Syria, from Victoria Square in central Athens to the Galatsi Olympic Hall, which was used during the 2004 Athens Games and which is the second major Olympic venue to be reopened to accommodate refugees in recent weeks. Yiannis Mouzalas, a migration affairs minister, has promised to try to swiftly improve management of the crisis in order to avoid “local residents becoming susceptible to extremist, racist, xenophobic views.” On Thursday, local residents and an anti-racism group held small protests at the square, urging the government to do more in order to ease the effects of the crisis.

Italy

30 October On Friday, the country’s top immigration official indicated that Italy will send 100 refugees to France and Spain next week as part of a European Union relocation plan that aims to ease the burden on border states. Accoridng to Mario Morcone, the official in charge of implementing the national immigration policy, “another 100 refugees will leave at the beginning of next week for France, Spain and maybe Sweden…So far, offers from other countries to take them have been limited,” noting that he hoped that the plan’s complicated bureaucratic procedures could be simplified. Italy, with roughly 100,000 migrants living in immigration centres, is supposed to relocated 24,000 over two years as part of the voluntary plan, and about 16,000 more as part of an obligatory programme, however fewer then 90 have been moved. In October, Italy sent 86 Eritrean refugees to Sweden and Finland. According to the European Commission, nine states have volunteered to take in as many as 954 people from Italy or Greece, however Morcone has stated that so far, Italy had received a maximum of 350 offers. According to the plan, only Eritreans, Syrians and Iraqis, whose asylum requests have a high rate of acceptance, qualify to be relocated.

21 October On Wednesday, Italy sent seventy Syrian and Eritrean asylum seekers to Sweden and Finland, as part

of the European Union’s relocation plan, which is meant to ease the burden of taking in 300,000 migrants in less than two years. Officials have disclosed that fifty-one Eritreans and nineteen Syrians boarded a plane in Rome to move north two weeks after the first departures under the same EU plan. Speaking at the airport, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano disclosed that “we have dozens of other migrants ready to leave in coming days.” The Minster further disclosed that over two years, the EU aims to relocate almost 40,000 from Italy, a target he states is “absolutely doable.”

Late on Wednesday, the Interior Ministry published a study stating that more than 99,000 migrants are

now being housed in Italy at an estimated cost to the state of about 1.16 billion euros (US $1.32 billion) in 2015, almost double last year’s spending. Relocation costs are paid from the EU budget, with 6,000 euros per head going to the country that accepts the refugees and 500 euros to the country transferring them. Of over half a million refugees and migrants to arrive in Europe by boat across the Mediterranean this year, 136,000 have come to Italy. Only Greece has seen more arrivals.

9 October An Italian police aircraft with nineteen Eritreans on board has taken off from Rome’s Ciampino airport

bringing the first refugees to Sweden under the EU’s new resettlement programme, which is aimed at redistributing asylum seekers from hard-hit receiving countries. The aircraft is bound for Kallax Airport in Lulea, which is located in the far north of Sweden. Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, who was on hand to bid the Eritreans farewell, has stated that the transfer is proof that Europe has finally changed its migration policy.

7 October Italy is considering playing a more active role in Iraq in combating the Islamist State (IS) group,

however no decision on such a role has been made. On Wednesday, Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti stressed at a news conference with her US counterpart, Defense Secretary Ash Carter, that Italy is not considering any role in Syria, as the government in Damascus has not asked for assistance. Pinotti further disclosed that “as far as further commitments by Italy on different issues, we are assessing the situation. And no decision will be taken without parliamentary approval.” Italy has provided Tornado jets for reconnaissance missions, weapons for Kurdish fighters and training units. On Tuesday, Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported that Italy was preparing to use its Tornados for airstrikes.

6 October On Tuesday, the EU’s migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos stated that Italy will begin

relocating refugees this week under a EU plan that aims to spread the burden of the continent’s biggest migrant crisis since World War II. Speaking to reports during a visit to the Croatian capital Zagreb, Avramopoulos disclosed that he would personally attend the departure of the first batch of migrants from Italy. He further disclosed that he “…will leave to Italy for the very first relocation of Eritrean refugees to Sweden” adding, “I hope that next week we will also have the first relocation of Syrians from Greece to Luxembourg.” Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano will join Avramopoulos at Rome’s Ciampino airport when the plane carrying about two dozen Eritreans leaves Italy on Friday morning. Sources have disclosed that Avramopoulos is then scheduled to fly to the Italian island of Lampedusa, where he will visit the island’s “hotspot,” a new immigration centre to be run jointly by EU and Italian officials in order to better identify migrants and refugees. The EU plans to relocate a total of 160,000 migrants, mostly from Syria and Eritrea, from the frontline countries of Greece and Italy to other member states in the 28-nation bloc.

Kosovo

27 October Kosovo will sign a stabilization and association agreement with the European Union, in what is a historic milestone that will help the economic growth of the country. Tuesday’s signature in Strasbourg effectively opens the way to eventual full membership into the EU. According to European Integration Minister Bekim Collaku, the agreement marks a “new milestone because it establishes contractual relations between the Republic of Kosovo and the EU,” adding that “we want to become members of the European family in terms of economic integration but also to share the EU values.” Speaking at a forum on Monday, Prime Minister Isa Mustafa disclosed that the agreement was the “start of a long road…supported and embraced by our citizens and our friends.”

24 October Police in Kosovo have reported that one officer and two protesters were injured in clashes in the capital city early on Saturday, just a day after the opposition disrupted parliament with tear gas in a bid to protest against agreements with Montenegro and Serbia. According to police officials, ten protesters were arrested as a few hundred opposition supporters threw petrol bombs and other objects outside the parliament building in Pristina. Local media have reported that two protesters received treatment after they were exposed to tear gas, which was used by police.

22 October The European Union has announced that it will sign next Tuesday a long-awaited accord with Kosovo on closer ties, which could effectively open the way to membership for the Balkan country. According to EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic, top officials will sign the Stabilization and Association Agreement in Strasbourg, which is home to the European Parliament, adding that “once implemented, it will bring more economic prosperity, legal certainty, government accountability and political stability to the people of Kosovo.” A Stabilization and Association agreement is the first key step for non-EU countries towards membership of the bloc. It requires the country concerned to ensure that its governance and civil society norms, such as human rights and the judiciary, are brought up to EU standards.

20 October The opposition has warned the government against holding another parliamentary session unless it backtracks from deals with Serbia and Montenegro. After a meeting on Tuesday with President Atifete Jahjaga, three opposition leaders disclosed that the governing coalition should not “provoke” with another parliamentary session as this would “escalate the situation.” Ramush Haradinaj of the Alliance for Kosovo’s Future Party, which is part of the opposition, also indicated that “it would be a great mistake to call a parliamentary session that would escalate the situation.” The government however has stated that the opposition is trying to come to power through non-democratic means, with deputy Prime Minister and Democratic Party of Kosovo leader Hashi Thaci stating, “we invite the opposition parties that instead of creating barriers, to contribute to these processes.” Parliament Speaker Kadri Veseli has indicated that the next session of parliament would be held Friday afternoon, instead of the usual timing on Thursday, adding, “(we) are political groupings that operate and should operate within Kosovo’s institutions.”

19 October On Monday, Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga met with parliamentary leaders in a bid to resolve a dispute over political deals with Serbia and Montenegro. In recent weeks, the opposition has used tear gas and thrown eggs at Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa in parliament, calling on the

government to withdraw from deals with Serbia to give more powers to the Serb-dominated areas in Kosovo and with Montenegro on border demarcation. The premier has since stated that he is determined to continue EU-mediated talks with Serbia and accused the opposition of trying to come to power in a non-democratic way. He has also welcomed the move by the country’s president, and has expressed readiness to discuss “the country’s development.” While opposition leaders have also indicated that they agree with the move, they have warned that they will not change their stand against the deals with Serbia.

16 October Kosovo’s Prime Minister Isa Mustafa has disclosed that his Cabinet is determined to continue the EU-mediated talks with Serbia despite recent violent opposition protests. At a Cabinet meeting on Friday, Mustafa called on the opposition to renounced “ultimatum demands” and to join efforts in Kosovo’s state-building process. The premier assured that the deals were “in Kosovo’s and its citizens’ best interest” as the European Union and the US are guarantors of the processes. Kosovo has applied for membership in the European Union and is also trying to become a member in many other international institutions.

15 October On Thursday, opposition lawmakers angry at Kosovo’s recent deals with Serbia and Montenegro, set off tear gas canisters in Parliament, forcing the suspension of the session. Sources have disclosed that lawmakers left the chambers after a tear gas canister was opened in the opposition seats, followed by one or to others. This is the second week in a row that tear gas has been used in Parliament in protests that began with the egging of Prime Minister Isa Mustafa last month. The opposition, which is led by the Self-Determination party, has indicated that no more parliamentary sessions should be held and has pledged to continue the protests. Meanwhile the government has denounced the use of tear gas, calling the move “an irresponsible behavior not in line with any ethic, moral and practical democratic code.” Parliament Speaker Kadri Veseli has urged the opposition to use parliament to express disagreements professionally and to respect its rules and the law.

13 October Kosovo police reported Tuesday that fifteen policemen and one civilian were injured during a violent protest by the opposition Self-Determination Party (Vetevendosje!) after an opposition lawmaker was taken in for questioning. Police spokesman Baki Kelani has disclosed that opposition leader Albin Kurti was taken to a police station Monday evening in order to be questioned on the use of tear gas to disrupt the parliament session last week. The opposition had been protesting against the government’s recent EU-sponsored deal with Serbia, which effectively gives Kosovo’s Serb-majority areas greater powers. Video images of the session have shown Kurti opening the first canister of tear gas. Kelani reported that “a small group” of protesters gathered in front of the police station were Kurti was being interviewed, adding that they threw stones and other hard objects and set two cars of the prosecutor’s office on fire. He further indicated that half a dozen cars were damaged, adding, “they did not respect police calls to disperse and police were obliged to intervene.” Kurti’s Vatevendosje! has disclosed that police did not explain why Kurti was being questioned, adding that hundreds of citizens and supporters faced with “exaggerated violence with police” using tear gas and also iron and plastic batons injuring many of them. Kelani on Tuesday reported that Kurti, who is a member of parliament, was released after midnight while nine protesters were arrested, adding that Kurti was questioned based on a prosecutor’s warrant.

8 October Opposition MP’s in Kosovo have let off tear gas in the national parliament chamber in protest over a government agreement with Serbia. Kosovapress news reported that the gas disrupted the session and made two MP’s faint, adding that there were also loud whistles and insults from the opposition. The protest comes in the wake of the government signing an EU-brokered deal, which grants more powers to the mainly Serb areas of Kosovo. Opposition MP’s argue that the new deal, which is to establish an “Association/Community of Serb majority municipalities” – endangers Kosovo’s territorial integrity. Kosovo’s government has denounced the opposition’s actions, which has been blamed on opposition party leader Albin Kurti, stating that it is beyond “the bounds of institutional and democratic behaviour.” Ramush Haradinaj, head of the opposition Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) has warned of “even bigger actions than throwing tear gas…in the assembly chamber,” with Kosovapress quoting him stating “it is not a big deal that two MP’s pass out, compared to what future actions are going to be.”

Malta

No significant incidents to report.

Montenegro

26 October On Monday, Montenegro’s Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic brushed off violent protests, which have called for his resignation, insisting that they were not a threat to his country’s stability. On Monday, Prime Minister Djukanovic, speaking during an official visit to Slovenia, insisted that his government could handle the protests. Speaking at a press conference, he stated, “these demonstrations are not a threat to the stability of Montenegro, which has shown its capacity to defend itself in a firm, efficient and organized manner against these attempts at destabilization.” The Prime Minister has accused the opposition of trying to prevent the country’s NATO membership, stating that he is convinced that Russia is behind the protests. He has previously rejected demands to resign, offering instead to call early elections after December’s NATO meeting when the Balkan country is expected to be invited to join the alliance. On Monday, Djukanovic also defended Montenegro’s move to join NATO and is shift towards “new values which the country has not been very inclined to in the past,” adding that “we know that many don’t believe in this process and want to force us to turn back.”

24 October On Saturday night, police in the capital Podgorica fired tear gas in a bid to disperse several thousand people who rallied demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, in what is the third such clash to take place in a week. Speaking to reporters, Montenegrin Interior Minister Rasko Konjevic disclosed that fifteen police officers were injured in the clash, including one seriously, while 24 protesters asked for medical help, mostly over problems caused by tear gas. The Interior Minister further added that Andrija Mandic, a MP and an opposition leader who was amongst the organizers of the protest, was detained. Sources have disclosed that protesters were throwing torches, fire bombs and firecrackers at anti-riot police guarding the parliament, in a bid to break the cordon and enter the building, when police fired tear gas to stop them. Sources further reported that police and protesters clashed in several places latter in the evening. Police regained order in the town an hour later, patrolling with armed vehicles. According to a police estimate, earlier in the day, up to 6,000 people chanted “Milo thief!” and “He is finished!” in front of the parliament building, demanding free and fair elections organized by a transitional government in place of Djukanovic, who has been in power since 1990.

18 October On Sunday, Montenegrin protesters threw stones and used pepper spray against police, who retaliated with tear gas during a rally of several thousand who are seeking the prime minister’s resignation. Sunday’s incident occurred in front of parliament, when protesters tried to break through a fence in front of police forces, who had sealed off the building. On the ground sources have reported that as they threw stones and flares, one protester was hit in the head and fell to the ground bleeding. Police responded with tear gas, releasing it from a nearby street to keep protesters back, while some of the opposition activists eventually calmed down the angry crowd. Demonstrators in the Balkan country are calling for “genuine elections’ organized by a transitional government in place of Prime Minister Mil Djukanovic, who has been at the centre of power since the early 1990s. Andrija Mandic from the main opposition bloc, the Democratic Front, has disclosed that they are seeking “…the resignation of the government and formation of an interim one,” adding that if the left-wing government does not resign by Saturday, even bigger protests will be staged.

17 October On Saturday, police used tear gas in a bid to disperse several hundred opposition activists attempting to protest outside parliament in order to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic’s government. On the ground sources have reported that hundreds of officers sealed off key government institutions in downtown Podgorica in a bid to stop protesters approaching the assembly and fired tear gas when demonstrators tried to break through their lines. Sources have reported that the activists staged a protest walk nearby, which ended peacefully. Earlier in the day, special police officers dispersed a few dozen supporters of the main opposition party who had been camping out in front of the assembly for almost three weeks seeking the prime minister’s resignation. A statement released by the police indicated that a total of eleven people were detained, including two MP’s of the Democratic Front, while six officers were slightly injured. The country’s main opposition is seeking the installation of a transitional government charged with organizing “genuine elections,” which it says have not happened up to now. The next parliamentary polls in the country are due to take place early next year.

15 October On Thursday, NATO urged Montenegro to put into practice the reforms that it adopted hoping to join the Western military alliance, adding that a decision is due in December on whether to take in the country over the objections of Russia. Ambassadors of the North Atlantic Council held a two-day meeting in the ex-Yugoslav republic in what is the latest signal of the alliances resolve to expand further in the Balkans. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has commended Montenegro for modernizing its armed forces, improving its intelligence services, bolstering the rule of law and stepping up a fight against corruption. Speaking at a news conference with Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djunaknovic, he stated that “Montenegro is a very strong aspirant for members,” emphasizing the need to complete promised changes.

Portugal

30 October On Friday, Portugal’s centre-right coalition government took office, effectively beginning its countdown to its likely collapse in eleven day’s time. On 4 October, the coalition government of the past four years won the general election with 38 percent of the vote, however the centre-left parties, which fiercely oppose its austerity policies, together collected 62 percent. They have now vowed to use their majority in Parliament in order to force the government’s resignation in a scheduled 10 November vote, adding that they aim to take power themselves. That would make the government sworn in on Friday that country’s briefest ever. Furthermore, it brings concerns about whether the country will remain committed to the fiscal discipline that is required of members of the shared euro currency. Portugal is still recovering from its 78 billion-euro (US $86 billion) bailout in 2011. Last year, the budget deficit was the second-highest in the eurozone at 7.2 percent and government debt remains high at 128 percent of gross domestic product.

27 October On Tuesday, Portugal’s prime minister named his Cabinet for what could be one of the country’s briefest government’s ever. Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho presented his list of senior government officials to the Portuguese head of sate for formal approval. They were to be sworn in Friday, after which the centre-right coalition government has ten days in order to present its four-year policy programme to Parliament. The Prime Minister’s procedural meeting with the president was unannounced and he entered the presidential palace in Lisbon through a side entrance in order to avoid waiting media. The Cabinet featured eight new ministers, most of them party heavyweights. The Prime Minister also set up two new government departments, a Ministry for Culture, which the centre-left parties had campaigned to create, and a Ministry for Administrative Modernization, which responds to creditor’s demands to reduce red tape. The centre-left parties have more votes in Parliament than the minority government and have already vowed to reject the programme, which will force the government’s resignation after just days in office. In order to replace the centre-right administration, the moderate Socialist Party is negotiating the creation of a majority government with the Community Party and the radical Left Bloc.

23 October On Friday, Portugal’s opposition Socialists pledged to topple the centre-right minority government with a no confidence motion, stating that the president had created “an unnecessary political crisis” by naming Pedro Passos Coelho as premier. The move could wreck Coelho’s efforts to get his centre-right government programme passed in parliament in 10 days time, which wound intern extend the political uncertainty, which has already been hanging over the country since the inconclusive 4 October election. On Thursday, Coelho was named prime minister after his coalition won the most votes in the national election.

21 October On Wednesday, Portugal’s president held the country’s political future in his hands after concluding two days of talks with the main parties before announcing his decision. The head of state has the power to invite parties to govern based on election results. He is now deciding whether to give power to a centre-right coalition government or an alliance of centre-left parties. While centre-right Social Democrat Pedro Passos Coelho won the 4 October election, he lost his majority. The president has consulted with political parties and has now to decide who to nominate as prime minister. Even if he chooses Mr Coelho, many believe that he will still have to ask the left to form a government within weeks. The Social Democrats could only command a minority government and would probably fall as soon as the opposition tabled a vote of no confidence. Update (22 October) – Portugal’s president has invited the centre-right coalition government of the past four years to return to power after it won a general election, despite it being outnumbered in parliament by anti-austerity opponents who have vowed to force it out

within days. The coalition won the 4 October ballot with 38.4 percent of votes and will rule as a minority government. Pedro Passos Coelho is expected to continue as prime minister. However an unprecedented alliance of left-of-centre parties, which is led by the moderate Socialists and which includes the Communist Part and radical Left Bloc, has 122 seats in the 230-seat parliament and says that it will use that majority in order to quickly bring down the government and take power itself, with a promise to ease austerity measures.

17 October Former Socialist Prime Minister Jose Socrates left home as a free man for the first time in ten months on Saturday after a court lifted the house arrest, which it had imposed on him. Both the state prosecutor and Mr Socrates’ lawyers have confirmed that the 58-year-old is now free to leave, however he must remain in Portugal unless given special authorization. According to his lawyer Joao Araujo, Mr Socrates met with his legal representatives until the early hours of Saturday and “is now a free man, who can talk whenever he likes.” Mr Socrates, who was in power from 2005 until 2011, has spent ten months under arrest while police and prosecutors investigate him for suspected corruption, money-laundering and tax fraud.

16 October The country’s Socialist party is poised to form a left-wing alliance with the eurosceptic radical Left in a bid to become the country’s new government. The party’s leader, Antonio Costa, has disclosed that he is ready to strike up an alliance to become the country’s new prime minister, stating, “although the negotiations are obviously still underway, at this moment, everything indicates that the Socialist Party is in better condition to be able to lead a more stable government solution.” Speaking on Portuguese television on Friday night, Mr Costa further disclosed that “the Socialist Party doesn’t want tot take power at any cost, at any price. We have to work on what makes sense, and what makes sense is to see if we’re able to have a government that’s stable.” Mr Costa has vowed not to provide parliamentary support for a conservative-led minority government, stating, “a stable government obviously isn’t a government that is assured to live one year, without knowing what happens next.”

13 October On Tuesday, the leader of the country’s Socialists disclosed that the party is better placed to form a stable government than the centre-right, after two far-left parties dropped their opposition to EU rules on reducing budget deficits. In an interview, Socialist Party leader Antonio Costa, who has begun negotiations with both the left and the right, disclosed that his party was ready to govern and “turn the page on austerity.” Costa indicated that while the centre-right won the most votes, the election showed a “desire for change in politics,” as his party, along with the far-left Communists and Left Block, had a majority in parliament. He further stated that “what is clear at the moment is that the Socialist Party is in a better position than the right to form a government that will be stable for the next four years,” adding, “what I want to transmit, especially to markets, is that Portugal will maintain the stability of its European commitments.” Political uncertainty in Portugal has increased in the wake of an inconclusive 4 October election, in which the outgoing centre-right government won most of the votes however not enough in order to secure majority in parliament.

12 October The leader of the country’s Socialist opposition sought to calm worried investors on Monday by stating that any new government formed with the backing of far-left parties would still respect Portugal’s budget pledges. Socialist leader Antonia Costa disclosed that his contacts with the Left Bloc and the Communists were aimed at working out a government programme that would effectively ease austerity, adding that they also had “the condition to respect Portugal’s international commitments.” Costa made the comments shortly after meeting with President Anibal Cavaco Silva, who has to name the new prime minister in the coming weeks. On Tuesday, Costa is due to meet with Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, whose centre-right coalition disclosed that it sent Costa proposals “that facilitate a compromise” after fruitless talks last week. On Monday, Portuguese shares fell sharply as a second far-left party stated that it could back a Socialist-led government. This raised concerns that the fall-out from last week’s election could lead to reversal of Lisbon’s strict budget policies.

8 October Officials disclosed Thursday that Portuguese authorities detained a former US Central Intelligence Agency operative on a warrant stemming from her 2009 conviction in Italy in the kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric there. Sabrina de Sousa, 59, was taken into custody at the Lisbon airport on Monday on her way to Dubai. While she was released after a court hearing on Tuesday, the court ordered her to remain in Portugal to await a decision on whether she will be turned over to Italy to serve a seven-year prison sentence. The case is part of a landmark ruling by an Italian court on the US practice of abducting suspected terrorists and flying them to other countries for

interrogation. She is one of 26 Americans, mostly CIA agents, who have been convicted in absentia in 2009 for taking part in the 2003 kidnapping of Osama Mustafa Hassan Nasr on a street in Milan. The CIA and Italian police considered the cleric to be a recruiter for al-Qaeda. He was sent to US military bases in Italy and Germany before being moved to Egypt, where he was released without charges fourteen months later. After his release, he indicated that he had been tortured. The Americans, none of whom has been in custody in Italy, were sentenced initially to five years in prison, however an appeals court later lengthened the sentences to seven years. The sentences were upheld by Italy’s highest court in 2012.

7 October According to the party’s leader, the country’s Communists would support a Socialist-led government, a statement that officially marks a shift that further complicates efforts by the outgoing centre-right coalition to form a minority administration. On Wednesday, Communist leader Jeronimo de Sousa stated after meeting Socialist counterpart Antonio Costa that “a government solution, which inevitably includes the Socialists, will have our political support, to stop a repeat of this policy (of austerity).” While the hard-left party has usually accused the Socialists of not following the right policies, de Sousa’s comments mark a major shift. If they can overcome traditional differences, the Socialists, Communists and far-left Left Bloc, with which Costa will meet on Thursday, hold enough parliamentary seats in order to form a majority administration. If Passos Coelho were to form a minority administration, then he would need at least periodic support from the Socialists in order to get legislation passed. Costa is due to meet with Passos Coelho on Friday.

6 October On Tuesday, the country’s president disclosed that he had asked Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho to begin consultations on formation a government. In a televised address to the nation, President Anibal Cavaco Silva stated that he had asked Passos Coelho “to start consultations with the aim of forming a government that secures political stability.”

5 October Election results in Portugal have revealed that the new Portuguese government will be a minority one. On Sunday, the centre-right coalition government won the elections despite its unpopular austerity policies and on the back of an improving economy. The Social Democratic Party and junior Popular Party collected nearly 37 percent and 99 seats in Parliament, with four seats and votes still to be allocated. The coalition however will be outnumbered by the left-of-centre parties in the 230-seat Parliament, where it is shy of a 116-seat outright majority. This effectively means that its planned financial austerity measures, which include more pension cuts and economic reforms, risk being blocked. The main opposition Socialist Party, which is a moderate centre-left force that supports eurozone financial rules, came in second with just over 32 percent and 85 seats and could hold the key to the government’s success. In th coming days, sources have indicated that President Anibal Cavaco Silva is due to invite the party with most votes to form a government. The head of state could potentially ask the left-of-centre parties to take over, as together, they have more seats than the incumbent government. However there is a political gulf between the Socialists and others as the Left Bloc, which now has 19 seats, wants to renegotiate the national debt, demand better repayment terms from the country’s creditors, and end austerity measures while increasing corporate tax. Meanwhile the Communist Party, which gained 17 seats, wants Portugal out of the eurozone. Furthermore, Socialist leader Antonio Costa disclosed during the election campaign that he would enter into a grand coalition with the incumbent government “only if aliens land on earth.” The first major test of the new political climate will come in the coming weeks as Parliament discusses the 2016 state budget.

Serbia

25 October Serbia’s prime minister on Sunday called for a “comprehensive solution” to the migrant crisis at the upcoming summit for several EU and Balkan nations. Speaking prior to travelling to Brussels to meet with leaders of countries coping with the influx of tens of thousands of migrants, Aleksandar Vucic stated that he expects “hard, not very pleasant” talks, but hopes for a “comprehensive solution.” He insisted that Serbia is not afraid of its “responsibility” and will not “put up any walls,” suggesting also that his country will not agree to be the only migrant stop if countries further west close their borders.

23 October Thousands of migrants, including small children, have spent the night out in the open in near-freezing cold waiting to cross the Serbian border with Croatia. On Friday, a UN refugee agency field officer disclosed that about 5,000 migrants were stuck at the muddy crossing overnight

because Croatian police had temporarily closed the border passage. People have been lighting fires and using blankets and tents in order to stay warm. Croatian police have been letting in smaller groups since early in the morning.

19 October According to the UN refugee agency, more than 10,000 migrants are stranded in Serbia as Croatia restricts their flow towards Western Europe. On Monday, regional UNHCR spokeswoman Melita Sunjic disclosed that about 10,000 migrants entered Serbia from Macedonia on Sunday, more than the daily average over the past month, adding that the bottleneck on the Serbian border with Croatia has “created a domino effect” when Slovenia slowed down the flow of migrants over the Balkans by restricting their entry numbers to up to 2,5000 a day. On Monday, about 6,000 people were stuck on the Serbia-Croatia border, with officials warning that more are arriving.

16 October On Friday, Serbia’s president summoned ambassadors from eighty countries in a bid to appeal against allowing Kosovo to become a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which is specialized in guarding the world’s cultural heritage. President Tomislav Nikolic has warned that admitting Kosovo into UNESCO would fuel tensions and have a negative effect on the EU-brokered dialogue. Most of Serbia’s Orthodox Christian heritage, including medieval churches and monasteries, are located in Kosovo.

14 October On Wednesday, Serbia accused Germany of trying to amend the terms of Belgrade’s European Union membership negotiations that would mean effective recognition of its former Kosovo province as independent, a claim which Berlin’s envoy dismissed as “unfounded.” On Wednesday, ministers took to Serbian airwaves in a bid to denounced the alleged German maneuvers as an attempt to “humiliate” the Balkan country. In 2008, Kosovo declared independence. While Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as sovereign, it did sign up to a landmark accord in 2013, which is designed to settle relations between the two as a condition of Belgrade’s further progress towards membership of the EU. Implementation of the agreement however has been slow and often politically unpalatable. This week, with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic considering a possible snap election, his government rounded on Germany, accusing it of introducing new elements to the platform for Serbia’s EU membership negotiations, which Berlin says should begin with Chapter 35 on ties with Kosovo. According to Marko Djuric, the government’s point man for Kosovo, “we don’t dispute the fact that Chapter 35 should be opened first, but we dispute the content of the draft negotiating platform.” Earlier, he had told Serbian media that Belgrade was being asked to effectively recognize its former province as sovereign, something it has said it will never do. Germany’s ambassador to Serbia, Axel Dittman, meanwhile has stated that the accusations were “unfounded.”

Slovenia

30 October Thousands of migrants have piled up on the Slovenian side of the border with Austria waiting for hours in cold weather in order to cross. Officials have indicated that the backlog of some 4,000 people was formed in the refugee camp in Sentilj as Austrian authorities struggled to process and register as many as they arrive from the Slovenian side. On Thursday, hundreds of asylum seekers pushed their way over metal barriers at the Sentilj camp after waiting for hours in order to cross.

29 October Hundreds of asylum-seekers have pushed their way over metal barriers at the Sentilj camp on Slovenia’s border with Austria after waiting for hours in cold weather in order to cross. Officials have reported that up to 1,000 people, who had been crammed between the barriers, which were set up by Slovenian and Austrian police, pushed forward, jumping over and trampling on one another. The unrest calmed down after the police let several hundred people cross towards Austria. Witnesses reported seeing some people lying on stretchers.

According to Slovenian police, more than 100,000 refugees have entered the country in less than two weeks. Police have reported that more than 5,000 people came in on Thursday morning, effectively bringing the total number since 16 October to 102,757.

Officials have reported that a fight has broken out amongst migrants at the overcrowded Sentilj refugee camp, which is located on Slovenia’s border with Austria. Sources have disclosed that Slovenian police stepped in, pulling out a man who allegedly tried to cut a line of people waiting to cross into Austria. The process has been very slow, with people arriving in large numbers and authorities on both sides only allowing small groups to cross at a time.

28 October A group of German police officers have arrived in Slovenia, joining colleagues from Austria, in order to help the struggling Alpine nation to manage the influx of tens of thousands of migrants. Germany has disclosed that it deployed the five officers in order to prepare for a wider European deployment.

According to Slovenia’s prime minister, the country is ready to build a fence on its border with Croatia if an EU plan to stem their flow across the Balkans fails. Miro Cerar, speaking shortly after a meeting of Slovenia’s national security council on Wednesday, disclosed that “if necessary, we are ready to up the fence immediately,”

27 October The country’s foreign minister has hinted that Slovenia may build a fence along its border with Croatia in order to stem the influx of tens of thousands of refugees and other migrants. On Tuesday, Karl Erjavec disclosed that some 12,000 – 13,000 migrants have been arriving daily since Hungary built a fence on the border with Croatia earlier this month. He further disclosed that “we don’t want them (the migrants) to be dispersed along the length of the border. Certain impediments need to be set up to prevent that. There are various technical possibilities.” While Erjavec indicated that he does not want to elaborate on what those blockades would be, he added that “you can guess at what can be used to impede.” Since 16 October, around 84,000 people have crossed into Slovenia from Croatia.

Officials have reported that a daily influx of thousands of refugees has put a massive strain on the health care capacities of the country. Sources have disclosed that around the border town of Brezice, which is the arrival point for at least a half of the 84,000 refugees who have entered Slovenia from Croatia in the past eleven days, doctors and nurses have been working around the clock. According to Brezice health centre chief Dr Miroslav Laktic, medical teams have helped at least 500 migrants a day as they pass through on their way to Western Europe. Dr Katalin Debreceni of Hungarian Caritas charity group has reported that “most of the patients have an upper airways inflammation, coughing, or throat ache and fever. Some children have diarrhea and vomiting.”

26 October On Monday, Slovenia’s police reported that nearly 10,000 people entered Slovenia from Croatia over the past 24 hors, bringing the total number of arrivals there to almost 75,000 over the past twelve days.

Slovenia warned that it will tighten border entry for migrants if an EU plan to stem their flew across the Balkans fails. Late on Monday, Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec stated that the new measures would include the closure of a number of border checkpoints with Croatia if it keeps on sending large numbers of migrants to the frontier.

25 October Slovenia’s Prime Minister Miro Cerar has indicated that he will take action to protect his country’s security if other European countries, notably Croatia, do not help Slovenia cope with the migrant influx. On Sunday, Cerar disclosed that more than 60,000 people had arrived in the country over the last ten days, many of them through Croatia, adding that “we will not be able to endure this for weeks to follow if we don’t get any help.” The Slovenian prime minister made the comments at an emergency summit in Brussels on Europe’s migrant crisis. He also warned that the European Union faces collapse if the bloc cannot agree on a plan to confront the sudden influx of refugees through the Balkans.

Late on Sunday, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Vesna Mitric indicated that five trains packed with asylum-seekers have already arrived Croatia, adding that more are expected over night. According to Mitric, 1,000 other migrants arrived on busses, therefore a total of 15,000 people will have entered the country by the end of the day. She indicated that “no country could deal normally with such a large wave that Slovenia has faced today,” adding, “we are going the best we can,” but “Slovenia does not have any unlimited capacity of space, human resources, equipment or logistics.”

23 October Slovenian police have reported that more than 50,000 asylum-seekers have entered the country in the last week since the flow of those heading towards Western Europe was diverted by Hungary’s decision to close its border with Croatia. Police have indicated that 9,000 people crossed from Croatia to Slovenia on Friday alone, adding that 11,000 still remain in several refugee centres in the country.

As thousands more people arrived from Croatia on Friday, Slovenian officials reported that they are considering constructing a border fence in order to help stem a record influx of migrants and refugees. Prime Minister Miro Cerar has disclosed that he hopes a mini-EU summit with Balkan and European leaders on Sunday will help bring solutions to the country, warning however that he has not ruled out a barrier along the 670-kilometer (415 mile) frontier with Croatia. The Prime Minister has indicated that “if on Sunday we do not get sufficient (grounds for hope), if we see there is no will for collaboration, then all possibilities are available, seeing as we will have been left alone.” He however stressed that he sees the fence as being a last resort, adding, “the border with Croatia is long and building a fence would be rather demanding. Police and army would have to guard it permanently to prevent illegal crossings.” The small Alpine nation has become the main entry point into the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone after Hungary last week sealed its southern borders in a bid to stop migrants from entering. Since 17 October, more than 47,500 people have entered Slovenia.

Slovenia’s prime minister has disclosed that his country has asked the European Commission for 60 million euros (US $68 million) over six months in order to aid the handling of thousands of migrants passing through. Miro Cerar disclosed on public broadcaster TV Slovenia late Thursday that apart from financial aid, Slovenia had also requested police gear and personnel from the EU, adding that several countries have already offered to send police as Slovenia’s forces has been stretched to the limits.

The military has disclosed that 650 troops have been deployed to help police with the thousands of migrants crossing through the country towards Western Europe. The military has reported that troops have provided logistical support and equipment, including a surveillance helicopter and army trucks for transport. On Friday, the Defense Ministry indicated that it has delayed a planned deployment of some 200 soldiers to a NATO-led peacekeeping operation in Kosovo because of the migrant crisis.

22 October According to authorities in Slovenia, around 2,000 migrants from a refugee camp at the Croatian border are travelling in four trains towards Austria. On Thursday, the state railway company Slovenske Zeleznice disclosed that three trains were heading towards the Sentilj border crossing in the northeast while the last one is going to Jesenice, in the northwest, for the first time since migrants took a turn towards Slovenia on Saturday.

Slovenia has disclosed that several EU nations have offered to help the country as it struggles to cope with the influx of thousands of migrants crossing its territory in the hopes of reaching Western Europe. On Thursday, European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos stated in the capital Ljubljana that Slovenia also can count on the EU’s financial aid, however he did not specify the amount. According to Slovenian Interior Minister Vesna Gyorkos Znidar, Austria, Germany and Italy, as well as the so-called Visegrad Group, which is composed of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland, have all offered help, including staff.

Police in Slovenia have reported that one person has been detained after a scuffle broke out between migrants, which left one person with stab wounds. On Thursday, police official Alenka Drenike disclosed that the injured migrant suffered minor injuries after a clash, which erupted on the Rigonci border area with Croatia. The incident has reflected the tensions amongst migrants as they wait in long lines and cold weather to move on toward Western Europe.

According to Slovenian police, more than 12,000 people crossed from Croatia on Wednesday, raising the total to more than 34,000 since Saturday. Officials have reported that some 12,616 entered the country on Wednesday, higher than the usual number of up to 10,000 people reported by countries along the so-called Balkan corridor.

An official from the country’s ruling party has indicated that declaring a state of emergency over the migrant crisis remains a possibility, noting however that the government hopes to avoid that by granting some police powers to the army. On Thursday, Simona Kustec Lipicer, a senior official of Prime Minister Miro Cerar’s Modern Centre Party, disclosed that the state of emergency could be declared in case of “drastic deterioration in the situation.” The country’s Constitution envisages that the state of emergency can be declared when there is clear and present danger to the country. It is formally imposed by the parliament upon a proposal from the government.

21 October Officials have reported that a fire broke out at a camp for migrants in Slovenia, allegedly by migrants angry at how they are being treated. Witnesses have reported that they torched the

tents at the camp in Brezice to protest at the slow process of registering them and moving them to the Austrian border. They have also complained of a lack of food, water and blankets in the camp.

Slovenian lawmakers have approved a law formally granting more powers to the army in managing the migrant influx along the border of the country. On Wednesday, Parliament voted 66 – 5 in order to allow the troops to warn, direct and temporarily restrict the movement of persons or engage in crowd control, as police normally do. The law envisages that the new measures can put in force in an exceptional situation and for three months with the possibility to extend the period.

On Wednesday, Slovenia asked Austria to open a second entry point for refugees in order to disperse the flow of people through the small country. Interior Ministry official Bostjan Sefic has disclosed that the issue is currently under discussion at a regional meeting in Vienna, the Austrian capital. According to Sefic, Slovenian police have been overstretched since the migrants started crossing in Saturday after Hungary closed its border with Croatia.

20 October Slovenia is set to deploy its army in order to manage migrants crossing its border. Officials in Slovenia have disclosed that over the last three days, the numbers entering from Croatia have overwhelmed is ability to cope. Sources have disclosed that the country’s parliament is expected to approve changers later on Tuesday in order to enable the army to help police guard the border. A two-thirds parliamentary majority is required to change the law on using the army, with the changes remaining in force for three months. Police in Slovenia have indicated that a total of 18,469 migrants have arrived in the country since Friday, with 5,092 crossing the border on Tuesday alone. Previously, Slovenian officials had disclosed that the would take in only 2,500 migrants a day.

Police in Slovenia used pepper spray to try to prevent some 200 migrants from jumping ahead of a long line of people waiting to enter Austria, however it took a barrier set up Austrian police in order to stop them. Sources have disclosed that the migrants, who were sent to the back of the line, were trying to get to buses that were waiting in the Austrian border village of Spielfeld that were taking them to emergency shelters in Klagenfurt, which is located 140 kilometres (87 miles) west. According to Austrian police spokesman Joachim Huber, despite the presence of 700 migrants and the expected arrival of hundreds more, “I think we are well prepared, so we can handle the rush,” adding that another tent was being set up in Spielfeld in order to accommodate additional migrants.

The government has announced that it plans to boost capacity at reception centres for migrants by up to 14,000 beds. The government again accused neighboring Croatia of not sticking to arrangements regarding the flow of migrants towards Slovenia. On Tuesday, Bostjan Sefic, state secretary at the interior ministry, disclosed that the last 24 hours had been the “most difficult, the most challenging” in Slovenia’s effort to deal with the thousands of migrants reaching the country since Hungary closed its border with Croatia on Saturday and effectively forced migrants to find new routes towards Germany and Western Europe. Sefic further disclosed that Croatia was not taking migrants to previously agreed locations, describing the situation in Brezice, which is located near the border with Croatia, as “very difficult, with an enormous amount of people.”

19 October The country’s interior minister has lashed out at Croatia for transporting large groups of migrants to their border, stating that it is “absolutely unacceptable.” On Monday, Vesna Gyorkos Znidar indicated that Croatia has started to send a “very big number of immigrants, out of a previously arranged framework.” She disclosed that Slovenia can manage up to 2,500 people a day and “can’t accept an unlimited number” of migrants. The interior minister has reported that “the Croatian side is not responding” to the Slovenian demands to control the flow and is acting only as “a transporter.”

17 October On Saturday, thousands of migrants surged into Slovenia as an alternative route opened in Europe for them after Hungary sealed its border for their free flow. Officials have reported that several buses packed with migrants arrived in the Slovenian border town of Petisovci on Saturday from Croatia while a train carrying 1,800 people arrived to the border in the afternoon. Police have indicated that after processing, most of them are transferred towards the border with Austria. Slovenia has limited capacity in order to process large numbers of migrants who are wishing to head towards other European Union countries, such as Germany, Austria or Sweden. This could

effectively leave thousands of migrants stranded in Croatia and further east and south in Serbia and Macedonia. The closure of Hungary’s border with Croatia earlier Saturday caused redirection of thousands of people further west towards Croatia’s border with Slovenia. While the UN refugee agency has disclosed that Slovenia has the capacity to accept some 7,000 migrants a day, Slovenian officials have indicated that they can permit up to 2,500 people a day and will allow in new groups only after previous groups leave the country.

The government has cleared the way for the armed forces to assist police in managing the influx of migrants from Croatia. On Saturday, officials disclosed that the military will be deployed if there is a large number of migrants or illegal crossings. Authorities have indicated that the army would provide logistical support to the police, but wont have any authority over migrants. Prime Minister Miro Cerar has indicated that “we are going to focus even more on safety and security and order so our country can function normally,” adding that Slovenia is a transit country for migrants and if “destination countries begin adopting stricter measures at the border, Slovenia will follow suit.”

Slovenia’s official STA news agency has reported that some of the migrants who have entered the country from Croatia have already reached the border with neighboring Austria. The report has disclosed that several dozen migrants were being registered by Austria’s authorities at the Spielfeld crossing and then would be taken further inland.

16 October In anticipation of the influx of migrants, Slovenia has suspended regular train traffic with Croatia. The flow of people is expected to shift to Slovenia when Hungary closes its border with Croatia for migrants at midnight Friday (2200 GMT). While Slovenian officials have indicated that they will accept the arrivals, they have noted that they want to control the influx, with officials indicated that additional police have been sent to the border with Croatia in order to manage the flow. On Friday, Slovenia’s railway disclosed that it has prepared trains to transport the migrants to the refuge centres prepared for them, adding that most of them are expected to move on to Austria and Germany.

Spain

30 October Late on Friday, Spain’s coast guard announced that it has called off the search for 35 migrants missing at sea after their boat shipwrecked between Spain and Morocco. According to a coast guard spokeswoman, “the search has ended and it will not be resumed,” just a day after rescuers plucked fifteen migrants alive from the remains of the boat and found the bodies of four others.

On Friday, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy indicated that the country’s main parties have reached an

agreement to defend national unity as an independence drive in the region of Catalonia gets into higher gear. Speaking at a news conference, shortly after meeting opposition leaders in order to build a united response to a plan from Catalonia’s ruling separatists to launch a process that would lead to full independence from Spain with eighteen months, the prime minister disclosed that “the fundamentals of the agreement are done,” adding, “we are all in agreement on the unity of Spain, we all agree on national sovereignty, we are all in agreement that laws must be respected, we are all in agreement that all Spaniards are equal.” Prime Minister Rajoy, who has been criticized within his own conservative Popular Party for not doing enough to block the separatists, met the leader of new far-left party Podemos, Pablo Iglesias for the first time, as well as the head of the centre-right party Ciudadanos, Albert Rivera. The Prime Minister, who faces a general election on 20 December, had already met the head of the main opposition Socialists, Pedro Sanchez, on Wednesday.

Spanish sea rescue teams have found the bodies of four migrants and are searching for 35 people

missing from a boat that ran into trouble while trying to reach Spain from Morocco. According to the Marine Rescue service, fifteen migrants were found alive on the boat Thursday in the Mediterranean Sea south from the Spanish port of Malaga, adding that the search for the missing migrants resumed on Friday.

27 October On Tuesday, Spanish police raided more than a dozen houses and offices of the family of Jordi Pujol,

former longtime leader of Spain’s Catalonia region, in a money-laundering and tax fraud probe. According to a National Police spokeswoman, some 200 agents took part in the searches in Barcelona and Madrid. The probe centres on the origin of a family fortune that was hidden in Andorra for several decades, as well as the business dealings of three of his sons. Pujol, 85, founded Catalonia’s

Convergence party, which governs the economically powerful region. He was the region’s president from 1980 until 2003 and is considered to be the father of the Catalan nationalist movement. His house was one of those that were searched on Tuesday. So far there have been no reports of arrests.

Two parties holding a majority of seats in Catalonia’s new regional parliament on Tuesday presented

a motion for the chamber to announce the formal start of secession from Spain and the formation of a new republican state of Catalonia. The proposition was presented by the “Together for Yes” pro-independence alliance, which won 62 seats in Catalonia’s 135-member parliament in the September elections, along with the radical leftist CUP party, which won 10 seats. The parties called for the Barcelona-based parliament to vote on the motion urgently, however it is unlikely to have more than symbolic importance as the region has yet to form a new government. No date for the vote has been set.

17 October On Saturday, thousands took to the streets of San Sebastian in northern Spain to call for the release of

Arnaldo Otegi, the jailed head of the Basque independence Sortu party. Sources have reported that more than 10,000 demonstrators marched in the streets of the city. Marching alongside senior members of the “izquierda abetzale” – which is the term used for Basque parties that are nationalist and left wing – were leaders of the radical-left party Podemos and the separatist Catalan ERC party. Otegi is a former member of the armed separatist group ETA, which is blamed for more than 800 killings in a four-decade campaign to create a Basque homeland in northern Spain and southwestern France. He was jailed for six years in 2009 for attempting to reform Batasuna, the separatist party banned in 2003, which is considered to be the political arm of ETA. He is due to be released in April 2016 and was named the head of Sortu, which was briefly banned for its links to Batasuna, while in jail.

15 October On Thursday, a Spanish court closed an investigation into sixteen police officers over the drowning of

fifteen migrants while they attempted to swim from Morocco to Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta. The court in Ceuta disclosed that it had “ordered a temporary stay of proceedings” against the officers for the suspected crimes of homicide and injuries caused by negligence due to a lack of evidence. The court however did further state that it could reopen the investigation if it receives the results of the autopsies carried out on the bodies of the fifteen migrants. The court noted that while Spain had repeatedly asked Morocco for the results of the autopsies, they have received no reply. In February, the court named the sixteen police officers as suspects in the investigation and ordered them to appear in court for questioning. However the officers were never charged. On 6 February 2014, over 200 migrants tried to swim to Ceuta, with only 20 migrants managing to enter the area. They were immediately returned to Morocco. Over the following days, 15 bodies were found in the area, five in beaches in Ceuta and the rest in beaches in Morocco. Despite denials, last year, Spain’s interior ministry released video depicting police firing rubber bullets as the migrants swam toward Ceuta’s shore, however they denied that the action contributed to the drowning.

On Thursday, thousands waving Catalan independence flags rallied in support of regional acting

President Artur Mas who was being questioned at a court in Barcelona for holding a symbolic referendum on secession from Spain. On the ground sources have reported that some 400 pro-independence mayors and independence party leaders joined Mas and his government councilors as he walked to the court building, cheered on by some 5,000 supporters. Speaking later, Mas disclosed that he accepted full responsibility for last year’s referendum and accused the central Spanish government in Madrid of turning what he considered a democratic process into a criminal one.

13 October On Tuesday, thousands of pro-Catalan independence supports protests the start of a Spanish court

investigation into the regional government’s symbolic referendum on secession from Spain last year. On the ground sources have reported that new Barcelona mayor Ada Colau headed the demonstration, reading a statement backing Catalonia’s demand for the right to self-determination. The rally comes after a regional official and a former regional deputy president were questioned over their suspected roles in holding the poll. Catalonia’s regional leader Artur Mas is also under investigation and is due to testify on Thursday. While Spain’s Constitutional Court suspended the 9 November 2014 referendum, Catalonia held it anyway, calling it an informal effort.

10 October According to authorities, some thirty African migrants succeeded on Saturday in crossing a barbed wire

fence in to the Spanish enclave of Melilla in North Africa. A spokesman for he Melilla government reported that about 50 migrants attempted to cross the six-metre (20-foot) high fence on the border

with Morocco at 7:00 AM (0500 GMT) adding that they were part of a group of 130 people who had attempted to make it to the Spanish territory. Most however were arrested before they were able to reach the fence. Authorities have reported that all the migrants were men, with “no minor reported,” and that two had slight injuries and were treated at a local hospital.

8 October Spain’s Supreme Court has dismissed a case against forty Rwandan officials accused of revenge killings

following the 1994 genocide. The ruling effectively revokes arrest warrants against the group, however 29 could still be prosecuted if they enter Spanish territory. The case was launched in 2008, when a Spanish judge issued international arrest warrants against Rwandan officials, accusing them of crimes against humanity, genocide and terrorism. Amongst those indicted was Jacques Nziza, who analysts say is the country’s second most powerful person, behind President Paul Kagame. Another of the accused, General Karenzi Karake, was arrested in London earlier this year on a warrant issued by Spain, however a bid to have him extradited was dismissed.

5 October Spanish rescue services reported Monday that they have intercepted 301 migrants trying to reach

Spain from Morocco in twelve boats over the past three days. The service has disclosed that 84 migrants were brought ashore on Monday from three boats that were spotted off southwestern Spain, adding that the rest were intercepted on Saturday and Sunday at points further east along the southern coast of the country. The service also reported that between 1 January and 31 August, it helped rescue some 4,188 migrants, 2,307 of whom were taken to Morocco by marine services from that country.

4 October On Sunday, Spanish officials indicated that police in Spain and in Morocco arrested ten people on

suspicion of recruiting jihad fighters for the Islamic State (IS) group. According to Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz, all 10 allegedly formed part of a “very important recruitment platform” also dedicated to the indoctrination, radicalization and transport of individuals to jihadi combat zones. In a statement, the Interior Ministry reported that four of the suspects, two men and two women, were arrested in Spain, with raids taking place in Badalona, Toledo and Valencia, while the other six were arrested in Morocco. The statement further disclosed that the arrests took place on Sunday, adding that investigators seized a considerable amount of computer equipment and data, which is being analyzed.

1 October Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has announced that Spain’s forthcoming general election will be held on

20 December. While Rajoy, who announced the date during an interview with Antena 3 television, currently holds an absolute majority in parliament with his ruling conservative Popular Party (PP), opinion polls have suggested that support for the opposition Socialist Party is running close behind. The far-left Podemos party is running in third place. Surveys have suggested that if the Socialists and Podemos parties teamed up in a coalition, they could boot the PP from power. In 2011, Rajoy won a resounding victory as voters turned against the ruling Socialists for their management of the financial crisis, which rocked the country in 2008. Catalan demands for independence are likely to become the main topic of the upcoming elections, after separatist parties on Sunday won Catalonia’s regional election, a vote that they billed as a de facto referendum on breaking away from Spain.

On Thursday, parliament approved measures that effectively give the Constitutional Court powers to

fine or suspend authorities that do not carry out its sentences, in a move that shores up legal powers to deal with any bid for independence from Catalonia. The measure, which easily passed on Thursday given the absolute majority of the prime minister’s ruling People’s Party (PP), will come into effect before the general election, due to take place in December. It will allow the court to force the resignation of officials and civil servants, including politicians, if they do not comply with rulings. It will also enable the court to have the ability to level fines of up to US $33,500 on officials. In response to the move, Catalan parties disclosed Thursday that it had been drawn up specifically to target the acting head of the Catalan regional government, Artur Mas. Speaking to the lower house, Carles Campuzano, member of parliament for Mas’ pro-independence CDC party, disclosed “its personal – they want to wipe out Mas politically and personally.” On Sunday, secessionist parties in the region secured an absolute majority in terms of seats in the local parliament in an election that was seen by some as a proxy vote on independence but which was won only 48 percent of the votes that were cast, less than the majority that would be required in a referendum. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has refused to allow the region to hold a referendum on independence, stating that it is against the country’s constitution. He has blocked any attempts to change that decision in the courts. On Thursday, the Prime Minister further indicated that the inconclusive results of Sunday’s election had lessened the

chance of a split of the region from Spain, adding that he would back any decision from the Constitutional Court to dismiss the head of the Catalan government if he took steps towards independence that go against the constitution.

Macedonia

19 October According to police officials, a surge of migrants entered Macedonia at the weekend, with 10,000 crossing into the country in 24 hours. Sources have disclosed that 10,000 migrants crossed from Greece and registered in Macedonia in the 24 hours to 6:00 PM (1600 GMT) on Sunday. Humanitarian workers in the field have reported that the influx of people from Greece continued to be high until around midnight, when the numbers began to decline. From the Greece-Macedonia border, the main migrant route now goes up through Macedonia to Serbia, then through Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and Germany. The high influx comes amidst growing fears of a new human bottleneck developing on the western Balkan route as Slovenia has allowed limited numbers to cross into its territory, which has caused delays further down the migrant trail. The travellers are being redirected to Slovenia on their way to northern Europe after Hungary closed off its Croatian border with razor wire early on Saturday.

Western Europe

Austria

30 October Austrian police have reported that while the situation at a crowded border passage with Slovenia, where migrants have been pushing their way forward, remains tense, it is under control. On Friday, Leo Josefus, a spokesman, indicated that providing transport further inland for thousands of asylum-seekers arriving to the Sentilj-Spielfeld crossing is a priority, adding, “we have a continuous stream of people from Slovenia, but it is under control.”

29 October Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has arrived in Vienna ahead of international peace talks

on resolving the conflict in Syria. Speaking to reporters in the Austrian capital, Zarif stated “Iran has a stabilizing power in the region.” Iranian state IRNA news agency also quoted Zarif as saying that hose trying to reach a solution to the crisis have come to the conclusion that without Iran’s presence at the talks, its “impossible to reach a logical solution” for Syria. The IRNA has reported that Zarif held a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry later Thursday, ahead of the start of the talks on Friday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Vienna to attend talks on ending the Syrian war with

other key nations, including Iran and Saudi Arabia. While nearly twenty nations have signaled that they will attend the talks, most attention has been focused on the major players, which includes the United States, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is expected to arrive in Vienna later on Thursday. Both Washington and Saudi Arabia want to remove Syrian President Bashar Assad from power, however Iran and Moscow support him. A first round of the talks last week did not include Iran. While the talks will formally begin on Friday, Kerry is expected to meet some of the other participants Thursday.

28 October Austrian President Heinz Fischer has called for better control of borders and distribution of Syrian

refugees. During a visit to Pristina, Kosovo on Wednesday, President Fischer disclosed that Austria is reaching its limited capacities with an expectation of some 80,000 asylum requests, adding that so far this year, half a million refugees have passed through Austria, most of whom are in transit towards Germany, which has created a lot of “organization and logistic problems.” The president further noted that currently, there is nothing set on the possibility of building a fence along parts of his country’s border, adding, “we should pay more attention to the problem checking the outside EU borders and a better distribution of the refugees within Europe…Only if the numbers are distributed equally could the burden be coped with.”

With no signs of a slowdown in the flow of migrants from Slovenia, Austrian officials have raised the

possibility of building a fence along parts of the countries’ common border. Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner has indicated that a fence might be needed in order to ensure an “orderly, controlled”

entry into Austria, with Defense Minister Gerald Klug stating that containers or railings could be set up to “be able to control the refugees in an orderly way.”

27 October Austrian firefighters have rescued two migrants from a river after they apparently tried to swim to

Germany. According to firefighter Klaus Litzlbauer, the two were fished out of the Braunau River on Tuesday as they held on to bridge supports in a bid to avoid being swept downstream. He further disclosed that the men were unharmed however they were suffering from hypothermia. Officials have reported that the two men apparently jumped into the river from a bridge in the Upper Austrian town of Braunau where other migrants were waiting to enter Germany.

26 October According to Austrian officials, thousands of refugees and other migrants have spent the night outdoors

in cold fall weather as authorities continue to struggle to keep up with the steady flow. On Monday, Austrian broadcaster ORF reported that facilities for migrants along the border with Germany were already full, adding that Germany has been permitting fewer to cross because its own tents and buildings are also overflowing. The ORF reports that some 2,500 people had to sleep outside overnight near the border town of Achleiten; 700 close to Braunau and 300 more near Kollerschlag. Austrian authorities are working to build more temporary shelters.

23 October According to police, many migrants are avoiding an Austrian border collection point, which was set up

for new arrivals from Slovenia, adding that some are endangering themselves and others by walking on railway track that lead away from the border. Police officials have reported that hundreds of people made a detour on Friday around the collection centre at the Spielfeld crossing, adding that they marched over tracks leading from Slovenia into Austria instead of the regular entry point and then continued walking on foot. On the ground sources have estimated the number at more than 1,000 however some have indicated that they were persuaded to join others at the centre waiting for processing and transport to shelters. According to officials, on Thursday, about 6,000 people crossed into Austria at Spielfeld, adding that with shelters full, blankets were provided to hundreds sleeping in the open with temperatures near the freezing point.

Austrian officials have reported that 52 of the 71 migrants who were found dead in a truck parked on

the side of a highway in August have been identified. Police official Christian Rosenich disclosed Friday that DNA samples taken from or sent by relatives have been used in order to identify the victims, noting that in some cases, a few drops of blood, mailed in an envelope, were sufficient. Police have disclosed that those identified came from Syria, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, and were aged between 10 months and 56 years. Identification work is continuing, with sources reporting that anyone left unidentified will be buried in the village of Parndorf, which is located near where the truck was parked.

22 October The country’s state rail company has suspended traffic near the main border crossing point with

Slovenia so as not to endanger migrants near the tracks. The move comes just shortly after Austrian police on Thursday removed barriers at the migrant collection point at the Spielfeld crossing, stating that they needed to relieve growing pressure due to overcrowding, which could lead to violence. Police officials have disclosed that more than 3,000 migrants remain grouped near the collection point, noting however that hundreds are scattered, with many walking northward from the border on a main road that leads towards the southern city of Graz.

More than 1,000 asylum seekers have streamed out of a crowded Austrian collection point located on

the border with Slovenia after Austrian police removed barriers to prevent possible violence. According to police officials, while some followed instructions and regrouped outside the barriers, many continued walking northward away from the Spielfeld border crossing.

21 October On Wednesday, police in the southern region of the country saw a rush of at least 1,000 asylum-seekers

enter the country from Slovenia after they became tired of waiting at the two countries’ border. Sources have disclosed that the refugees, most of them men, entered Austria near the village of Spielfeld, with many of them continuing to war northward on a smaller road next to the A9 highway to Graz. According to police spokesman Fritz Grundnig, the migrants were at a collection point for registration before being bused to shelters, adding that the police were blocking entry points to the A9 highway and were accompanying the migrants on their march.

According to Austrian police, the main border crossings used by migrants to come into the country are quiet after a sudden influx of about 4,500 people on Tuesday. Police have disclosed that all of those fleeing war and hardship came from Slovenia, with most of them using the Spielfeld crossing.

20 October According to police, the country’s main border crossings with Slovenia are quieter after the arrival

Monday of more than 4,000 migrants. Police have reported that 3,500 migrants came over the Spielfeld crossing and 780 at Bad Radkersburg. Police spokesman Fritz Grundnig indicated Tuesday morning that about 500 more migrants are expected at Bad Radkersburg over the coming hours. Sources have reported that the main crossing with Hungary at Nickelsdorf remains empty of migrants, which reflects their new route into Austria from Slovenia via Croatia since Hungary closed its borders with Croatia and Serbia.

19 October An Austrian prosecutor has disclosed that a suspect has been detained in connection with spraying a

migrant with an irritant. Erich Habitzl identified the suspect on Monday as a 34-year-old Danish male however he declined to provide his name in keeping with Austrian privacy laws. Habitzl further disclosed that authorities have requested court approval in order to place the man in investigative custody, adding that the suspect is currently effusing to cooperate with legal officials. The man is suspected of attacking a migrant last week at a train station south of Vienna with either pepper spray or an irritant gas.

Austrian officials have denied reports that they are restricting entries from Slovenia to migrants who

are seeking asylum in Western Europe. On Monday, Interior Ministry spokesman Hermann Muhr disclosed that the “status quo” will continue, however neither he nor other officials specified numbers. The statement comes after Slovenian officials disclosed that their Austrian counterparts had told them that about 1,500 people would be allowed to cross each day.

15 October According to Austrian officials, a man is in custody for alleged crimes that include carving a swastika

into another man’s forehead. State prosecutor Erich Habitzl has disclosed that the victim was riding his bicycle when four masked men pushed him to the ground and carved the Nazi symbol. Habitzl reported on Thursday that the main suspect is in investigative custody while the other three remain at liberty. The attack occurred last month in the town of Bad Fischau-Brun, which is located south of Vienna. According to police officials, the four men are also suspected of forcing the victim to move by threatening to burn his house down. The main suspect faces up to ten years in prison if found guilty of first-degree assault, coercion and violating anti-Nazi laws.

14 October Austrian authorities are planning to build four large tents that can shelter thousands of refugees at the

main border crossing into Austria from Hungary in a bid to deal with the daily influx. On Wednesday, police spokesman Gerhard Koller disclosed that the air tents are needed due to increased cold weather and the unabated arrivals, adding that the tents will have heat and power, will be able to shelter 4,000 people and will be ready in the next two weeks at the Nickelsdorf crossing. Accoridng to Koller, nearly 5,000 people fleeing their homelands arrived Wednesday alone before noon, with 21,000 coming last weekend.

Sources have reported that the country’s 2016 budget see’s a core deficit that is just on the cusp of what

is acceptable to Brussels adding that it relies on an exemption for spending on migrants in order to stay within bounds. Presenting the budget to parliament on Wednesday, Finance Minister Hans Joerg Schelling disclosed that the country would stick to a structural “zero deficit,” which refers to a measure that is adjusted for fluctuations in economic growth and excludes some one-off items. However details of the budget, which were provided to reporters, have shown that the structural deficit would grow slightly in 2016, to 0.54 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), which is the maximum that Vienna has said Brussels will allow, from 0.53 percent in 2015. Schelling noted on Wednesday that some of the roughly 1 billion euros (US $1.14 billion) allocated for measures related to migrants and refugees, or 0.31 percent of GDP, was excluded from the structural deficit. Austria will, however, stay well within he EU’s broader budget deficit limit of 3 percent.

11 October The Socialist party held on to Vienna city hall in a municipal election on Sunday however the win was

coupled with a loss in support. According to officials, with all votes except absentee ballots counted, the Socialists received 39.44 percent of the ballot, a decline of nearly five percentage points. The Freedom Party received 32.26 percent, up more than six percentage points from the last election, which

was held five years ago. The result leaves the Socialists in position to continue governing the Austrian capital in coalition.

8 October Austrian prosecutors want their Hungarian counterpart to take over the case of 71 dead migrants who

were found abandoned in a lorry on an Austrian motorway in August, stating that their work on the case has more or less been completed. The Austrian prosecutors have disclosed that “after the good progress of the investigation into the discovery of the 71 bodies…the (Austrian) prosecutors’ office…is seeking to focus the entire criminal proceedings in the hands of the Hungarian judiciary,” adding, “the collection of evidence in relation to this case in Austria has essentially been finished or is about to.” The discovery of the bodies, crowded into the lorry coming from Hungary, set off an international outcry. The refugees appeared to have been dead for up to two days when they were found. Five arrests have been made in Hungary in connection with the deaths in the lorry, and one in Bulgaria. A European arrest warrant for a man, alleged to have been a driver, has been withdrawn because suspicion against him significantly decreased.

7 October An Austrian Interior Ministry official has disclosed that nearly 200,000 migrants transited Austria last

month while about 10,000 others asked for asylum in the country. On Wednesday, Karl-Heinz Grundboeck stated that it is impossible to provide exact figures because some who cross the country on their way to other EU destinations did so in trains that originated elsewhere.

3 October According to the latest poll, which was published on Saturday, Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPOe)

has drawn nearly even with the ruling Social Democrats (SPOe) in Vienna ahead of the 11 October elections in the capital city-state. The survey has disclosed that the FPOe would win some 35 percent of the vote, just one point short of the SPOe, which has controlled the capital since 1945. The FPOe, which is led by Hans-Christian Strache, has gained steadily in the polls since the spring, thanks in part to the migrant crisis. Late last month, the FPOe doubled its score in regional elections in Upper Austria, winning 30 percent of the vote for a second place behind the conservative People’s Party (OeVP). In June, Strache’s party joined in an improbable coalition with the Social Democrats in eastern Burgenland after winning 15 percent of the traditionally left-wing province.

2 October On Friday, Austria’s rail operator OeBB disclosed that the suspension of regular train service on a like

that tens of thousands of migrants used to get from Austria into Germany has been extended by eight days until 12 October. On 15 September, Germany closed the rail link with the Austrian city of Salzburg in a bid to slow down the influx of migrants across its border, however many have since found other ways of getting to Germany, whether by train, road or foot. Other trains to Germany from Austria are still running on more eastern routes while special trains have been transporting hundreds of migrants into Germany every day in the past few weeks.

1 October A court in Austria on Thursday handed down jail sentences to three Chechen asylum-seekers for

seeking to join Islamic State (IS) extremists in Syria. According to officials, the 20-year old man, his 21-year-old wife and the man’s 39-year-old mother were intercepted in Turkey. At the time, they indicated that they were there in order to obtain medical treatment of the mother who suffers from depression and panic attacks. However presiding Judge Daniel Rechenmacher ruled that their arguments were “completely implausible” and “disproved by objective evidence material.” The man received a two-year prison sentence while the mother received 21 months. The man’s wife was given a 19-month prison sentence. The sentences can be appealed.

Belgium

27 October The European Union is lashing member countries for dragging their feet on providing funds and experts to help manage Europe’s refugee emergency. On Tuesday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told EU lawmakers that “the member states have been moving slowly at a time when they should be running.” While the EU’s border agency Frontex has appealed for 775 experts in order to help register, screen and fingerprint people arriving in Italy and Greece, so far only about half of that number has been pledged, with Juncker stating Tuesday that “half is not enough, we need more.” He further disclosed that more funds and experts are “crucially essential if we want operational decisions to be implemented,” warning that the EU is “loosing all kinds of credibility.”

26 October Belgium’s defense minister reported Monday that a lone attacker tried to smash his car through the gates of an army barracks in the southern region of the country, adding that he fled in the vehicle after shots were fired. According to Defense Minister Steven Vandeput, the intruder’s motive was unclear, insisting however “it is certainly an aggression targeting the barracks.” The prosecutor’s spokesman Vincent Macq has disclosed that police detained a suspect three hours after the attack following a manhunt, which also involved helicopters. Monday’s incident occurred near the French-speaking town of Manur, which is located south of Brussels. The suburb of Flawinne is the site of one of the country’s major barracks and home to the 2nd Commando Battalion.

Early on Monday, European and Balkan leaders agreed on measures to slow the movement of tens of thousands migrants trying to reach Western Europe. In a statement, the leaders committed to bolster the borders of Greece as it struggles to cope with the wave of refugees from Syria and beyond that cross over through Turkey. The leaders further decided that reception capacities should be boosted in Greece and along the Balkans migration route to shelter 100,000 more people as winter approaches. They also agreed to expand border operations and to make full use of biometric date, such as fingerprints, as they register and screen migrants, before deciding whether to grant them asylum or send them home. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker disclosed, after chairing the mini-summit of eleven regional leaders in Brussels, that “the immediate imperative is to provide shelter,” adding that “it cannot be that in the Europe of 2015 people are left to fend for themselves, sleeping in fields.” Since mid-September, when Hungary closed its border to Croatia, nearly 250,000 people have passed through the Balkans. Croatia has reported that 11,500 entered its territory on Sunday, the highest tally in a single day since Hungary put up a fence. Slovenian Prime Minster Mir Cerar also reported that his country was overwhelmed by the refugees, with 60,000 arriving in the last ten days. He noted that his country was not receiving enough help from its EU partners, adding that if no new approach is forthcoming, “in the next few days and weeks, I do believe that the European Union and Europe as a whole will start to fall apart.” The leaders have since agreed to rapidly dispatch 400 border guards to Slovenia as a short-term measure.

25 October The European Union executive has indicated that reception capacity in Greece and along the western Balkan route that migrants use on their trek will be increased to 100,000. At a summit meeting of 11 regional leaders from the EU and the Balkan region, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stated that “where national capacities fall short the EU civil protection mechanism should” provide more temporary shelter. Juncker disclosed that in Greece alone, Athens promised that the reception capacity will be increased to 30,000 by the end of the year, with the UN providing capacity for 20,000 more.

On Sunday, EU officials indicated that the European Union is concerned that people-smugglers could open a new sea route to Italy from Albania if land borders in the Balkans are sealed. EU and Balkan leaders meeting in Brussels in order to try and control refugee movements have planned to agree to tighter supervision of the overland route to Albania from Greece, where most migrants enter Europe. According to one senior EU official, “there is a risk that the route to Albania and Italy may become the new route in winter. While Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama attended the meeting, which was hosted by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Italy, where the bulk of migrants have arrived in the south from Libya, was not invited to the Balkan conference.

23 October The European Union has indicated that decisions by Austria and Germany to temporarily reintroduce border checks are an acceptable response to the arrival of thousands of asylum-seekers. On Friday, the EU’s executive Commission indicated that both countries’ actions were “motivated by the serious threat to the internal security and public police.” The Commission also welcomed Slovenia’s decision to halt temporary border checks and said that Hungary’s move to reintroduce them would be assessed.

21 October European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has summoned European leaders to a special summit on Sunday, which will aim to find a better strategy to manage the flow of migrants. According to the European Commission, President Jean-Claude Juncker had called Sunday’s meeting because “there is a need for much greater cooperation, more executive consultation and immediate operational action” in order to deal with what it called “the unfolding emergency.” The meeting comes amidst growing tensions over border controls in the western

Balkans, where thousands of migrants have been entering in a bid to reach northern and Western Europe.

7 October On Wednesday, Belgian trade unions mobilized about 100,000 workers for the second time in a year to protest the free-market regulations and austerity measures that the centre-right government has been pushing through during its first year in office. The end of the demonstration, which occurred in Brussels, was marred by violence when a few hundred people confronted police and pelted them with rocks and bottles before authorities drove them back with tear gas and water cannons. Police have reported that 25 people were arrested, adding that more than 80,000 people joined Wednesday’s protest while trade unions claimed 100,000 took part, just 20,000 short of last year’s demonstrations in November, which also ended in violence. On Wednesday, the country’s three main unions joined behind a common platform, arguing that the government of Prime Minister Charles Michel is promoting big companies at the expense of the workforce. The unions have specifically voiced concern about a freezing of the link between inflation and wages, an increase of the retirement age, cuts in social services and tax measures, which they claim unfairly benefit employers.

2 October Belgium announced Friday that it will halt some aid to the government of Burundi in protest at President Pierre Nkurunziza’s disputed third term as leader of the African country. Belgium disclosed that it was immediately halting aid programmes benefiting the government, including its support for the justice system, adding that it would switch these funds to other programmes in order to help Burundians, for example via aid groups. Belgium disclosed that it will continue to finance healthcare initiatives.

1 October Volunteers are closing down a tent camp in Brussels, where they have hosted hundreds of migrants

who are seeking shelter in the EU, adding that Belgian authorities need to take over their task. Vanessa Van Strijthem, an organizer of the camp, disclosed that the volunteers would still have an office nearby where refugees could come for help during the day, however they would need to refer them to bunk beds, which the government has set up in an office tower. The camp, which was set up over a month ago, was used by hundreds of people from Syria and Iraq who are seeking asylum in Belgium.

France

30 October France’s government has indicated that it has moved nearly 700 migrants this week from a camp located outside the northern port city of Calais to shelters elsewhere in the country. According to the Interior Ministry, 402 migrants were transferred on Friday and 293 were moved Tuesday. A statement from the Ministry further indicated that a medical team was heading to Calais and that the government was finished a plan for a cleanup, latrines and drinking water.

29 October According to French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, no migrant crossed the border from France

to Britain since security was reinforced on Sunday. Speaking to lawmakers on Thursday, the minister disclosed that around 1,100 police officers have been deployed in the tunnel area of the French port city of Calais, adding that “hundreds” of asylum-seekers will be taken out of the camp on Friday.

28 October The French government has disclosed that it will not extradite two French pilots who escaped the

Dominican Republic in order to avoid 20-year prison sentences for cocaine trafficking. On Tuesday, Dominican authorities indicated that they would seek the men’s return to face justice, however on Wednesday, French government spokesman Stephane Le Foll disclosed that France will stick by its tradition of refusing to extradite its citizens. He insisted that the French government was not involved in the unusual escape by pilots Pascal Jean Fauret and Bruno Odos. He noted that the pilots are currently under investigation by French authorities in a parallel probe into the drug affair. The two men fled the Dominican Republic last week despite a court order to remain in the country pending an appeal of their conviction. They have denied wrongdoing.

27 October French authorities are taking nearly 300 migrants out of a camp in Calais and busing them to other

regions of the country. The operation, which launched on Tuesday, is aimed at relieving pressure on the port city and the camp, which is believed to have doubled in size in recent weeks to as many as 6,000 people. In a statement, the local administration indicated that social workers have identified 292 people willing to abandon their effort to reach Britain and apply for asylum in France instead, adding that the newcomers will be bused to temporary housing centres from Provence to Brittany and

Lorraine. Months of new security measures, coupled with tough warnings from British and French officials, have failed to stop asylum-seekers and others from converging on Calais, from where they hope to sneak across the English Channel to Britain.

23 October Authorities in Paris have evacuated a former high school where hundreds of Syrian, Afghan and other

migrants had called home for months. Amidst growing health and safety concerns, authorities moved in Friday to evacuate the Jean-Quarre school in northern Paris. Its unused classrooms, hallways and schoolyard had developed into an informal refuge over the summer. According to city hall, the migrants boarded buses and were being taken to shelters and residences in the Paris region. France has been criticized for not finding enough housing for asylum-seekers even as other European countries have taken in hundreds of thousands of new arrivals this year.

A medical mission dispatched to evaluate sanitary conditions at a camp near the French port of Calais

has recommended urgent improvements to housing and health care at the site. In a statement, France’s health and interior ministers disclosed that the mission’s preliminary recommendations would be rapidly implemented, including boosting resources at the Calais hospital and through campaigns to increase vaccination and contraceptive use. The mission’s full report is due to be published next week.

22 October Officials reported on Thursday that women and children at a migrant camp located outside the port

city of Calais will be given heated tents by the end of the week. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve had disclosed that the measures are to protect some of the 6,000 people at the camp from cold temperatures as winter approaches. He further disclosed that another 460 police officers will be deployed to the area on Thursday, effectively brining the number from 665 to 1,125. In recent months, numbers at the camp have swelled as the Europe migrant crisis has intensified.

For a fourth consecutive day on Thursday, Eurotunnel services were disrupted after “intrusions” at its

terminal in France. 21 October For the third time in three days, Eurotunnel services have been disrupted after intruders entered into

the French terminal. The Channel Tunnel operator has disclosed that services were suspended for about an hour earlier because of “intruder activity on our French platforms” at Coquelles, adding that normal services were resumed at about 0845 BST on Wednesday. Services were also suspended on Monday and Tuesday after intrusions by migrants in France. Eurotunnel chief executive Jacques Gounon has blamed lax security on the French rail network for allowing people to target its terminals. He disclosed that “if I have only one concern, it is the fact that the very efficient security we have on the Eurotunnel terminal does not exist on the SNCF part,” adding, “I am creating some pressure on the French government in order for the government to deal with this public issue.” French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve is due to visit migrant camps, which are located on the outskirts of Calais, later this week. Since June, a total of sixteen people have been killed in or near the tunnel trying to get to the UK.

President Francois Hollande has indicated that he hopes that the surprise meeting in Moscow, Russia

between Presidents Bashar Assad and Vladimir Putin was aimed at convincing the Syrian leader to step aside. Speaking in Paris on Wednesday, President Hollande disclosed that he “wants to believe” that encouraging a political transition in Syria was the point of the two leaders’ meeting.

20 October French National Front (NF) leader Marine Le Pen has appeared in court in Lyon to answer charges of

inciting racial hatred, for comparing Muslims praying in the street to the Nazi occupation. In 2010, Le Pen made the comments at a rally in the city when she was fighting for the leadership of the party. However on Tuesday, she insisted that she did not commit any offence. The prosecutor has called for her acquittal, stating that she was not referring to the whole Muslim community. Speaking in court, Bernard Reynaud disclosed that the NF leader had only spoken about a specific number of people and was exercising her freedom of speech. While the case was originally dropped last year by the Lyon court of appeal, it was revived by anti-racism groups who made a civil complaint. The judge in Lyon is due to deliver a ruling on the case in December.

A top French administrative court has called on the government to streamline its asylum process,

which at two years takes longer than other European countries with little or no benefit. In its finding,

which was released on Tuesday, the court noted that spending on asylum seekers increased by 52 percent between 2009 and 2014, noting that this is far more than the number of those requesting asylum. The court also found that 96 percent of those whose claims are rejected remain in France anyway. The court did however acknowledge that the context had changed since the summer, when the government was notified of its conclusion, noting however that they were still relevant.

19 October Passenger train services between France and England have been suspended after migrants rushed the

French terminal in a bid to reach Britain. Eurotunnel officials disclosed that Monday’s problem originated in Calais, where the overnight rush occurred later than usual, affecting the early morning trains. Service was expected to resume midmorning.

The mayor of the northern city of Calais has disclosed that troops may be needed to cop with the rising

number of migrants. According to Mayor Natacha Bouchart, the population of the camps near the French terminal has doubled to about 6,000 in recent weeks, adding that lawlessness in the camps was untenable and that she was speaking with France’s top security official about the situation.

In a statement released by its foreign and defense ministries on Monday, France disclosed that it

regrets that its ambassador was summoned in Moscow and reaffirmed that no French aircraft was involved in any incident with a Russian plane. Earlier on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the French ambassador to protest over what it described as “a dangerous proximity between a French air force jet in its national airspace and an airline carrying a Russian parliamentary delegation.” France however has maintained that the aircraft was Swiss. In the statement, France disclosed that “no French army aircraft was involved in the incident with the official Russian aircraft that the Russian Foreign Ministry mentioned,” adding, “we regret therefore that the French ambassador to Moscow was summoned…The necessary clarifications are being made with the Russian authorities.” Swiss Defense Ministry spokesman Peter Minder has disclosed that a Swiss fighter jet performed a routine air policing mission and denied that it flew dangerously close to the Russian airliner, stating, “we performed a normal, ordinary air policing mission in the air space of Switzerland…There was at no time dangerous proximity. We do that 300 to 350 times per year.” In the end, Russia apologized to France, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stating in televised remarks that “the apology was offered to the French side via diplomatic channels.”

13 October Reports have revealed that Amedy Coulibaly, the Paris gunman who murdered five people in two

attacks in January, was sent instructions on the day of his first shooting. Sources have disclosed that an email was found on his computer ordering him to “work alone” and to “start again several times.” According to a French report, investigators found the email on a computer belonging to Coulibaly. It had been sent at 17:21, hours after he had murdered policewoman Clarissa Jean-Philippe, 27, and filed into Coulibaly’s trash folder by 19:00. The emailer left the choice of a next target up to Coulibaly however suggested that he steer clear of central Paris, presumably because of increased security after the Charlie Hebdo murders. The order said, “perhaps suburbs if problem in centre – you’ll see what’s best,” adding that he should “ick the easiest and most certain targets.” According to the French report, Coulibaly was also instructed to make contact with the Kouachi brothers in order to make a video. There is also a promise to take care of Coulibaly’s partner, Hayat Boumeddiene, who left France for Syria before the attacks occurred. Due to the fact that the sender had used a fake, US-based email account, his identity could not be established, however authorities have disclosed that the message was thought to have originated in Syria. Coulibaly shot dead a policewoman and then murdered four Jewish customers at a kosher supermarket the following day. He was killed at the end of the supermarket siege on the same day the two other Paris gunmen, Cherif and Said Kouachi, were shot dead. The two brothers killed 12 people at the Paris offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on 7 January, the day before Coulibaly’s first attack.

9 October On Friday, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian disclosed that France launched a new strike overnight

in Syria against an IS training camp, adding that further strikes will follow. Speaking on Europe 1 radio, Le Drian indicated that “France hit Daesh (Islamic State) in Syria last night in Raqqa…It is not the first time, nor will it be the last time,” adding, “French Rafale jets delivered bombs on this training camp and the targets were met.” He further disclosed that “we struck because we know that in Syria, particularly around Raqqa, there are training camps for foreign fighters whose mission is not fight Daesh on the Levant but to come to France, in Europe to carry out attacks.” On 27 September, France launched its first air strike in Syria, destroying an IS training camp near Deir al-Zor in the eastern region of the

country. At the time, French officials disclosed that they were acting in “self defense.” Le Drian has since reported that IS is France’s “main enemy” and that Russian air strikes were mostly hitting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s opponents in Syria and not IS targets. He also reiterated that Assad could not be part of a political solution in Syria.

8 October France has proposed to increase the EU’s external borders by committing member states to contribute

more personnel to the EU’s border agency and eventually setting up a largely autonomous international “corps” that could intervene wherever a crisis appears. At a meeting on Thursday, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve made the proposal to his EU counterparts. French officials have disclosed that the plan would be developed by EU leaders at next week’s summit, adding that in the short term, member states would be obliged to contribute more personnel to the Frontex border agency based on their population, wealth and other criteria. In the longer term, France proposes a multinational European border guard corps, which would have much more autonomy to act along the EU’s external frontiers when crises appear.

7 October In an attempt at a counter-narrative against an IS publicity machine that churns out huge amounts of

propaganda, a new French government ad campaign features mourning families in a bid to discourage young people from joining extremists in Syria and Iraq. According to French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, the video clips “involve families going through a hard time, and send a very strong message to young people tempted to swing to a terrorist commitment.” The minister further disclosed that he would also be rescinding the citizenships of five people liked to terrorism and will ramp up deportations for “preachers of hatred.” More than 500 people have left France to join IS and other jihadi groups in the war zones of Syria and Iraq. While French has tightened some restrictions, including allowing families to flag their children to law enforcement and put a hold on their travel documents, and set up a hotline for worried parents to call, the departures have accelerated.

On Wednesday, President Francois Hollande called on the EU to adopt a common asylum policy. In a

speech before the European Parliament, President Hollande stated that it would be a “tragic error” to call into question Europe’s open borders, stating instead that members states need to come up with a coherent asylum policy.

6 October French rescuers have pulled seven Syrian refugees out of the cold water of the port of Calais after their

failed attempt to reach a boat that was heading across the English Channel to Britain. The Calais prefecture has disclosed that four people were retrieved around 10 PM Monday and three more were found about 4 AM Tuesday, adding that some were treated at a hospital for hypothermia and released.

France’s foreign minster disclosed Tuesday that his country is working on a United Nations Security

Council resolution that is aimed at stopping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces from using barbell bombs against his population. Speaking to French lawmakers, Fabius stated “In Syria, what is the objective? First, to strike Daesh…Secondly, obtain the end of the dynamite bombardments by Bashar al-Assad of the civilian population and a resolution will be put forward in this sense. Thirdly, there isn’t just military action, but obviously political action to plead and act for a political transition.” While the resolution has minimal chance of clearing the Security Council, as the Syrian president’s ally Russia has often blocked efforts to condemn him and his government, it could be seen as an alternative to a Russian resolution that is currently being circulated at the world body. A French official has confirmed that talks are taking place with Britain and the US over the possibility of putting forward an alternative UN Security Council to the Russian one. On 30 September, Moscow circulated a draft resolution to the 15-member Security Council that would urge states involved in military efforts against IS and other militants to coordinate with the countries where they are operating. With Moscow now conducting air strikes in Syria, the prospects for the Russian resolution to succeed appear dim. Furthermore, Western diplomats have disclosed that a resolution demanding an end to barrel bombing, something that France has previously been spearheading with Spain, would be helpful as it would emphasize the Syrian government’s continued use of such weapons, which is in clear violation of international law.”

According to a judicial source, French judges have dropped the case against Rwandan pries Wenceslas

Munyeshyaka for his alleged role in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide. The decision however can still be appealed by civil parties to the case. While Munyeshyaka was accused of handing over Tutsi civilians to Hutu militias and encouraging rapes, French judges followed the advice of prosecutors in August

that there was not enough evidence in order to proceed. While Munyeshyaka had a reputation in Rwanda for carrying a gun and wearing a bulletproof vest when he moved around the capital, Kigali, he has protested his innocence, stating that he fled Rwanda because the Hutu militias accused him of protecting the Tutsi. He moved to France after the genocide and today administers to a parish in the town of Gisors in northern France.

4 October Officials have reported that violent storms and flooding have hit southeastern France, killing at least

17 people with four others missing. Heavy rain hit the French Riviera on Saturday evening, with officials estimating that the city of Nice received 10% of its average yearly rainfall in two days alone. The river Brague burst its banks, sending water coursing into nearby towns and cities. According to local officials, three elderly people drowned when their retirement home near the city of Antibes was flooded while others died trapped in their cars in tunnels and underground car parks as the waters rose. President Francois Hollande has announced a state of “natural disaster” in the affected region.

3 October Passengers have been warned of Eurotunnel and Eurostar delays after officials reported a “massive

invasion” of over 100 migrants overnight. According to police, the “large and co-ordinated” group stormed the Calais terminal just before midnight, resulting in services to be immediately shut for safety reasons. Eurotunnel was forced to suspend all train services between Folkestone and Calais however officials are hoping to resume some services by 10 AM, although they have warned of disruptions. Eurostar is running without delays. According to a Eurotunnel spokesman, “it’s a massive invasion and intrusion by a very large and co-ordinated group of migrants,” adding, “its clearly an organized attack when it comes in such a large number, there are over 100 in this one group…They arrived together in a well-organized manner, broke through fences and all clearly knew where they were going.” Just days ago, a migrant was found dead near the tracks of the Channel Tunnel, after apparently trying to cross from France to the UK. The Eritrean man, in his 20’s, was though to have been hit by a freight train. He is the 13th migrant to die trying to get to Britain from France since late June and the second person to die along the route in 24 hours. Update (4 October) – Channel Tunnel services are running to schedule against after about 120 migrants broke into the terminal on the French side on Friday evening. In a statement issued at 00:23 BST on Sunday, Eurotunnel warned freight drivers that the journey from check-in to arrival in the UK would take approximately four hours. On Eurostar passenger services, there had been delays of up to three hours during Saturday morning while all services ran through just one of the two tunnels. However the services were running on time again by the evening.

2 October Police in France have found 31 migrants, 30 of them Syrian refuges, hidden inside a refrigerated truck

outside the northern town of Dunkirk. The prefecture of the Nord region disclosed that they were discovered Friday at a gas sation in the town of Grande Synthe, adding that all, including a 3-year-old, were in good health dispute the truck’s low temperature. The non-Syrian in the group was Vietnamese. All have since been released.

The presidents of Russia and France, which both began bombing Syria this week, held talks in Paris on

Friday relating to their military operations as they tried to overcome differences on whether Syrian President Bashar Assad should remain in power. Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Francois Hollande met in the French capital after a week of international activity pertaining to Syria that finally broke into Friday’s meeting, which was initially supposed to have been only about Ukraine. According to a senior French diplomat, Putin and Hollande tried to bridge the differences over an eventual political transition in Syria, adding that they also talked about the airstrikes by Russia and the US-led collation as well as protecting civilians. Assad’s future however remains to be a major sticking point as he is Russia’s main ally in the Middle East, while France firmly opposes his rule. Officials have indicated that while the two countries are not officially “coordinating” their airstrikes, they are informing each other in order to avoid problems.

Germany

30 October Germany announced Friday that asylum seekers would only be able to enter the country at five points along its border with Austria to better control a mass influx. A spokeswoman for the interior ministry has indicated that “we would like to have a more orderly procedure,” adding that Germany had reached an agreement on the new police with the Austrian government. She further disclosed that “the rule will go into effect immediately.”

Officials in Berlin have stated that Germany is not to blame for the hardships facing asylum-seekers at the country’s border with Austria. On Friday, German government spokeswoman Christian Wirtz indicated that authorities were working hard in order to improve conditions, noting however “in the border region where people arrive, there aren’t an unlimited number of field beds.” Wirtz further dismissed the suggestion that refugees are rushing in, fearing that Europe will make it harder for them to enter soon, stating that Chancellor Angela Merkel “hasn’t said we’re closing the borders to Germany, or anything like that.” Hundreds of people have been kept waiting outside in frigid conditions for hours at a time in recent days as German officials have tried to process new arrivals one by one.

Prosecutors disclosed on Friday that a 32-year-old German man arrested in the slaying of a 4-year-old

migrant boy from Bosnia has confessed to killing another child. According to the prosecutor’s spokesman Stefan Stoehr, the suspect has confessed to killing a 6-year-old boy named Elias who went missing near his parent’s home in Potsdam, which is located outside Berlin, in July. While Stoehr had no further information pertaining to what the suspect had told authorities, he indicated that a press conference was planned for later in the day. The suspect was arrested Thursday at his family’s home in Brandenburg, near Berlin, after he was reported to police by his mother.

Germany’s vice chancellor is blasting what he describes as irresponsible bickering in Chancellor Angela

Merkel’s conservative bloc over the migrant crisis. Bavaria’s Christian Social Union, which is part of Merkel’s Union bloc, has criticized the Chancellor’s approach for weeks. Leader Horst Seehofer has demanded moves by Sunday in order to limit the migrant influx. However Merkel has argued that there is no way to instantly stop the influx. In comments that were published on Friday, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, a centre-left Social Democrat, disclosed that the infighting “would appear bizarre in normal times,” adding, “in view of the great challenge for our country from the high immigration of refugees, the argument…is now threatening the government’s ability to act.” Merkel, Seehofer and Gabriel are due to meet on Sunday in order to discuss the crisis.

29 October German officials have indicated that they are hopeful that talks on ending the war in Syria may end the

four-year war. On Thursday, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen disclosed that it was important to have all interested parties involved in the discussion in order to find a solution for ending the conflict, adding that there was a hint that Western leaders may be prepared to talk with Syrian President Bashar Assad because of the threat that is posed by the Islamic State (IS) group. She noted however that the Syrian president must not be allowed to remain in power in the long term. In an interview that was published on Thursday, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told German daily Berliner Morgenpost that bringing all the players to the table in Vienna would effectively offer a “glimmer of hope for a turnaround in Syria.”

Police in Berlin have indicated that they have arrested a suspect in the disappearance earlier this month

of a 4-year-old Bosnian migrant boy, adding that they have found the body of a child in the suspect’s car. According to police, the 32-year-old man, who has not been identified, was arrested Thursday morning, adding that officials are still trying to confirm the identify of the dead child and that an autopsy will be conducted later in the day. The suspect is being questioned. Update - Berlin prosecutors have disclosed that the 32-year-old German man arrested in the disappearance of a 4-year-old Bosnian boy has confessed to killing the child. Speaking to reporters, prosecutor Michael von Hagen indicated that the man was turned in by his mother after she recognized him in video released by the police. Police had been interviewing the mother at her home when the suspect arrived on Thursday morning. He confessed, telling the police that he had the child’s body in the car. According to Von Hagen, an autopsy is being performed however it appears that the boy was not “killed today or yesterday,” adding that there is no evidence that the suspect had any xenophobic motive or any links to far-right groups.

28 October Germany has informed European authorities that it will continue border checks for at least another

two weeks, amidst the continued influx of refugees and other migrants. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere informed the European Commission that Germany planned on continuing checks at the border until 13 November. While there are normally no border controls between Germany and Austria, in order to deal with the influx, Germany has temporarily reinstated document checks in order to register newcomers as they enter.

German prosecutors have disclosed that they have indicted a 35-year-old Islamic extremist for planning to carry out a bomb attack. Frankfurt prosecutors have disclosed that the Turkish and German citizen, whose name has not been released, was charged with preparing an act of violence, forging documents and violating weapons and explosives laws. If convicted, he faces up to ten years in prison. The man was arrested in April in Oberursel, near Frankfurt, along with his wife, who has since been released. They were arrested on suspicion of plotting to attack a 1 May cycling race. At the time of his arrest, authorities seized a cache of weapons, including a pipe bomb and chemicals that can be used to make explosives at their home.

The Interior Minister has disclosed that many of the Afghans entering the country will most likely be

sent back to their homeland. On Wednesday, Thomas de Maiziere indicated that Germany and other western nations have poured millions in development aid into Afghanistan, as well as deploying troops and police in a bid to help train security forces, adding that the Afghani government agrees with Berlin that citizens should stay and help rebuild the country. De Maiziere disclosed Wednesday that “the people who come from Afghanistan cannot expect that they will be able to stay,” noting however that Afghans will be considered case-by-case.

Germany’s vice chancellor is heading to Russia to attend talks on energy and economic issues, with

sources indicated that he is expected to meet President Vladimir Putin. The Economy Ministry has disclosed that Sigmar Gabriel, who is both Germany’s economy minister and Chancellor Angela Merkel’s deputy, is leaving on Wednesday for the two-day trip to Moscow. While the ministry did not elaborate on Gabriel’s agenda, or disclose who is expected to meet with him other than President Putin, it did note that trade between Germany and Russia has declined in part because of the falling price of commodities, which account for much of Germany’s imports from Russia.

Germany’s top security official has sharply criticized Austria for dumping migrants at the border

between the two countries under the cover of night. Speaking to reporters in Berlin on Wednesday, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere stated that Austrian authorities failed to warn their German counterparts about the impending arrivals, noting that “Austria’s behavior in recent days was out of line.” He further disclosed that the two countries have agreed to cooperate better “and I expect this to happen immediately.”

27 October Chancellor Angela Merkel has indicated that Europe’s refugee crisis can only be solved “step by step”

in collaboration with other European Union countries and Turkey, adding that the flood of people into Europe cannot just be switched off. Merkel’s comments on Tuesday come shortly after Bavarian governor Horst Seehofer called for action from Berlin by Sunday to reduce the migrant influx. He also urged her to complain to neighboring Austria about an uncoordinated flow of new arrivals.

Germany’s Interior Ministry has disclosed that Berlin will send five police officers to Slovenia this week

in order to help prepare a European support deployment for the country’s border guards. On Tuesday, the ministry indicated that the federal police officers will “support the conceptual preparation of the European police deployment,” noting however that Germany is still considering whether to participate in the actual deployment. On Sunday, European leaders at a meeting decided to dispatch 400 border guards to Slovenia as the country struggles to cope with an influx of migrants.

Bavaria’s governor is pressing Chancellor Angela Merkel to complain to her Austrian counterpart about

an uncoordinated flow of migrants towards Germany’s border. On Tuesday, Governor Horst Seehofer was quoted as telling the daily Passeur Neue Presse: “This behavior by Austria is burdening neighborly relations. We can and must not treat each other this way.” Seehofer further stated that it is up to Merkel to speak to the Austrians. Most migrants who have arrived in Austria from Hungary and more recently Slovenia, have simply continued to Germany.

German authorities have disclosed that two private individuals have offered rewards totally 20,000

euros (US $22,000) in a new bid to find a 4-year-old Bosnian migrant child and a min who may have abducted him. On 1 October, CCTV video showed Mohamed Januzi leaving the central registration centre for migrants in Berlin with an unidentified man. Mohammed has been described as being about 1 metre (3.3 feet) talk with dark hair while the man has been described as being of European appearance, aged 35 to 50, slim with dark hair and a beard. On Tuesday, police in the capital city posted

new pictures of Mohammed and amateur video of the man in the hope of getting new leads in the three-week old case.

26 October On Monday, Chancellor Angela Merkel disclosed that she remains confident that her country can

integrate the large numbers of refugees who are arriving, arguing that many won’t stay forever. Speaking at a town hall event in Nuremberg on Monday, Merkel indicated that “there are very, very many, but there are 80 million of us…we can and will manage this integration” if Germany makes an effort from the beginning to integrate the newcomers. Merkel further disclosed that most Syrians will get residency for three years and that many will likely want to help rebuild Syria when the war ends, adding that the Geneva Convention on refugees obliges Germany to protect people, “but we don’t have the task of keeping everyone here for life.”

According to German authorities, some 15,000 refugees and other migrants entered the country over

the weekend, crossing into Bavaria from Austria. On Monday, the Bavarian Interior Ministry reported that 6,000 people crossed over on Saturday and that 9,000 more came in on Sunday. Over the past week, authorities have disclosed that about 4,000 to 5,000 people have been crossing into the country from Austria per day.

25 October According to Germany authorities, three people were injured when a fight broke out over religious

differences between two groups in a home for asylum seekers. Police in Dresden reported Sunday that about 100 people were involved in the fight, which occurred overnight in the asylum centre in nearby Niederau. According to police, an Afghan man was identified as the instigator and was taken into custody after he was treated for injuries. About 30 police officers helped break up the fight, which erupted between an estimated 40 Afghans and about sixty others.

23 October According to Germany’s interior minister, measures meant to streamline the country’s handling of the

migrant influx and make it easier to deport rejected asylum applicants will take effect this weekend, more than a week earlier then originally planned. The package, which was approved by lawmakers last week, aims to cut red tape, speed deportations and curb cash benefits. Under the measure, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro, from which large numbers of people have arrived this year, join other Balkan countries in being declared safe states, which effectively means that their citizens can be sent back faster.

22 October German authorities reported Thursday that they have arrested three right-wing extremists and seized

several kilograms of powerful firecrackers, which the suspects may have been planning to use in an attack to cause fear at asylum-seekers’ homes. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere indicated on a visit to a home for asylum seekers from the Balkans in Bamberg that initial evidence indicates that authorities “might have prevented attacks or other crimes. Bavarian Interior Minster Joachim Herrmann has reported that the three were arrested Wednesday evening in a series of raids that targeted twelve locations. Authorities have indicated that the items that were seized in the operation include several kilograms of illegal fireworks, some of which were powerful enough to blow out windows. Sources have disclosed that an anti-immigration demonstration is planned for later this month in Bamber, however authorities are trying to ban it.

21 October According to sources, the German government is considering using military aircraft in order to deport

rejected asylum applicants. Germany has seen large numbers of people from several Balkan countries seek asylum this year, however they have negligible chances of being accepted, and the government now wants to ensure that rejected applicants will leave quickly so that the country can handle the large numbers of Syrians and others with more realistic asylum claims. On Wednesday, Government spokesman Steffen Seibert indicated that using civilian planes for deportations is the priority but if there is not enough capacity authorities are considering possibly using military planes.

20 October On Tuesday, the German Federation of Journalists union called on authorities to prosecute those

responsible for attacks on reporters at an anti-Islam rally in the eastern city of Dresden. Officials have reported that at least three journalists were assaulted by people taking part in the rally organized by PEGIDA. Hendrik Zoerner, a spokesman for the German Federation of Journalists, disclosed that the union had observed a growing willingness amongst PEGIDA protesters to attack journalists over the past year and a reluctance of bystanders to step in. Zoerner further disclosed that “sadly, the authorities aren’t doing enough either…We’ve repeatedly noted that police aren’t acting against those

who attack journalists.” He also cited similar violent incidents that occurred at two previous PEGIDA rallies that were held in the past month.

19 October Authorities in the city of Dresden are stepping up security precautions for the anniversary rally of

PEGIDA. The move comes as the government sharpens its rhetoric against PEGIDA. The country’s interior minister has disclosed that the domestic intelligence service is now observing PEGIDA and called its leaders “hard far right extrmeists.” Update (20 October) – Violence flared in the city of Dresden after PEGIDA staged a rally to mark its first anniversary on Monday. On the ground sources have reported that scuffles broke out when police tried to separate far-right protesters and counter-demonstrators attempting to block their path. Marko Laske, a spokesman for city police, has disclosed that one person was hospitalized and a counter-demonstrator was detained.

17 October German Chancellor Angela Merkel has disclosed that she will not offer “false solutions” to the migrant

crisis as she faces pressure to do more to limit the influx. Merkel told Saturday’s edition of the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Germany can control its borders however it cannot close them completely, noting “that wouldn’t even succeed with a fence, as the example of Hungary shows.” While thousands of new arrivals a day have been stretching the country’s capacity to house refugees and other migrants, Merkel has disclosed that she will not promise “false solutions” because they wouldn’t even hold for two weeks and would create bigger disappointment that the problem hasn’t been resolved. She further added that she is “…working with all my power for sustainable solutions, and they don’t depend on us Germans alone and will take time.”

On Saturday, a leading candidate to be mayor of Cologne was stabbed and seriously wounded by a man

who claimed anti-foreigner motives. In the wake of the attack, the country’s interior ministry had disclosed that the incident underlined growing concerns over hatred and violence in the refugee crisis. According to police chief Wolfgang Albers, Henriette Reker was stabbed in the neck at a campaign stand set up by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats at a market. Another woman was seriously wounded and three people had minor injuries from the attack. The suspected assailant, a 44-year-old German national and Cologne resident who said he had been unemployed for several years, told officials that he targeted Reker and that “he wanted to and did commit this act because of anti-foreigner motives.” Police officials have indicated that the man appears to have acted alone and had no police record. Prosecutor Ulf Willuhn has indicated that officials will now investigate whether that was in fact the man’s primary motive or whether his health played a role. They plan on carrying out a psychiatric examination. Reker is an independent candidate in Sunday’s election for the new mayor of Germany’s fourth-largest city, however she is backed by Merkel’s conservatives and two other parties. The 58-year-old currently heads Cologne’s social affairs and integration department, and is responsible for refugee housing. She remains in stable condition. City officials have indicated that Sunday’s election will go ahead as planned.

15 October German lawmakers have passed a bill that is aimed at streamlining the country’s asylum system by

cutting red tape, speeding up deportations of rejected applicants and curbing cash benefits. On Thursday, lower house lawmakers approved the bill following a debate in which Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke of the “historic challenge” posed by the massive influx of migrants. Under the new legislation, which still needs to be approved by the upper house, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro will be deemed safe states, effectively meaning that their citizens can be sent back faster. Integration courses for people likely to get permission to remain in Germany will also begin sooner. Human rights groups have stated that the legislation could leave migrants homeless and destitute.

14 October Germany’s governing coalition is arguing over whether to set up “transit zones” on the country’s border

to quickly weed out migrants who have no realistic chance of winning asylum. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc is pushing the idea, which would entail extending to Germany’s land borders a system that already exists at its airports, where migrants who arrive from countries considered safe or without papers can be held while asylum applications are processed quickly. While Merkel has disclosed that the idea could help, it remains unclear how the zones would work. Furthermore, her centre-left coalition partners are deeply skeptical about the idea. On Wednesday, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel stated that his Social Democrats will not back a system that entails people being interned at the border.

Citing weakness in China and other major emerging economies, the German government has trimmed its growth forecast for this year. On Wednesday, Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel disclosed that Berlin now expects growth of 1.7 percent, down slightly from the 1.8 percent that the government had predicted in April. The minister however left the forecast for 2016 unchanged at 1.8 percent. According to Gabriel, the emissions-rigging scandal at Volkswagen, which has raised some concerns over damage to the image of German companies, “has no enduring effect” on current economic forecasts and they have already taken account of the likely effects on tax income from the company. He added that money being put into education to help cope with the refugee influx could work “a bit like a stimulus programme” beginning next year.

Germany police and city officials have disclosed that the federal government needs to quickly come up

with long-term plans for dealing with the massive influx of asylum-seekers, adding that more police officers, teachers and other support personnel are needed immediately. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Gerd Landsberg, head of the Federation of German Cities and Municipalities, stated “we need a national, a European and also an international strategy” to slow the flow of newcomers,” adding that Germans were losing confidence in the government’s ability to deal with the influx. German Police Union head Rainer Wendt has also disclosed that security forces are stretched to the limit in dealing with border controls, attacks on refugee homes and crimes inside the refugee facilities.

13 October Prosecutors in the city of Dresden have disclosed that they have opened an investigation after a

demonstrator at a protest, which was organized by anti-Islam group PEGIDA, carried a mock gallows with nooses marked as being reserved for Chancellor Angela Merkel and her deputy. On Tuesday, prosecutor Jan Hille reported that an investigation was opened into persons unknown on suspicion of disturbing the peace and public incitement to commit crimes. The incident, which occurred at Monday evening’s rally, drew condemnation from Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats and Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel’s Social Democrats.

On Tuesday, Germany extended controls along its border until the end of October as refugees continue

to enter the country. According to the interior ministry spokesman Harald Neymanns, “the aim of this measure remains to limit the almost uninterrupted inflow of members of third countries to Germany and to return to an orderly procedure for entry into the country,” adding, “that’s also necessary for security reasons.” He further disclosed that the measure would focus on Germany’s border with Austria. While members of Europe’s ‘Schengen zone’ normally allow travellers to cross-frontiers without passport checks, governments can reintroduce controls in special circumstances for a maximum of two months.

12 October The German government has announced that Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Turkey on Sunday

in order to hold talks with the country’s leader on terrorism, Syria and the migrant crisis. On Monday, Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, disclosed that the chancellor will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu, adding that the visit will focus on the countries’ “common fight against terrorism,” the situation in Syria and dealing with the migrant crisis.

11 October In an interview released on Sunday, Chancellor Angela Merkel disclosed that Germany will not have to

raise taxes in order to help pay for the hundreds of thousands of refugees and other migrants who have been entering the country, adding that the government should have new regulations in place by November in order to help deal with the influx. While Germany expects at least 800,000 newcomers by this year, if not more, Merkel told Bild newspaper that there would “definitely” be no tax increases to help care for them, adding, “we can be pleased that we have been well managed for years and that our economic situation is currently good.” Merkel, who has seen her popularity slightly decrease amidst growing concerns over the drastic increase in asylum seekers, also sought to allay fears that the numbers could overwhelm the country’s health care system, stating that no one should “worry that a refugee will take away from their own quality of care.” In a separate interview, Germany’s new government coordinator for refugees and other migrants reported that the country can cope with the flood of newcomers, noting however that it must streamline its systems for dealing with them. Peter Altmaier, Merkel’s chief of staff who was this month put in charge of the government response to the influx of newcomers, told Bild that Germany “won’t turn its back” on anyone in need and must reduce bureaucracy and speed up the asylum process, adding that the country also needs to quickly send home those not truly needing asylum.

9 October A German county has declared an emergency ahead of the arrival of some 1,000 refugees on Monday. Officials in Main-Taunus country, which is located west of Frankfurt, have disclosed that the action aims to make it easier for authorities to cop with the influx, for example by suspending certain building regulations. In a statement released Friday, the indicated that this is the first time since 1945 that a disaster has been declared in the country.

The southern state of Bavaria has called on the German government to turn refugees back at the

country’s border if it can’t get other EU countries to abide by rules that mean newcomers are supposed to be processed in the first EU country where they arrive. With most migrants to Germany arriving in Bavaria, Governor Horst Seehofer and his conservative government have been the most prominent domestic critics of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s welcoming approach to refugees. On Friday, Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann urged the federal government to send a clear signal “that Germany has reached the limits of is capacity,” noting that the country is surrounded by “safe countries.” He further disclosed that if Berlin does not take effective measures soon in order to limit the influx, Bavaria reserves the right to lodge a complaint with Germany’s highest court.”

Germany’s interior minister has reported that his office has recorded more than 490 attacks, ranging

from arson to racist graffiti, on refugee shelters this year. In an interview that was published on Friday, Thomas de Maiziere disclosed that the number represents “a massive increase of xenophobic attacks against asylum-seekers.” De Maiziere told Berlin’s Morgenpost newspaper that two-thirds of suspects were people who lived near the shelters and who had no previous criminal record.

Police in the western city of Hagen have disclosed that they detained two men aged 23 and 25 on

suspicion of carrying out an arson attack against a house used by refugees in the nearby town of Altena. Sources have disclosed that one of the unnamed men acknowledged being angry at the housing of refugees in his neighborhood.

8 October Police in Berlin have issued a public appeal for information about the whereabouts of a 4-year-old

Bosnian migrant child and an unidentified man who may have abducted him. Mohamed Januzi was last seen leaving the central registration centre for migrants in Berlin with the man on Thursday afternoon. Police in the capital have now indicated that it remains unclear how Mohamed became separated from his mother and siblings, noting that a crime could not be ruled out. The man has been described as being of central European appearance, aged 35 to 50, with a slender build, dark hair and a beard.

The governor of Bavaria has disclosed that his government is considering “self-defense measures” in

response to the influx of migrants across the country’s border. On Thursday, Horst Seehofer told German daily Bild that the state government will agree on a wide-ranging package of measures on Friday, which includes “integration, education and training.” The newspaper quoted Seehofer stated that “this explicitly also includes self-defense measures to restrict immigration, such as turning people back at the border with Austria and immediately sending asylum seekers elsewhere in Germany.” Any move to close the German border to migrants however would require authorization from federal authorities in Berlin.

7 October Chancellor Angela Merkel has come out strongly in defense of her policies on the migrant crisis. On

Wednesday, she told German public broadcaster ARD that critics who accuse her of mishandling the crisis are wrong, insisting that “yes, I’ve got a plan.” In recent days, members of Merkel’s own centre-right bloc have called for a limit on the number of refugees allowed into the country. Merkel has indicated that such limits are not legally possible and that as the head of a Christian party, she doesn’t want “to take part in a competition of who can be the least friendly of refugees.”

According to German authorities, 164,000 asylum seekers arrived in the country last month, a number

that reflects the sharp increase in migrants to Europe this year. Figures released on Wednesday by the Interior Ministry show that about 577,000 people seeking asylum came to Germany between the beginning of this year and the end of September. The number of formal asylum requests last month was 43,071 – an increase of 126 percent compared to September 2014. That figure however lags behind actual arrivals as officials are struggling to process all the applications. Of those who have submitted a request, about a third, 16,838, came from Syria, followed by asylum seekers from Albania, Afghanistan, Iraq and Serbia.

The German government is moving to improve coordination of its response to the migrant crisis and putting Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff in charge of the effort. Government spokesman Georg Streiter disclosed after a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that peter Altmaier will be in charge of “political coordination” of the response, adding that coordination between ministries will be strengthened and that the government hopes to speed up management of the crisis.

6 October The interior minister has indicated that he will not update his forecast that some 800,000 migrants will

arrive this year in light of the continuing influx, arguing that raisin it would be misinterpreted as an invitation. In mid-August, Thomas de Maiziere stated that Germany could see up to 800,000 arrivals this year. However over the past month, this influx has accelerated, with the vice chancellor disclosing that 1 million newcomers are likely to arrive in the country. On Monday, The Bild daily reported that unspecified authorities now expect up to 1.5 million, a figure that has been rejected by the government. On Tuesday, De Maiziere disclosed that it remains unclear what effect colder weather will have and pointed to efforts toward an international solution, adding “any new forecast would be misinterpreted by traffickers and others as an extra invitation, and I don’t want to contribute to that.”

On Tuesday, German media demanded police protection after journalists came under attack by anti-

Islam protesters, stating that those responsible for such assaults must be brought to justice. Officials have reported that journalists covering the PEGIDA movement’s weekly demonstrations on Monday evenings have been increasingly subjected to verbal assaults, however last week, the incidents turned physical, with one reporter punched in the face and another kicked at. In the wake of last week’s incident, regional media groups and journalist associations from the eastern states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia issued a joint statement urging an end of the violence. In the statement, they indicated that “the constant chant of ‘liar press’ poisons the atmosphere, and can no longer be accepted,” adding, “those who attack and hurt journalists must be brought to justice.” Media associations have also disclosed that “the recent assaults should get politicians thinking about how PEGIDA events as well as other similar groups should be dealt with,” adding that they “expect the interior ministers and police to prevent attacks on journalists. The anti-Islami “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident” (PEGIDA) emerged about a year ago, with its rallies drawing up to 25,000 people at their peak in their eastern home base city of Dresden.

5 October On Monday, thousands of German anti-Islam protesters vented their anger at Chancellor Angela Merkel

over her welcoming of refugees, accusing her of “high treason” and crimes against the German people.” Waving flags, the crowd cheers on PEGIDA co-founder Lutz Bachmann, who was charged last week with inciting racial hatred by labeling asylum-seekers “animals,” “trash” and “filthy rabble.” On Monday at the rally, he stated that “it wont stop with 1.5 or two million…They will have their wives come, and one, two, three children. It is an impossible task to integrate these people.”

4 October In a report to be published on Monday in the Bild daily, German authorities expect up to 1.5 million

asylum seekers to arrive in the country this year, an increase from a previous estimate of 800,000 to 1 million. The country’s top-selling newspaper has cited an internal forecast from authorities that it said had been classed as confidential. Bild disclosed that the German authorities were concerned about the risk of a “breakdown of provisions” and that they were already struggling to procure enough living containers and sanitary facilities for the new arrivals. Bild cited the report as stating that “migratory pressures will increase further. We now expect seven to then thousand illegal border crossings every day in the fourth quarters…This high number of asylum seekers runs the risk of becoming an extreme burden for the states and municipalities.” According to Bild, the authorities report also citied concerns that those who are granted asylum will bring their families over to Germany too. Bild quoted the report as indicated that given family structures in the Middle East, this would mean that each individual from that region who is granted asylum bringing an average of four to eight family members over to Germany in due course. On Sunday, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble disclosed that Europe needs to restrict the number of people coming to the continent.

3 September Citing high-ranking NATO sources, German newspaper Welt am Sonntag disclosed that the German

government wants to extend its deployment in Afghanistan for one year initially. The newspaper has cited a NATO source as indicating that “at the meeting of the NATO defense ministers in the coming week in Brussels, Berlin will suggest extending the mandate for the Afghanistan deployment by one year,” adding, “Germany does not want to put what has already been achieved in Afghanistan on the line. The final withdrawal, which is planned for 2016, is premature given the Taliban attacks.” A

spokesman for the Defense ministry disclosed that defense ministers would talk about Afghanistan at their meeting but that it was not solely up to the defense minister to decide, adding that the foreign minister also has a role to play and that it would also require negotiations in the German government. He further disclosed that talks in the German government on the issue had begun however no decision had been made and Berlin would continue to make decisions in consultation with its allies. Earlier this week, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen indicated that she was open to delaying the withdrawal of German soldiers beyond next year after the Taliban seized Kunduz. While NATO has withdrawn almost all of its combat troops, it still has soldiers who are stationed in the country to train local forces. Up to about 850 German troops remain in Afghanistan on this mission.

On Saturday, Germany celebrated 25 years since its reunification. This year, the annual party was held

in the business capital Frankfurt. Both Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck attended ceremonies.

2 October Germany’s top security official has disclosed that authorities so far have found no cases of terrorists

with instructions to carry out attacks in the country mixing into the flow of incoming migrants. On Friday, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere disclosed that authorities have received tips from intelligence services that this could happen and “we look into every one of these tips,” noting that so far such concerns have not been confirmed. De Maiziere further indicated that German authorities are also looking into whether the large number of migrants raises the risk of crime, adding that there is “no general trend” so far, noting however that there have been issues with a small number of refugees.

1 October The country’s interior minister has urged migrants arriving in Germany to respect other people, to

show patience and to not fight each other. The comments follow occasional recent brawls that have occurred at a crowded refugee accommodation. Thomas de Maiziere spoke on Thursday as he introduced to Parliament a package of measures that intended to streamline the country’s handling of the refugee influx.

Netherlands

28 October Political leaders in the Netherlands are calling for a halt to threats and intimidation amidst a growing debate on providing shelter for thousands of asylum seekers entering the country. In an open letter that was published on Wednesday, the leaders of eleven political parties in the Dutch parliament disclosed that while they understand the strong emotions on both sides of the debate, they are appealing to concerned citizens “not to confuse threats and insults with arguments. Let everybody speak, even if you totally disagree with them.” In recent weeks, demonstration marches and meetings to discuss emergency housing for asylum seekers in a number of towns across the country have degenerated into slanging matches. The leaders have disclosed that anonymous threats via mail and social media also appear to be increasing, adding that “people, whatever their view, who behave that way limit freedom for all of us.”

27 October A Dutch town has postponed a meeting to discuss crisis accommodation for asylum seekers amidst

reports that far-right protesters were planning to attend. In a statement, Harlingen municipality indicated that the information evening, which was scheduled for Tuesday, has been pushed back to next month “after it became clear that members of the Netherlands People’s Union wanted to attend.” The group is a minority far right group that is demanding that the Netherlands close its border to all migrants. The group reportedly has been sending members to other towns in order to protest against the possible arrival of migrants.

20 October The Dutch government has warned asylum-seekers to expect long waits and “austere”

accommodations while their applications are processed. In a letter that was published on Tuesday, and which will be handed to all seeking asylum in the Netherland, Junior Justice Minister Klaas Dijkhoff stated that the warning is intended to clarify the lengthy procedures they face, with sources reporting that the warning could also possibly serve as a deterrent to other migrants. The letter further states that the Netherlands does not have enough regular asylum-seeker reception centres in order to house all the new arrivals, adding “that is why you are receiving an austere reception, such as in sports centres or tents, where many people share the same lodgings.” Dijkhoff also warned that it will take nearly six months in order to process an asylum application and another six months or more before a decision. The minister also noted that even if people are granted asylum, housing shortages mean that they may

have to remain in asylum-seeker accommodation or be housed in converted shipping containers or converted office blocks. Last week, some 2,200 asylum seekers arrived in the Netherlands.

16 October Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has disclosed that his government is raising the maximum sentence

for convicted people-smugglers from four years to six years imprisonment. Rutte made the announcement of the plan after his Cabinet’s weekly meeting, stating that he would introduce fast-track legislation so that the tougher measures can come into force on 1 January.

14 October A Dutch referendum is to be held on a EU agreement for closer relations with Ukraine, after 427,000

people backed a citizens’ initiative. While the Dutch parliament has already backed the EU agreement, which removes trade barriers between the EU and Ukraine, campaigners fear that it could be a step towards EU membership and would cost Dutch taxpayers billions of euros. The No Level movement is now taking advantage of a new law, which effectively allows advisory referendums. Those opposed to the agreement say that the treaty would enable Ukrainians to travel without visas across Europe when their county is in conflict with Russia. The trade part of the agreement will come into provisional effect on 1 January 2016, however it will not be fully in force until all 28 EU member states ratify it. Six countries have yet to do so.

13 October Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has called on Russia to fully cooperate with the criminal investigation

into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Commenting for the first time on the Dutch Safety Board’s final report, which concluded that the plane was shot down with a BUK missile, Rutte stated on Tuesday that a key priority “is not tracking down and prosecuting the perpetrators.” He further disclosed that the Dutch Safety Board report “is a new element and undoubtedly an important building block in the international criminal investigation that is being led by Dutch prosecutors and detectives.

The Dutch Safety Board reported Tuesday, as it presented the results of an official probe into the crash

of Malaysia Airlines flight 17 in eastern Ukraine, that the missile which downed the plane exploded less than a meter from the cockpit, killing the crew inside instantly and breaking off the front of the plane. The board added that the tragedy, which killed all 298 people aboard the plane on 17 July 2014, would not have occurred if anyone had thought to close the airspace of eastern Ukraine to passenger planes as fighting continued below. While the report did not consider who launched the missile, it did identify an area of 320 square kilometres from which the launch must have taken place. All the territory within the area was in rebel separatist hands at the time of the incident. Safety Board chairman Tjibbe Joustra has disclosed that the 15-month investigation into the crash found the warhead was that used on a Buk surface-to-air missile system. Joustra further disclosed that Ukrainian authorities had “sufficient reason” to completely close the airspace in that area, however ‘nobody gave a thought” to the possible threat to civil aviation. The investigation found that the missile killed the three crewmembers in the cockpit instantly, while the passengers and other crew died due to reduced oxygen levels, extreme cold, powerful airflow and flying objects as the plane broke up and crashed.

11 October On Sunday, just hours after Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte sharply condemned a “cowardly” attack

on a refugee shelter, tensions flared in the country over the sensitive issue of taking in migrants. Sources have disclosed that police were forced to intervene in the central city of Utrecht on Sunday when hundreds joined a rally that was organized by the far-right German PEGIDA movement. Dutch media reported that some ten people were arrested after a smoke bomb was thrown and scuffles erupted between PEGIDA supporters and those demonstrating against the group. Tensions are rising across the Netherlands over the thousands of refugees due to be given shelter in the country under a EU scheme. Over the next two years, the Netherlands will take in more than 7,000 peoples as EU nations share out the migrants flooding into the continent. Last week, an angry crowd in the village of Oranje tried to block the car of Deputy Justice Minister Klaas Dijkhoff after he revealed that the small hamlet was going to house some 1,200 refugees, twice the number that was initially planned.

10 October Dutch police have reported that they arrested eleven people for trying to break into an asylum seekers

centre. On Saturday, police disclosed that some twenty people broke down barriers late Friday night and threw fireworks and eggs at the temporary accommodation for some 150 asylum seekers in a sports hall in the central Dutch town of Woerden. Police disclosed in a statement that those arrested were all Dutch men aged between 19 – 30, adding that the men are being held on suspicion of public violence.

Switzerland

16 October Europe’s migrant influx is a major issue for Swiss voters who will elect a new legislature this weekend. Sources have disclosed that Sunday’s election is shaping up as a new sign of European anxiety about the influx of over a half-million migrants from Syria, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere into Europe this year. The vote to fill the two legislative chambers, the 200-seat National Council and the 46-member Council of States, comes as a poll found that nearly half of Swiss listed immigration, integration and foreigners as their top concern. Issues including relations with the European Union, health care, unemployment and the environment scored only single digits as the top issue.

On Friday, Switzerland’s attorney general disclosed that authorities have charged four Iraqi men with planning attacks and helping Islamic State smuggle followers into Europe. In a statement, Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General indicated that one man, described as a member of a forerunner of Islamic State (IS), entered Switzerland at the beginning of 2012 and “forged plans for attacks,” adding, “the three accused individuals also aided and abetted smuggling further IS followers to Europe, assumed coordination tasks, disseminated propaganda for the actions of the terrorist organization, gave instructions and also provided operative advice, amongst other things.” The individuals, ho have not been named, are aged 29 to 34. All face charges of participating or supporting a criminal organization and preparing an attack as well as entering and exiting Switzerland illegally. The statement from the office disclosed that three of the men have been in custody since their arrest in early 2014 in northeastern Switzerland. Officials have not released any further information on the fourth man.

13 October The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 3,000 people have now died while trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe this year. Spokesman Joel Millman of the Geneva-based inter-governmental agency has reported that 3,103 people have died in 2015 during crossing, more than 100 of which have only been recorded now because of internal “house keeping” of the statistics in recent days. The IOM has also disclosed that more than 593,000 people have crossed this year, of which 453,000 travelled from Turkey to Greece.

Latin America Central America

Costa Rica

No significant incidents to report.

El Salvador

30 October Authorities have reported that at least one suspected Mara street gang member and three other males were found shot to death in a house while two other suspected gang members died in an attack on a police station. The federal prosecutor’s office indicated Friday that the four dead were found in San Sebastian township, adding that one of those killed was a minor. Two of the victims had outstanding warrants for homicide charges. In a separate incident, officials have reported that gunmen attacked a police station in the town of Suchitotos. According to authorities, police returned fire and killed both men, adding that no police officers were wounded.

23 October The United Nations has failed to convince El Salvador to set up an international commission to fight corruption, like the one that helped bring down the president of neighbouring Guatemala. According to documents, the US government’s aid agency, USAID), will instead renew a less powerful anti-corruption programme in the country without broad investigate powers. Earlier this year, the US offered US $1 billion in new aid in order to help revitalize Central America and to stem the flood of child migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. However how much money they will receive will likely depend in some measure on their willingness to fight corruption.

14 October On Wednesday, authorities disclosed that El Salvador will investigate possible involvement by Salvadorans in a corruption scandal that has led to the resignation and arrest of the president of neighbouring Guatemala last month. A spokesman for the attorney general’s office has indicated that prosecutors are currently working with Guatemala counterparts in order to see what part Salvadorans had in the customs racket known as La Linea, which forced Guatemalan President Otto Perez to resign. According to Mauricio Carballo, El Salvador’s probe aims to show whether Salvadorans were involved with Guatemalan companies supposedly linked to the president and his former vice president’s financial interests. Both Perez and his former vice president, Roxana Baldetti, are currently in custody awaiting trial over the multi-million-dollar scam, which Guatemalan prosecutors allege centred on importers avoiding paying customs duties in exchange for bribes.

6 October The country’s forensic institute (IML) reported Tuesday that the number of homicides in El Salvador increased 72 percent in the first nine months of this year as gang-related violence rises. According to the IML’s director Miguel Fortin, there were 4,942 homicides in El Salvador from January to September 2015, compared with 2,870 a year earlier, adding that so far this year, 523 children were killed and many others have been forced to flee the country. According to IML statistics, the nine-month count has surpassed the total number of homicides that were recorded in the country last year. Violence in the country has been on the rise ever since the breakdown last year of a 2012 truce between the country’s principal gangs, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and the rival Barrio 18. Police have reported that 80 percent of homicides were related to purges and infighting in the gangs.

Guatemala

26 October On Sunday, Jimmy Morales swept to power in the country’s presidential election. Despite his lack of government experience and some police ides that strike many as being eccentric, the 46-year-old Morales overwhelmingly beat centre-left rival and former first lady Sandra Torres in a run-off vote.

25 October Guatemala’s jailed former president, Otto Perez, has indicated that he regrets bowing to US pressure to extend the work of an anti-corruption unit that then toppled him from power, adding that it was US Vice President Joe Biden who forced hi hand. Perez resigned and was arrested last month after Guatemala’s attorney general and the UN-backed anti-corruption body accused him of leading a customs racket. In a series of meetings that were held earlier this year, US officials pressured Perez to fire corrupt officials and to allow the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) to continue its work. On Saturday, Perez stated that renewing the CICIG’s mandate “was one of the things I must regret.” He further disclosed that he opposed the CICIG’s work because it was trampling on Guatemala’s sovereignty, noting however that Biden demanded that he renew its mandate and threatened to halt US aid to Guatemala if he refused. He disclosed that Biden had “…told me it was practically a condition” for the aid, adding that Biden pressured him twice in prison and twice on the phone. CICIG spearheaded the probe into the alleged customs racket and was working closely with Attorney General Thelma Aldana. Perez reluctantly agreed in April to allow it to continue its work and its investigation led to the removal of cabinet ministers, the vice president and finally Perez himself. Perez has stated that the CICIG amounts to “a new form of (US) interference” in Guatemala’s affairs, adding that his country has surrendered its sovereignty over the justice system by allowing the unit to operate. Perez maintains that he is innocent of the charges against him.

23 October After a campaign, that was upended by a massive corruption scandal that felled the former president, Guatemala will elect its replacement on Sunday in a run-off between a politically inexperienced comedian and a former first lady. Comic and TV personality Jimmy Morales is the massive favourite despite having never held office at any level, which is currently seen as a plus in a country that is fed up with revelations of politicians stealing public money. His opponent is Sandra Torres, the ex-wife of former president Alvaro Colom (2008 – 2011), who if elected will become the country’s first female president. The final poll before the election gave 68 percent of the vote to Morales, who is running for conservative party FCN-Nacion, and 32 percent to Torres, who is the candidate of the social democratic party UNE. In the first round of election on 6 September, Morales took 24 percent to 20 percent for Torres.

14 October A judge in Guatemala has ordered fifty businesspeople, who have been suspected in a wide-ranging customs corruption scheme, not to leave the country while the investigation continues. Officials have reported that the scandal involves companies bribing government officials to avoid import duties. It has already led to the resignation of President Otto Perez Molina and his Vice President Roxana Baldetti. Last week, the attorney general disclosed that at least 1,500 businesspeople had benefited from the customs fraud.

13 October On Tuesday, Guatemalan authorities called off the search for victims buried under a massive landslide that killed t least 280 people. Agency chief Alejandr Maldonado has disclosed that the National Disaster Reduction Commission decided that it was time to end the search and rescue operation, adding that work to stabilize and recover the disaster zone will continue. He further disclosed that seventy people are still listed as missing. This number has fluctuated in the nearly two weeks since the disaster as bides were found and mission people were accounted for. The 1 October slide unleashed at least 105 million cubic feet (3 million cubic metres) of earth on a neighbourhood in Santa Catarina Pinula, which is located on the outskirts of Guatemala City.

12 October The mayor of a town in the western region of the country has been lynched by a group of locals who accused him of ordering an attack on his political rival. On Sunday, Mayor Bacilio Juracan died after he was beaten and set alight in Concepcion, Solola province. Sources have disclosed that the mayor was targeted because residents believed he was behind an earlier attack in which two women were killed and five others were injured. Last month, Mr Juracan defeated Lorenzo Sequec in the mayoral race in Concepcion, which is located 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Guatemala City. After loosing the election, Mr Sequec accused Mr Juracan of mismanagement and demanded an investigation into the town’s finances. On Sunday morning, Mr Sequec and members of his family were travelling along a local road when they were cut off by another car. Unidentified gunmen stepped out of the car and opened fire on Mr Sequec’s car, killing his 17-year-old daughter and 16-year-old niece. Mr Sequec along with four others were injured. After

news of the ambush spread, a group of angry residents searched for Mr Juracan, whom they suspected of ordering the attack. After setting alight a number of homes that belong to Mr Juracan’s relatives, they tracked down the mayor at his house. While police were called, they arrived too late in order to save Mr Juracan.

9 October Authorities have ordered some forty families to leave their homes, which are located close to where a landslide killed at least 253 people last week, after reporting that there is a risk of another landslide hitting the area.

8 October Guatemalan President Alejandro Maldonado has announced that his government will build homes for the survivors of a landslide, which buried some 125 houses last week. President Maldonado has disclosed that his government would be “directly in control” of building the homes and would not sub-contract the work. The country’s Congress has approved US $2.6 million in funds in order to help the victims. It currently remains unclear where the new houses will be built as the area where the mudslide hit has been declared uninhabitable. More than 200 people were killed when a hillside collapsed on a neighbourhood in Santa Catarina Pinula. Hundreds more were left homeless. An estimated 300 people are still missing and presumed dead. The number of confirmed dead rose to 215 on Wednesday as more bodies were found.

5 October Officials reported Monday that an aide to the country’s former vice president turned himself into authorities on Monday to face charges over his role in a customs fraud cast that has brought down the country’s president and his one-time boss. The country’s prosecutor’s office confirmed that Juan Carlos Monzon Rojas turned himself in at the main courts building in Guatemala City in the early hours of Monday. Monzon, the personal secretary of former vice president Roxana Baldetti, is accused by investigators of playing a leading role in a racket known as “La Linea,” in which importers paid millions of dollars in bribes in order to avoid customs duties. Ex-President Otto Perez and his former deputy Baldetti are both now in prison awaiting trial over the allegations. Update (6 October) – On Tuesday, a judge ordered that the alleged leader of a customs corruption scandal be held in protective isolation at a maximum security prison amidst fears for his life. Juan Carlos Monzon Rojas appeared in court on Tuesday wearing a bulletproof vest and a military helmet.

3 October At least 26 people have died and up to 600 people are feared missing after a hillside collapsed on a town, burying more than 100 homes. The town of Santa Catarina Pinula, which is located 15 kilometres east of the capital Guatemala City, was partially covered by the landslide. The government has reported that 600 rescue workers and volunteers were helping sift the rubble in search of survivors while authorities set up a shelter to help those that have been made homeless. Update (7 October)- Emergency workers have spent a fourth day digging bodies out of a massive mudslide on Monday. Officials have confirmed that the death toll has risen to 161 as questions mount about why people were allowed to build homes at the base of a dangerous hillside next to a small river. On Monday, the country’s national Disaster Reduction Commission (Conred) disclosed that it had warned about the risk to the Cambray neighbourhood since last year, adding that it had recommended that residents be relocated. Commission Director Alejandro Maldonado disclosed that he had warned Mayor Tono Coro of the municipality of Santa Catarina Pinula that the river was eating away at the base of the steep hill. Maldonado further disclosed that he is currently waiting for a report from local authorities about what they had done in response to the warning. Municipal spokesman Manuel Poscasangre has indicated that local authorities had warned residents about the dangers but that inhabitants did not want to leave their homes. The commission has now declared the Cambray area uninhabitable, and many residents are now living in shelters.

Honduras

27 October The Honduran newspaper Tiempo reported Tuesday that it has temporarily closed after the government seized businesses belonging to the paper’s owners, who are accused in the United States of money laundering. In an editorial entitled “So long, Honduras,” the paper disclosed that the closure is due to “economic asphyxiation,” which has been caused by the freezing of bank accounts linked to the family of former Honduran Vice President Jamie Rosenthal. Rosenthal previously warned that he did not have enough money on hand to pay salaries. On 7 October, the US Treasury Department designated Rosenthal, his son Yani Rosenthal and nephew Yankel Rosenthal under the Kingpin Act. US prosecutors have indicated that they and companies in their

Grupo Continental laundered money for drug traffickers. The Rosenthals have denied the allegations. Tiempo has published for forty-five years.

14 October The country’s prosecutors reported Wednesday that Honduran security forces seized nineteen businesses and various properties belonging to the conglomerate Grupo Continental, which US investigators have accused of money laundering in the United States. According to a statement released by prosecutors, officials seized a real estate business, a hotel, an automobile importer and a meatpacker, amongst other things. Grupo Continental is run by Honduran banker Jaime Rosenthal and his son Yani, who last week were charged in a US court with money laundering along with another relative who is the head of one of the Central American country’s top soccer clubs. The Rosenthal family has denied the charges.

8 October On Thursday, the country’s top prosecutor reported that he had no information bout allegations of money laundering that were laid out in a US indictment against three members of one of the country’s most powerful business families. Honduran Attorney General Oscar Chinchilla stated Thursday that “regarding the actions of a New York Court against the Rosenthal’s I cannot speak because I don’t know the issue.” Chinchilla spoke just a day after the US authorities revealed a federal indictment from New York against Jaime Rosenthal, his son Yani Rosenthal and his nephew Yankel Rosenthal, on money laundering charges. It also named Andres Acosta Garcia, a lawyer for the Rosenthals’ business. Each faces a charge of money laundering, which can bring as many as twenty years in prison. Officials disclosed that Yankel Rosenthal was arrested at the airport in Miami on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the US Justice and Treasury departments indicated that the family used its extensive business interests to launder money fro Central American drug traffickers. Until June, Yankel Rosenthal had been a minister in President Juan Orland Hernandez’s government. Yani Rosenthal has denied that the family had ever participated in drug trafficking, adding, “we have hired lawyers in the United States…and we will proceed to prove our innocence because we have received tremendous national support.”

1 October A special judge in Honduras has begun a formal trial against congressional Vice President Lena Gutierrez of the ruling National Party in a medical sales scandal that has rocked the country and which has led to mass protests against corruption and impunity. After review witness testimony and prosecutorial evidence, President of the Supreme Court Jorge Rivera is proceeding against Gutierrez, her father, two siblings and twelve others. The trial began on Wednesday. Rivera was appointed special judge because of Gutierrez’s congressional immunity. Gutierrez, along with the others, face five counts of improper use of public documents and fraudulent drugs sales to the Social Security Institute and the Health Ministry. The prosecution alleges that Gutierrez’ company, AstroPharma Laboratory, sold the government substandard drugs at inflated prices. The defendants however have denied these charges.

Uruguay

15 October Uruguay, Egypt, Japan, Senegal and Ukraine have been elected to the United Nations Security Council. The 193-member General Assembly elected Uruguay with 185 votes. The five countries will replace Chad, Chile, Jordan, Lithuania and Nigeria on the council on 1 January 2016.

Mexico

29 October Mexican authorities disclosed Thursday that federal agents arrested four members of a radical teachers union in the southern state of Oaxaca, which is ground zero for the battle over education in the country. A statement released by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office indicated that the men are suspected of federal crimes that are related to the violent seizure of a regional educational office in the city of Tehuantepec, as well as takeovers of an oil refinery and a petroleum storage and distribution center, vandalism against a military base, and the theft of 10,000 textbooks belonging to the Public Education Department. Prosecutors have disclosed that if convicted, the suspects face possible prison sentences that range between three and forty years.

Officials in the northern Mexican border state of Tamaulipas have reported that a US toddler was shot in the back by Mexican army personnel when her family’s car apparently got in between a military patrol and a vehicle carrying suspects. Guadalupe Salinas, the head of the federal prosecutors’ office in the state, has reported that another girl in the car was grazed by a bullet

and a woman suffered slight wounds from bullet or glass fragments. She further indicated that the injuries of the girl are not life threatening. The US citizens were apparently visiting relatives in Tamaulipas last week. The US Embassy in Mexico City has disclosed that it aware of reports that a US citizen had been wounded. While the shooting occurred one week ago near the town of Camargo, which is located across the border from Rio Grande City, Texas, reports have only now been confirmed. The area is dominated by the Gulf cartel and has been the scene of turf battles both between faction of the Gulf gang and the rival Zetas cartel.

28 October Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Wednesday that Mexican security forces appear to have committed new “atrocities,” with evidence showing that police unlawfully killed at least two unharmed civilians and nine suspects in two incidents this year. According to HRW, witnesses have contradicted official accounts that federal police acted appropriately in two incidents of violence in the western state of Michoacan, which resulted in the deaths of eight civilians in January and 42 gang suspects in May. The HRW has reported that in both cases, witnesses saw police officers kill unharmed civilians after the initial confronts were over. Daniel Wilkinson, managing director of the organization’s America’s division, has indicated that “based on the available evidence, it appears we’re looking at two more major atrocities by Mexican security forces,” adding that “while the government insists that police acted appropriately in both cases, what witnesses describe clearly involves extrajudicial killings.” While the National Security Commission, which oversees the police, has declined to comment, the government has denied that its forces committed any abuses.

27 October Prosecutors in north-central Mexico have disclosed that they have found the severed heads of four men packed into Styrofoam coolers along with gang messages directed at rivals. An official of the Zacatecas state prosecutor’s office disclosed Tuesday that the heads were found packed in ice on Monday on a roadside along with hand-written signs. Officials have reported that while the victims have not yet been identified, and their bodies have not yet been found, the content of the messages suggests that the victims were members of a drug gang. Photos depicted some of the coolers, which bore the letters “CDG,” which is a reference to the Gulf Cartel, as well as the words “Welcome to Hell.” The area was once dominated by the now-diminished Zetas gang.

Prosecutors reported on Tuesday that Mexican authorities have searched several homes in three states and seized eleven small airplanes in their hunt for fugitive drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The attorney general’s office has disclosed that several properties were searched in Guzman’s home state of Sinaloa in the northwest as well as the central states of Mexico and Puebla. Over the past three months, the operations have led to the seizure of several properties, weapons, drugs, trucks and motorcycles. The eleven planes were all seized in Sinaloa.

23 October The strongest hurricane recorded in the Western hemisphere is bearing down on Mexico, threatening a “potentially catastrophic” landfall. Mexican authorities have begun to evacuate residents ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Patricia. The country’s National Disaster Fund has reported that some 400,000 people live in vulnerable areas. A state of emergency has been declared in three states that are in Patricia’s path. The category five hurricane is expected to make landfall on Friday afternoon or evening, with winds of 325 km/h (200 mph). It will make landfall in the western state of Jalisco, home to the resort town of Puerto Vallarta, which could lie directly in its path. Schools have been closes in the states of Jalisco, Colima and Guerrero. The government has indicated that shelters that can accommodate 259,000 people are available. The US National Hurricane Centre has indicated that Patricia is “potentially catastrophic,” adding that the hurricane, which will bring torrential rain, could trigger flash floods and mudslides. The US centre also warned of potential flooding from the sea and destructive waves. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the hurricane is comparable with Typhoon Haiyan, which killed 6,300 people in the Philippines in 2013.

22 October Officials reported Thursday that authorities seized twelve tons of marijuana and arrested 22 people after discovering one of the longest cross-border tunnels between the United States and Mexico. According to officials, the passage, which connects warehouses in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, was about 2,400 feet long and 30 feet deep, adding that it wa lit, ventilated and equipped with a rail system, all of which are hallmarks of the most sophisticated tunnels found along the border. Near-simultaneous police stinks carried out on Wednesday resulted in six arrested in San Diego and sixteen in Mexico, with authorities recovering two tonnes of marijuana in the US and ten tonnes in Mexico. US authorities have disclosed that smugglers tried to move the first load of drugs through the tunnel on Wednesday but that nothing got through undetected. According

to a probable cause statement, the sting came after an undercover agent for US Homeland Security Investigations agreed to provide the drug smugglers with drivers and use of a warehouse in exchange for a US $10,000 payment for each truckload of drugs moved. While it currently remains unclear which drug trafficking organization orchestrated the latest passage, the region is largely controlled by Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, who leader, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman escaped from a maximum security prison in Mexico in early July through an elaborate tunnel. Mexican federal police disclosed in a news release that those arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking had told authorities that they had ties to a criminal gang that operates in the state of Jalisco – in what appears to be a reference to the Jalisco New Generation cartel, which controls that part of western Mexico.

21 October On Wednesday, Mexico’s attorney general disclosed that officials have arrested the “principal planner” and five other suspects behind the jail break of drug boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Speaking at a news conference, Attorney General Arely Gomez disclosed that the escape’s mastermind had repeatedly entered the maximum security prison where Guzman was held by taking advantage of the access afforded to his lawyers, adding, “he used that cover to become a link between those who built the tunnel as well as making the payments.” The Attorney General has not named any of the new detainees, which also include a pilot believed to be a long-time Sinaloa associate, one of the cartel’s top tunnel builders, as well as a brother-in-law to Guzman. Gomez further disclosed that after Guzman escaped through the tunnel, he was transported in a vehicle to a town in central Queretaro state, where a small plane was waiting to carry him away. Guzman, the head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, escaped from a maximum security prison in July.

Flooding from days of heavy rains has prompted the governor of Quintana Roo state to declare an emergency in seven municipalities of the Yucatan Peninsula. Gov. Roberto Borge Angulo has requested a disaster declaration so that the state can access funds to pay for damage to streets in the state capital, Cheturna. A statement released from the government of Quintana Roo indicated that the government estimates that the state will need about 32 million pesos (US $1.9 million) in order to repair damaged infrastructure. Flooding has destroyed more than 100 homes. Three shelters have opened in order to accommodate displaced families. The government has disclosed that 150 people are being housed in the shelters. The US National Hurricane Centre has reported that rains are likely to continue as a low-pressure system moves across the southern Yucatan Peninsula and into the Gulf of Mexico in the next few days.

20 October On Tuesday, Mexico agreed to relaunch its investigation of last year’s disappearance of 43 teachers’ college students. Sources have disclosed that the country is accepting recommendations by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, however it will not allow a group of independent experts to directly question military troops about the case. Eber Betanzos, deputy prosecutor for human rights at Mexico’s federal Attorney General’s office, has indicated that his entity “completely” accepts a report that will be carried out by five experts. According to Angela Buirago, one of the experts, the relaunched search will be carried out “with a strategy based on lines laid out by the group, including the use of technology, mapping of clandestine graves and other locations and establishing a path of action agreed upon by the families.” In September 2014, the students disappeared after they were detained by police in the city of Iguala in the southern state of Guerrero. According to prosecutors, the students were handed over a drug gang, killed and incinerated at a trash dump. However the victims’ families and independent observers have cast doubt on the official version and have criticized what they call missteps and holes in the investigation. They have called for members of the army, which was in the area when the disappearances occurred, to be made available for interrogation. However Defense Secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos has declined to make troops available to anyone other than government prosecutors.

17 October According to government officials, Mexican soldiers captured the purported leader of a Gulf Cartel faction in the northern border city of Matamoros on Friday. At a news conference in Mexico City, Renato Sales, Mexico’s national security commissioner, disclosed that Angel Eduardo Prado Rodriguez, alias “Ciclon 7,” was detained by soldiers before dawn without a shot fired, adding that Prado Rodriguez was the last of fifteen priority targets set by federal and state officials in a new security strategy for the border state of Tamaulipas. Sales further indicated that Rodriguez was captured in a house in Matamoros, adding that about US $20,000 in cash was seized along with five rifles and some drugs. Rodriguez allegedly led the Ciclones, or Cyclones, faction of the Gulf Cartel that has been locked in a violent power struggle with the Metros faction, which is

based in the border city of Reynosa. According to Sales, Rodriguez’s involvement in the cartel dated to at least 2005 when he worked as a bodyguard for the Cardenas Guillen family. He faces a number of charges related to murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking and fuel theft.

16 October Late on Friday, the Mexican government disclosed that the pursuit of escaped drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in recent weeks moved into the mountains of northwestern Mexico, adding that officials believe he injured his leg and face in evading capture. While in a statement, Mexico’s security Cabinet did not provide any details on when or exactly where the operation took place, it did state that efforts to recapture Guzman have been continuing since his 11 July escape from his cell through a tunnel dug under the maximum security prison where he was being held not far from Mexico City. The government has cited information-sharing with international agencies for recently leading its hunt for Guzman to northwestern Mexico.

According to officials, Mexico’s campaign to stem a tide of illegal immigrants from Central American countries to the US has led to a rise in complaints of abuse, including violent attacks and extortion, carried out by migration officials. In July 2014, under growing US pressure, President Enrique Pena Nieto launched a plan, which he said would make Mexico’s southern border “safe for Mexicans and migrants alike.” The president’s plan set out to tighten controls, register migrants and discourage their use of dangerous transport north, such as the infamous train, known as “La Bestia,” which has long been targeted by criminal gangs. Despite also pledging to protect their rights, migrants complain that the opposition has happened. Since the launch of the programme last year, data has shown that the number of Central American migrants, who mainly come from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, caught trying to enter the US has fallen markedly. However the data notes that complaints of abuse at the hands of Mexican officials has increased around 40 percent. In the year through June 2015, Mexico’s National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH) recorded 567 complaints of abuse by officials at the National Migration Institute (INM), which is an increase of 39 percent from the previous 12-month period. Activists have indicated that the vast majority of abuses go unreported.

15 October A video, which has been broadcast by Mexican TV channel Televisa, shows further details of the escape of Mexico’s most infamous drug lord, Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman. The CCTV footage is a longer version of that, which was shown by the government shortly after Guzman’s escape. This video also has audio, which the one shown by government officials did not. It reveals the reaction of the guards as they reach the cell and find that the inmate is missing. The leaked footage shows that 26 minutes passed between his escape from his cell through a tunnel in the shower and guards noticing that he was gone. The guard who arrived first to the scene reports a “big” hole, however he does not clarify that the prisoner is missing. The guard, who is seen standing just outside the cell, repeatedly calls “Guzman? Guzman?” however he receives no answer. He then alerts his commander, telling him that there is “a hole in the shower drain.” Asked by his commander how big, he responds by stating “big, boss, big.” It is only then that the commanding officer states, “listen, and the inmate is not there?” to which the guard replies “no, boss, he’s not.” Guzman has been on the run since his jailbreak on 11 July.

Mexico and the US announced on Thursday that they will open two jointly staffed border stations on Mexican soil in a bid to streamline trade and to improve communication at the frontier. Speaking at a news conference in Mexico City, US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Mexican Finance Minister Luis Videgaray announced the programme, stating that it would help speed up commerce at the congested border. Johnson noted that the pre-inspection stations will allow goods to be reviewed only once, instead of two separate time by US and Mexican agents, adding, “I view pre-inspection with trusted partners like Mexico as the wave of the future.” A shared facility has been operating since last year on the US side of the border in Texas, at Laredo airport, which has allowed companies to ship goods into eight airports in Mexico. Videgaray has disclosed that a new facility to process agricultural goods from Mexico would be opened near the Otay Mesa crossing in Tijuana on the border with California, adding that another joint facility will operate near the crossing at San Jeronimo in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, across the US border from Santa Teresa, New Mexico. While the plan has been under discussion for a number of year, it was held up over whether US agents could carry guns in Mexico. In April, Mexico’s Congress approved a change in the law to allow US agents to carry arms in Mexico in certain places, removing a hurdle to the establishment of the centres.

14 October A new report compiled by Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission has disclosed that the country’s prisons have been overpopulated by about 25 percent continuously over the past ten

years. On Wednesday, Ruth Villaneuva, from the commission, disclosed that Mexico’s prisons are in a serious crisis, noting that twenty-eight of the 388 prisons are at least 40 percent beyond planned capacity, with some being at 100 percent over capacity, and adding that one of every four of Mexico’s 254,000 prisoners does not have a bed. The report indicated that overcrowding is most intense in Mexico City, where three federal prisons built for a combined 1,200 prisoners and expanded to hold 6,000 now house 13,000. The report further indicates that 76 prisons are governed by the prisoners themselves, adding that in general, prisoners receive little to no health care.

13 October Gunmen in Mexico have attacked the forme governor of the western state of Colima. According to sources, Fernando Moreno Pena, who governed from 1997 until 2003, was having breakfast in a restaurant in the state capital when two gunmen opened fire. He was hit six times, in both arms, in his hand, his thorax and his neck, however doctors have disclosed that his injuries are not life-threatening. While the motive for the attack currently remains unknown, officials have disclosed that the fact that the man Mr Moreno Pena was having breakfast with was not injured led them to believe that the ex-governor was the target. In 2010, an ex-governor of Colima, Silverio Cavazos, was killed outside his home. Mr Cavazos’s predecessor in office, Gustavo Vazquez Montes, died in a plane crash when he was returning from meetings in Mexico City in 2005. All three men were from the same party, the governing Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). The president of the party, Manlio Fabio Beltrones, has stated that those behind Mr Moreno Pena’s shooting should be punished “to the full extent of the law.” Police are currently searching for the suspects.

On Tuesday, the head of the country’s national security commission disclosed that federal forces have arrested a top drug cartel lieutenant who is allegedly tied to a number of murders, including a former tourism secretary and a Venezuelan model. According to Commissioner Renato Sales, Danie Quintero Riestra was arrested on a boat off the coast of Yucatan Peninsula, adding that Quintero Riestra operated in the western city of Guadalajara. While Sales did not name the criminal organization, the Jalisco New Generation cartel is known to control that area. He has been charged with kidnapping and murder. Prosecutors believe that he is behind the murder of the Minister of Tourism for Jalisco, Jose de Jesus Gellegos, who was shot dead in Guadalajara in 2013.

11 October The attorney general has made public the file on last year’s disappearance of 43 student teachers who clashed with the police. Arely Gomez Gonzalez has released more than eighty volumes of material related to the case, which prompted protests across Mexico and which increased pressure on President Enrique Pena Nieto. While the attorney general’s office has reported that the document had taken around 100 investigators seven months to compile, an international panel of experts has disclosed that it had found many flaws in the investigation. It concluded that the government’s account that the students were incinerated beyond identification at a rubbish dump was physically impossible, further adding that official reports appeared to downplay the presence of federal police and troops near the areas where the students were seized. The experts also indicated that the army had refused to allow them to interview soldiers. The attorney general has said that her office has not closed the file, adding that it will continue to investigate the case.

6 October The head of the Mexican army will not permit international experts to interrogate his troops over allegations that they may have been involved in the apparent massacre of 43 students last year. He has also rejected any suggestion that they may have been involved. Speaking to local television late on Monday, Salvador Cienfuegos, who is also the country’s defense minister, stated that none of his troops took part in the attack on the trainee teachers in the southwestern city of Iguala in September last year. He further stated that he “…can’t permit them to interrogate my soldiers, who at this point haven’t committed a single crime.” Cienfuegos also denied his troops were involved, stating that nearly fifty of his soldiers had already been interviewed by the attorney general’s office, some up to four times. He further disclosed that investigators from the attorney general’s office, as well as members of Mexico’s human rights commission, had inspected the barracks in Iguala, without finding any evidence to support the army’s involvement. According to Cienfuegos, the international panel of experts had not legal grounds to interrogate Mexican soldiers as the army is only beholden to Mexican criminal investigative agencies.

Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that they will appeal a Mexican judge’s decision to dismiss criminal charges against four of seven soldiers charge in the 2014 killing of 22 gang

suspects, in which according to investigators, at least twelve were shot after they surrendered. Human rights groups disclosed Tuesday that last week’s ruling suggested that prosecutors were not doing their job, with the Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez human rights centre disclosing that the ruling “does not exonerate the army.” In a statement, the centre indicated that “three Mexican army soldiers are still on trial for homicide…That doesn’t imply that the rest of the suspects didn’t commit illegal acts, given that they altered the crime scene and covered up.” The statement further disclosed that the four soldiers had faced charges of “actions improper to the public service,” apparently for failing to report or helping cover up the killings. The judge upheld homicide charges against three soldiers who allegedly directly carried out the killings, which occurred at a grain warehouse in southern Mexico on 30 June 2014.

5 October A Mexican judge has ruled that there is insufficient evidence to try four of the seven soldiers charged in the 2014 killing of 22 gang suspects, some of whom were apparently shot after they surrendered. The ruling effectively would free a lieutenant and three soldiers who faced lesser charges of “actions improper to the public service” for allegedly not reporting the killings or trying to cover them up. The judge, who was ruling on an appeal by the seven, agreed that there was not enough evidence to continue holding the trials for the three soldiers who allegedly directly carried out the killings. The ruling was confirmed by lawyer Juan Velasquez on Monday, who advised the soldiers’ defense team. The soldiers have been held at a military prison, and also face military charges connected to violating rules of engagement, and therefore they will not be freed immediately.

3 October On Friday, an international human rights body called for Mexico to investigate a clash between security forces and alleged gang members, which killed 43 people, citing testimony suggesting that it had included extrajudicial killings by the state. In May, authorities disclosed that 42 suspected members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel had been killed in a three-hour gunfight that occurred near the small town of Tanhuato, Michoacan, during which one federal police officer was killed. Reporters later indicated that some of the dead had been shot in the back, while families stated that some victims showed signs of torture. According to James Cavallaro, vice president of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), “the testimonies…at least suggest that there were extrajudicial executions, and there should be an investigation.” After a five-day visit to the country, the IACHR reported that Mexico is living through a human rights crisis characterized by forced disappearances, executions, torture and impunity. In response to the IACHR’s findings, Roberto Campa, the deputy interior minister responsible for human rights, disclosed that a report based on a short trip looking into particular cases could not reflect the general situation in the country.

Nicaragua

17 October According to officials, riot police clashed with striking workers who are demanding the reinstatement of fired employees at a Nicaraguan gold mine. Sources have disclosed that by midday Saturday, police had not said how many people were arrested or injured, however witnesses reported seeing two police officers bleeding after they were hit by rocks and two local residents being arrested for not leaving street blockades. The protests at El Limon mine, which is located 145 kilometres (90 miles) from Managua, began when miners say that Vancouver-based B2Gold company fired three union leaders. Protesters have called for their reinstatement. B2Gold Corp. has called the blockade of the mine illegal and has urged an end to the violence.

7 October A policeman has died and 23 other officers have been injured after clashes erupted with

protesters on Tuesday. The tensions are part of an ongoing labor dispute that has closed down operations at a Nicaraguan gold mine owned by Canada’s B2Gold Corp. According to the country’s director general of police, Aminta Granera, eight civilians were injured in Tuesday’s clashes. On Monday, a B2Gold Corp spokeswoman disclosed that the El Limon mine, which is located 143 kilometres (89 miles) from the capital city, has been closed for over a week because of an illegal blockade, adding that the shutdown has cost the company over US $1 million. According to the director general of police, officers were protecting a company bus, which was transporting workers from the El Limon mine to another mine, when protesters attacked them with sticks, rocks, mortars and Molotov cocktails. Granera disclosed that the policeman passed away after being taken to the hospital. She also disclosed that the El Limon police station, a police vehicle, a company bus and three company vehicles were destroyed in the attack. A statement issued by

B2Gold in Nicaragua expressed its condolences to the victims family and friends and has called for calm and order in the community.

Panama

27 October A close ally of former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli has been arrested as part of a widening probe into the alleged payment of bribes and kickbacks in the purchase of an Italian-made radar system. Sources have disclosed that Former Minister of Public Safety Jose Mulino was taken into custody Monday night after he was questioned for several hours in regards to the US $125 million contract that he signed in 2010 for 19 drug-surveillance radars. Mulino, who has denied any wrongdoing, is the fourth cabinet minister from Martinelli’s government to be jailed on corruption charges since his term ended last year. Six investigations against Martinelli are also slowly working their way through the Supreme Court. In August, the high court cancelled the contract with a unit of Italian industrial Gian Finmeccanica over corruption concerns.

15 October According to an indictment, a special Panamanian prosecutor is planning to charge former President Ricardo Martinelli with running an illegal political espionage ring during his administration, which used public funds. Prosecutors have reported that the former president, 63, used taxpayer money and government employees in order to listen to calls, read messages and have activists, politicians, union members, lawyers, doctors and other civil groups followed. According to Harry Diaz, the magistrate who is prosecuting Martinelli, the political espionage was “a constant and systematic violation of the privacy and human rights of Panamanians.” Defense lawyer Rogelio Cruz meanwhile has stated that Martinelli is innocent of all charges, describing the indictment as “crazy” and calling the process against him “Kafkaesque,” adding, “he’s a man who cannot defend himself even with a thousand lawyers.” The indictment is seeking twenty-one years in prison for the former president. Martinelli, who was president from 2009 until 2014, currently has four other cases against him at the country’s supreme court, including misuse of public funds, financial crimes, taking bribes and giving illegal pardons. He has not been seen publicly in Panama since he left for an event in Guatemala in January, however local media have reported that he is currently living in Miami.

1 October Builders of a massive, trouble-plagued expansion of the Panama Canal disclosed Thursday that they will make repairs after the authorities indicated that it had sprung a leak. According to a spokeswoman for the Spanish construction group Sacyr, lead member of the Grupo Unidos Por el Canal consortium, which is responsible for the expansion project, “cracks were detected in one of the walls.” The spokeswoman further disclosed that the fissures were found on the canal’s Pacific Locks, adding, “we are working on its resolution.” The canal is currently undergoing a refit in order to triple its capacity. The improvement to the 80-kilometre (50-mile) long waterway, which is used by 13,000 – 14,000 ships each year, has been hit by delays and budget overruns.

South America

Argentina

28 October On Wednesday, defeated Argentine presidential hopeful Sergio Massa unveiled key police demands and indicated that his five million supporters would vote in next month’s run-off election based on how the two remaining candidates respond. Massa, whose plans ranged from cracking down on drug-runners to scrapping income tax for workers, stopped short of endorsing either ruling party candidate Daniel Scioli or his conservative rival Mauricio Macri.

27 October Two candidates, who are bidding to be Argentina’s next president, have begun their campaigns for November’s run-off vote. The centre-right mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri, surprised observers by securing almost as many votes as Daniel Scioli, who is the chosen candidate of the current president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. With 97% of the votes counted, Mr Scioli was ahead with 36.9% of the vote, while Mr Macri had 34.3 %, which effectively means that Mr Scioli, governor of Buenos Aires province, will have to enter a run-off with Mr Macri on 22 November. Mr Scioli has indicated that his focus will be on protecting jobs and welfare programmes while Mr Macri has disclosed that he will address state spending “abuses” and high inflation. The third place candidate, Sergio Massa, has not said who will get his backing in the second round.

President Fernandez is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term in office. This is the first time that an Argentine election will be decided by a second round.

20 October According to two prominent pollsters, polls have indicated that if ruling party candidate Daniel Scioli wins the country’s presidential elections in the first round on Sunday, it will be by a narrow margin, raising the prospect of a slow second count. Nationwide surveys indicate that Scioli, President Cristina Fernandez’s chosen successor, straddling the 40 percent threshold, which would effectively be enough for him to win outright providing that he has a lead of ten points over his nearest rival. Scioli’s main rival is the centre-right mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri. On Sunday, polling stations will count ballots and file their numbers to a central tallying centre in order to provide a provisional count. If Scioli does win outright by a slim margin, his rivals may well await a final count before ceding victory. The country’s electoral body has disclosed that while a provisional result is likely to be known by midnight, an official result could take between five and seven days.

17 October The US Geological Survey (USGS) has reported that a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck northwestern Argentina on Saturday, with local media reporting that at least one person was killed and several other injured. Hector Romero, mayor of El Galpon, which is located some 160 kilometres from the provincial capital of Salta, disclosed that “homes collapsed, families have been left with nothing, schools have been destroyed. We have one fatality, who was crushed.” The USGS, which originally measured that quake at 6.0, disclosed that it occurred 131 kilometres (81 miles) southeast of Salta.

6 October On Tuesday, Argentina’s security ministry reported that a fugitive former spy chief, who has been accused by the Argentinian government of being involved in the murky death of a federal prosecutor in January, flew from Brazil to the United States a month later. The ministry has disclosed that Interpol in Brazil provided the information pertaining to Antonio Stiuso, one-time operations chief of the now disbanded Intelligence Secretariat, after a “blue notice” seeking details on Stiuso’s location was issued last month. Citing the report, Argentinan officials have disclosed that Stiuso flew from Port Alegre to Miami on 19 February using an Italian passport. In a statement, the Security Ministry indicated that a similar report is required from Interpol in Washington. Argentina suspects that Stiuso is seeking refuge in the US and has criticized Washington for failing to answer repeated enquiries about his whereabouts. State prosecutor Alberto Nisman was found with a single bullet to the head just days after accusing President Cristina Fernandez of trying to cover up Iran’s alleged role in the 1994 truck-bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires. The president and her ministers however have stated that Stiuso tricked Nisman into fabricating baseless allegations in a bid to destabilise the government and then needed him dead. They have previously questioned whether the spy chief was working for the United States.

Bolivia

No significant incidents to report.

Brazil

28 October On Wednesday, a demonstration broke out during the 100-meter dash competition at the World Indigenous Games, which forced a premature end to the day’s events. Brandishing handwritten banners against the proposal, around one hundred demonstrators managed to pass security guards and onto the floor of the sporting area in Palmas. Hundreds of others ran to join the group as spectators cheered them on. Sources have disclosed that the protesters were outraged over a land demarcation proposal, which they say would be catastrophic to the country’s 300 or so surviving tribes. The proposed constitutional amendment would transfer the right to demarcate indigenous lands from the executive branch to the country’s Congress, which is heavily influenced by the powerful big agriculture lobby that has fought indigenous reserves in the past. Late on Tuesday, a committee in the Chamber of Deputies approved the proposal, however it must get through the full lower house and Senate, and then signed by President Dilma Rousseff, in order for it to become law.

22 October On Thursday, the speaker of the lower house of the country’s Congress disclosed that manipulating government accounts, the main opposition case for ousting President Dilma Rousseff, was not sufficient grounds in order to impeach her. Speaking to reporters, Speaker

Eduardo Cunha disclosed that “the fact that accounts were manipulated does not necessarily mean that the president committed a crime. They are two different things.” Cunha, who is a declared enemy of the president but who has recently changed his tone in the wake of damaging corruption accusations that emerged and which threaten his political survival, disclosed that an impeachment process would have to prove that the president broke the law by violating budget laws. Cunha’s comments are a blow to the president’s opponents since he is the man in Congress who decides whether to begin impeachment proceedings. Cunha appears to be taking his time to decide on the new request, which was filed by the opposition on Wednesday, stating that he will take a copy home with him to read over the weekend.

21 October On Wednesday, opposition lawyers filed a new petition to Congress for the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. The authors of the filing are prominent lawyers Helio Bicudo, a founding member of the president’s ruling Worker’s Party, and Miguel Feale, a former justice minister, who are backed by the country’s main opposition party, the PSDB. The new petition reinforces an earlier one by the lawyers to include accusations that the doctoring of government accounts continued into Rousseff’s current team. It also accused the president of signing spending decrees of 820 million reais (US $210 million) with approval from Congress, which is an impeachable violation of the country’s budget laws. If the request is taken up by the speaker of the lower house, Eduardo Cunha, who himself is under growing pressure to resign due to corruption allegations, months-long impeachment proceedings would begin, which will effectively prolong a political crisis that has deepened the country’s economic slump. The request is considered to be the most serious attempt so far to impeach the Brazilian president as it is based on a federal audit court ruling that her government manipulated its accounts in a bid to disguise the size of the deficit and to allow for more spending in the run-up to her narrow re-election last year. The president’s government is scrambling to block impeachment proceedings in the lower house, where the president’s opponents would require two-thirds of the votes in order to approve an impeachment trial that would be held in the Senate. Furthermore, polls have shown that two in every three Brazilians want to see the president impeached. Her approval rate has fallen to single digits in recent polls, with many blaming her for not stopping a corruption scandal at state-run oil company Petrobras and for mismanaging the country’s once-booming economy. If Congress does impeach the president, then Vice President Michel Temer, who is the leader of the country’s largest party, the PMDB, would serve as president of the remainder of the term. However it currently remains unclear when, or even wether, the speaker will decide to take up the impeachment request, as Cunha is battling to remain in office following revelations of secret Swiss bank accounts in his name that link him to the massive bribery and political kickback scandal at Petrobras.

20 October The US Drug Enforcement Administration has opened an office in Rio de Janeiro, less than a year before the beginning of the Olympics in Rio, when hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists will descend on the city. Brazilian authorities have indicated that they hope to use the DEA’s expertise not just to combat Rio’s rampant drug trade, but also to help stem the flow of illegal weapons entering Brazil.

15 October On Thursday, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva testified before Brazilian federal prosecutors who are investigating allegations of influence peddling. In a statement the ex-leader’s foundation, the Instituto Lula, disclosed that Silva voluntarily appeared for about 1 ½ hours at the federal public prosecutor’s office in the capital, Brasilia, adding that he was questioned in an investigation the centres on trips that Silva made to several developing countries, including Angola and Cuba, after leaving office. The foundation further disclosed that in his testimony, Silva denied any suggestion of impropriety in his activities, adding, “Lula stressed that he ‘never interfered’ in any contract concluded between the BNDES and private companies…He always tried to spread the word about these companies abroad, aiming to generate jobs and currency for Brazil.” A statement from the foundation also indicated that “ex-presidents from the world world” assume similar roles, adding that “he also stressed that this was a source of pride for him.” Sources have disclosed that prosecutors are looking into questions of whether Silva was paid to sway foreign leaders into awarding inflated contracts to Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht and pushed Brazil’s state development bank to give the company well over US $1 billion in low-interest loans. Top executives at Odebrecht have been implicated in a separate kickbacks-for-contracts scheme at Brazil’s state-run oil firm Petrobras.

In another case that is shaking Brazil, top newspapers reported on Thursday that Attorney General Rodrigo Janot has requested that a probe be opened against House Speaker Eduardo Cunha after the emergence of documents showing that he held secret bank accounts in Switzerland. According to the newspaper O Globlo, Cunha was in negotiations with a top executive branch official that would keep the speaker in his current role in exchange for not opening impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff. The offices of both Cunha and the president have denied that any such talks occurred. Cunha is already the target of a separate investigation into allegations that he took part in the sprawling corruption scheme at Petrobras. He has maintained his innocence and has repeatedly insisted that he will not step down as speaker of the house.

13 October President Dilma Rousseff has accused the political opposition of seeking to oust her government by “coup-mongering.” Addressing the gathering in Sao Paulo on Tuesday, President Rousseff accused the opposition of practicing “deliberate coup-mongering” against a “project that has successfully lifted millions of Brazilians out of poverty.” She was quoted as stating that “the artificiality of their arguments is absolute, their poisoning of people in social networks, their relentless game of ‘the worse she does, the better for us.’” President Rousseff also stated that her opponents were spreading hatred and intolerance across the country. Her comments come after an audit court last week ruled that she broke the law in managing last year’s budget.

10 October The country’s main opposition parties have made public a demand for the speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, to resign. A request for his resignation ha already come from government supporters in Congress. Mr Cunha, who holds the power to allow impeachment proceedings against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, is currently being investigated for alleged corruption in a kick-back scheme at the state-run oil company, Petrobras. Prosecutors have disclosed that firms bribed Petrobras executives to secure contracts and that some of this money was passed on to politicians in various parties. In July, Mr Cunha left the government coalition after allegations by a jailed former consultant to Petrobras, Julio Camargo, that he had demanded a US $5 million (£3.2 million) bribe to push through contracts for equipment. Mr Cunha has denied any involvement.

9 October Police in Brazil have arrested nine of their fellow officers suspected of carrying out a series of killings that occurred on the outskirts of Sao Paulo. The nine suspects were arrested in a major police operation across the Sao Paulo area. Sources have disclosed that more than 400 police officers took part in the operation, during which guns, mobile phones and other objects were seized. Investigators have indicated that the police officers were probably seeking revenge after the shooting of an off-duty policeman during a robbery in the area. On 13 August, nineteen people were killed within several hours in the municipal areas of Osasco and Barueri. Witnesses have reported that masked gunmen pulled up in a car before opening fire. In many cases they checked the victim’s names before shooting or asked if they had criminal records.

8 October A Brazilian audit court has ruled that President Dilma Rousseff broke the law in managing last year’s budget. The Brazilian government was accused of borrowing money illegally from state banks in order to make up for budget shortfalls. The opposition has indicated that the ruling by the Federal Accounts Court, which reports to Congress, effectively paves the way for impeachment proceedings against Ms Rousseff. The government has already indicated that it would challenge Wednesday’s ruling in the Supreme Court, with Attorney General Luis Adams stating that “the game is not over.” The minister who handled the case in the Accounts Court, August Nardes, has disclosed that the government disregarded fiscal and constitutional principles in the handling of the 2014 accounts. He stated that Ms Rousseff’s government raised spending “without fiscal sustainability and without the required transparency.” According to the court, the irregularities amount to more than US $26 billion. If the decision is upheld by the Supreme Court, the government’s accounts will then be assessed by Congress, where Ms Rousseff’s coalition has a majority.

According to a watchdog group, Brazil reached a new peak of violence last year with more than 58,000 violent deaths. In a statement that was published ahead of the release of its annual report on public security in the country, the Brazilian Forum of Public Security disclosed that the number of violent deaths was up nearly 5 percent last year from 2013, when the country suffered a then high of 55,000 such deaths. The report takes into account homicides, manslaughter, killings by police and robberies that end in death. The statement further disclosed that while homicide remains the top cause of violent death in Brazil, slayings by on- or off-duty officers now are in second.

On Thursday, officials arrested in Sao Paulo state five police officers and a municipal guard suspected of being involved in a recent massacre. Sources have disclosed that one officer had already been detained in connection with the 13 August slayings of nineteen people in the country’s largest metropolitan area. Police investigators have suggested that the killings were revenge for the slaying of a police officer and a municipal guard in armed robberies gone wrong days before the massacre.

6 October On Tuesday, the country’s top electoral authority disclosed that it would re-open an investigation into alleged misuse of funds during President Dilma Rousseff’s re-election campaign. The probe was requested by the opposition PSDB party, with sources indicating that the Supreme Electoral Court will try to determine if Ms Rousseff’s and Vice-President Michel Temer’s campaign drew on donations from illegal sources. If the court were to uncover and irregularities, it could invalidate Ms Rousseff’s and Mr Temer’s election, effectively triggering new polls. However experts have disclosed that in order for that to occur, the irregularities would have to be so serious that the judges deem them to have endangered the legitimacy of the election. Electoral law experts have further indicated that the inquiry is likely to take many months, if not years, and a new election is therefore an unlikely scenario. While the case was shelved in February, when a judge ruled that there was not enough evidence in order to proceed, the PSDB, which alleges that there are indications that construction firms involved in a massive corruption scandal donated money to Ms Rousseff’s campaign, appealed against the decision. Since her re-election last year, Ms Rousseff’s popularity has fallen to single digits, as the economy has gone into recession and corruption scandals involving members of her governing Worker’s Party have widened.

4 October On Sunday, Brazil’s attorney general argued for the removal of a judge who is overseeing an investigation of President Dilma Rousseff’s accounts. Attorney General Luis Inacio Adams stated that Judge August Nardes of the Federal Accounts Court (TCU) had erred in making his position on the government’s delayed repayments to state-run banks public ahead of Wednesday’s expected vote. Adams further disclosed that he planned to present the agreement for Nardes’ suspension to the TCU on Monday. However a decision on Nardes before Wednesday’s vote is likely to prove difficult. Delaying repayments to state-run banks helped the Brazilian president to continue funding social programmes while improving the country’s fiscal accounts in her first term, ahead of her narrow win in last year’s presidential election. According to two court officials, Nardes recommended that the seven other TCU judges reject Rousseff’s accounts because of the practice. While not legally binding, a TCU ruling to reject the accounts would effectively give the opposition ammunition to seek the president’s impeachment.

3 October The Supreme Court has ruled that Brazilian officials investigating a corruption scandal at the state-run oil company Petrobas will be allowed to question ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, adding that Lula would be heard as a witness and was not being investigated. Police officials have disclosed that they want to see if he benefited from the Petrobas scheme, adding that other members of the governing Worker’s Party will be questioned. Prosecutors have disclosed that firms bribed Petrobas executives in order to secure contracts, noting that some of the money was then passed on to Workers’ Party politicians.

2 October President Dilma Rousseff on Friday announced that she was decreasing her salary by 10 percent, reducing the size of her cabinet, and slashing thousands of coveted jobs for political appointees in a bid to build support for broader austerity measures as she continues to deal with calls for her ouster. The moves, which will reduce the number of cabinet ministries from 39 to 31 and extend the pay cut to the vice president, Michel Temer, and all of her ministers, reflects how President Rousseff is scrambling in order to reassemble a fragmented coalition as her governing Workers Party continues to deal with a bribery scandal involving Petrobas, the national oil company. Analysts have disclosed that this move may buy her some time to rebuild influence.

1 October On Thursday, Brazil’s lower house voted to grant a 90-day waiver to foreigners who normally require a visa so that they can come to the country next year for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. A group of ministers will decide when the waiver period begins, with the bill indicating that the final day for arrival without a visa will be 18 September 2016. The bill is expected to be approved by the Senate and signed by President Dilma Rousseff. Once signed, the bill will benefit Americans, Canadians, Japanese, Chinese and others who require visas to enter Brazil. Furthermore, it does not require visitors to have Olympic tickets in order to enter the country.

A group of lawmakers have called for the resignation of the speaker of the country’s lower house of Congress after Switzerland provided Brazilian prosecutors with details of Swiss bank accounts in his name. On Wednesday, the office of Brazil’s top prosecutor disclosed that it received from its Swiss counterpart information on back accounts held by Eduardo Cunha and family members that were investigated on the suspicion of corruption and money laundering. Switzerland has handed the investigation over to Brazilian prosecutors. Cunha, who has been charged with corruption and money laundering in Brazil’s largest-ever bribery and political kickback scandal, has refused to comment on the accounts, which have been frozen by Swiss authorities. Fifteen lawmakers signed a petition that was sent to Cunha asking him to inform Congress if the bank accounts are his and whether he had declare them in his income tax returns. Third in the line of presidential succession, Cunha is a key figure in the country’s political crisis as he can decide whether to open impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff, which is something that her opponents are seeking.

Chile

14 October Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet has announced the launch of a process to draw up a new constitution for the country. In a televised speech, President Bachelet disclosed that the final draft will be put to the Chilean people in a referendum, adding that the current constitution “had its origins in the dictatorship and does not reflect the needs of our times or promote our democracy.” The process is expected to take several years. A new constitution, which would effectively replace the one drawn up under military rule, had been one of President Bachelet’s main campaign pledges. The current constitution came into force under Gen. August Pinochet in 1980 and gave the executive wide-ranging powers, such as dissolving the lower house of Congress. While it has since been amended, many people, including the president, have argued that the document is illegitimate as it was drawn up by a small group of handpicked supporters of military rule. The Chilean president has disclosed that a campaign of “civic education” will begin straight away and will be followed in March 2016 by “a process of dialogue with citizens in which everyone can take part.” The president further indicated that she expects to be handed the results of that dialogue in October 2016, with the proposals for a new constitution then to be put to Congress in 2017.

5 October On Monday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck in the Pacific off the coast of central Chile. According to the USGS, the quake was centred 51.5 kilometres (32 miles) southwest of Coquimbo and struck at a depth of 35 kilometres (21.7 miles). Chile’s emergency office has disclosed that no immediate damage was reported and that no tsunami was expected. The region has been hit by a number of aftershocks following an 8.3 magnitude quake on 16 September.

Colombia

28 October Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has urged leftist rebels to accelerate peace talks so that the two sides can declare a bilateral cease-fire by the end of this year. After a breakthrough in three-year-old peace talks last month, the Colombian president pledged to wrap up negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia by the end of March. However in comments made on Tuesday, he suggested that the hostilities could cease with an internationally verifiable truce to end fifty years of fighting even before a final agreement is reached. Rebel leaders have indicated that they are also willing to speed up the talks, however they have warned that a six-month deadline may be unfeasible unless the government demonstrates greater flexibility at the negotiating table to address outstanding issues, which include how the rebels will turn over their weapons.

26 October On Monday, leftist rebels ambushed election workers transporting ballots from an indigenous reservation in the country’s Andean highlands, killing twelve security forces members who were protecting the group. The poll workers were transporting to the capital for counting about 130 ballots, which were cast at the remote U’wa reservation during Sunday’s elections for governors, mayors and other local officials. According to Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas, of those killed early Monday, eleven belonged to the army while the other was a police officer, adding that here more soldiers were wounded and six people remain missing, including two poll workers and an indigenous guide. Speaking at a press conference, Villegas disclosed that “they were safeguarding the political liberty of our U’wa brothers,” adding that the military’s top command

has travelled to the area in order to oversee efforts to locate those still missing as well as the attackers. Authorities have attributed the attack to the National Liberation Army (ELN), which is Colombia’s second largest rebel group. President Juan Manuel Santos expressed his condolences, stating that the attack marred what had otherwise been the safest elections that Colombia has held in decades, with a 60 percent reduction in violence compared with the previous vote, which was held in 2011. He also chastised the ELN, which has been holding exploratory peace talks with government for more than a year and were widely expected to soon join the more powerful Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia for initiating formal negations aimed at ending a half century of bloodshed. He indicated that “this is an event that demonstrates the ELN haven’t understood that it’s time for peace, not war,” adding that he ordered the military to redouble a military offensive against the ELN’s remaining 1,500 fighters, most of whom are concentrated in the eastern region of the country, near where the attack took place. He further stated that “if the ELN thinks that these acts they are going to gain political space or strengthen their position before an eventual negotiations they are completely wrong.” Update (27 October) – Colombian authorities have found four survivors of a rebel ambush on poll workers that killed 12 members of the security forces. According to Colombian army head General Albert Mejia, two poll workers are amongst those found alive, adding that two soldiers remain missing and were likely captured by the National Liberation Army, which carried out the attack Monday in the Andean highlands.

Former Bogota Mayor Enrique Penalosa won a tight race to regain his old job on Sunday, effectively handing a stunning defeat to Colombia’s left, which has governed the capital city for the past twelve years. Penalosa received 33 percent of the vote in mayoral and gubernatorial elections held nationwide, beating former Defense Minister Rafael Pardo, who secured 28.5 percent, and leftist candidate Clara Lopez, who finished third with 18 percent.

25 October On Sunday, Colombians voted to elect hundreds of local officials who will have a crucial role in implementing any peace agreement reached with leftist FARC rebels. These are the first regional elections to take place since the government of President Juan Manuel Santos opened peace talks in Havana with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia nearly three years ago. The president is hoping to sign a peace agreement by March in order to end Latin America’s oldest guerrilla war. On Sunday, president Santos, who encouraged Colombians to vote, stated that “the local and regional authorities who we are going to elect will have a huge responsibility,” adding, “if we manage to end the armed conflict in the coming months, they will be held responsible for putting into practice the measures that will allow us a successful transition towards peace.”

18 October The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia have disclosed that they will work together in order to locate thousands of people who have vanished during more than fifty years of conflict, in a move that they hope will advance towards permanent peace. On Sunday, Chief Government negotiator Humberto de la Calle disclosed that the agreement aims to ease “the profound pain of relatives of the disappeared,” who have lived in permanent uncertainty for years. Speaking at a news conference in Bogota, De la Calle disclosed that an independent commission would be created in order to oversee the search for the missing, adding that both sides have agreed to give information on people who died, whether in combat or as victims of kidnappings, forced disappearances or massacres. Representatives of the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia announced the plan in Cuba on Saturday, where they are holding talks on a peace treaty. They have indicated that they are committed to reach a final agreement by March.

A small plane crashed in the capital of Bogota on Sunday, killing five people. Officials have disclosed hat the pilot and three passengers died when the plane came down in the Engativa neighbourhood, adding that the plane crashed into a bakery, setting it alight. One person inside was killed and seven others were injured. Officials have disclosed that the reasons for the accident remain unknown, however this is the the third plane to crash in or near the capital in as many months. Members of Colombia’s Conservative Party have indicated that the plane was scheduled to pick up former president Andres Pastrana, former defense minister Marta Lucia Ramirez and ex-peace commissioner Camilo Gomez, however they were not on board at the time of the accident. The politicians had hired the aircraft to take them to a campaign rally for Nancy Patricia Gutierrez, who is running for governor of Cundinamarca province in Sunday’s local elections. Update (20 October) – A former Colombian president has called for an investigation into what could have caused a small plane that crashed in the capital city on Sunday. Forensic

experts have disclosed that they did not find any traces of explosives on the bodies of the plane’s passengers. Former president Andres Pastrana has disclosed that while the plane was heading to Guaymaral, where it was due to collect him and former defense minister Ramirez to take them to a campaign rally, he had cancelled the plane a few hours earlier. He told Efe news agency that “we were going to go on that plane, the flight plan from 10:00 had us down to board it. I was on stand-by until 14:00 when I finally decided not to go on it.” The plane crashed just around 16:20 (21:20 GMT). Mr Pastrana has demanded that President Juan Manuel Santos launch an official investigation into the crash, adding that he has also asked the Colombian defense minister to investigate if the crash could have been an attempted attack on his life.

13 October The US Ambassador in Bogota has pledged to respect Colombia’s decision on whether to extradite guerrilla leaders. On Tuesday, Ambassador Kevin Whitaker disclosed that the US will not pressure the Colombian government to extradite demobilized rebels who have committed crimes. The issue of punishment is a key one in ongoing peace talks that have been talking place between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

6 October On Tuesday, the country’s public prosecutor called for an investigation into whether former President Alvaro Uribe was linked to a massacre that was carried out by paramilitaries in 1997. The prosecutor’s office has requested that the Supreme Court look into whether Uribe was somehow connected to the attack, which left 15 people dead in the hamlet of El Aro, in the state of Antioquia, near Medellin. At the time, victims had disclosed that armed men burned homes, raped women and killed farmers indiscriminately during the two-day rampage. They also reported that they saw a government helicopter circling overhead as the carnage took place. Uribe, who was president until 2010, is now a senator who helps lead the country’s right wing. At the time of the massacre he was the governor of Antioquia. Earlier this year, a local court requested a similar probe of Uribe’s possible involvement, citing the presence of the government helicopter at the scene of the killings. On Tuesday however, Uribe dismissed the public prosecutor’s request, stating that it is a political ploy designed to influence upcoming elections.

On Tuesday, President Juan Manuel Santos disclosed that Colombia could face a worse fiscal outlook next year than it did in 2015 as the country’s finances continue to suffer amidst the global decline in crude oil prices. During a celebration for Finance Minister Mauricio Cardenas, who was named Finance Minister of the Year by Euromoney Magazine, President Santos stated that “hard times are waiting. Next year will also be a very difficult year in a fiscal sense. We could touch bottom next year…But we will get out of the storm stronger.” While Colombia’s is a major oil exporters, and earns a fifth of its national budget through it, the global fall in the price of oil has lowered expectations for economic growth. The government cut its growth projection for this year to 3.3 percent, down from 3.6 percent, and also reduced its 2016 estimate to 3.5 percent, from 3.8 percent. The fiscal deficit is estimated at 3 percent for 2015 and 3.6 percent for next year.

2 October One of Colombia’s most wanted drug lords has been killed in government air strikes. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced that Victor Navarro, also known as “Megateo,” died in bombing attacks on the mountain jungle region of Catatumbo. He was also the leader of a remnant faction of the leftist guerrilla group the EPL. While the EPL was disbanded sixteen years ago, Navarro is believed to have pushed the band into cocaine trafficking so that they could procure weapons. The US had offered a US $5 million reward for his capture.

1 October On Thursday, the leader of Colombia’s FARC rebels ordered a halt to combat training of its fighters, a move that President Juan Manuel Santos said would help the push towards a complete ceasefire as the two sides negotiate peace. Rodrigo Londono, leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has reported that his 8,000-strong fighting force would dedicate its time to political and cultural activities and cease military exercises.

Ecuador

No significant incidents to report.

Guyana

22 October Guyana’s president has reported that Venezuela is inflaming a border dispute between the two states by claiming territory in his country, where one of South America’s largest gold mines is

located. On Thursday, President David Granger disclosed that Venezuelan officials had sent a letter to Toronto-based Guyana Goldfields, warning that it could face legal consequences for operating on land that is claimed by Venezuela. The president has accused Venezuela of trying to scare away foreign investors from Guyana. The mine, which is one of the country’s biggest investment projects, employs 500 workers and is expected to produce 3 million ounces of gold in about seventeen years. Guyana has disclosed that any attempt by Venezuela to enforce its claims will be “vigorously resisted” and brought to the attention of the international community.

16 October Guyana’s president has disclosed that the country needs to upgrade its military capabilities because of a border dispute that has increased tensions with neighbouring Venezuela. David Granger has told army commanders that the Guyana Defense Force must modernize its equipment as well as increase its personnel. In remarks that were made late on Thursday, Granger also disclosed that he wanted to revive a civilian milita that once provided assistance to troops, adding that the changes are needed due to the “aggressive persistence” of Venezuela’s territorial claims.” In recent days, UN officials met with officials in Guyana in order to investigate the longstanding dispute between the two countries. Venezuela has long claimed 40 percent of Guyana’s territory. Earlier this year, it extended its maritime claims after oil was discovered in disputed waters.

15 October Guyana is preparing to install hundreds of closed-circuit TV cameras in the capital city in a bid to crack down on crime. On Thursday, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan disclosed that at least 300 cameras will be set up across Georgetown in the wake of a rise in violence. He further reported that rapes have increased by 19 percent compared with last year and that murders are up by 5 percent. According to Ramjattan, the Intern-American Development Bank is financing the project, however officials have not disclosed the cost. Guyana is also expected to receive some US $6 million from Britain in order to help train its police force and boost its forensic science department.

12 October Guyana has asked the United States government for help in cracking down on drug smuggling at the South American country’s main airport. US Ambassador Perry Holloway has indicated that talks are ongoing with Guyana officials to loan special drug-detecting equipment. The cooperation comes as administrators at Cheddi Jagan International Airport crack down on bag handlers and check-in clerks who have been accused of helping drug smugglers, with sources disclosing that many have been fired. On Monday, the country’s anti-narcotics director, James Singh, disclosed that he will also discuss with Ambassador Holloway ways to improve his unit’s intelligence capabilities. US officials have on a number of occasions disclosed that Guyana is a transhipment point for drugs that are heading to North America. US authorities have also frequently demanded that local officials do more in order to combat the trade.

Paraguay

No significant incidents to report.

Peru

29 October The Peruvian government announced Thursday that it is lifting a state of emergency in order to start talks with local leavers over MMG Ltd’s US $7.4 billion Las Bambas copper project. The government had suspended civil liberties and authorized military patrols in the southern Andean regions of Apurimac and Cusco after three people protesting the mine were killed by police in clashes that occurred last month. On Thursday, Interior Minister Jose Luis Perez indicated the local leaders have agreed to talks with central government officials, adding that the talks will begin on 16 November. Protesters had demanded that the Chinese-owned MMG revise its environmental plan so that mineral concentrates are piped out of town. There were also calls for more local hires as construction work on the mine wraps up. MMG has indicated that it was supporting all efforts to promote dialogue.

22 October On Thursday, police in Peru arrested an army lieutenant, alleging he regularly collected bribes from drug traffickers for letting small planes ferry cocaine out of the country. According to Peru’s chief organized crime prosecutor, Jorge Chavez Cotrina, Lt. Wilmer Eduardo Delgado Ruiz

was arrested in the city of Satipo after being summoned from his counterterrorism base in the jungle valley, adding that “the information that I have is that he was charging a sum of money for every flight that left the VRAEM.” In a brief report on its website, the prosecutor’s office disclosed that Delgado allegedly received up to US $1,000 per flight and that the money was deposited in the bank account of a relative. Chavez has indicted that while it is too early to say if other arrests are expected, Delgado’s arrest is Peru’s first of a military officer on drug trafficking charges in at least a decade. The arrest also comes a week after an Associated Press report disclosed that the Peruvian armed forces have turned a blind eye to the daily airborne ferrying to Bolivia of more than a tonne of cocaine from Peru’s Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro river valley. The region has been controlled by Peru’s military for nine years. Police have disclosed that four or five flights a day haul more than 300 kilograms each of semi-refined cocaine from the Valley. An accused narco pilot told the AP that local military commanders charge US $10,000 per flight, adding that no plane arrives with less than a half million dollars to pay for the cocaine and bribes. According to a senior narcotics police official, Delgado, who faces 35 years in prison if convicted of aggravated drug trafficking, had been under investigation since early 2015, adding that the probe was based in Lima, backed by US Drug Enforcement Administration agents and included the examination of Delgado’s bank accounts.

20 October On Tuesday, Peru’s justice minister resigned amidst a wave of criticism after the government of President Ollanta Humala dismissed a public prosecutor who had been probing a case that is linked to the first lady. In a press conference, Gustafo Adrianzen disclosed that Humala had accepted his resignation, after lawmakers threatened to oust him from power with a congressional vote that would have risked embarrassing the government. Lawmakers have criticized Humala’s government and have called Julia Principe’s dismissal a politically motivated attack on the independence of public prosecutors. Principe had been probing the authenticity of notebooks that opposition lawmakers said belonged to first lady Nadine Heredia and contained logs of suspicious payments. Heredia, the president of Humala’s Nationalist Party, has repeatedly denied that the notebooks belonged to her, stating that she has not been involved in any wrongdoing.

19 October Alan Garcia is now officially a candidate for a third term as the country’s president, in elections that are due to take place in April. The long-time leader of the centre-left American Popular Revolutionary Party has been running in third place in opinion polls, with 9 percent. Leading the polls is Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of disgraced and imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori, who has 35 percent, compared to Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, an economist and former prime minister who has 14 percent.

Venezuela

29 October The president of Venezuela’s National Assembly has labelled former prosecutor Franklin Nieves, who has said that the judiciary convicted an innocent man, a “thug” and a “traitor.” On Thursday, National Assembly head Diosdado Cabello also alleged that Mr Nieves, who has left the country, had been bribed. Mr Nieves was a prosecutor in the trial of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. He has since has stated that the trial of Mr Lopez, who was sentenced to almost fourteen years in prison, was a sham and that he is innocent. Last week, Mr Nieves left Venezuela for the United States and has been telling international media that Mr Cabello ordered the arrest of Mr Lopez in order to make sure that the opposition leader was “taken out of the political game.” Mr Cabello however has stated that the former prosecutor had been bribed in order to make the claims, adding that “Franklin Nieves (is) a thug to whom they offered $850,000.” He also indicated that Mr Lopez had got off lightly with his sentence of 13 years and nine months in prison, arguing that the opposition leader should not have stood trial for inciting violence but for murder. He blames Mr Lopez for the deaths of 43 people who died in months of anti-government protests in early 2014. Human rights activists have long maintained that the trial against Mr Lopez was politically motivated and that it had not been conducted fairly.

27 October A Venezuelan prosecutor, who helped convict opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, has stated that the government had long plotted Lopez’s arrest. In a new video post on Monday, which was posted on the Venezuelan news website La Patilla, prosecutor Franklin Nieves, who reportedly is now seeking asylum in the United States, disclosed that superiors in the prosecutor’s office had given him orders to have Lopez arrested just days before the Caracas protest, which is the alleged crime, took place. Nieves further disclosed that orders went out to arrest Lopez at an earlier

scheduled protest however Lopez did not appear so the plan was dropped. Nieves has promised to reveal more evidence that Lopez was railroaded. In an interview that was published on Monday, he told the Wall Street Journal that he is in Miami and is seeking asylum with his wife and two daughters. Twenty members of Congress have called for sanctions against Nieves and four other Venezuelan officials involved in Lopez’s trial.

26 October On Monday, Venezuela’s chief prosecutor denied that her office had put pressure on officials to use false evidence in the trial of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, in comments that come just days after a prosecutor in the case fled abroad and called the trial a “farce.” In a television interview, Chief Prosecutor Luisa Ortega Diaz stated that “at the State Prosecutors’ Office we don’t pressure anyone,” adding that Franklin Nieves “allowed himself to be pressured. He gave in to pressures from foreign and domestic elements.” Lopez’s supports have said that Nieves’ testimony should be grounds for reversing the verdict. On TV, Ortega stated that those making that suggestion were “getting ahead of themselves.”

23 October A Venezuelan prosecutor, who tried opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, has fled the country and apologised for his role in what he called a political show trial. In a video that was sent Friday to the Venezuelan news website La Patilla, Caracas prosecutor Franklin Nieves disclosed that he fled Venezuela with his family in order to escape pressure from the executive branch and his superiors to stand by while “false evidence” is used to keep an innocent Lopez in jail during the appeals process, adding that he would soon present evidence in order to demonstrate that Lopez’s trial was a premeditated “farce.” In the nearly four-minute video, which was recorded at an undisclosed location, Nieves stated that “for those who know me, starting now you’re going to hear attempts to discredit me, to insult me, because I wouldn’t lend myself anymore to continue with this farce.” He urged fellow prosecutors and judges to join him in the truth-telling exercise, stating, “be brave, raise your voices and express your discontent with the pressure brought to bear by our superiors, who threaten us with firing or with throwing us in jail, and always use an absurd series of arguments to threaten us to carry out their whims.” Nieves’ arguments helped convict Lopez in September on what the politician’s supporters say were trumped up charges of inciting violence during anti-government protests last year. He was sentenced to fourteen years in prison. While it remains unclear where the video was shot, speculation is that Nieves has fled to the United States.

Venezuela has complained that the United Nations Security Council has not been respecting the views of its non-permanent members, after abstaining on a vote for at least the seventh time this year and stating that it was shut out of negotiations. Despite Venezuela’s abstention, the 15-member Council renewed an arms embargo and targeted sanctions regime on Somalia and Eritrea with 14 votes in favor. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the five permanent members in order for it to pass. On Saturday, Venezuela’s UN Ambassador Rafael Ramirez told the Council that “my country demands respect in this Security Council. Respect…for the points of view of all countries by the permanent or elected members to the Security Council.” Ramirez further stated that the negotiating process for the resolution was not broad enough

22 October Venezuela’s representative to the United Nations is dismissing a Wall Street Journal article about a US probe into billions of dollars in bribes that were allegedly paid to executives at the country’s’ state-run oil giant, which he used to run. Rafael Ramirez posted messages on Twitter Thursday describing the report as attacks by “enemies of the people” in retaliation for the late President Hugo Chavez’s recovery of the nation’s oil wealth for the benefit of Venezuelans. The Journal report is based on anonymous sources and law enforcement documents and states that a consulting business belonging to Ramirez’s cousin demanded huge kickbacks from international vendors in exchange for awarding contracts with the PDVSA oil company. The Venezuelan government has not yet responded to the report.

21 October President Nicolas Maduro has called for an average global oil price of US $88 a barrel in order “to maintain investments worldwide.” Speaking on Tuesday evening, ahead of a technical meeting of experts from OPEC and non-OPEC countries in Vienna n Wednesday, President Maduro stated that “we are going to present proof, technical elements, at this meeting, that the average price needed to guarantee global investment in the next five to 10 years should be $88.” Presenting his projected budget to the country’s National Assembly on Tuesday, Finance Minister Rodolfo Marco disclosed that it was based on an oil price estimate of US $40 a barrel for Venezuelan oil. The government also predicted an annual inflation rate of 85% in 2015 and 60% in 2016. Independent analysts however estimate that inflation will be much higher, reporting that it is

already in the triple figures. In December 2014, Venezuela’s central bank released inflation figures, stating that annual inflation stood at 69%. Opposition politicians have indicated that the country’s high inflation is caused by government incompetence

20 October Brazil announced Tuesday that it is pulling out of a South American mission to observe upcoming legislative elections in Venezuela over what it says is a lack of guarantees by the socialist government and its veto of the choice to head the delegation. Brazil’s highest electoral tribunal has disclosed that a months-long attempt to organize a mission under the auspices of the Union of South American Nations had been frustrated by Venezuela’s refusal to accept the group’s choice of Brazilian jurist and politician Nelson Jobim to lead the mission. The tribunal also accused Venezuela of dragging its feet in approving a proposal that would have guided its external auditing of the country’s electronic voting system and verification that the environment for campaigning was fair.

19 October On Monday, Venezuelan authorities announced that they will not allow the Organization of American States to send observers to monitor the 6 December legislative elections, which are seen as crucial for the leftist government. While the OAS’s secretary general Luis Almagro had pushed repeatedly to have observers monitor the elections, amidst growing opposition concerns that the government may resort to fraud in order to retain control of Congress, German Saltron, the Venezuelan government’s representative on human rights issues, has rejected the OAS’s bid. Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the organization’s Human Rights Commission, Saltron disclosed, “Venezuela has no confidence in the OAS…The OAS has certified coup d’états, electoral fraud and dictatorships. The OAS is not reliable.” Saltron further disclosed that while the government will accept observers from other regional groups, and even the European Union, he noted that it will not accept the OAS as “it has not international credibility. It is an outdated organism.” So far, Venezuela has invited international observers from UNASUR, which is a South American regional body.

18 October On Sunday, President Nicolas Maduro urged legal action against billionaire businessman Lorenzo Mendoza over a phone call, which airs the possibility of an international bailout for the country’s ailing economy. Mendoza runs Empresas Polar, which is the country’s largest private company, which has often been case as a symbol of unscrupulous capitalism by President Maduro as well as his predecessor Hugo Chavez. Earlier this week, state media broadcast a phone call between Mendoza and US-based Venezuelan economist Ricardo Hausmann in which the latter states that a US $40 billion to $50 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) package and “adjustment” plan is needed. The Maduro government has hailed the conversation as evidence that Mendoza is conspiring.

15 October On Thursday, a Venezuelan opposition leader, who has been living in self-imposed exile, was arrested after he returned to the country. Former Gov. Manuel Rosales flew into Venezuela after six years as a fugitive from corruption charges. He was meta at the airport by intelligence police, who took him into custody. He is expected to appear in a court in Caracas later in the day. Prior to his arrest, Rosales vowed to continue fighting the country’s 16-year-old socialist administration and urged Venezuelans to vote in the upcoming legislative elections, which will be held on 6 December. Days earlier, authorities had warned Rosales that he would be detained if he came back. Rosales was governor of the western state of Zulia, where he returned on Thursday. He ran for president in 2006 but lost to Hugo Chavez. He fled the country in 2009, travelling to Peru and later Panama after prosecutors accused him of stealing public money. He however has maintained that the charges are false and politically motivated. Update (16 October) – Manuel Rosales will be in jail as his trial gets underway. An attorney for former Governor Rosales reported late Friday that a judge had ordered that the 63-year-old remain in custody until a verdict is reached. His trial is due to begin on 12 November.

13 October On Tuesday, Venezuelan Oil Minister Eulogio del Pino disclosed that eight non-OPEC countries – Azerbaijan, Brazil, Colombia, Kazakhstan, Norway, Mexico, Oman and Russia, have been invited to an 21 October oil meeting, adding that the technical meeting of oil experts from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC countries will be held in Vienna. Del Pino disclosed Tuesday that “the confirmations are coming in gradually and I’m personally calling ministers to ensure that the delegation is of the adequate level of authority. Venezuela, which is an OPEC member, is due to unveil a bold new strategy later this month with a proposed price band to build an automatic floor for prices at US $70 a barrel. The country’s long-time oil minister and current United nations ambassador, Rafael Ramirez, has indicated that

the proposal would reapply the old mechanism of progressive production cuts to control prices, with a “first floor” of US $70 per barrel and a later target of US $100 per barrel. While Venezuela has been pushing to stem the fall in oil prices, the country faces an uphill battle to convince its richer Gulf counterparts and non-OPEC nations. While Russia has refused to cooperate with OPEC, Energy Minister Alexander Novak has indicated that the country is ready to meet with OPEC and non-OPEC producers in order to discuss the market. While his comments have supported prices, analysts have warned that relations may suffer over the two side’s differing positions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s future. Earlier this month, Mexico announced that it is ready to participate in the technical meeting to discuss the market, however officials noted that they will not cut crude production.

5 October On Monday, Venezuela’s foreign minister blasted her US counterpart John Kerry for questioning the country’s democratic credentials ahead of legislative elections. In an interview that was broadcast on Monday, Kerry described Venezuela as “troubled” and stated that December’s elections would be a “measure of the type of democracy that exists in the country.” Responding on Monday night, Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez stated that Venezuela rejected Kerry’s comments, adding that “the electoral register in the United States is founded on discrimination…Our political system is founded on democracy.” Venezuela and the US have had difficult relations since late president Hugo Chavez was elected in 1998.

4 October On Sunday, President Nicolas Maduro stated that President Barack Obama was delaying consent for his proposed new ambassador in Washington. The US has not named a proposed ambassador to Venezuela, and US officials in Caracas have not commented on the situation.

3 October A top Venezuelan official railed against the United States after being stopped at a Mexican airport on Saturday while he was traveling on official business. Venezuelan ombudsman Tarek William Saab has disclosed that he had been questioned by officials who were acting on a request from the US when he arrived at a Mexico City airport on his way to a conference on human rights. According to Saab, officials informed him that Interpol had issued an alert at the request of the US, which asked Mexican authorities to question him about the reason for his visit and the length of his stay. While Saab did not disclose on what grounds he had been targeted, he did state that he considered this move “totally offensive,” adding “this alert was designed to provoke and inconvenience a Venezuelan official.” He further indicated that he will lodge a complaint with Mexican and other authorities.

Venezuela and Guyana are redeploying their ambassadors to each other’s capitals amidst ongoing talks to resolve a border dispute, which was flared up after oil was discovered in disputed waters. On Saturday, Venezuelan officials confirmed that the country sent its ambassador to the neighbouring state, adding that it had also accepted Guyana’s nominee for ambassador in Caracas. In September, the presidents of the two countries met for talks that were mediated by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. In 1899, the border between the two countries was determined by international arbitration, however the decision has long been disputed by Venezuela. It claims 40 percent of Guyana’s territory and extended its maritime claims this year after a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corp. announced an oil discovery off the coast. In July, Venezuela recalled its ambassador and held off on accepting Guyana’s nominee.

Caribbean

Haiti

26 October While Haitians voted on Sunday, officials have disclosed that tentative results from the presidential election will not be known for at least ten days, despite the fact that the poll, which involved 54 presidential candidates and tens of thousands of contenders for other races, went unusually smoothly. Haitian and international observers have reported that Sunday’s vote was largely free of the violence and disorder that has plagued previous elections, including the first round of legislative elections, which were held in early August. According to Celso Amorim, chief of the Organization of American States’ 125-member observer mission, Haiti appears to be “moving in the right direction.” Watchdog groups however have indicated that they are trying to maintain a close eye on transportation and on the counting of ballots. Under guard by Haitian police and UN peacekeepers, Sunday’s ballots and polling-place counts were being trucked from

the countryside to a warehouse tabulation centre in the capital of Port-au-Prince on Monday. According to Abdonel Doudou, a member of the umbrella group Citizen Observatory for Institutionalizing Democracy, which deployed 1,830 observers across the country on election day, “fraud can occur especially during the transportation and certification of ballots,” adding that OAS observers will be present 24 hours a day at the warehouse tabulation centre until the results of the first round of presidential elections are released. He further dismissed concerns about reactions to the likely announcement of the two presidential candidates for the runoff, assuming no single candidate ends up dominating the vote. The Observatory has estimated that turnout stood at between 29 – 32 percent, which is an improvement from the 18 percent turnout in August’s parliamentary elections. Dumel Richardson, spokesman for the country’s Provisional Electoral Council, has reported that preliminary results could be issued in ten days, with final results not expected until late November, at least, due to political factions contesting tallies. Despite the relatively orderly voting process, there were some logistical problems and allegations of fraud. Mosler Georges, executive director of the Provisional Electoral Council, reported that ballots were burned at four polling stations in the northern region of the country. Police also made 234 arrests for various irregularities and seized thirteen guns.

21 October On Wednesday, about a dozen of Haiti’s top officials appeared on state television in an effort to reassure anxious voters that they will keep their promises of organized, fair and peaceful elections this weekend. On Wednesday afternoon, the prime minister, various Cabinet ministers, the police chief and the elections director spoke on the national broadcast about preparations for Sunday’s elections. During the broadcast, Prime Minister Evans Paul told Haitian’s that the weekend balloting will be held as scheduled and voters will be respected, stating, “everybody prepare to go vote, there will be elections,” adding that “a lot of money has been spent, a lot of energy has gone into” getting ready for this year’s three-round electoral cycles. If officials manage to pull it off, this would effectively be the first time in the country’s young democracy that a vote was not plagued by disorder and fraud elections. Elections have never been easy in Haiti, with authorities making similar pledges. Electoral officials have indicated that the total cost of the elections is US $69 million, in which only US $14 million has been put up by Haiti.

19 October Sources reported Monday that deadly pre-election violence flared up in and around Haiti’s most notorious slum and resulted in the killings of two pregnant women and at least thirteen others people. While official numbers of the slain in Cite Soleil have not been confirmed, Esau Bouchard, a government-appointed Mayor in the area, disclosed that at least tent people were killed within the district’s boundaries over the last few days, adding that others, which he described as gangsters, were gunned down in shootouts with police in an outskirts community known as Wharf Jeremie. He further indicated that the violence appears to be politically motivated. According to Bouchard, authorities were trying to capture gang members creating mayhem “so we can create a secure climate for elections to happen” in the deeply impoverished ghetto of a few hundred thousand people. While sources have reported that some 2,000 people fled their homes out of fear on Friday, a measure of order is gradually being restored. The deadly violence in the community, which is located on the edge of Port-au-Prince comes just days ahead of national elections, due to take place on Sunday, when Haitians will vote in the first round of presidential balloting and decide numerous legislative and local races.

13 October On Tuesday, the leaders of Haiti and the Dominican Republic pledged to work toward “better harmonization” regarding a thorny citizenship dispute and ease a trade squabble between the two neighbors. After a roughly five-hour meeting, which was held at the airport in the south coastal city of Barahona, Dominican President Danilo Medina’s administration agreed to talk to Haiti’s government about potentially coordinating the return of Haitian migrants who do not have legal residency. On Tuesday, in a joint statement, the governments of President Median and Haitian President Michel Martelly vowed to create a committee in order to seek solutions to a trade dispute. Recently, Haiti banned twenty-three products from crossing over land borders, a move that angered the Dominican government and merchants who argue that it violates bilateral agreements. The two leaders also agreed to create a committee that would meet in Port-au-Prince within fifteen days in order to seek solutions to the trade agreement. Relations between the two countries have grown increasingly strained ever since a Dominican court ruled in 2013 that children born in the country to non-citizens did not quality for automatic citizenship as their migrant parents were “in transit.” The ruling has mostly affected Haitians. Haiti has stated that the actions by Dominican officials, which include patrols to detain and deport migrants without

documentation to prove they are legally living in the Dominican Republic, was creating a humanitarian crisis.

International and Haitian human rights activists reported Tuesday that five years after cholera affected the country, the UN is failing to provide justice for the many Haitians who have died or been sickened. According to officials, since 2010, cholera has killed roughly 9,000 Haitians and sickened hundreds of thousands more, with scientific papers suggesting that there is ample evidence to show that UN peacekeepers from Nepal inadvertently brought cholera to Haiti after human waste was dumped in the country’s biggest river at the time, some ten months after an earthquake devastated much of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas. On Tuesday, Amnesty International reported that the UN should property investigate the ongoing epidemic’s impact and provide a plan in order to help victims who lost loved ones or who fell ill themselves after the disease spread to all ten administrative departments. In a statement, Amnesty further indicated that “the UN must not just wash its hands of the human suffering and pain that is ha caused. Setting up general health programmes and sanitation campaigns is important but not enough.” On Wednesday, activists will place portraits of cholera victims outside the UN offices in Port-au-Prince as well as in New York and Geneva in a bid to commemorate the thousands of Haitian lives lost from cholera.

12 October Police reported Monday that an American missionary, who had been working in Haiti for many years, was fatally shot by gunmen in the capital city as she sat behind the wheel of her car on a residential street. According to Haitian National Police spokesman Frantz Lerebours, the attackers also kidnapped a 4-year-old child from missionary Roberta Edwards’ car after shooting her at close range. It was not immediately clear if the child was one of the roughly twenty youngsters who received foster care at the children’s home that she ran in Port-au-Prince. Lerebours indicated that “investigators are working to find the killers and the kidnapped child,” adding that the incident occurred Saturday evening in the Croix-des-Bouquets district. Sources have disclosed that the missionary’s car was intentionally blocked Saturday evening by another motorist, adding that armed men got out of the car, fired into Edwards’ vehicle and killed her.

Puerto Rico

22 October Authorities in Puerto Rico have charged twenty-five people with defrauding the National Guard through a recruiting programme that awarded bonuses for referrals. According to US Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez, the suspects are accused of claiming bonuses that range from US $500 to $8,500, which they had not earned. She further disclosed Thursday that the allege scheme ran from 2007 until 2011. Authorities have reported that the National Guard had a deal with Alabama-based Document and Packaging Broker Inc. to run a recruiting assistance programme, adding that the suspects have been accused of fraudulently obtaining bonuses and sometimes providing a kickback in exchange. The recruiters and recruiter assistants face charges that include wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

14 October Police in Puerto Rico have seized roughly 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of cocaine worth an estimated US $7 million in what is the second large seizure to take place this week. Police reported Wednesday that the drugs were found aboard a boat, which officers spotted along the island’s northern coast. Two men from the Dominican Republic have been arrested. Police have indicated that so far this year they have seized more than 7,000 kilograms (15,000 pounds) of cocaine, which represents a nearly 50 percent increase over all of last year.

13 October Authorities in Puerto Rico have disclosed that they have seized US $12 million worth of cocaine, which was found floating in waters off the US territory’s southeast coast. On Tuesday, police indicated that the drugs were found near an abandoned boat close to the town of Arroyo. Authorities have disclosed that hundreds of kilograms of cocaine were likely shipped from Venezuela and will be turned over to US federal agents. So far, no arrests have been made.

Middle East Bahrain

31 October The UK has begun the construction of a new Royal Navy facility in Bahrain, which will become the first permanent British military base in the Middle East in over four decades. It is designed to assert influence over the Gulf and to fight extremist elements in the region. The British Foreign Secretary, accompanied by navy personnel, attended the grand ceremony at Bahrain’s Mina Salman Port, marking the beginning of construction works at the new Royal Navy base. The declared primary aim of the base is to help battle the Islamic State and other extremist groups present in the region. The £15 million base is mainly funded by the Bahraini royal family and is expected to accommodate Britain’s new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers and Type 45 destroyers.

28 October Bahrain’s MPs threatened to pass a vote of confidence if the government went ahead with its scheduled plans to lift more subsidies without their approval. Bahrain removed the meat subsides at the start of October, with monthly cash payments now given to low-income Bahrainis. The controversial measure is aimed at limiting public spending, driven mostly by the fall in oil prices. Last year, the government spent $2.5 billion (BD935m) on subsidies last year and the decision to axe the meat subsidy was expected to be the first of a series of cuts. MPs, however, have demanded that the government cease the meat compensation payments and revert to the previous system where Bahrain Livestock Company sold subsidised meat BD1 per kilo in the market, according to Gulf Daily News. Should the government deny that request, the MPs have asked that the axing of meat subsidies should be postponed until December next year, which would allow the MPs to include it in discussions for the 2017-2018 national budget.

21 October Bahrain's public prosecutor says the trial of 24 people accused of forming a local Islamic State branch and plotting attacks will begin Thursday. The prosecutor said Wednesday on an official Twitter account that the 24 are charged with planning to commit terrorist acts and plotting to use arms and explosives to change the government by force. It says eight of the individuals are in jail and the rest are fugitives. It says authorities received information in February that the alleged militants were training in Syria. Last week a previously unknown group calling itself the Bahrain Province of the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a deadly shooting attack on Shiite worshippers in eastern Saudi Arabia.

2 October Bahrain has recalled its ambassador to Iran, a day after it said security forces had discovered a large bomb-making factory and arrested a number of suspects linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Bahrain’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said it had also declared the Iranian charge d’affaires in Bahrain a “persona non grata” and gave him 72 hours to leave the country. In a statement on its website, the ministry said the decision to recall its ambassador had come “in light of continued Iranian meddling in the affairs of the kingdom of Bahrain ... in order to create sectarian strife and to impose hegemony and control.” Iran denies involvement in any violence in Bahrain. Home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, Bahrain was swept by protests during the 2011 “Arab Spring” uprisings in which Shiites demanded political reforms. The government has denied any discrimination.

1 October Bahrain ordered the acting Iranian charge d'affaires to leave within 72 hours Thursday night and recalled its own ambassador over allegations the Islamic Republic sponsored "subversion" and funneled arms to militants in the island kingdom. There was no immediate response from Iranian officials over the expulsion of the Iranian diplomat, identified by the state-run Bahrain News Agency as Mohammad Reza Babai. Bahrain's Foreign Ministry said it already had decided to recall its ambassador, Rashid Saad Al Dossari, over the "continued Iranian interference." The allegations against Iran "include supporting subversion, terrorism and incitement to violence through misleading media campaigns as well as assisting terrorist groups in the smuggling of weapons and explosives and training their members and harboring fugitives from justice," the ministry said in a statement. It is not clear what specific incident sparked Thursday's decision. However, Bahraini authorities announced late Wednesday they had seized 1.5 tons of explosives at a suspected militant hideout in a warehouse south of the capital, Manama. Bahrain previously expelled Iranian diplomats amid Shiite protests there in 2011 during the Arab Spring across the Middle East. Shiite leaders in Bahrain deny any connections to Tehran and an independent commission report into the 2011 unrest also found no evidence of such ties. However, animosity between the countries has simmered ever since. Bahrain and its major ally,

Saudi Arabia, worry about growing Iranian influence in the Mideast. Bahrain is part of a Saudi-led coalition targeting Shiite rebels in Yemen who are backed by Iran.

Iran

27 October An Iranian official says the Revolutionary Guard has sent more military advisers to Syria to help President Bashar Assad in the fight against insurgents. Gen. Hossein Salami, the Guard's deputy leader, says this has led to more Iranian deaths in the conflict. Salami didn't give any specifics for the Iranian death toll or for the number of troops dispatched. Salami spoke to state television on Tuesday. He says Iranian forces are also trying to mobilize volunteers in Syria to help Assad push back rebels, though he did not say if those included Western-backed rebel groups fighting in Syria. Along with Russia, Iran is a key Assad ally and has provided his government with military and political backing for years. Tehran, however, denies the presence of Iranian combat troops in Syria.

26 October Iran could be on track to execute more than 1,000 people this year, even as it seems more willing to engage with the United Nations on human rights after a nuclear deal with world powers, a U.N. investigator said on Monday. U.N. special rapporteur on Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, suggested that human rights violators should be named and shamed and targeted with sanctions such as a travel ban. Shaheed described his latest report to the United Nations as "marginally more optimistic than my previous reports" and told reporters he had witnessed more "meaningful" engagement between Iran and the world body. He said he met for the first time with members of the Iranian judiciary and security forces in Geneva last month. "Their response to my current report has been the most substantive over the past 4-1/2 years," he said. "But other developments in Iran over the past 12 months gives us pause on why we should not put too much weight on this because there have been rising executions," Shaheed said, adding that women are still treated as second-class citizens. Some 700 people have already been executed in Iran in 2015 and the country is "possibly on track to exceed a 1,000 by the end of the year," Shaheed said. He has reported that at least 753 people were executed in Iran in 2014. He also criticized Tehran for jailing some 40 journalists during the year for vague charges. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report in August that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's promises of greater freedoms for the country have not resulted in any major improvements in human rights and freedom of expression. "The nuclear agreement reached this summer presents opportunities for advancing human rights in the country," said Shaheed, adding that ending sanctions on Iran would have a direct impact. Under the July 14 agreement between Tehran and six world powers, economic sanctions on Iran will be lifted in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. Shaheed is due to brief a General Assembly human rights committee later this week. Iran's U.N. mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

25 October The Iranian government has criticized a U.S. court's decision to sentence an engineer with dual citizenship to more than eight years in prison for trying to send sensitive military documents to Iran, the official IRNA news agency reported Sunday. IRNA quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham as saying "the sentence for Mozaffar Khazaee is totally unfair." Khazaee was sentenced Friday to more than eight years in prison and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine for trying to send hundreds of sensitive U.S. military documents to Iran as he applied for teaching jobs at state-run universities there. He was accused of seeking to export 1,500 documents containing trade secrets and 600 documents with sensitive defence technology. Prosecutors said Khazaee stole and shared with contacts in Iran materials related to the Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, the F-22 Raptor and other U.S. military jet engine programs. Khazaee, a former employee of defence contractors including Pratt & Whitney, pleaded guilty in February to violating the Arms Export Control Act. The 61-year-old asked for leniency, writing in a letter to the judge from a Rhode Island detention centre that he was remorseful. Iran has said there are 19 Iranians in U.S. custody charged with violating U.S.-imposed sanctions. It was not immediately clear if Khazaee is one of the 19. Iranian officials have hinted at a possible prisoner exchange involving the release of Americans held in Iran, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, a dual citizen who has been detained for more than a year on espionage charges and was recently convicted in a verdict not yet made public. However, Iran's judiciary has rejected the idea of an exchange.

21 October Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday approved the Iranian government's nuclear deal with world powers but said Tehran should not give up core elements of its atomic program until allegations of past military dimensions had been settled. In a letter to President Hassan Rouhani, whose pragmatist approach opened the door to nuclear diplomacy with the West, Khamenei ordered the July 14 agreement to be implemented, subject to certain security conditions the Iranian parliament

stipulated in a law passed last week. Under the Vienna agreement, Iran is to curb sensitive parts of its nuclear program to help ensure it cannot be diverted into developing bombs, in exchange for a removal of sanctions that have isolated the Islamic Republic and hobbled its economy. Khamenei's green light was the last procedural hurdle to carrying out a deal that ended a decade-long stand-off which raised fears of a wider Middle East war. But the Supreme Leader has ruled out any detente with the West beyond the nuclear deal, and he said Iran would stop implementing it if the six powers—the United States, Britain, France, Germany China and Russia —imposed any new sanctions. He said implementation of the deal should be "tightly controlled and monitored" because of some "ambiguities" in it. "Lack of tight control could bring significant damage for the present and the future of the country," he said, while praising the efforts of Rouhani's negotiating team.

18 October Iranian state TV says a car crash in central Iran has killed 20 illegal Afghan migrants and injured 10 others. The report said the crash involving a car, a mini-bus and a truck happened Sunday evening on the road linking Tehran to the city of Qom, located 85 miles to the south. The victims were Afghan migrants who illegally crossed the border into Iran. It is unknown what caused the crash. Iran has one of the world's worst traffic safety records, with more than 400,000 accidents and nearly 18,000 deaths on its roads every year. The high death tolls are blamed on unsafe vehicles, widespread disregard of traffic laws and inadequate emergency services.

16 October In a rare moment of openness, Iran on Wednesday broadcast pictures from The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force of a tunnel reportedly dug some 1,640 feet (500 meters) under a mountain. The release of this footage comes just a few days after state media reported that Iran had test-fired new generation long-range ballistic missiles. Based on information so far, the test appears to be in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929, which stipulates that Iran cannot engage in any activities related to ballistic missiles. The U.S. official emphasized, however, that the test is not in violation of the nuclear agreement reached in July between Iran, the United States and five other world powers because that accord is focused on restricting Iran's path to a nuclear weapon.

12 October Iran has successfully test-fired a new precision-guided, long-range missile, state-run media reported on Sunday. The Emad (Pillar) surface-to-surface missile, designed and built by Iranian experts, is the country's first long-range missile that can be precision-guided until it reaches its target, said Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan, Iran's defense minister. "To follow our defense programs, we don't ask permission from anyone," he said, according to state-run news agency IRNA. The new rocket is "capable of scrutinizing the targets and destroying them completely," IRNA reported. The Emad could greatly increase Iran's strategic deterrence capability.

Iran announced overnight that Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian has been convicted, two months after a closed-door espionage trial -- a conviction The Washington Post says is an "outrageous" miscarriage of justice. Rezaian faced a number of charges including espionage and it is unclear of which he has been convicted. The Post said today it is working with Rezaian's Iranian counsel "to pursue an immediate appeal." Rezaian was arrested July 22, 2014 and now has been held longer than the Americans detained during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. Rezaian’s only contact with the outside world has been with his Iranian wife and his mother. Rezaian's closed-door trial ended two months ago and no Iranian officials have explained the delay in announcing a verdict.

11 October Iran has summoned the United Arab Emirates envoy to Tehran over the arrest of nine Iranian teachers who were working in the Gulf federation. Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency reported Sunday that the Foreign Ministry had summoned the UAE's Charge d’Affaires over the October 7 arrests. The Iranian teachers appear to have been arrested due to visa issues. Khalilollah Babalou, an Education Ministry official, said the teachers may be released Monday. Emirati officials had no immediate comment.

9 October Iranian forces confirmed on Friday that Hossein Hamedani, described as an elite and exceptional commander and a defender of the Shia holy sites in Damascus, was killed in the vicinity of Aleppo on Thursday evening. He was the most senior Iranian military officer on a foreign operation to be killed in 36 years since the 1979 Islamic revolution. His death comes at the time when Russia, Tehran’s regional ally, has launched a military campaign in Syria in support of Assad, adding a new dimension to an already bruising conflict. Tasnim, an Iranian news agency affiliated to the guards, said Hamedani was operating in “an advisory capacity” when he was killed, but it did not disclose the exact details surrounding his death, and it was not possible to verify the claim.

8 October Four Russian cruise missiles fired at Syria from the Caspian Sea landed in Iran, unnamed US officials say. It was unclear whether the missiles caused any damage. On Wednesday, Russia said it had fired 26

missiles at 11 targets in north and north-west Syria - about 1,500km (930 miles) away. On Thursday, it reiterated that all the rockets hit their targets. The news came as NATO renewed assurances to defend its allies in view of Russia's "escalation" in Syria. Russia's ambassador in Ankara had earlier been summoned three times in response to recent violations of Turkey's airspace. Turkey is a NATO member. The military alliance is also boosting its response forces to be able to deploy troops speedily.

7 October A group of suspected Iranian hackers are using a sophisticated network of fake LinkedIn profiles to spy on unsuspecting targets worldwide -- including the U.S. -- according to a new report. The fake personas fell into two groups: one set that were fully developed profiles posing as recruiters for major worldwide government contractors and international corporations, and another set that were less developed and designed to lend legitimacy to the primary accounts through endorsements and connections. The report from computer company Dell's Secure Works unit identified the group behind the profiles as "TG 2889," and researchers said there was strong circumstantial evidence pointing to the group operating out of Iran. The hackers employed a number of companies matched to computer domains used in attacks that had previously been attributed to cyber attackers from Iran, and the spread of targets in the Middle East, Arab states, North Africa and the U.S. would be consistent with an Iranian source. Researchers said the cyberspies were posing mainly as recruiters from major international companies including Northrop Grumman, General Motors, Teledyne Technologies, Doosan and Airbus.

Iran’s highest leader repeated warnings on Wednesday against further negotiations with the United States after the nuclear agreement the countries reached in July. Such talks are “forbidden,” the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told an audience of Revolutionary Guards commanders. Iran’s leader, widely seen as both the architect and arbitrator of the agreement, also offered veiled criticism of Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, saying that its members had been alert, but that the opposite parties “had found chances” and made “damaging moves against Iran’s national interests” in the talks. He did not elaborate. Ever since the deal was concluded, Ayatollah Khamenei has given speeches against additional cooperation with the United States, arguing that the country is aiming to infiltrate Iran through negotiations. Ayatollah Khamenei has been striking a distinctively different chord from President Hassan Rouhani, who last week at the United Nations General Assembly said that Iran wanted to change the atmosphere and that “we cannot live in the past forever.” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif became the first Iranian statesman since 1979 to shake hands with an American president when he met President Obama on the sidelines of the assembly. In his remarks on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei blamed “careless or some simple-minded people who do not understand the facts” for Iran’s “problems.” He said that such people, presumably those advocating relations with the United States, were a small minority. Last month, he called upon the much-feared intelligence branch of the Revolutionary Guards to be vigilant, especially about those promoting cultural change. Under Mr. Rouhani, restrictions on concerts, nongovernmental organizations and fashion shows have been relaxed.

Iraq

30 October The Pentagon conceded Wednesday that U.S. troops are in combat in Iraq after days of dancing around the characterization following the first death of U.S. service member in the campaign against ISIS. "We're in combat," Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Wednesday. "I mean, of course, this is a combat zone. There's a war going on in Iraq, if folks haven't noticed. And we're here and it's all around us." The comments came after Master Sgt. Joshua L. Wheeler was killed last week in a raid to free hostages held by ISIS. They are in stark contrast to President Barack Obama's insistence last summer that "American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq" while announcing the decision to assist Iraqis fighting ISIS. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter also acknowledged later Wednesday that "there are American troops in combat every day" in Iraq, but he hedged his statement by saying that the overall U.S. role in Iraq is not to carry out a combat mission. Rather, he said, the U.S. mission to train and support local forces that does involve a combat aspect.

27 October At least four people were killed by bomb blasts in Iraq on Tuesday and mortars targeted a police training facility, security and medical sources said, wounding two officers. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but Islamic State militants who seized swathes of northern and western Iraq last year regularly target security and civilian targets. Iraq is also gripped by a sectarian conflict mostly between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims that has been exacerbated by the rise of the ultra-hardline Sunni group, Islamic State. Two civilians were killed by separate roadside bombs in the greater Baghdad area, police and medics said. One blast was

in a predominately Shi'ite area north of the capital, and the other in a mixed neighbourhood in the south. Two pro-government Shi'ite militia fighters were killed when a suicide bomb in a truck exploded at a gathering of security forces near the northern city of Samarra, a military source said. Clashes broke out at the site of the bomb, which left seven police officers wounded. Further north, two police officers at Camp Speicher, a former U.S. base outside the Sunni city of Tikrit, were wounded in a mortar attack while new recruits were doing training exercises, the military source said.

26 October Top leaders at the Pentagon are considering a range of options to bolster the military campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), including embedding some U.S. troops with Iraqi forces, according to two U.S. officials. U.S. military commanders have forwarded several options to the Defense Department in the last few weeks, the officials told The Hill, as part of a mounting push within the administration to more aggressively target the terrorist group. One of the options presented was embedding U.S. troops with Iraqi security forces; they would have the ability to call in airstrikes, a step that would bring American forces to the front line. But even without a role in direct combat that option would skirt close to having “boots on the ground” in Iraq — something President Obama has vowed not to do in the military campaign against ISIS. The White House has repeatedly said U.S. troops would not have a "combat role" or be engaged in "large-scale ground combat" in Iraq. A second option sent to Pentagon leaders would embed U.S. forces with Iraqis closer to the battlefield, at the level of a brigade or a battalion. U.S. troops are now embedded with Iraqis at the division level, which keeps them stationed at headquarters. Some of the options sent to Pentagon leaders would entail high risk for U.S. troops in Iraq and require more personnel, one of the officials said. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford will have an opportunity to discuss the options for the ISIS campaign when they testify Tuesday in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

21 October Daesh (ISIS) terrorists have executed at least 18 people in Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk. According to a local source in the provincial capital, Kirkuk, the people were executed in the southern district of Hawija on charges of spying and cooperation with the government. Daesh terrorists hanged the bodies of a number of the victims from electricity poles and dragged others alive on the streets until they died, the source said. In a separate development, at least three people were injured when a mortar shell fired by the terrorists landed in an area of a village northeast of the city of Baqubah, the capital city of Diyala Province. “Two mortar shells landed, this evening, in the village of Mukhisa, injuring three civilians,” a local source said. In Ramadi, the capital of the western province of Anbar, the Iraqi police forces managed to kill nine Daesh terrorists. The Iraqi forces have reportedly made major advances against the terrorists in Anbar.

Justin Trudeau, the Liberal party leader who convincingly won Canada’s general election this week, has declared he will fulfil his campaign commitment to scrap the country’s bombing missions against Isis militants. Speaking in Ottawa on Tuesday, in his first press conference as prime minister-designate, Mr Trudeau said he had told US President Barack Obama of his plans in a phone call an hour before. In its summary of the phone conversation, the White House said the two leaders agreed to strengthen efforts at combating terrorism, as well as other priorities such as promoting trade and mitigating climate change. Canada’s stance underlines the lack of international consensus over strategy against the extremist group — even within the heart of NATO. In contrast with Mr Trudeau, David Cameron, UK prime minister, favours expanding British air strikes against Isis from Iraq to Syria.

20 October The number of cholera cases in Iraq has risen to more than 1,800 as the epidemic spread to the northern autonomous Kurdish region. "There have been 1,809 recorded cases of cholera in Iraq" since an outbreak started along the Euphrates valley last month, a health ministry statement said. Ministry spokesman Rifaq al-Araji told AFP that the governorates of Baghdad and Babil, south of the capital, were the worst affected with more than 500 cases each. The disease has killed six people so far, including four in the Abu Ghraib region at the very beginning of the outbreak, before health authorities had set up a response plan. The Kurdish health ministry reported its first cases since the outbreak, two each in the provinces of Arbil and Dohuk. Khalis Khadhr, spokesman for the regional ministry, said two of the cases were people displaced from the most affected parts of central Iraq. The Kurdish-run governorates of Dohuk and Arbil host hundreds of thousands of people displaced by conflict from other parts of Iraq. Authorities have blamed the cholera outbreak mostly on the poor quality of water caused by the low level of the Euphrates.

17 October A United Nations (UN) agency has announced that over 3.2 people have so far been displaced in Iraq since the start of 2014. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday that a total of 3,206,736 people, consisting of 534,456 families, have been registered internally displaced since 2014 until September 29 this year. The Geneva-based organization further said that 42 percent of those displaced, more than 10,000 families, have fled the violence in the beleaguered western Iraqi province of Anbar.

14 October This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that a cholera outbreak is rippling across Iraq. Since the outbreak started last month, more than 1,200 cases have been confirmed in 15 of the country’s 18 provinces. The bacteria can be transmitted between people in food or water. “In an epidemic, the source of the contamination is usually the feces of an infected person that contaminates water and/or food,” according to the CDC web site. That can rapidly become a problem in a place like Iraq; much of the country is dry and much of the infrastructure designed to bring water to citizens is outdated or non-functional. As a result, people living in close quarters with unreliable water supply—such as hundreds of thousands of refugees, many of which live in camps—are the most at risk of contracting the infection. This is the third cholera outbreak to hit Iraq since 2007. The WHO press release doesn’t say how many people have already died from this outbreak, but public health officers know that they need to take dramatic action now to prevent further infections. Officials are distributing bottled water and water disinfection kits throughout refugee camps, and plan to decontaminate septic tanks, water sanitation plants, and bathing facilities. Some refugees may also be offered cholera vaccines. These steps are merely a quick fix for a larger issue: refugee camps are notoriously overcrowded and unclean, providing an ample breeding ground for infectious disease. Without a break from the fighting or the necessary funds, Iraq will continue to lack the proper infrastructure to provide its inhabitants with one of their basic human rights: clean water.

13 October Iraq has started bombing Daesh with help from a new intelligence centre that has staff from Russia, Iran and Syria, a senior parliamentary figure said on Tuesday about cooperation seen as a threat to US interests in the region. The centre has been operational for about a week, and it provided intelligence for air strikes on a gathering of middle-level Daesh figures, Hakim Al Zamili, the head of parliament's defence and security committee, said. The new security apparatus based in Baghdad suggests the United States is losing clout in a strategic oil-producing region where it has been heavily invested for years. Two weeks ago Russia started bombing anti-government rebels in neighbouring Syria, including Daesh, to support its ally, President Bashar Assad, to the consternation of the West. Iraqi officials, frustrated with the pace and depth of the US military campaign against Daesh, have said they will lean heavily on Washington's former Cold War rival Russia in the battle against the insurgents. Two Russian one-star generals are stationed at the intelligence centre in Baghdad, according to an Iraqi official who asked not to be named. Zamili, a leading Shiite politician, said each of the four member countries has six members in the intelligence sharing and security cooperation cell, which holds meetings in Baghdad's fortified "Green Zone", which once housed the headquarters of the US occupation. Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi has said he would welcome Russian air strikes against the ultra-hardline insurgents on Iraqi soil.

Iraq's defence ministry has released a video and pictures of its first China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) CH-4B “Rainbow” unmanned air vehicle taking off from Kut airbase. Minister of Defence Khalid al-Obeidi observed the UAV take-off on 10 October on its first combat mission against Islamic State terrorists in the Anbar region of Iraq, the Iraqi Ministry of Defence says. The video confirms Baghdad’s purchase of the type, which had been the centre of speculation since images of it appeared online at the beginning of the year. The army aviation division of the Iraqi forces has acquired the armed variant of the UAV – the CH-4B, while it also comes in a reconnaissance-only variant, the CH-4A.

12 October Airlines have been warned of the risks posed by low-flying missiles over Iran and Iraq. The European Aviation Safety Agency alerted all European-based carriers about the danger after missiles were fired from Russian warships in the Caspian Sea on October 6 and 7. The missiles landed in Syria. The agency did not make any recommendations about whether pilots should revise their routes, and said the missiles were launched well below the airspace where commercial carriers usually fly. Air France quickly responded by introducing temporary rules for flights heading over Iran and the Caspian Sea, though it wouldn't provide details about the new

measures. The airline already avoids flying over Syria, Iraq, Yemen, east Ukraine and Libya. British Airways said it would adjust its flight plans based on advice from the British government, security agencies and aviation organizations.

11 October Several senior figures from Islamic State were killed in an air strike while meeting in a town in western Iraq, but the group's reclusive leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi did not appear to be among them, residents of the town and hospital sources said. Iraq said on Sunday its air force had hit the meeting and had also struck a convoy that was carrying Baghdadi to attend it. It said Baghdadi had been driven away from the convoy in an unknown condition. The Iraqi military's announcement was the latest unconfirmed report of the possible death or injury of Baghdadi, who has survived a year of U.S.-led air strikes and multi-sided wars in two countries since proclaiming himself caliph of all Muslims after his forces swept through most of northern Iraq last year. The United States military declined to comment on the Iraqi military's report.

8 October Members of the ISIS have abducted hundreds of people in Iraq’s conflict-stricken northern province of Kirkuk. A local source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arabic-language al-Sumaria satellite television network that the militants kidnapped 200 individuals in the al-Zaab district of the province on Wednesday. The source said that the civilians were taken hostage on the alleged ground that they were in collaboration with Iraqi security forces, adding that the fate and whereabouts of the abductees are unknown.

Twenty seven people were killed in Iraq on Thursday when mortars landed in the provincial capital of Baquba, police and medics said. It was not clear who fired the mortars at the northern town. Iraq is facing a multitude of security challenges, including ultra-hardline Sunni Islamic State militants who control a third of the country and have fueled sectarian tensions.

Protesters hurled stones and scuffled with riot police in the second largest city in Iraq's Kurdish north on Thursday, in the most intense show of discontent since an economic crisis hit the region. Teachers, hospital workers and other public sector employees have taken to the streets and gone on strike for a week, demanding their salaries from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), which is three months in arrears. Thursday's protest focused on a five-star hotel in the center of Sulaimaniyah, where political parties were meeting to resolve a deadlock over the presidency that has compounded the economic crisis. President Massoud Barzani's mandate expired on Aug. 20 but rival factions have yet to agree on the terms to extend his tenure, and many Kurds accuse their leaders of using or even creating problems for leverage. "Instead of resolving the crisis they have deepened it," said Ari Ahmed, the headmaster of a secondary school in Sulaimaniyah. "Only ordinary people are suffering in this political game." The demonstrations threaten to undermine stability in the region at a time when it is at war with Islamic State militants.

7 October The Islamic State group executed 70 members of a Sunni tribe allied to the government in western Iraq earlier this week, a tribal leader and the United Nations said Wednesday. The victims, members of the Albu Nimr tribe, were executed on Sunday in the Tharthar area north of Ramadi, the capital of the western Anbar province, tribal elder Naim Gaoud said. "These people who were executed were the fathers and brothers of members of the police, the army... and of tribal fighters who are battling Daesh," he said, using an Arabic acronym for IS. "Daesh executed them by shooting," he said. Iraqi security forces, backed by US-led coalition air strikes, launched a vast operation west of Ramadi Sunday to tighten the noose on IS, which captured the Anbar capital in May and controls most of the province. Hatem al-Gaoud, another clan member reached by phone, said IS had trapped dozens of tribe members in the Khanzir area of Tharthar since the jihadist group launched its major offensive in Iraq last year. "They gathered them outside Khanzir and shot them all in the head," he said. "I don't know what IS did with the bodies, but it is likely they buried them in mass graves near the site of the execution," he said. The UN Mission in Iraq's human rights office confirmed the mass execution. Possibly as many as 300 of the tribe's members were killed around a year ago, when anti-IS forces were still holding out in some parts of Ramadi, which is the Albu Nimr's main hub. The tribe was very active in the Awakening Councils, groups of Sunni tribal fighters the US military paid and armed a decade ago to fight against IS' previous incarnation in Iraq. Local tribal fighters are seen by the United States as a key component of any successful effort to retake control of Anbar and other Sunni regions of Iraq IS took over virtually unopposed last year. They no longer receive direct support from the US, whose assistance is channeled through the Shiite-dominated federal government. IS has massacred hundreds of former Awakening fighters in an effort to intimidate Sunni residents from taking up arms against them.

5 October Iraq's Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi declared the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad open to all of his citizens for the first time in 12 years Sunday amid efforts to cut spending and appease citizens who have been protesting for basic public services. Al-Abadi referred to the opening of the Green Zone as part of the "measures promised to our citizens and this opening that we are witnessing points to continued plans to reform — actions which we will not back down from," a statement from his office said, adding that al-Abadi was the first to pass through the newly-opened Green Zone, or the International Zone as it is officially known. The four square mile (10 square kilometer) compound, on the west bank of the Tigris River, was declared off-limits to the public in the wake of the 2003 U.S.-led occupation. The complex, with its high concrete walls lined with barbed wire, and heavily guarded checkpoints, is home to several palaces once belonging to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and was turned into the administrative headquarters for the U.S.-led coalition following the 2003 invasion. Today, it contains a number of residential apartment buildings and homes, including those of many senior Iraqi government officials. A number of foreign embassies are also there, including the U.S. embassy, which, at 104 acres, is the largest and most expensive embassy in the world. The zone has continued to be a target for bombings and rockets over the years, despite the concrete walls that surround it. A senior Green Zone security official said that much of the restrictions on movement inside the Green Zone will still remain in place, particularly on streets leading to high-level government buildings and embassies, including the U.S. embassy. The official spoke anonymously because he is not authorized to brief the media. The decision to open a passage in and out of the Green Zone comes as calls for reform continue across Baghdad to end government corruption and reckless spending. Last month, in a rare show of unity, the Iraqi government unanimously backed a program proposed by al-Abadi to eliminate senior government posts and slash spending.

A series of car bombings across Iraq Monday killed at least 56 people and wounded dozens as the government continued its efforts to combat extremism across the country. The largest bombing took place in the Shiite-majority town of al-Khales in Iraq's eastern Diyala province. At least 32 people were killed in the attack and 58 were wounded when the car bomb tore through a commercial street, a police official said. Meanwhile, in Iraq's southern Basra province, a senior security official said a car bomb exploded in the busy commercial district of a suburb near the city killing 10 people. Jabar al-Saadi, head of security for Basra province, said the bombing happened in the town of al-Zubair Monday, 50 kilometres (31 miles) southwest of Basra. At least 25 people were wounded in the attack. In the capital, Baghdad, police said at least 14 people were killed and 25 wounded when a car bomb exploded in the north-eastern neighbourhood of Husseiniya.

3 October Two suicide bombers, one of them driving an explosives-laden vehicle, have blown themselves up in north-western Baghdad, killing at least 24 people, police said. The attacks, which took place at around 14:30 GMT on Saturday, targeted the mainly Shia districts of Kadhimiya and Hurriya in the north of the Iraqi capital. Police said at least 60 people were wounded. The attack in Kadhimiya, which is on Adan Square, took place in one of the main access points for the Shia shrine there, which attracts many visitors on Saturdays. "The first explosion was a suicide car bomb and then there was a bomber with a suicide vest," a police colonel said. Adan Square has been repeatedly hit by attacks. More than 20 people died in a suicide bombing there in February. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for both attacks.

2 October The Iraqi government's decision to choke off funding for Islamic State by cutting off all wages and pensions in cities controlled by the group has plunged people into hardship and could help the insurgents tighten their grip, officials and residents say. For a year after Islamic State fighters swept through a third of Iraq, Baghdad continued to pay pensions and salaries of state employees inside the self-proclaimed caliphate. But since July all such payments have been halted, depriving whole cities' pensioners, civil servants, doctors, teachers, nurses, police and workers at state-owned companies of both their income and some of their last official links to Baghdad. The move is meant to cut Islamic State militants off from of an income stream they have been skimming to fund their efforts to build a self-sustaining state in Iraq and Syria. But officials and residents in militant-held areas say it has left residents even more desperate, alienated from a government many feel has abandoned them. "The government has severed its last tie to us," said Younes Khalaf, a retired border policeman from Mosul, whose pension used to sustain seven people. "The situation has never been as miserable as it is now." Islamic State has a number of ways of funding its operations - looting millions of dollars in hard currency from banks, selling oil from captured

fields, kidnapping for ransom and extorting or taxing new subjects. The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, an intergovernmental body overseeing global efforts to fight money laundering and terrorism financing, identified Iraqi salary payments as a “recurring source of revenue” for the group, potentially providing hundreds of millions of dollars per year. Government officials concede that cutting off salaries is painful for those affected, but say they cannot continue to effectively bankroll the caliphate. "We are fighting Daesh and suspending salaries is a part of the war against Daesh," said Ali al-Freji, an adviser at the cabinet's economic committee, using an Arabic name for Islamic State. "Regrettably, in every war there is collateral damage".

Israel & Palestine

31 October Violence broke out Saturday in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron as Palestinians buried five teenagers killed in a wave of attacks and clashes with Israeli forces. The funerals came as Israeli border guards shot dead a Palestinian at a checkpoint between the West Bank and Israel after he allegedly tried to stab one of them, police said. The surge of unrest since early October has triggered fears of a third Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation by a generation gripped by despair and anger over stalled peace efforts.

30 October Heavy Israeli security measures were imposed in occupied East Jerusalem in preparation for Muslim prayers at the al-Aqsa mosque, which, despite being the focus of recent tensions, passed peacefully. But new killings and clashes were reported from the adjoining West Bank. Israeli and Arab media reported that a Palestinian youth was shot dead and another injured on Friday after an attempted knife attack on border guards in an incident at the Hawara checkpoint south of Nablus. Clashes were also reported from the Ramallah area further north and Hebron to the south. Elsewhere in East Jerusalem, another Palestinian stabbed an Israeli and was quickly shot and critically injured by border police close to the light railway line that links Jewish and Arab areas of the city. An Israeli was also injured in the shooting.

29 October Jordan wants the new surveillance cameras on the Al-Aqsa Mosque to be installed within days and the footage to be streamed live online. The plan to install security cameras on the compound was announced on Saturday by Secretary of State John Kerry, who said that Israel had agreed to the 24-hour surveillance as a step to calm tensions over the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Kerry added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to "an excellent suggestion by Jordan’s King Abdullah to provide 24-hour video coverage of all sites" in the compound. Under the compromise brokered by Kerry, video cameras are to be installed inside the walled platform to help defuse tensions. The details are to be worked out between officials from the Waqf, which is the site's administrator, and Israeli authorities, a senior Jordanian government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity told AP on Tuesday. The official said he expects the cameras to be installed in "days, not weeks" and added that both Muslim clerics and Israeli officials will for now monitor the images, but that "the ultimate goal is for the footage to be seen on the Internet, by everyone." Israeli officials confirmed the plan and in a statement, Netanyahu's office said it hopes to start the process "as soon as possible." The Jordanian official gave no indication that the kingdom was suspicious of the security camera plan, as was reported earlier on Tuesday in a Jordanian newspaper. Jordan’s minister of Islamic Affairs for the Waqf, Ha'il Abed al Hafez, had criticized Israel's involvement in the placement of cameras on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, claiming that the neutral interference of “professional bodies” Israel promised could not be trusted.

The United Nations warned Wednesday that a deadly surge in violence between Israelis and Palestinians was headed toward "catastrophe" as fresh protests were expected in the volatile West Bank. A wave of anger has gripped the city of Hebron where hundreds demonstrated Tuesday night to demand the return of "the bodies of martyrs" – youths behind a wave of unrest that has seen nine Israelis killed in knife attacks and shootings. Withholding the bodies of attackers is one of a series of measures approved by the Israeli government to try to dissuade the attacks against Jews, which began in early October as tensions over the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem boiled over. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein warned that the latest flare-up in violence in the six-decade-old conflict was "dangerous in the extreme". "The violence between Palestinians and the Israelis will draw us ever closer to a catastrophe if not stopped immediately," he said during a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. Also at the meeting, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called on the United Nations, "more urgently than any time before, to set up a special regime for international protection for the Palestinian people, immediately and urgently." He accused Israel of carrying out "extrajudicial killings of defenceless Palestinian civilians." The West Bank city of Hebron has been a hotbed of the recent unrest, with near-daily clashes with Israeli police where protesters are often left with bullet wounds or dead. Many of the youths behind the attacks are also

from the city. Palestinian organisations say the bodies of 25 attackers have not been returned to families. They are among 59 Palestinians and one Israeli Arab killed since Oct. 1. Palestinian medics say some 2,000 Palestinians have been injured since the outbreak of violence. Israeli Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan said the bodies would be buried in cemeteries reserved for attackers, "as has been done in the past." The move infuriates Muslims who have strict religious rules on how burials should take place. The Israelis "want to put pressure on us... they know that it is more than a red line for us: they execute them and then they try to crush our dignity," said Jihad Irshaid, the father of 17-year-old Dania who was shot dead Sunday while allegedly trying to stab soldiers. Amnesty International Tuesday accused Israel of a series of "unlawful killings of Palestinians using intentional lethal force without justification" in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. The latest violence erupted in September with clashes over access to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

26 October The Israeli-Palestinian could be solved either through a two-state solution or a “confederation,” a top European Union official said last week, in what appears to be a suggestion in sharp contrast to official EU policy. “Peace in the Middle East is possible only if the mother of all conflicts, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, is resolved and both peoples live together in two states or a confederation,” Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, said Thursday during a speech in Düsseldorf, according to a report in a German Jewish weekly. It is unclear what exactly Schulz meant when he invoked the term “confederation” (Staatenbund in German) as an alternative to a two-state solution. Staatenbund usually refers to a league of states in which each state retains full sovereignty. The EU’s declared foreign policy unambiguously calls for a two-state solution. “A negotiated two state solution is the only way to bring the lasting peace and security that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said earlier this month. In July, the union’s 28 foreign ministers declared their commitment to the creation of an “independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign, and viable State of Palestine.” They reaffirmed “that there is no alternative to a negotiated two state solution.” While the idea of a confederation has been suggested before, it has usually been dismissed as tantamount to a one-state solution, which could mean the end of Israel as a Jewish state. Schulz made the remarks after receiving a prize for his “courageous engagement for Middle East peace” by a group called German Initiative for the Middle East, or DINO, which was co-founded in 2006 by the former head of the German Jewish community Paul Spiegel. Speaking to 120 guests at the event, Schulz said that the violence in Israel has become “uncontrollable” since both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have “only very little influence on the population.” The German-born Schulz further said that Israel had the right to protect its citizens in face of the current terror wave, but needs to safeguard the principle of proportionality. Peace and security will only come to the region when a Palestinian state is created, he was quoted as saying.

24 October The United States is cutting its annual aid to the Palestinian Authority by $80 million, in support of Israel following the latest spate of violence in the occupied territories. The US State Department “notified the lawmakers that it plans reduce economic aid for the West Bank and Gaza Strip from $370 million to $290 at the end of September,” Israeli media outlets reported Saturday. The 22-percent cut for the 2015 fiscal year came after US Congress sent a letter to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, telling him that the US funds were contingent on tamping down “incitement.”

22 October Berlin will call for "prudence and a sense of proportion" in Israel-Palestine conflict de-escalation, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Thursday. Later in the day, the German top diplomat is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Berlin to discuss the current wave of violence in Israel and the West Bank. Steinmeier said that he would "call upon landing and contribution towards defusing the crisis" during his talks with the Israeli prime minister. "This appeal is directed at both sides… to plan actions and reactions with prudence and a sense of proportion," the German foreign minister told reporters ahead of the talks. New violence erupted in recent weeks following attacks by Palestinians against Israelis in Jerusalem and retributions by the Israeli security forces, in which dozens have been killed and injured.

United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon has offered a grim assessment of prospects for defusing the latest wave of violence between Israel and the Palestinians. Britain's ambassador to the world body Matthew Rycroft said UN Security Council members were "struck by the pessimistic tone" Mr Ban took during the closed video briefing. Ban spoke to council members after meeting Israeli and Palestinian leaders during a surprise trip to the Middle East. Rycroft said Mr Ban "thought there was a very wide gap" between the two sides "both on the short term, on how to de-escalate, and on the longer term to go back to a genuine political process leading to a two-state solution." The UN chief told the council that

"all of those with influence need to use it to de-escalate the situation," Mr Rycroft said. The unrest began last month after clashes erupted at Jerusalem's holiest site, a hilltop Old City compound revered by Jews and Muslims. Rycroft said it was "very important that the whole international community including the Security Council use whatever is in our power to halt the escalation of violence." But he expected no concrete action to emerge from a security council ministerial meeting on the Middle East planned for Thursday, though he added: "We continue to live and hope." Mr Ban's briefing coincided with his decision to send the council a 42-page document on UN historical precedents for "the protection" of people. It was prepared by the UN Secretariat in response to a letter on July 21, 2014 from Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas requesting that "the territory of the state of Palestine be placed under an international protection system by the United Nations", with the central aim of "ensuring the protection of the Palestinian people". The Palestinians have been pressing for the report to be sent to the Security Council. In a letter, Mr Ban said he decided to share the report with the council in response to inquiries and "the interest that has been generated." Mr Ban said the report "does not propose any particular system or systems of protection for the occupied Palestinian territory, nor is it in any sense an options paper". He said it was a summary of a number of historical precedents compiled to assist any future work in the UN Secretariat. The document includes 17 different cases - in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

The United Nations secretary general is making a surprise visit to Jerusalem to try to calm tension between Israelis and Palestinians. Ban Ki-Moon is due to arrive on Tuesday for meetings with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. During his trip, Ban will also meet with Israeli and Palestinian victims of recent attacks. His visit comes ahead of expected meetings between Israeli and Palestinian leaders with Secretary of State John Kerry later this week to try to help defuse the escalating violence there.

An Israeli soldier shot and killed a Jewish man he suspected was a Palestinian "terrorist" in Jerusalem, police said Thursday, in a reflection of the jittery mood that has gripped Israelis amid a spate of near-daily Palestinian stabbing attacks. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said soldiers deployed in Jerusalem to reinforce police demanded late Wednesday that the man show them his ID. The man refused, scuffled with the soldiers and then reportedly attempted to seize one of their weapons. One soldier shot the man, who later died of his wounds, Rosenfeld said. The incident is under investigation. Ten Israelis have been killed over the last month, mainly in stabbing attacks. On the Palestinian side, 48 people have been killed, 27 of them identified by Israel as attackers, the others killed in clashes with Israeli forces. The violence erupted a month ago, fuelled by rumours that Israel was plotting to take over a sensitive Jerusalem holy site revered by both Jews and Muslims. The violence was initially confined to traditionally Arab east Jerusalem but soon spread deep into Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians say the violence is rooted in frustration at decades of living under Israeli occupation, while Israel accuses Palestinian leaders of inciting the unrest.

21 October Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has come under fire for accusing the World War II Palestinian grand mufti of convincing Adolf Hitler to exterminate the Jews. The bold claim has been deemed incorrect by historians and Israeli opposition leaders. Speaking to the Zionist Congress on Tuesday, Netanyahu spoke of a series of attacks by Muslims against Jews in Palestine during the 1920s, stating that those assaults were instigated by Haj Amin al-Husseini, the grand mufti of Jerusalem at that time. Al-Husseini flew to meet Adolf Hitler in Berlin in 1941, and that meeting was instrumental in the Nazi leader's decision to launch a campaign to exterminate Jews, Netanyahu said in his speech. "Hitler didn't want to exterminate the Jews at the time, he wanted to expel the Jews. And Haj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said, 'If you expel them, they'll all come here.'” Netanyahu then alleged that Hitler asked what he should do with the Jews – to which al-Husseini replied: “Burn them.” The comments immediately received a backlash from opposition politicians and Holocaust experts, who accused Netanyahu of twisting historical facts. Palestinian officials said Netanyahu appeared to be absolving Hitler of his crimes in order to blame Muslims. "It is a sad day in history when the leader of the Israeli government hates his neighbour so much that he is willing to absolve the most notorious war criminal in history, Adolf Hitler, of the murder of 6 million Jews," said Saeb Erekat, the Palestine Liberation Organization's secretary general. He added that Netanyahu “should stop using this human tragedy to score points for his political end.” But the criticism didn't just come from the Palestinian side. Even Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said that Netanyahu's claims were incorrect. "It certainly wasn't [Husseini] who invented the Final Solution," Yaalon told Israel's Army Radio. "That was the evil brainchild of Hitler himself." Zionist Union MP Itzik Shmuli called on Netanyahu to apologize to Holocaust victims. “This

isn’t the first time Netanyahu distorts historical facts, but a lie of this magnitude is the first,” Shmuli said.

20 October The Eritrean ambassador to Israel has called for a thorough investigation and subsequent arrest of those who shot and beat an Eritrean migrant who later died of his wounds in southern Israel. Tesfamariam Tekeste said that he asked the Israeli foreign ministry for a full investigation into the incident in the city of Beersheba after he was notified of it by the Eritrean community. Haftom Zarhum, a 29-year-old Eritrean migrant, died in a Beersheba hospital on Sunday night after he, mistaken for an accomplice of a suspected attacker that killed an Israeli soldier, was shot by a security guard and kicked by bystanders. A video published online following the incident purported to show the Eritrean being kicked by several people as he lay bleeding on the ground. Israeli police have not yet made any arrests two days after the incident. The private security guard who shot the unarmed Eritrean was questioned by the police and later released, Israeli police spokesperson Mickey Rosenfeld said. “We have arrested no one at this point, but we are still looking for people for questioning over this incident." Footage released online from the bus station clearly showed faces of some of those who participated in the lynching, which Al Jazeera’s reporter in Israel Elias Karram said, included two Israeli officers. Moreover, an Israeli man, in an appearance on Israeli Channel Two on Monday evening, said that he had been one of those who kicked Zarhum. It remains unclear if Israeli authorities questioned the Israeli man or took any action against him. Footage from the station showed at least one Israeli soldier kicking Zarhum in the head as he lay bleeding on the floor of the terminal. Another man lifted a bench and dropped it on Zarhum's head as another tried to protect him by placing a bar stool over his body.

Israeli forces arrested one of the co-founders of the Hamas militant group Tuesday, accusing him of inciting recent violence that has resulted in the deaths of nine Israelis, many in stabbing attacks. The military said Hassan Yousef was arrested near Ramallah. It marks the most high-profile arrest since a wave of unrest swept through the region a month ago. The military said Yousef had been "actively instigating and inciting terrorism" by encouraging attacks against Israelis. Military spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told the Associated Press, "Hamas' leaders cannot expect to propagate violence and terror from the comfort of their living rooms and pulpits of their mosques."

19 October The Israeli police launched an investigation into what local media described as a “lynching” Sunday against an innocent man — a 29-year-old refugee from Eritrea named Haftom Zarhum — who was shot amid the chaos of an attack at a bus station in the southern city of Beersheba that left an Israeli soldier dead. Doctors at Soroka Medical Center said Zarhum died from a combination of the bullet wound and the subsequent beating by the crowd. A video shows a wounded Zarhum curled on the floor as men enter the frame to kick him in the head. A few people drop a line of bus station seats on the man. Another man pins the wounded African on the floor between the legs of a stool as a crowd closes in. The crowd can be heard shouting “Death to Arabs!” and “The people of Israel live!” The attack, which took place in the Negev desert city’s central bus station during the busy rush-hour period, followed more than three weeks of fighting between Palestinians and Israelis.

17 October Tensions ran high in Israel on Friday as Palestinians rioters in the occupied West Bank set fire to a Jewish shrine near Nablus, and a Palestinian man who had disguised himself as a journalist stabbed an Israeli soldier near Hebron. The incidents came as Israeli security forces gradually expanded their new checkpoints through east Jerusalem, cutting off large parts of the city to traffic between Jewish and Palestinian neighbourhoods. After two weeks of violence in the region, the United Nations Security Council was scheduled to meet at the request of Jordan to discuss the escalating tensions. Violent clashes flared up along the Gaza border fence, where a Palestinian youth was shot dead after dozens of people tried to break through near the Erez crossing. According to Palestinian medical sources in Gaza, 27 other people were wounded on Friday, including 11 by live bullets in both the north and south of the coastal enclave. Another Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire in Gaza along with a 19-year-old in the town of Beit Furik in the West Bank. In Nablus, about 100 people converged on a site known as Joseph’s Tomb and set it ablaze before Palestinian security forces arrived and pushed them back. The attack was quickly condemned by the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. Under pressure over recent comments that some have labelled incitement, Abbas said the attack “offends our culture, our religion and our morals”. An Israeli military statement about the shrine attack said: “We view this incident with gravity and strongly condemn any attack on holy sites. We will find and arrest those who set the fire.” Several hours later, a Palestinian man posing as a journalist in Hebron wounded an Israeli soldier with a knife before being shot dead. The Foreign Press Association in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories condemned the incident as a “violation of press privilege.” In Jordan, thousands

of people took to the streets on Friday calling on the government to scrap its peace treaty with Israel. They accuse Israel of violations in Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound.

13 October A series of stabbing attacks in Jerusalem and across Israel on 13 October has resulted in 2 deaths and more than 20 people wounded as violence in the region shows no signs of abating. In the worst incident, at least 16 people were injured - six seriously - and two were killed. The suspect opened fire and stabbed people on a bus in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Armon Hanatziv, according to Israeli police. The attacker has been "shot and neutralised", Israeli ambulance service said. AFP and Reuters report that the attacker was killed, as well as a 60-year-old Israeli. In another incident, a driver rammed his car into a bus station before getting out and knifing people on Jerusalem's Machei Israeli street. Several people were wounded, and the attacker was also reportedly wounded. In the eastern city of Raanana, a 22-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem stabbed one person at a bus station before being subdued by passers-by. The victim, a 32-year-old Israeli, was lightly wounded in the attack. In the second attack in the city, a Jewish woman was wounded after being stabbed by an attacker, who was then arrested by police. At least 25 Palestinians, including nine attackers, have been killed by Israeli forces amid dozens of stabbing attacks targeting Jews in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. On Sunday 11 October, a pregnant Palestinian woman and her three-year-old daughter were killed east of Gaza City. The mother and daughter died when their house collapsed following an Israeli air strike on an alleged Hamas military training camp near their home. Three other people were also injured in the attack. Palestinian rescue services are continuing to search through the rubble for survivors. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said that the air strikes were launched in response to a rocket fired from Gaza. It said that the rocket was intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defence system and that it had then conducted air strikes on two Hamas weapon-manufacturing facilities in Gaza. On Saturday, 10 October, a Palestinian teenager was shot dead by Israeli police after stabbing two civilians. The day before that, Israeli military forces killed five Palestinians and injured 19 others at a demonstration near the border fence with the Gaza Strip. The violence was fuelled by clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, one of Islam's holiest sites. Palestinians fear that Israel is attempting to take control of the site as Jewish groups began visiting the mosque.

Israeli authorities have denied clearance to four communication systems meant as a gift from India to a Palestinian university’s Information Technology (IT) department. The matter assumed significance as President Pranab Mukherjee, who is due to inaugurate a state-of-the-art IT Centre at Al-Quds University on Tuesday, planned to gift these devices as part of the Indian government’s plan. The four communication systems were meant to be crucial components of the new IT centre. While Israeli customs on Monday cleared the passage of 30 computers, which were stuck at the Ashdod port, to be moved to the university, the communication systems remained at the Ben Gurion airport and were unlikely to be allowed to reach the IT Centre. When asked about the delay, Israel embassy spokesperson Ohad Horsandi said: “While 30 computers were cleared by the customs authorities, my sense is that the communication systems don’t adhere to rules and regulations of Israel.” He added that the same set of rules applied to both Israel and Palestine. He also gave the example of satellite phones, which are not allowed by the Indian government to enter the country. Meanwhile, the computers were expected to reach their destination in time for Mukherjee’s planned inauguration, officials said. At the event, the President will also be conferred an honorary doctorate by the Al-Quds University.

12 October In a statement issued yesterday the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its crews has been attacked 53 times in the West Bank and Jerusalem by the Israeli army since 3 October. Rising tensions in the Occupied Territories have led to dozens of deaths and hundreds of clashes. Some 37 paramedics were injured in the attacked and 20 cars damaged. Additionally, there were 24 cases where ambulances were obstructed as they were trying to reach the wounded. PRCS pointed out that 23 of the attacks took place in Jerusalem.

8 October Medical sources in the Palestine Medical Complex Thursday announced that a Palestinian youth has been killed during confrontations that erupted north of Jerusalem. According to sources from the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC), 20-year-old Wisam Jamal was shot dead during an “unprecedented military incursion” into Shufat refugee camp and As-Salam neighbourhood. WAFA correspondent said initial reports indicate that Israeli soldiers have shot four Palestinian using live-ammunition; their health condition was described as critical. Many other Palestinian youth were reported as injured, however their injuries were described as less critical. According to eyewitnesses in Shufat, confrontations are still going until the moment despite of Israeli soldiers’ use of excessive force. Clashes

erupted between heavily armed Israeli forces and Palestinian youth after breaking into the house of Subhi Abu Khalifa, who Israel claimed had carried out a stabbing in Jerusalem on Thursday.

7 October Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he wanted to avoid a violent escalation with Israel, his most direct comments since unrest has spread in recent days and provoked fears of a new uprising. His comments on Tuesday came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged a crackdown, and Israel, in a show of force, demolished the homes of two Palestinians who carried out attacks last year. The homes of Ghassan Abu Jamal and Muhammad Jaabis, both in East Jerusalem, were flattened early on Tuesday. Along with his cousin Uday, Abu Jamal killed four rabbis and a policeman during an attack on a synagogue in West Jerusalem in November before being shot dead by police on the scene. Jaabis was also fatally shot by police after he drove a bulldozer into a bus on August 4, leaving one Israeli dead and wounding several others.

A Palestinian man was shot dead in southern Israel on Wednesday after he stabbed an Israeli solider and attempted to grab his weapon. Israeli security forces subsequently killed the assailant, identified by Israeli media as Amjad Algandi, 24, from Yatta, south of Hebron. The incident occurred in Kiryat Gat. Israeli media said the soldier was lightly wounded. Earlier Wednesday, a Palestinian woman stabbed an Israeli man who then shot and wounded her in Jerusalem's Old City. The attacker, in her 30s but not named by police, was taken to the hospital in serious condition. The wounded man was treated on the scene before being taken to the hospital. Later in the day, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli man outside a mall in central Israel, police said. The attacker was arrested. The incidents come amid an uptick in violence in recent days between Israeli troops and Palestinians. Citing the deteriorating security situation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a planned Thursday trip to Germany.

Jordan

28 October The Lower House Integrity Committee on Wednesday held the government accountable for the fire incident that occurred at Jordan Customs Department/Amman branch earlier this week. A senior official said the government “takes full responsibility” for the “grave mistake”. At a meeting chaired by Deputy Mustafa Rawashdeh, to which several government officials were summoned, the committee discussed the different aspects of the fire incident, which claimed the lives of seven people and left several others wounded. The fire erupted after two fireworks containers exploded and casualties were workers at the customs yards, both Jordanians and Egyptians, according to the Civil Defence Department. MP Mustafa Rawashdeh said the government is responsible for what happened, describing the regulations banning the importing of fireworks as inadequate. He added that the government ignored recommendations made by the committee four months ago, following a visit to the Jordan Customs Department/Amman branch on the need to have the Amman customs yards relocated to Al Madonah area in the outskirts of the capital, as its current site is too congested.Energy and Mineral Resources Minister and acting Finance Minister Ibrahim Saif said the government takes full responsibility for the incident, describing it as a “grave mistake.” He told the committee that the government would work to rectify related legislation to avert such incidents and will work to move Amman customs premises to another site, as soon as possible. The fireworks containers entered Jordan through Aqaba Port after importers declared they included wooden tables. They were part of a 14- container shipment. Authorities discovered the fraud and referred the case to the JCD’s prosecutor general.

19 October Police on Monday said 14 people were arrested a day earlier in connection with riots on the Amman-Aqaba highway that left one person dead and closed the road for over five hours over the weekend. “We have arrested 14 individuals and are questioning them in connection with the death and riots near the Rashadiyeh area,” Public Security Department Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said. A 35-year-old man had been rushed to Maan Public Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival because of a gunshot wound to the head, according to Sartawi. Motorists were stranded for almost five hours on Friday after residents of Rashadiyeh set tyres on fire and blocked the street to protest the death of a man following a police pursuit late Friday night. When police attempted to disperse the protesters to open the international highway, Sartawi said, “rioters attacked the force with rocks and gunshots were heard”. Police announced on Saturday that “a man, suspected of killing an Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) agent in an ambush last month, was killed following a pursuit that included heavy exchange of gunfire”. Corporal Mohammad Atta Salaymeh of AND died of wounds he sustained in a shoot-out with suspected drug dealers while on duty in an area in Maan’s Rashadiyeh area, some 220km south of Amman, on September 19.

16 October Thousands of Jordanians took to the streets Friday calling on the government to scrap its peace treaty with Israel, which they accuse of violations in Jerusalem’s Temple Mount compound. Demonstrations broke out in several cities after weekly Muslim prayers, with around 5,000 rallying in Amman. They demanded the cancellation of the 1994 Jordan-Israel peace treaty, carrying signs that said “scrapping the Wadi Araba treaty is the response” to Israeli “violations” against Palestinians in Jerusalem. Anti-Israeli protests were also held in the northern cities of Zarqa and Irbid, in Mafraq in the east, Jerash in the northwest and in the southern port of Aqaba. Jordan has custodian rights over the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem, a site holy to both Muslims and Jews and scene of clashes last month between Palestinians youths and Israeli forces. Palestinians accuse Israel of intending to change the status quo at the site. The Israeli government has repeatedly denied any intention of altering the status quo on the site. The violence has spread to other parts of Jerusalem, Israel, the West Bank and the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Last month King Abdullah II warned that clashes at Al-Aqsa could have “serious consequences” and that any “provocation” in Jerusalem could damage ties between Jordan and Israel. Amman withdrew its ambassador after clashes there last November. On Wednesday, the Jordanian government said it was monitoring developments and that “legal and diplomatic decisions” could be taken in the face of “Israeli aggression.”

13 October Security bodies have reportedly foiled an attempt to assassinate one of the Jordanian pilots whose name was mentioned in the video released by the Daesh terrorist organisation last year showing the burning alive of Jordanian pilot Muath Al Kasasbeh. According to a report published Tuesday in Al Rai newspaper, the two suspects arrested in the case were Syrians who have been residing in the Kingdom since 2013. One of them is a juvenile who was referred to the Amman attorney while the other, in his 20s, was referred to the State Security Court, which already held a first hearing Monday. The suspect faced charges of plotting to carry out terrorist acts and using the Internet to promote the ideology of a terrorist organisation, Al Rai reported. The two suspects are friends on Facebook and Skype and were found to be supporting Daesh's military operations in Iraq and Syria, Al Rai reported, citing a report detailing the case it has obtained. The adult suspect, Al Rai said, used his Facebook account to follow news and videos of Daesh's military operations and to build contacts with people affiliated with the terrorist organisation. Following Daesh’s release of the video showing the burning alive of Kasasbeh in February last year, the adult suspect contacted a member in the ultra-radical group, calling himself “Al Shamil Al Shami” to check on the authenticity of names of Jordanian pilots mentioned at the end of the grisly video, to kill one of them and win the 100 golden liras Daesh put as a prize for that, Al Rai reported. After succeeding in building contacts within Daesh, which promised to secure them the prize of 100 golden liras, the two suspects agreed to assassinate one of the Jordanian pilots mentioned in the video, who lives in Howara in Irbid Governorate, in collaboration with a third party who has not yet been identified. The two suspects then agreed to reside in a house next to the pilot’s residence, allegedly waiting for a $15,000 payment from Daesh to buy weapons for the assassination.

11 October Jordan has condemned the recurrent Israeli crimes against Palestinian civilians and violations to the sacredness of Islamic and Christian sanctuaries in Jerusalem. On Saturday, the Lower House blamed the international community for "doing nothing to stop such racist, extremist policies", which, the lawmakers said, are prone to instigate more terrorism, violence and instability, and undermine all efforts to make peace in the region. Jordanians will support the Palestinians’ perseverance in the face of the Israeli arrogance, the statement said, urging the international community, particularly the Arab and international parliamentary unions, to shoulder their responsibilities and pressure their governments to condemn and take action to end the Israeli assaults. The Lower House thanked His Majesty King Abdullah for his supportive stance towards the Palestinians, and urged the Palestinians to stand firm in the face of the “criminal acts committed by the Israeli occupation forces”, voicing its sympathies with the families of those who died in the attacks and wishing the injured a speedy recovery. The Senate said in a separate statement that the recent Israeli violations aim at stirring chaos and taking advantage of regional developments and the international community’s apathy to impose a new reality in the Palestinian territories by means of violence. The Senate statement commended His Majesty’s diplomatic efforts to defend Jerusalem’s holy sites and the Palestinians’ right to establish their independent state. The government on Friday denounced the repeated Israeli acts of aggressions, responding to the killing of seven Palestinians on Friday at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank and Gaza.

4 October A Jordanian parliament member said he learned from Islamic State-linked media that his son carried out a suicide attack in Iraq, three months after dropping out of medical school and joining the extremist group. The case highlights the continued grassroots appeal of IS ideas in the region, including in

staunchly pro-Western Jordan, a partner in the U.S.-led military campaign against the group. IS militants have seized large parts of Syria and Iraq, both neighbours of Jordan. "My son had everything, a family, money, and studying medicine, but he was controlled by terrible thoughts," the legislator, Mazen Dalaeen said. "He was deceived and tricked by Islamic State. Islamic State is in every home through TVs and the Internet." On Sunday, the family observed the last day of the traditional three-day mourning for 23-year-old Mohammed Dalaeen. The family is from the town of Ai in southern Jordan that was also home to a Jordanian fighter pilot who was captured by IS late last year and burned alive in a cage by the militants. The legislator said in the mourning tent that his son had changed rapidly in a short period and that at the beginning of the year he had taken part in a solidarity march for the pilot. Dalaeen said he learned of the death of his son last week from IS-linked media and a TV station in Iraq's Anbar province. One of the sites, Dabiq, said suicide attackers drove three car bombs into Iraqi army barracks on the northern outskirts of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar. Dalaeen said he recognized his son in one of the photos of the purported suicide attackers posted on the IS sites, under the nom de guerre "Abu Baraa, the Jordanian." The legislator said he last saw Mohammed in Ukraine in June and stayed with him and his Ukrainian wife, a convert to Islam, for a week. Mohammed was a third-year medical student. "I noticed that his behaviour had changed completely," Dalaeen said in a phone interview Saturday. "He had become isolated" and had grown a large beard. Dalaeen said he told his son in a heated argument that he would cut ties with him if he didn't drop his support for the extremists. The next day, Mohammed left for Turkey without telling his father. Dalaeen tried to track him down, eventually heading to Turkey's border with Syria, but was unsuccessful. Mohammed later reached out on Facebook, telling his father he was in Syria and had joined IS. "He was very cruel with me, as if he wasn't my son," Dalaeen said. "He said I'm an infidel and don't fear God, and that I legislate against Islam in parliament. My efforts to get him back failed." On Aug. 20, Mohammed informed his father through Facebook that it would be their last contact. He wrote that he had completed his Islamic studies and would head into battle as a volunteer for "martyrdom operations." An estimated 2,000 Jordanians are fighting in the ranks of IS and its militant rival from the al-Qaeda network, the Syria-based Nusra Front, said Hassan Abu Haniyeh, an expert on extremist groups. He said about 350 Jordanians have been killed in fighting in the two countries.

Kuwait

25 October Kuwait's Court of Appeals has begun to hear the appeal of a verdict against 15 people convicted in connection with an Islamic State-claimed suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in June. The official Kuwait News Agency said Sunday's opening hearing included testimony from one of the defendants and has been adjourned until Thursday, when it will resume with a closed-door session. A lower court sentenced seven people to death and another eight to prison terms ranging from two to 15 years in the case last month. The June 26 bombing during Friday prayers inside one of Kuwait's oldest Shiite mosques killed 27 and was carried out by a Saudi citizen identified as Fahad Suleiman Abdulmohsen al-Gabbaa. It was the first major terrorist attack in Kuwait in more than two decades.

21 October France and Kuwait have signed defence deals and provisional agreements worth 2.5 billion euros. The deal includes Kuwait's purchase of Airbus-built military helicopters worth one billion euros. The French government says Kuwait is buying 24 Caracal helicopters, with an option for a further six. Other deals include the provision of French light armoured vehicles and patrol boat maintenance. Kuwait is said to be looking to upgrade its military equipment amid increased regional security concerns linked to the Islamic State fighters. Wednesday's deals were signed during the visit of Kuwait's prime minister, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad al-Sabah, to Paris.

19 October A Kuwaiti rights group on Monday accused authorities in the Gulf state of discrimination against foreigners by barring them from certain healthcare services at public hospitals. he independent Kuwait Society for Human Rights said expatriates in the oil-rich emirate have been barred from kidney dialysis treatment and certain drugs at public hospitals. The health ministry is also considering reserving a new 1,100-bed hospital for Kuwaiti citizens alone, the society said in a statement. "These decisions strengthen racial discrimination, constitute a flagrant violation of human rights and breach humanitarian values," the society said. The decisions will also tarnish the image of Kuwait which was last year selected by the United Nations as a centre for humanity, it said. Kuwait is home to 2.9 million foreigners, mostly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Egypt and Syria, and 1.3 million native Kuwaitis. The emirate provides free medical services to citizens but expats must pay a compulsory annual fee of $165 each, besides paying reduced charges for certain surgeries and procedures like x-ray. The society said the decisions also violate the Kuwaiti constitution, international rights agreements and help increase "hatred" against the immigrant workforce. Kuwait applies similar

restrictions against expats in other areas like imposing stringent conditions on them to obtain a driver's licence. Fellow Gulf states Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates totally bar expatriates from medical treatment at public hospitals except in emergencies.

12 October Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) said on Monday it was in talks with Shell (RDSa.L), BP (BP.L) and Total (TOTF.PA) about signing technical service deals and aimed to finalise them by the end of the year. Kuwait Oil Co (KOC), the upstream arm of KPC, wants to increase crude output and develop some of its oilfields including Burgan, the world's second largest. The plan is part of efforts to meet the OPEC member state's target of boosting its oil production potential to 4 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2020. Kuwait's oil production is now 2.950 million bpd and capacity stands at 3.2 million bpd. Oil production will go up by 200,000 bpd by December 2016 and mostly be from north Kuwait, he said. Adsani also said Kuwait aims to increase its oil and gas drilling rigs from the current 90 to 140 by the end of 2016 and that those added will all be onshore. The OPEC member will start exploration and drilling for offshore oil and gas by the first quarter of 2017.

6 October Companies in Kuwait will no longer be allowed to withhold employees’ passports under new labour laws being written, according to Arabic daily Al Shahed. A draft resolution is expected to be submitted to the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of Planning and Development Hind Al- Subaih before the end of this month, the daily said, quoting ministry sources. The change follows similar legislation amendments in Qatar, which has experienced heightened attention on its khafala system while thousands of South Asians are working on World Cup 2022 construction projects. Under Kuwait’s planned new law, employees still would be prohibited from leaving the country without the approval of their sponsor and written travel permit from the newly established Public Authority for Manpower (PAM). The authority, which was established to help better coordinate labour and expatriate issues, also is reportedly close to finalising a new labour contract, to come into force at the beginning of 2016. Under the new contract, the employer would be obliged to provide the worker with a flight home at the end of their employment, as well as health insurance and end of service indemnity. The new contract also includes 21 paid days’ leave to perform Hajj for employees who have completed two years’ continuous service, provided the worker is performing Hajj for the first time. A 100-day probation period would be mandatory, while the length of contract can be open or limited, as agreed between the employer and employee. Described as a ‘unified contract’, it would protect the rights of both the worker and employer, Arab Times said. Any additional clause that does not concur with the labour law would be null and void, while any conflicts would be settled in court.

Lebanon

31 October Lebanon's army on Saturday fired at a vehicle carrying Islamist militants, killing three of them and wounding two others in the north of the country near the Syrian border, a security source said. The source said it was unclear which group the militants belonged to. They were driving near the outskirts of the town of Arsal, the source said, without providing further details. Islamist groups including al Qaeda's Nusra Front have a presence in western Syria, including near the border with Lebanon, and there are have been numerous incursions by Islamists reported in the porous border region. Syria's four-year conflict has spilled over into its smaller neighbour, which is still rebuilding after its own 15-year civil war. There have been clashes inside Lebanon between gunmen loyal to opposing sides in the Syrian conflict, as well as strikes on the army and cross-border attacks by Syrian rebels. The army fought several days of deadly battles last year with insurgent groups including Islamic State and Nusra Front when they staged an incursion into Arsal.

26 October Beirut airport authorities have foiled one of the country's largest drug smuggling attempts, seizing two tons of amphetamine Captagon pills before they were loaded onto the private plane of a Saudi prince. The official said the prince and four others have been detained Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was authorized to give official statements. Captagon manufacturing thrives in Lebanon and war-torn Syria, which have become a gateway for the drug to the Middle East and particularly the Gulf. The U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime said in a 2014 report that the amphetamine market is on the rise in the Middle East, with busts mostly in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria accounting for more than 55 percent of amphetamines seized worldwide.

Lebanon's political elite held a new round of dialogue Monday after heavy rains washed piles of uncollected garbage into Beirut’s streets, raising public health concerns about the three-month-old trash crisis. Several members of parliament did not attend the talks. The all-party talks, which began on Sept. 9, are also intended to end paralysis in Parliament and the government and approve a new

electoral law, a major demand of all the March 8 and March 14 parties. Garbage has piled up on streets and reached rivers and forests after the infamous Naameh dump shut down in July. Originally designed to receive 2 million tons of trash, Naameh had received over 15 million by the time of its closure. A plan approved by the government last month to end the three-month-long trash crisis has faced strong opposition from the start.

23 October Two Mexicans have were arrested at Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon after they stole $159,000 from the car of two Syrians in the Karantina area, the Internal Security Forces announced on Friday. This comes after the two Syrians filed a theft report Thursday with the al-Nahr police station. “Following intensive investigations, two individuals who were in the area when the robbery occurred were suspected of being involved in the operation,” the ISF announcement said. The ISF identified the two men as two Mexicans. “$155,000 was seized in their possession and they were referred to the al-Nahr police station for further investigations under the supervision of the relevant judicial authorities,” the ISF added. In another development, a 39-year-old Syrian man was arrested Thursday at the airport for trying to smuggle 22,100 Captagon pills to an Arab country. The ISF said the narcotic pills were hidden in boxes of sweets inside a handbag. Last Saturday, the ISF seized more than 35 kilograms of Captagon at the airport. Two Syrian travellers were trying to smuggle them to an Arab Gulf country, the ISF said.

21 October The Lebanese army said on Wednesday its naval forces returned to shore a boat carrying 53 people trying to leave the country illegally from the northern coastal city of Tripoli. More than half the people returned were Palestinians, as well as 14 Syrians and eight Lebanese. "There were 53 people on a boat that fits 15 people. The boat has been returned - with all people on board - to the Lebanese shore and an investigation has been opened," the army said in a statement.

16 October Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired rockets and mortars at what it said were Islamic State fighters in the north of the country on Friday, killing five of them, a security source said. Sunni Islamists have regularly infiltrated Lebanon's border with Syria in the north during its neighbour’s four-year-old civil war, clashing with both Shi'ite Hezbollah and the Lebanese army. Islamic State, which holds vast areas of territory in eastern Syria, has a much smaller presence in the west of the country and near the Lebanese border. Other Islamist groups including al Qaeda's Syrian branch Nusra Front are more active in western Syria. Syria's civil war has spilled over into Lebanon, which is still rebuilding after its own 15-year civil war. There have been clashes between gunmen loyal to opposing sides in the Syrian conflict, as well as strikes on the army and cross-border attacks by Syrian rebels.The army fought several days of deadly battles last year with insurgent groups including Islamic State and Nusra Front when they staged an incursion into the town of Arsal near the more than 300 km (190 mile) border with Syria. The powerful Shi'ite Hezbollah is fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad against Sunni insurgents inside Syria.

11 October Thousands of Lebanese rallied near the presidential palace on Sunday in a show of support for Christian politician Michel Aoun, pressing their demand for him to fill the vacant presidency. Waving the orange flag of Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), they packed streets in the Baabda district that houses the headquarters of the presidency vacant for over a year due to political conflict. The presidency is set aside for a Maronite Christian but has been vacant due to a political crisis stoked by regional conflicts including the war in neighbouring Syria. The rally was called to mark events in October 1990, near the end of the Lebanese civil war, when the Syrian army captured Baabda. Aoun - head of one of two rival administrations at the time - was forced out of the presidential palace and later into exile. Aoun, an ally of the powerful Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah, would like the presidency, but does not have the backing of a rival alliance led by Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri. That alliance includes prominent Christian rivals to Aoun, notably his civil war enemy Samir Geagea, who also seeks the presidency. Resolving the deadlock over the presidency has been complicated by regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia, which backs Hariri, and Iran, which backs Hezbollah. Aoun, arguing that Christians are being politically marginalized, has said the president should be elected in a popular vote if parliament cannot agree. He has also taken aim at the national unity government led by Prime Minister Tammam Salam, saying it has usurped the powers of the presidency. FPM ministers have not however quit the government. Salam's government, formed with Saudi-Iranian blessing, has spared Lebanon a complete vacuum in the executive arm but has been unable to take any major decisions due to a lack of consensus. Lebanon's political paralysis has fuelled a broader wave of discontent that has touched off sometimes violent protests over failing public services in recent months. Anger has come to a head this summer over a crisis over trash disposal, leaving piles of refuse mounting on Beirut's streets.

10 October Lebanese army received on Friday a new shipment of Hellfire missiles and artillery munitions in assistance from the US, officials said in a statement. The shipment included 50 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and 560 artillery rounds, including some precision munitions, the statement revealed. The Hellfire air-to-ground missiles are used on Cessna Caravan aircraft previously delivered to the military by Washington. The missiles "allow the LAF to strike confirmed insurgent positions without exposing themselves to return fire," the US embassy explained. "The other artillery rounds include laser guided projectiles, the first munition of its kind in the LAF's arsenal, which will provide the LAF with a precision-strike capability at significant stand-off ranges" it said. Since August 2014, the army is engaged in battles with Syria-based extremists from the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Nusra Front groups in the north-eastern border town of Arsal.

9 October Thirty-nine people were hospitalized and 65 others treated on site during Thursday night’s anti-government protest in downtown Beirut, medics said Friday. Lebanese Red Cross chief George Kettaneh told the National News Agency that medics transferred “39 non-serious cases” to various hospitals in Beirut in addition to the 65 who were treated at the site of protest near Martyrs’ Square. He did not specify what types of injuries the protesters suffered but most were likely treated for tear gas inhalation after security forces fired dozens of canisters over the span of the five-hour-long clashes. LBCI said Friday that 47 protesters had been arrested, with only two freed shortly after. Activists from the You Stink and We Want Accountability groups which were among the organizers of the protest had said that more than 30 people had been arrested before police charged the demonstration after midnight, when dozens more were rounded up. The Internal Security Forces wrote on its Twitter that “detainees are being treated based on the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” The protest, called on to pressure the government to solve the country's nearly three-month-long trash crisis, started out peaceful but descended into violence after demonstrators crossed a police barrier. Riot police responded by beating them with clubs and firing water cannon. Some protesters began throwing rocks, prompting the police to fire tear gas. The clashes went on for more than five hours until police charged the rally and arrested the remaining protesters.

6 October The “You Stink” civil society campaign staged a march from downtown Beirut to the Central Bank in protest against corruption in Lebanon. The protesters made their way from a Finance Ministry building in downtown and later arrived at the Central Bank in the Hamra neighbourhood. Soon after their arrival, activist Asaad Zebian was arrested with a member of the campaign accusing the security forces of “militia practices.” The demonstrators promptly blocked the road in front of the Central Bank in protest against the detention, said some media outlets. An activist later denied the claim, saying that cars are being allowed to pass. The Internal Security Forces later revealed that Zebian was arrested for defiling the Lebanese flag. The walls surrounding the Interior Ministry, which is located in front of the Central Bank, are painted with the Lebanese flag. Photographs show Zebian painting over the flag. The protesters later headed towards the Interior Ministry's main entrance at Sanayeh to stage a sit-in.

5 October Rival Lebanese lawmakers nearly came to blows on live TV on Monday, shoving and shouting at each other in a vivid illustration of political conflict that is paralysing decision-making and fuelling public discontent. After arguing for several minutes at a parliamentary committee on public works and energy, one MP threw a water bottle, before scuffling with another. The fight was quickly broken up and the meeting abandoned. Political tensions in Lebanon have been exacerbated by wider tensions in the Middle East, including the Syrian war. A national unity government bringing together rival parties has struggled to pass decisions and the country has been without a president for more than a year. The crisis came to a head this summer with the government's failure to agree a solution to a refuse collection and disposal dispute that left garbage festering on Beirut's streets. Monday's altercation began when MP Ziad Aswad, a member of Christian politician Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, objected to corruption allegations raised against the minister of energy - who belongs to his political bloc - by a member of a rival alliance led by Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri. Other committee members intervened to keep the rowing lawmakers apart.

2 October With the support of US $94 million through UNHCR, UNICEF, the World Bank and bilateral donors, on September 21 the Ministry launched a nationwide 'Back to School' campaign to invite all parents to register their children in school. The purpose of this joint initiative between the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education, UNHCR and UNICEF is to maximise access to certified education for all children on Lebanese territory. This will allow 200,000 Syrian refugee children between the ages of three and 14 to access certified basic education – nearly double the 106,000 children reached last year. UNHCR is particularly aiming to encourage children who have been out of school for over a year as well

as children living with disabilities to integrate in the Lebanese educational system. With refugees having exhausted their resources and savings, many refugee parents are left with no choice but to send their children to work. Over the past school year, some 6,000 families were forced to withdraw their children from school. In order to ensure retention and school enrolment, UNHCR teams are working closely with refugee volunteers in raising awareness on the importance of education and in explaining the registration procedure to parents and children.

Oman

31 October Authorities in war-hit Yemen and in Oman on Saturday urged residents to evacuate coastal areas as a severe cyclone brewing in the Arabian Sea approached the shores. The UN's weather agency said yesterday that the "super cyclonic storm" named Chapala was expected to make landfall around midnight Monday in Yemen and Oman. Yemen's meteorological agency called on residents of the southeastern provinces of Hadramawt and Mohrah, and the island of Socotra, to stay at least one kilometre away from the shores. It said activities at ports and airports in coastal areas should stop when the cyclone hits, and urged fishermen to stay on land and to lift their boats out of water to avoid losses. To the east, Omani authorities ordered that schools be closed Sunday and Monday in the southwestern province of Dhofar, ONA state news agency said, adding that medical and diving teams had been sent there in preparation for the storm. Satellite images have shown that Chapala was approaching the shores with wind speeds between 220 and 250 kilometres per hour, ONA said. Oman's civil aviation authority warned that waves higher than seven metres were expected to hit the beaches of Dhofar. The UN's World Meteorological Organization described Chapala as "an extremely severe cyclonic storm". WMO said that Chapala's wind speed was the equivalent of a category four hurricane.

26 October Oman's foreign minister and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met in Damascus on Monday and discussed ideas that have been put forward to address the Syrian crisis, the Syrian state news agency SANA said. The meeting took place after Assad's main ally Russia said Syria needed to prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections, Moscow's most specific call for political renewal since the war began. There has been no official response from the Syrian government on Russia's comments. Oman, a U.S-allied Gulf Arab state, sees itself as a conciliator in a volatile region and has a history of constructive relations with Syria's other close ally, Iran. Diplomats have said it could play the role of mediator between Syria and Assad's adversaries, which include Washington and other Gulf states. Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi and Assad discussed regional and international ideas that have been put forward to address the Syrian war, SANA said. Alawi stressed the importance of the unity and stability of Syria and said his country "is continuing to make all efforts possible to help find a solution to the crisis in Syria", the agency said. Oman's state news agency carried a similar report on its website. Assad reiterated that eliminating terrorism would help the success of any political track in Syria. Assad also welcomed Oman's efforts to help Syrians "realize their aspirations in a way that puts an end to the suffering caused by terrorism and preserves the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity", SANA added. Oman has received parties from both sides of the war in recent weeks. Syria's foreign minister travelled to Oman to meet Alawi in August and the head of the main Western-backed Syrian political opposition met with Alawi in Muscat earlier this month.

25 October Voters in Oman are casting ballots for an advisory council at a time when slumping oil prices are straining the country's finances and a civil war rages in neighbouring Yemen. The official Oman News Agency said Sunday that 590 candidates are competing for 85 seats on the Shura Council. Twenty women are among the candidates. Sultan Qaboos bin Said granted additional powers to the council following Arab Spring-inspired protests in 2011. It can approve or offer suggested changes to draft laws, though ultimate authority rests overwhelmingly with the ruler. The election takes place amid lingering questions about the health of 74-year-old Qaboos, who has ruled more than four decades and has no designated heir. He returned home in March after months of treatment abroad for an unspecified ailment.

Qatar

28 October Qatar has announced modest plans to reform its labour laws for foreign workers, but rights groups said on Wednesday that the 2022 World Cup host remains complicit in "modern slavery." Foreign workers employed in Qatar, making up nearly 90 percent of the population, still need permission to leave the country, keeping them at the mercy of their employers, said the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). "Promises of reform have been used as a smokescreen to draw in companies and governments to do business in Qatar as the Gulf state rolls out massive infrastructure developments to

host the 2022 FIFA World Cup," ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow said in a statement. "The tragedy of 1.7 million migrant workers trapped in Qatar defines modern day slavery," Burro said. Legislation signed by Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Tuesday will give foreign workers the ability to appeal to a government committee if their employer will not sanction their exit, local media reported. Qatar is one of only a handful of countries including Saudi Arabia and North Korea which force workers to obtain approval from their employer or the state before being allowed to travel. Businesses in Qatar lobbied to prevent major changes to what was previously known as the "kafala" system of labour sponsorship, fearing lost productivity and workers changing jobs frequently. The changes do not take effect until next year, an official with Qatar's Ministry of Labor said. Under the reforms, foreign workers on open-ended contracts can change jobs without their employer's permission after five years with a company but still need government approval, the official said. The Ministry of Labor could not be reached for further comment after the close of business on Wednesday. Foreign workers are prohibited from forming unions in Qatar. The country plans to spend $200 billion on infrastructure related to the World Cup and has imported hundreds of thousands of construction workers for ambitious building projects. Officials from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch both dismissed Tuesday's reforms. A representative of Human Rights Watch in the Middle East tweeted that Qatar's reforms "send the message loud and clear: we don't care about workers."

22 October Syria has warned Qatar of a “harsh response” after Doha threatened that it may intervene militarily in the Arab country. Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad made the remarks in response to comments by Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah, on Thursday. "If Qatar carries out its threat to militarily intervene in Syria, then we will consider this a direct aggression ... Our response will be very harsh," Mekdad was quoted by the Lebanon-based al-Mayadeen television as saying. On Wednesday, the Qatari foreign minister said his country would consider launching a military intervention against the Syrian government “with our Saudi and Turkish brothers.” "If a military intervention will protect the Syrian people from the brutality of the regime, we will do it,” Attiyah said. However, Attiyah added that Doha preferred political dialog from a “position of strength.” The remarks by Qatar comes as Doha, and a number of its Arab neighbours, namely Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and their Western allies, have been angered by recent advances made by the Syrian army against Daesh, as well as airstrikes carried out by Russia, which have been targeting terrorist positions in the country since late last month. On October 19, different militant groups fighting Damascus admitted that they had received supplies from countries opposing Syria, including the US, via neighbouring Turkey as recently as October 16.

21 October Qatar, a major supporter of rebels in Syria's civil war, suggested it could intervene militarily following Russia's intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assad but said it still preferred a political solution to the crisis. The comments by Qatar's foreign minister, made in a CNN interview on Wednesday, drew a swift reply from Assad's government with a senior official warning that Damascus would respond harshly to such "direct aggression". Gulf Arab backers of Syrian rebels such as Qatar have been unsettled by Russia's three-week-old air strike campaign that has allowed Assad's forces to wrest back some territory to help secure his strongholds in western Syria. Qatar has been a leading supporter of anti-Assad rebel groups, providing arms and financial and political backing. Asked if Qatar supported the Saudi position that does not rule out a military option in Syria as a result of Russia's intervention, Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah said: “Anything that protects the Syrian people and Syria from partition, we will not spare any effort to carry it out with our Saudi and Turkish brothers, no matter what this is. "If a military intervention will protect the Syrian people from the brutality of the regime, we will do it,” he added, according to a text in Arabic carried by Qatar's state news agency QNA. In response, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad was quoted by Lebanon-based al-Mayadeen television as saying: "If Qatar carries out its threat to militarily intervene in Syria, then we will consider this a direct aggression ... Our response will be very harsh." Attiyah also said Qatar preferred to solve regional crises through direct political dialogue.

11 October Qatar's emir has appointed an ambassador to Iraq, the first since the embassy was closed 25 years ago, Iraqi and Qatari media said, in the latest sign of a thaw in relations between Gulf Arab countries and Iraq. Iraq's foreign minister had said in May that Qatar would open an embassy in Baghdad. Qatari state media as well as Qatar-owned Al Jazeera said on their websites that Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani had issued a decree appointing Zayed al-Khayareen as Qatar's "ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Iraq". Tensions between the Sunni Muslim-ruled states of the Gulf and Iraq, which has a Shi'ite majority, have eased since Prime Minister Haider Abadi took office last year. A rapprochement could help strengthen a regional alliance against Islamic State militants who have seized vast areas in both Iraq and neighbouring Syria. Saudi Arabia also signalled its intention to reopen

an embassy in Baghdad earlier this year and has invited Abadi to visit the kingdom. Some Gulf states have viewed Iraq as being too close to their main regional rival, Shi'ite power Iran. Abadi's predecessor, Nouri al-Maliki, had accused both Qatar and Saudi Arabia of funding Islamic State insurgents, allegations denied by both countries. Iraq recalled its ambassador to Qatar this week after the foreign ministry denounced a conference hosted by Doha it said included attendees wanted by Iraqi courts on terrorism charges.

Saudi Arabia

27 October The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing Tuesday at a Shia mosque in southern Saudi Arabia that killed one person and injured another dozen. The incident occurred in the city of Najran, near the border with Yemen. It was not clear whether the bomber, who reportedly wrote a letter to his parents confirming his intentions, was the person killed in the blast. A social media post by IS, a militant group holding territory in Iraq and Syria, said the attack targeted "rejectionist Ismailis," members of a branch of Shia Islam known as Ismailism who are found in large numbers around Najran.

26 October Saudi Arabia has about $650 billion in foreign reserves to help it withstand the slump in oil prices. But at the country’s current rate of spending, it won’t take long before the supply of reserves runs out. According to a recent IMF report, the drop in oil prices from around $100 per barrel in 2014 to $45 per barrel this summer has already cost oil exporters in the Middle East roughly $360 billion this year. Without drastic action, several countries are at risk of using up their cash reserves within five years. From the IMF’s World Economic and Financial Survey, published on Oct. 15: “Apart from Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, under current policies, countries would run out of buffers in less than five years because of large fiscal deficits.” Saudi Arabia, the region’s largest oil exporter, is particularly vulnerable as 90% of its export earnings come from the petroleum sector. The country relies on its reserves to help finance its public spending and has spent more than $70 billion of these reserves since oil prices began falling last year. The decline in oil prices already has led Saudi Arabia to run up a deficit as a result of maintaining high public spending. The IMF reports that the country is expected to have a budget deficit of 21.6% of GDP this year, moderating to 19.4% in 2016. This compares with a deficit representing 3.4% of GDP last year. The IMF warns: Because the oil price drop is likely to be large and persistent, oil exporters will need to adjust their spending and revenue policies to secure fiscal sustainability, attain intergenerational equity, and gradually rebuild space for policy manoeuvring. … Adjustment plans in most [Middle East and North African] oil exporters are currently insufficient to address the large fiscal challenge.

24 October Eight of the 12 surviving sons of Saudi Arabia's founding monarch are supporting a move to oust King Salman, 79, the country's ailing ruler, and replace him with his 73-year-old brother, according to a dissident prince. The prince also claims that a clear majority of the country's powerful Islamic clerics, known as the Ulama, would back a palace coup to oust the current King and install Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, a former Interior Minister, in his place. "The Ulama and religious people prefer Prince Ahmed - not all of them, but 75 per cent," said the prince, himself a grandson of King Ibn Saud, who founded the ruling dynasty in 1932. Support from the clerics would be vital for any change of monarch, since in the Saudi system only they have the power to confer religious and therefore political legitimacy on the leadership. The revelation suggests there is increasing pressure within the normally secretive Saudi royal family to bring to a head the internal power struggle that has erupted since King Salman inherited the throne at the beginning of this year. The prince, who cannot be named for security reasons, is the author of two recently published letters calling for the royal family to replace the current Saudi leadership. Unhappiness at King Salman's own diminishing faculties - he is reported to be suffering from Alzheimer's disease - has been compounded by his controversial appointments, the continuing and costly war in Yemen and the recent Hajj disaster. Prince Ahmed, the man most family members support to take over the throne, is the youngest son of the Kingdom's founder by his favourite wife, Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi. He was deputy interior minister for 37 years and spent four years responsible for the religious sites in Mecca before being appointed Interior Minister in 2012. He left the post five months later, officially at his own request, and was replaced by Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, now the Crown Prince. The dissident prince claims Prince Ahmed left after a disagreement about the treatment of political detainees. Prince Ahmed is favoured by clerics and by others within the royal family because of his professional experience and moderate lifestyle.

21 October Yemeni forces have carried out retaliatory attacks against military bases Saudi Arabia has set up in Yemen’s central province of Ma’rib and similar targets on the Saudi soil. According to local media reports on Wednesday, the Yemeni forces hit a Saudi base in Ma’rib, where at least 50 Saudi soldiers

were killed. The Yemeni army also attacked Saudi positions in the district of al-Khobe in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern border province of Jizan. Reports said five Saudi soldiers were killed in that strike. The photo released by Yemeni media on October 21, 2015 shows the military identification card of a Saudi soldier killed by Yemeni forces in the district of al-Khobe, Saudi Arabia’s southwestern border province of Jizan. A similar number of fatalities on the part of Saudi forces was also reported in the southwestern region of Asir in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, on Wednesday morning, Saudi warplanes conducted seven airstrikes against various areas in the city of Sirwah, located about 120 kilometres (75 miles) east of the capital, Sana’a. Saudi warplanes also launched three airstrikes against the Abs district of Yemen’s north-western province of Hajjah, though no reports about possible casualties and the extent of damage caused were available. Additionally, Saudi aircraft bombed the military camp for the Yemeni Army’s 117th Brigade in the town of Mukayras in the central province of Bayda.

19 October The crush and stampede that struck the hajj last month in Saudi Arabia killed at least 2,177 pilgrims, a new Associated Press tally showed Monday, after officials in the kingdom met to discuss the tragedy. The toll keeps rising from the Sept. 24 disaster outside Mecca as individual countries identify bodies and work to determine the whereabouts of hundreds of pilgrims still missing. The official Saudi toll of 769 people killed and 934 injured has not changed since Sept. 26, and officials have yet to address the discrepancy. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdul Aziz, who is also the kingdom's interior minister, oversaw a meeting late Sunday about the disaster in Mina, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. The agency's report did not mention any official response to the rising death toll. King Salman ordered the investigation into the disaster, the deadliest in the history of the annual pilgrimage. It came after a crane collapse in Mecca earlier that month killed 111 worshippers, and the twin disasters marred the first hajj to be overseen by the king since he ascended to the throne at the start of this year.

17 October A gunman shot and killed five people in an attack on a Shi'ite Muslim meeting hall in Saudi Arabia on Friday before being shot dead by police, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV said, in an attack claimed by Islamic State. The deadly assault will raise tensions in the kingdom's largely Shi'ite Eastern province, a focus of the ultra-violent Sunni militants who view them as apostates worthy of death. "A person who opened fire on a husseiniya was killed, and the attacker was in his twenties," reported government-run channel, Al Ekhbariya TV. A resident reached by telephone told Reuters that the assailant approached the meeting hall in the eastern city of Saihat in a taxi but was stopped at a checkpoint manned by volunteers protecting the site. Police arrived and a gunbattle broke out, which the resident said injured several people and left the shooter dead. Islamic State, an ultra-violent Sunni group based in Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted online. "With the approval of God Almighty, the soldier of the caliphate Shuja al-Dawsari, may God accept him, set his Kalashnikov upon one of the apostate polytheists' temples." Amateur video described as filmed by activists inside the hall showed worshippers, including young children, crowding toward the entrance at the sound of gunfire before retreating in fear. Islamic State has launched a series of deadly attacks inside the kingdom in recent months, aiming to stir sectarian confrontation on the Arabian Peninsula and bring about the overthrow of Gulf States' ruling dynasties.

10 October Two Indian nationals wanted in terror cases in India have been detained in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates and are expected to be deported soon. While Abu Sufiyan alias Asadullah Khan has been detained in Saudi Arabia, Zainul Abideen alias Zahid Sheikh has been nabbed in Dubai in the UAE. Hyderabad native Sufiyan (50) allegedly participated in terror conspiracy meetings in Riyadh in 2011-12 with a few youths from Karnataka and Maharashtra who were arrested for alleged links with Lashkar-e-Toiba. Sufiyan is identified as Mohammed Asad Khan in an Interpol red corner notice and as Asadullah Khan alias Asad Khan alias Abu Sufiyan in a November 2012 NIA charge sheet in an alleged LeT conspiracy to recruit youths in India to carry out terror activities.

7 October Several Daesh terrorists have threatened to kill their families and loved ones in the Kingdom “if they do not repent,” according to a video that went viral on social networking sites on Sunday evening. The threat comes in the wake of a citizen, Saad Al-Anzi, killing his cousin, Madous Al-Anzi, on the first day of Eid Al-Adha, in an incident that shocked Saudi society. Saad was arrested two days after the crime was committed. The video shows Jammer Al-Khamali Al-Anzi, Al-Anbar deputy commander and a member of the Saudi branch of Daesh, posting pictures of his relatives working in the Kingdom, including his brother, and calling for their killing “if they do not repent.” This comes as Al-Khamali’s family publicly disowned him in a press statement. Al-Khamali had previously been jailed for six years in the Kingdom, and was released by the courts. However, he travelled to Syria with Daesh and issued threats against his relatives and fellow citizens on Twitter and Facebook. Twitter has since suspended

his account. Meanwhile, a video went viral on YouTube showing a woman inside her home thanking security officers for raiding the house. It appears she is the mother of a wanted suspect, according to several posts on networking sites.

3 October Saudi security forces arrested a Syrian man accused of plotting attacks and his Filipino accomplice in a raid on an illegal explosives factory in Riyadh, the Interior Ministry said Saturday. The ministry said the two people arrested in Wednesday’s raid belonged to a “deviant group” — a term used by Saudi authorities to refer to Al Qaeda or the Islamic State group. It identified the Syrian man as Yaser Mohammed al-Barrazi. Saudi Arabia has this year been grappling with a rising radical Sunni Muslim militancy linked to the Islamic State group, which operates mainly in Iraq and Syria and is also known as ISIS or ISIL. The group says it wants to overthrow the Persian Gulf Arab states’ ruling dynasties and has called on Saudi Sunnis to carry out attacks inside the kingdom. Saudi Arabia has arrested hundreds of people said to be sympathizers, and this year Islamic State suicide bombers have attacked Shiite mosques in the Eastern Province and in Kuwait. Two explosive belts and bomb-making equipment were found in the raid on Wednesday in Riyadh, the capital. On Thursday, the American Embassy in Riyadh put out a new security warning to American citizens in Saudi Arabia. The embassy gave no specific details on the nature of the threat.

Syria

29 October Syrian activists and state-owned media are saying that several mortar shells hit near the Russian Embassy in Damascus, but no injuries were recorded. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 10 shells struck in the vicinity of the embassy in the central Damascus neighbourhood of Al-Adawi. The state news agency SANA said at least eight shells fell. Both SANA and the Observatory say there is material damage but provided no details. Thursday's attack is not the first time the embassy was targeted. On Oct.13, as government supporters gathered outside the embassy in a rally to thank Moscow for aiding the Syrian government's military campaign, shells fell inside the embassy compound. No one was reported hurt at the time.

28 October Arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran announced they would attend international talks in Vienna on Friday on the Syrian conflict, in what will be their first meeting to discuss the four-year-long war. Saudi Arabia said it aimed to gauge during the talks the willingness of Iran and Russia, the main backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, for a peace deal, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Wednesday. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and three of his deputies will travel to Vienna, Iranian state news agencies said. It will be the first time that Tehran has been represented in international discussions on the Syrian crisis. Iran says it supports a political solution in Syria, but says Assad should be part of the process. Opposition groups, and their regional backers including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, say Assad must leave power as a precondition for peace. Al-Jubeir said Saudi Arabia and its allies would hold a separate meeting on Friday to seek "the time and means of Bashar al-Assad's exit". The White House said the peace talks could only work if "all key stakeholders" were invited, adding that Iran's participation should not overshadow the efforts to end the Syrian crisis. "The United States is prepared to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran, to resolve the conflict in Syria," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters. Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, Lebanon, the European Union and France also said they would attend Friday's talks, which come a day after a smaller round of negotiations between the United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Around a dozen participants are expected in total. It was not clear whether any invitation had been issued to either the Syrian government or the opposition. Neither side was present at the last talks in Vienna.

26 October Turkish army units have opened fire on fighters from the main Kurdish force in northern Syria deployed across the border in a majority Arab town, the Kurdish force and an allied rebel said Monday. There was no immediate comment from Turkish officials on the shooting. The U.S.-supported Kurdish militia known as the YPG said on its official Facebook page that Turkish military shot at its forces deployed in the town of Tal Abyad twice Sunday, using mostly machine guns. An allied rebel fighter from a contingent of Free Syrian Army fighters called Volcano of the Euphrates, Sharfan Darwish, said no one was injured in the shooting and the Kurdish forces didn't return fire. Kurdish fighters expelled Islamic State militants from the town in June, dealing a major blow to the extremist group's abilities to access supply routes across the Turkish borders. Last week, Tal Abyad — which has a majority Arab population — was declared an independent administration allied with the semi-autonomous Kurdish enclave in northern Syria. The Kurdish capture of the town, and its subsequent inclusion under the semi-autonomous enclave, has irked neighbouring Turkey, which fears the expansion of the influence of the Kurds, who represent about one fifth of Turkish population. A Kurdish insurgent group in Turkey

is affiliated with Syria's main political force and its allied fighters, the YPG, and has demands for greater autonomy and rights. On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan railed against the Kurdish forces in Syria, accusing them of working with IS to seize more lands. He also criticized the declaration of an independent administration in Tal Abyad. "This has started to become a threat for Turkey. Turkey will do whatever is necessary. Everyone should know that," Erdogan said. Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, accused the Kurdish administration of undermining Syria's unity, accusing it of displacing the Arab population of Tal Abyad. A Kurdish politician Omar Alloush from Tal Abyad sought to underplay the tension, saying the shooting could have been targeting smugglers. Syria's Kurds, the country's largest ethnic minority group long ostracized under the central government, declared a semi-autonomous administration in 2013. They have also proved a reliable ally of the U.S. Backed by U.S. airstrikes, Kurdish fighters have pushed IS militants out of several major towns in northern Syria. But many, including rights groups, accused the Kurds of displacing Arab populations from towns and villages they controlled. The U.N. refugee agency at the time said the Kurdish advance on Tal Abyad caused the displacement of about 23,000 people who fled the fighting to Turkey. Amnesty International accused the Kurdish authorities of intentionally displacing thousands of Arab residents later, some in retaliation for perceived support to IS — charges that the Kurds denied.

At least 120,000 people have been displaced in Syria this month because of fighting, according to U.N. humanitarian officials. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the people fled their homes in the Aleppo, Hama and Idlib governorates between Oct. 5 and Oct. 22. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday that most remain in the three governorates but some have fled to camps near the Turkish border. He said most people in Aleppo moved toward villages and towns in the countryside west of the city. Dujarric said the displaced Syrians need tents, basic household items, food, water and sanitation services. The U.N.'s humanitarian partners are scaling up their response, and distribution of cooked and ready-to-eat food has started to those displaced in the three governorates but needs to be stepped up. The U.N. report largely matches up with a similar report Monday by the Norwegian Refugee Council, which estimated that 100,000 Syrians have been displaced in the last three weeks by the recent surge in fighting following the start of an airstrike campaign by the Russian military. The council said that this new exodus is pressuring already overcrowded and overstretched camps in the country. In a statement, the group said that the new wave of displacement is mostly from the province of Aleppo, where Syrian government and allied troops, emboldened by Russian airstrikes, began a ground offensive on Oct. 16. The militant Islamic State group has also seized new territories in Aleppo, pushing out rival rebels and fighting with government troops. Others were displaced by the airstrikes and fighting in Hama and Homs. Last week, a U.N. official in Geneva said that around 35,000 people are reported to have been displaced from just two villages on the southwestern outskirts of Aleppo city. The civil war, in its fifth year, has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced half of Syria's pre-war population of 23 million.

25 October Western-backed rebels of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have rejected an offer of military support from Russia. An FSA spokesman said that Moscow could not be trusted and that its help was not needed. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that Russia was ready to help the rebels if they attacked militants from the Islamic State (IS) group. Russia, a key ally of the Syrian government, has carried out air strikes in the country since last month. Moscow says the strikes have mainly targeted IS, but Western powers say most have hit the FSA and other factions backed by the West and Gulf states. In his offer to the FSA, Mr Lavrov said the Russian air force could support the FSA provided the US shared information about rebel positions. But on Sunday, an FSA spokesman told the BBC that Russia had no role in Syria. "[Russian President] Vladimir Putin, is assisting a regime that indiscriminately kills their own people," Issam al-Reis said. "How could we trust the Russians' help?" Mr Issam said the FSA would continue fighting President Bashar al-Assad, who "was not part of the solution" to ending Syria's civil war. "If the Syrians stood with Assad he would not ask for invaders to come to Syria," he said.

23 October A former bodyguard of Iran’s hardline former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been killed in Syria while defending a religious site near Aleppo, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Friday. “Abdollah Bagheri Niaraki, who for a while was the bodyguard of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was martyred near Aleppo yesterday (Thursday),” Fars reported, adding that he had been fighting to defend a shrine. It did not say whether he was a member of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Iran is the main regional ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has provided military and economic support during Syria’s four-year-old civil war. Tehran denies having any military forces in Syria, but says it has offered “military advice” to Syrian army in their fight against Islamic State of Iraq

and Syria (ISIS) militants and other rebel groups. Four Iranian commanders were killed this month fighting in Syria. Another Iranian IRGC commander was killed in Syria in June.

Syria's ally Russia says there should be talks between the Syrian government and the "full spectrum" of opposition. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also urged an intensification of efforts to find a political solution to the war. Mr Lavrov was speaking after meeting his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the US. On Thursday, President Putin suggested the Syrian regime could be ready to work with some rebel groups against the so-called Islamic State. Mr Putin said President Assad had agreed to the idea on a recent visit to Moscow. Speaking at the start of talks in Vienna on Friday, Mr Lavrov said: "Our common position is that we need to boost efforts for the political process in the Syrian settlement. This foresees the start of full-scale talks between representatives of the Syrian government and the full spectrum of the Syrian opposition, both domestic and external - with the support of outside players." Mr Lavrov did not define exactly which opposition groups should be included. US Secretary of State John Kerry, who also attended, said the talks had been "constructive" and that an expanded round of negotiations could take place next week.

22 October Russian President Vladimir Putin said his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad had told him he was ready to talk to armed opposition groups if they are genuinely committed to dialogue and to combating Islamic State. Speaking a day after Assad made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with Putin—underlining Moscow's new role as a central player in Syria's conflict—Putin said the two men had talked about the need for a political solution. Some Western governments have portrayed Russia as an obstacle to a political deal, especially since it started air strikes on Islamist groups in Syria opposed to Assad, including some backed by the United States and its allies. But Putin said he believed that the military operation in Syria could create the right conditions for progress in talks on the future of the country.

A new wave of migration might be starting following an increase in fighting in the Syrian province of Aleppo, where Syrian government and Russian warplanes are attacking opposition-held areas, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday. Some 350,000 people live in opposition-held areas in the province and two thousand of those have so far moved towards the border with Turkey though they have not yet crossed, Izzet Sahin, international relations coordinator at the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) said. IHH established 19 internally displaced persons camps inside Syria. Sahin said around 80,000 people had fled Hama city because of air strikes, and were living in the open air in the countryside. "If there is a further attack on Aleppo it means we will receive hundreds of thousands (into Turkey) in the coming weeks. It is a disaster. They have nowhere to go," Sahin said. Government officials said there was no sign yet of people from Aleppo reaching Turkey in large numbers, adding that there was capacity to initially accommodate 55-60,000 in a camp in the Turkish border town of Kilis. With the refugee influx becoming a hot button issue days before a parliamentary election in Turkey and amid pressure from the European Union to stem the flow of people to its shores, Turkey's open-door policy toward migrants is likely to be tested. In a speech to a law association, Erdogan said there were strong indications that a new wave of migration had started. He also repeated his calls to train and equip more rebels against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and to set up a safe zone to protect displaced civilians - a plan which has long failed to find support from Western allies. Hundreds of thousands of refugees from Middle East wars have travelled onwards from Turkey to Europe - the biggest migration movement the continent has seen since World War Two.

21 October Canadian Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau has confirmed he will withdraw Canadian fighter jets from the air strikes against Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria. He informed US President Barack Obama of his decision hours after leading his Liberal Party to victory in the polls. As part of his election campaign, Mr Trudeau pledged to bring home the CF-18 fighter jets that were deployed to the region until March 2016. He has not yet given a timescale.

Vladimir Putin used a rare visit to Moscow by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to talk up the Kremlin's potential to help broker a political settlement to the crisis as he tried to show the West Russia has become a major player in the Middle East. Assad flew to Moscow on Tuesday evening to thank Putin personally for his military support, in a surprise visit that Russian state media cast as a diplomatic coup. It was Assad's first foreign visit since the start of the Syrian crisis in 2011, and came three weeks after Russia launched a campaign of air strikes against Islamist militants and rebels in Syria that has bolstered Assad's forces. The Kremlin, which said it had invited Assad to visit Moscow, kept the visit quiet until Wednesday morning. Putin told Assad he hoped progress on the military front would be followed by moves towards a political solution in Syria, bolstering Western hopes Moscow will use its

increased influence to cajole Assad into talking to his opponents. Moscow, which feels shut out by the West because of the Ukraine crisis, is keen to show its detractors it is pursuing military and diplomatic tracks simultaneously, and Putin spoke to several regional leaders after meeting Assad. He talked by telephone to the kings of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, as well as the presidents of Egypt and Turkey to brief them on the details of Assad's visit. Assad's confidence is likely to be boosted by his Moscow visit, which comes as his forces wage counter offensives in western Syria against insurgents backed by Assad's foreign opponents, as well as Islamic State militants. Russian officials have repeatedly said they have no special loyalty for the Syrian leader, but his audience with Putin will be seen in the West as yet another sign the Kremlin wants Assad to be part of any political solution, at least initially. The visit also suggests that Russia, and not long-time ally Iran, has now emerged as Assad's most important foreign friend.

Almost 80 percent of Russia's declared targets in Syria have been in areas not held by Islamic State, a Reuters analysis of Russian Defence Ministry data shows, undermining Moscow's assertions that its aim is to defeat the group. The majority of strikes, according to the analysis, have instead been in areas held by other groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which include al Qaeda offshoots but also fighters backed by Washington and its allies. Defence ministry statements of targets hit by the Russian Air Force and an online archive of Russian military maps show Russia has hit 64 named locations since President Vladimir Putin ordered the first round of air strikes three weeks ago. Of those targets, a maximum of 15 were in areas held by Islamic State, according to a survey of locations of the rival forces in Syria compiled by the Institute for the Study of War. "If you look at the map, you can easily understand that they are not fighting Islamic State but other opposition groups," said Alexander Golts, a Moscow-based defence columnist and deputy editor of online newspaper Yezhednevny Zhurnal. The data supports assertions from Washington and its NATO allies that Russia's intervention in Syria, its biggest military deployment abroad since the collapse of the Soviet Union, is designed to prop up Assad, who flew to Moscow on Tuesday to thank Putin for his support. Moscow's other possible motives could be to maintain a strategic foothold in the Middle East and showcase itself as a global military power at a time when relations with the West have sunk to a post-Soviet low over the crisis in Ukraine. Russian officials have rejected the accusations and repeatedly stressed that they are targeting Islamic State, alongside other groups they classify as Islamist terrorists. They say Moscow and the West are fighting a common enemy. However, the pattern of the strikes in Syria suggests a different picture. Russia's air force has flown over 780 sorties against almost 800 targets in Syria since Sept. 30. As recently as Monday, its jets hit targets in six named locations, none of which were in areas held by Islamic State, the Reuters analysis showed. "The main goal of these air strikes is supporting ground offensives by the Syrian army," Golts said. The Russian defence ministry was not immediately available for comment.

20 October Russian air strikes in Syria have killed 370 people since they began on September 30, around a third of them civilians, a monitoring group said Tuesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 243 rebel fighters had been killed, among them 52 from the Islamic State group, along with 127 civilians. Among the civilians were 36 children and 34 women, according to Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman. Moscow began air strikes in Syria last month in cooperation with the government in Damascus and says it is targeting the Islamic State group and other "terrorists". But Syrian rebels and their backers accuse Russia of targeting moderate and Islamist rebels in a bid to bolster the regime. Moscow's strikes have hit multiple provinces across the country, including strongholds of IS like Raqqa province. But they have focused most heavily on several provinces where Syrian regime forces are leading offensives against an array of opposition forces that do not include IS.

19 October In a striking sign of Iran’s growing regional influence, a major assault on Syria’s most populous city is being coordinated by an Iranian military commander using Shiite forces from three countries to back President Bashar al-Assad’s beleaguered troops, militia officials said. Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, has ordered thousands of Iraqi Shiite militia allies into Syria for the operation to recapture Aleppo, according to officials from three of the militias. The militiamen are to join Iranian troops and forces from Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia, the officials said. Soleimani has been a frequent sight on the battlefields in neighboring Iraq, where he has been advising Iraqi forces fighting Islamic State militants. But the war there has stagnated, and the shift of the commander along with Iraqi militiamen and Quds Force members to Syria appears to signal a change in Iranian priorities. The battle for Sunni-majority Aleppo, announced Friday by Syria, is important because of the city’s size and prominence as an economic hub before the outbreak of Syria’s civil war.

Its eastern side has been held by rebels since 2012. Russia is also involved in the fight for the city, launching airstrikes in the vicinity to support Assad’s forces.

18 October At least 40 militants with the so-called Islamic State have been killed in air strikes in Syria, a British-based monitoring group reports. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a convoy of 16 vehicles was hit as it drove through an eastern part of Hama province overnight. The Observatory's head said the planes could be Russian or Syrian but were not from the US-led coalition. Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP charred bodies of fighters were at the scene. The Observatory, which monitors the conflict in Syria using a network of sources on the ground, said the convoy was travelling from the IS de facto capital of Raqqa when it was attacked.

The US says it has a killed a senior member of a group of al-Qaeda veterans called the Khorasan Group in an air strike in north-western Syria. A Pentagon statement said the strike killed a Saudi national called Sanafi al-Nasr. The statement said he had funnelled money and recruits to Al-Qaeda and had helped its "operations in the West." The Pentagon said Sanafi al-Nasr had "moved funds from donors in the Gulf region into Iraq and then to al-Qaeda leaders … He organized and maintained routes for new recruits to travel from Pakistan to Syria through Turkey." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, reported that he had been killed on Friday in Aleppo province. The Khorasan Group - a name apparently coined by the US - is believed to be made up of veteran militants from Afghanistan and Pakistan, which extremists refer to as Khorasan, as well as North Africa and Chechnya. They are thought to have embedded themselves within al-Qaeda's local affiliate, the al-Nusra Front, and obtained land and buildings in its strongholds. US officials say the group has been sent not to fight the government of President Bashar al-Assad but to develop "external attacks, construct and test improvised explosive devices and recruit Westerners to conduct operations".

16 October Syria's armed forces advanced south of the second city of Aleppo on Friday in a fresh ground offensive backed by Russian warplanes, a monitoring group said. Since Moscow began its air war in support of Damascus on September 30, the Syrian army has launched assaults against rebels in at least four provinces with Russian aerial support, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Russian air cover is backing offensives by Syria's army and allied militias in the central provinces of Homs and Hama, as well as Aleppo in the north and Latakia along the coast. On Friday, the Syrian army pushed south from the provincial capital Aleppo city, where control is divided between regime and rebels forces, as Russian air strikes pounded the villages of Al-Hader and Khan Tuman and nearby localities.

Turkey says its warplanes have shot down an unidentified aircraft which intruded into its airspace near the border with Syria. Media reports quote officials as saying the aircraft was a type of drone. The Syrian government is known to be operating drones, as are Russia and the US-led coalition against Islamic State. A US official said they believed the drone was of Russian origin, but Russia says that all their drones have been accounted for. The military said the unknown aircraft detected near the border had been warned three times before it was shot down "in accordance with rules of engagement". The Russian military later said all its aircraft in the region were operational. Earlier this month Turkey accused Russian jets - which have recently joined the air battle against Syrian rebel group - of violating its airspace. The intrusions also drew condemnation from NATO. Russia said the incursions were brief and accidental.

15 October Cuban military operatives reportedly have been spotted in Syria, where sources believe they are advising President Bashar al-Assad’s soldiers and may be preparing to man Russian-made tanks to aid Damascus in fighting rebel forces backed by the U.S. Gen. Leopoldo Cintra Frias, head of Cuba's Armed Forces, recently visited Syria to lead a group of Cuban military personnel joining forces with Russia in their support of Assad, according to information received by the University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies. On Wednesday, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that Cuban paramilitary and Special Forces units are on the ground in Syria, citing evidence from intelligence reports. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Cuban troops may have been training in Russia and may have arrived in Syria on Russian planes. An Arab military officer at the Damascus airport reportedly witnessed two Russian planes arrive there with Cuban military personnel on board. When the officer questioned the Cubans, they told him they were there to assist Assad because they are experts at operating Russian tanks, according to Jaime Suchlicki, the institute's executive director.

Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, have launched an offensive in the province of Homs. Activists said the assault on a rebel enclave north of the city of Homs began early on Thursday and was preceded by intense bombardment. Casualties were reported in the towns of Teir Maaleh,

Talbiseh and Ghantu. The Syrian military and its allies have launched a number of ground offensives on rebel-held areas since Russia launched an air campaign two weeks ago. Russia says it is targeting "terrorists", primarily jihadist militants from Islamic State (IS), but many strikes have reportedly hit civilians and Western-backed rebels. One opposition activist said there was a series of air strikes before dawn on Thursday on towns and villages just north of the city of Homs, followed by a ground assault by the Syrian army.

14 October Two senior commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been killed in Syria, according to Iranian media. Hamid Mokhtarband and Brigadier General Farshad Hassounizadeh died while assisting the Syrian government's battle against ISIL on Monday, reported the Tasnim and Fars news agencies and Press TV. Their deaths come after another top commander, General Hossein Hamadani, was killed on Thursday night on the outskirts of Aleppo. Press TV reported that Hassounizadeh was in Syria to "defend the holy shrine of Hazrat Zeinab, the granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), in the country’s capital of Damascus." The Islamic Republic denies having any military forces in Syria, but says it offers "military advice" to Assad's forces in their fight against "terrorist groups". An IRGC statement on Friday said that Hamadani had been advising the Syrian military and defend Shia shrines in the country. Iran is the main regional ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and has provided military and economic support during Syria's four-year-old civil war.

13 October The US military has delivered more than 45 tonnes of ammunition to rebels fighting the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) in north-eastern Syria. C-17 transport aircraft, accompanied by fighter escorts, dropped pallets of supplies overnight in Hassakeh province, a Pentagon spokesman said. The consignment reportedly comprised small arms, ammunition and grenades. It comes days after the US abandoned a $500m (£326m) plan to train thousands of "moderate" rebels to fight IS. The money will instead be used to provide much-needed ammunition and some weapons to commanders of rebel groups already established on the ground.

Kurdish forces have carried out a wave of forced displacement and mass house demolitions - amounting to war crimes - in northern Syria, a rights group says. A report by Amnesty International accuses the Popular Protection Units (YPG) of razing entire villages after capturing them from Islamic State (IS). This appeared to be in retaliation for residents' perceived sympathies with or links to the terrorist group, it says. The YPG has consistently denied accusations of forced displacements. However, the YPG - a key ally of the US-led international coalition against IS - and its political parent the PYD have admitted to some "isolated incidents". Coalition air strikes, as well as air drops of weapons and ammunition, have helped the militia to drive IS out of large parts of northern Syria this year. The Amnesty report came as the US said it had dropped more than 45 tonnes of ammunition to rebels in north-western Syria. On Tuesday, Amnesty said its researchers had uncovered evidence of "alarming abuses" carried out by the YPG - the military wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) - in towns and villages controlled by the Kurdish Autonomous Administration in Hassakeh and Raqqa provinces. Its report quoted one witness in the village of Husseiniya, in Hassakeh province, as saying: "They pulled us out of our homes and began burning the home... they brought the bulldozers... They demolished home after home until the entire village was destroyed." Satellite images illustrated the scale of the demolitions in Husseiniya, Amnesty said. Of 225 buildings visible in June 2014, only 14 were still standing by June 2015.

9 October The Islamic State registered significant gains on Friday in the area of north-western Syria that Russian warplanes have been bombing, taking six villages near Aleppo and threatening to cut off an important route north to the Turkish border. Late in the day, there were reports that rebels had reasserted control in one village. The Kremlin has said its military had entered Syria to fight the Islamic State, but the Russian forces have concentrated much of their firepower on insurgent groups aligned against President Bashar al-Assad, including the Nusra Front, Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, and relatively secular groups like the Free Syrian Army. Rival insurgents say that the Islamic State, also called ISIS or Daesh, is taking advantage. “Daesh has exploited the Russian airstrikes and the preoccupation of the Free Syrian Army in its battles in Hama, and advanced in Aleppo,” one rebel commander said. The Islamic State advance is threatening a strategic area north of Aleppo on the way to crossing points into Turkey that was to be part of a proposed ISIS-free buffer zone under a plan the United States announced over the summer with Turkey. That plan now seems to have stalled.

The United States will largely abandon its failed efforts to train moderate Syrian rebels fighting Islamic State, and instead provide arms and equipment directly to rebel leaders and their units on the

battlefield, the Obama administration said on Friday. The U.S. announcement marked the effective end to a short-lived $580 million program to train and equip units of fighters at sites outside of Syria, after its disastrous launch this year fanned criticism of President Barack Obama's war strategy. The Pentagon said it would shift its focus away from training to providing weapons and other equipment to rebel groups whose leaders have passed a U.S. vetting process to ensure they are not linked to militant Islamist groups. The strategy switch comes as the Obama administration grapples with a dramatic change in the landscape in Syria's four-year-old civil war, brought about by Russia's military intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assad. Obama has previously questioned the notion that arming rebels would change the course of Syria's war. In an interview with the New York Times in August 2014, he said the idea that arming the moderate Syrian opposition would make a big difference on the battlefield had "always been a fantasy." By vetting only rebel commanders, the new U.S. policy could raise the risk that American-supplied arms could fall into the hands of individual fighters who are anti-Western. Christine Wormuth, the Pentagon's No. 3 civilian official, said however that the United States had "pretty high confidence" in the Syrian rebels it would supply, and that the equipment would not include "higher end" arms such as anti-tank rockets and shoulder-fired anti-aircraft rockets. The Pentagon will provide "basic kinds of equipment" to leaders of the groups, Wormuth, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, told reporters on a White House conference call. The Pentagon program launched in May trained only 60 fighters, falling far short of the original goal of 5,400 and so working out at a cost so far of nearly $10 million per trained fighter.

5 October Another landmark structure in Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra has been deliberately destroyed by Islamic State militants, according to local anti-government activists and Syrian officials. The building involved this time was a set of triumphal arches, erected in the second century. Since seizing Palmyra from government forces in May, Islamic State fighters have destroyed some of the most beautiful and historically significant monuments in the sprawling oasis city in Syria’s central desert, one of the world’s most renowned archaeological sites. The latest to fall was the triple arch built by the Romans to celebrate a victory over the Persians, which bore ancient inscriptions and stood at the entrance to a grand colonnade. Militants of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, had already blown up the temples of Baalshamin and of Baal, in keeping with their stated belief that such structures are idolatrous. But the arch was not a religious structure. Its destruction was first reported on Sunday by an anti-government activist who uses the nom de guerre Khaled al-Homsi and who has long monitored the destruction of antiquities in Palmyra by all parties in the multisided war. Mr. Homsi fled Palmyra after the Islamic State takeover, in which his uncle Khalid al-Asaad, a former antiquities official, was killed by the group.

Russian warships in the Caspian Sea fired cruise missiles Wednesday as Syrian government troops launched a ground offensive in central Syria in the first major combined air-and-ground assault since Moscow began its military campaign in the country last week. The missiles flew nearly 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) over Iran and Iraq and struck Raqqa and Aleppo provinces in the north and Idlib province in the northwest, Russian officials said. The Islamic State group has strongholds in Raqqa and Aleppo, while the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front has a strong presence in Idlib. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Russia was continuing to strike targets other than Islamic State militants, adding that he was concerned about the Syrian ground offensive backed by Moscow's airpower. The latest developments came a week after Russia began airstrikes in Syria, its longtime ally, on Sept. 30, and added a new dimension to the complex war that has torn apart the Mideast country since 2011. Activists and rebels say the targets have included Western-backed fighters and other groups opposed to President Bashar Assad.

2 October Russian jets have launched 18 attacks inside Syria over the last 24 hours, according to the country's official news agency, despite international concern about the military campaign. The Tass news agency reported Friday that Russia had "conducted 18 sorties against 12 facilities of the Islamic State terrorist group," quoting Igor Konashenkov, the spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry. But international officials and some people inside Syria doubt that Russia is limiting its attacks to ISIS. Friday marks the third day Russia has carried out airstrikes in Syria.

Turkey

28 October Turkish police have stormed the headquarters of a media group linked to US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen days before the country's election. Officers used chainsaws to smash through the gates of the media compound, according to footage broadcast live on TV. Mr Gulen, the spiritual leader of the Hizmet movement, is a rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The raid prompted concerns over

media freedom ahead of Sunday's vote. Police moved in on the Koza-Ipek media group's Istanbul headquarters following a court ruling for its seizure, firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters outside the offices. The editor-in-chief of Bugun TV - one of the group's television channels - spoke to viewers moments before the raid, saying: "Do not be surprised if you see police in our studio in the next few minutes. This is an operation to silence all the dissident voices that the ruling party does not like, including media outlets, opposition parties and businessmen. This is true for anyone who does not obey." An Ankara court ordered the seizure of Koza-Ipek's companies on Monday as part of a longstanding crackdown on Mr Gulen's allies. Wednesday's raid was linked to an investigation into the group on suspicion on "terror financing" and "terror propaganda", Ankara's chief prosecutor's office said in a statement. The company denies any wrongdoing.

27 October Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey had struck Kurdish militia fighters in Syria twice after they defied Ankara's warning not to cross west of the Euphrates River. Ankara fears that advances by the Kurdish YPG militia, backed by its PYD political wing, on the Syrian side of its 900 km (560-mile) border will fuel separatist ambitions among Turkey's own Kurds in the southeast of the country. Washington has supported Kurds in Syria as an effective force in combating Islamic State militants, complicating its relationship with long-time ally and fellow NATO member Turkey. "We have said 'PYD will not cross west of the Euphrates, we will hit them the moment they do' and we have struck them twice," Davutoglu told AHaber Television late on Monday, without saying when the incidents took place. Two senior Turkish officials told Reuters that Ankara had warned the United States and Russia earlier this month that it would not tolerate Kurdish militias encroaching on territory in north-western Syria close to its border. The YPG militia said in statements over the weekend that the Turkish army had twice attacked its positions near the border towns of Tel Abyad and Kobani. "Turkey has drawn its red line as the west of Euphrates and this incident is in line with that warning," a Turkish government official told Reuters, also without specifying a date for the incident. Tel Abyad, on the border with Turkey, was captured in June from Islamic State by Kurdish YPG militia backed up by U.S.-led air strikes. Last week a local leadership council declared it part of the system of autonomous self-government established by the Kurds. That has infuriated Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who on Saturday accused Kurdish groups of trying to grab control of all of northern Syria, adding that Ankara would not allow that to happen. Syrian Kurds have established three autonomous zones, or "cantons", across northern Syria since the civil war broke out in 2011. They deny aiming to establish their own state.

21 October Turkish investigators say they've identified one of the men responsible for a recent terror attack in Ankara. The suicide bombing earlier this month killed several dozen people and wounded hundreds more. It was one of the deadliest attacks on record in Turkey. Local news sources report that the man linked to the blast is related to a bomber who carried out another attack in Turkey this summer. The sources say the brothers had ties to the Islamic State.

18 October Turkish police arrested around 50 foreign nationals in Istanbul early Sunday in a sweep targeting terrorists of the Islamic State group suspected of involvement in last weekend's Ankara suicide bombings, reports said. The raid focused on several apartments in the Pendik suburb on Istanbul's Asian side. It did not indicate the nationalities of those detained and questioned by police. The Dogan news agency said the suspects were preparing to travel to Iraq and Syria to join IS. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said IS is the chief suspect in the double suicide bombing that killed 102 people at a peace rally in Ankara on October 10 in the deadliest attack in the country's modern history. Turkish media reports have said one of the two bombers was identified as Yunus Emre Alagoz, brother of the man who carried out a similar attack in July in Suruc, a town in southern Turkey on the border with Syria, which killed 34 people. The other, identified as Omer Deniz Dundar, had twice been to Syria in recent times, the reports said. The attack has raised political tensions to new highs as Turkey prepares for a snap election on November 1, in a country that has become more polarised than ever. Pressure has piled on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with opposition figures blaming him for security lapses over the Ankara attack. For almost three months, Turkey has been waging an offensive against PKK militants, who have responded with attacks of their own, killing more than 140 members of the security forces.

16 October Turkey said Friday it shot down a drone that violated its airspace from Syria, marking its first assault on an aircraft since Russia’s entry into the Syrian civil war heightened the risk of a direct confrontation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The aircraft continued its breach despite three warning transmissions, and was then shot down by Turkish jets patrolling the Syrian border, Turkey’s military said in a statement. The military didn’t elaborate on the warnings, nor did it specify which country the

aircraft belonged to. The aircraft was shot down in the Turkish province of Kilis, according to privately owned Dogan news agency. The incident highlights the risks in the region’s crowded airspace as Russia ramps up its air campaign in support of the Syrian regime and U.S.-led coalition forces, including Turkish jets, bomb Islamic State in Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry said all its warplanes had returned to their base in Syria after completing missions and its drones were operating normally. But photographic images of the drone wreck circulated in the media, including state-run Anadolu news agency, indicate that the downed aircraft was a Russian-made Orlan 10 unmanned aerial vehicle or a replica of it, security analysts said, the same type of drone that Ukraine said it shot down in May 2014. The Russian drone maker disputed claims that the downed aircraft was an Orlan, according to Russian state news agency RIA on Friday. Col. Gen. Andrei Kartapolov, the head of the main operations directorate of the Russian general staff, strongly denied the downed drone was Russian. Russian or Syrian forces were most likely using the unmarked drone to test Turkey’s determination to protect its airspace, according to Can Kasapoglu of the Istanbul-based Centre for Economic and Foreign Policy Studies, which published a report last week on Russia’s air operations in Syria. Russia, the U.S. and Israel operate drones over Syria. Ankara tightened its engagement rules after Syria downed a Turkish reconnaissance jet in June 2012, and treats any approach from Syria as a military threat. Since then, Turkey has downed one Syrian MiG-23 jet and two helicopters. Damascus maintains that one of those was a drone. “An aircraft, whose nationality is unknown, has been downed as demanded by engagement rules,” Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said of the latest incident. NATO and Ankara accused Russia of twice crossing into Turkish airspace on Oct. 3-4, characterizing the intrusions as a deliberate show of force. Moscow says there was only a brief, accidental breach. Turkish officials have repeatedly cautioned that any breach would be met with force. Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu said Friday that the unmarked drone was shot 3 kilometres inside Turkey. Ankara has also reported repeated harassment of Turkish jets patrolling the Syrian border. Unmarked Russian-made MiG-29 warplanes, which the Syrian air force also possesses, have locked their radars on Turkish F-16s, which have also been targeted by missiles stationed inside Syria, according to Turkey’s armed forces. Flying jets and drones without national identification provides ambiguity to Russian and Syrian forces while deterring Turkey from hostile action, analysts said. Ankara doesn’t hesitate to shoot a Syrian warplane or unmanned aerial vehicle, but NATO is eager to avoid downing a Russian jet to avoid a confrontation as Moscow and the West back competing sides in Syria’s civil war. Current Russian operations along the Turkish border, and potential efforts to undermine Ankara’s rules of engagement, set the stage for greater air cover for Syrian regime forces as they prepare a ground offensive against rebel fighters in the country’s north, according to Mr. Kasapoglu. Amid mounting tension on the Turkey-Syrian border and diplomatic barbs, Russia accepted an invitation by Turkey and sent a military delegation to Ankara to discuss the breaches of Turkish airspace. The two countries discussed steps to prevent repeat violations after Russian officers briefed their Turkish counterparts on Thursday, Turkey’s military said.

14 October Turkey on Wednesday sacked Ankara's top police chief and two other officials as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted security shortcomings over a double suicide bombing in the capital that killed 99. There has been growing anger against Erdogan and the government for alleged security lapses over the worst attack in modern Turkey's history in which two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of peace activists on Saturday. Announcing the first dismissals in the wake of the disaster, the interior ministry said Ankara police chief Kadri Kartal as well the head of the city's police intelligence and security departments had been removed from their posts. It said they had been sacked on the suggestion of investigators "to allow for a healthy investigation" into the atrocity. In his first public remarks on the bombings late Tuesday, Erdogan admitted there were security shortcomings and ordered the State Supervisory Council (DDK), an inspection body attached to the presidency, to undertake a special investigation. On Wednesday, Erdogan made his first visit to the site of the bombings outside Ankara's main railway station, laying flowers for the victims alongside visiting Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu meanwhile announced that the toll from the bombings had risen from 97 to 99 dead.

10 October Two devastating explosions struck Saturday morning in the heart of Ankara, the Turkish capital, killing at least 95 people who had gathered for a peace rally and heightening tensions just three weeks before snap parliamentary elections. The blasts, which officials called the deadliest terrorist attack in modern Turkey’s history, occurred near Ankara’s main train station just as Kurds and leftists planned to march to protest the recent resumption of armed conflict between the Turkish state and Kurdish militants.

8 October A day after the Russian navy fired cruise missiles at targets in Syria — and two days after Russia's warplanes veered into Turkey's airspace — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance "is able and ready to defend all allies, including Turkey, against any threat." Speaking at nearly the same time, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said, "Russia's joining the struggle against terrorism on Syria's territory will lead to changes in the region and the whole world," in remarks relayed by Russia's Tass news agency. At a summit of NATO defense ministers, Stoltenberg said Russia has ratcheted up tensions in the area since its military began carrying out attacks to support Syrian President Bashar Assad. And he dismissed Russia's explanation that it had been patrolling Turkey's border as a way to help the country. "Turkey is a strong ally. Turkey has the second-largest army in the alliance," Stoltenberg said.

7 October Turkey's prime minister called on Russia on Wednesday to respect Turkey's frontiers, saying the country wouldn't "make any concessions" on matters concerning its border security, after two Russian warplanes strayed into Turkish airspace over the weekend. Ahmet Davutoglu also renewed criticism of Russian airstrikes in Syria, insisting they were mainly targeting the moderate Syrian opposition and therefore helping strengthen the Islamic State group. He asked that Russia also respect Turkey's security concerns over Syria. Russian warplanes violated Turkey's borders on two occasions over the weekend, drawing strong protests from Turkey's NATO allies. Turkey scrambled F-16s in response and also summoned the Russian ambassador to lodge protests. Ankara also reported harassment of its jets during patrols of the Syrian border by fighter jets and surface-to-air missile systems in Syria. Turkey and Russia are important trade partners and Turkey is strongly dependent on Russian gas imports. The two countries have conflicting positions on Syria - with Russia backing President Bashar Assad and Turkey insisting on his ouster - but have set differences aside in the past so as not to harm economic ties. "We would not want any tensions with Russia, but it is our right as a neighbour to expect Russia to respect Turkey's airspace and borders and to respect Turkey's interests in Syria," Davutoglu told reporters in Istanbul. "We would not make any concessions in connection to our border security and air space security," he said. Davutoglu said the information Turkey had indicated that out of 57 air strikes carried out by Russia in Syria, only two had targeted IS extremists.

5 October Turkey said it intercepted a Russian jet that violated its airspace over the weekend. The country called in the Russian ambassador and lodged a strong condemnation of the violation, Turkey's foreign ministry said in a statement Monday. "The Russian Federation will be responsible for any undesired incident that may occur," the ministry warned. The incident occurred Saturday in the Yayladagi region of Turkey's southern Hatay province. "The Russian aircraft exited Turkish airspace into Syria after it was intercepted by two F-16s from the Turkish air force, which were conducting patrols in the region." A spokesman for Russia's defense ministry dismissed any idea that the incident was anything nefarious, stating flight patterns that change "under certain weather conditions" might help explain what happened. "This current incident is a result of bad weather conditions in this region," spokesman Igor Konashenkov told reporters. "You shouldn't look for conspiracy theories."

Turkey's prime minister condemned dissemination of a video purporting to show a dead Kurdish militant dragged through the streets tied by the neck to an armoured police vehicle, images that could further inflame tension in the country's southeast. "It is unacceptable to treat any corpse this way, even if it is a dead terrorist," Ahmet Davutoglu said, while not explicitly confirming the veracity of the video and photographs widely posted on Twitter. Davutoglu, whose AK Party faces national elections in November, was speaking in a live interview with HaberTurk TV about the video. It was apparently taken in the province of Sirnak, focus of clashes since a ceasefire between the army and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) broke down in July. "Our Interior Ministry ... will conduct a comprehensive investigation, not into the incident itself, but into the way in which this incident was reflected to the world," Davutoglu said. Security forces since Friday killed 22 PKK militants in clashes in the town of Silvan, which had been under a round-the-clock curfew until Monday and seized weapon stockpiles, the provincial governor in Diyarbakir said. Two soldiers were killed in separate attacks in Gaziantep and Osmaniye on Monday, the army said. Turkish warplanes on Monday bombed PKK targets identified by drones near the south-eastern town of Semdinli, security sources said, with air and ground operations continuing and Special Forces being deployed by helicopter.

2 October Turkish security forces killed more than 10 suspected Kurdish militants amid intensifying clashes in the country's southeast, while 44 people were arrested in Istanbul on suspicion of links with the rebels, officials and media reports said. The exact death toll from clashes in Silvan, a town in south-eastern Turkey's Diyarbakir province, was not immediately clear. A security source said it exceeded 10 people

- all members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkey's crackdown on the PKK began in July after a 2 1/2-year-old ceasefire collapsed and has escalated ahead of a snap national election on November 1. More than 120 security personnel and hundreds of militants have been killed. Among those detained on Friday were district officials of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), a left-wing grouping accused of having links with the hardline PKK, Hurriyet newspaper said. An HDP spokesman had no immediate information on the arrests, and there was also no comment from Turkish police. The HDP on Friday presented its election platform in which it renewed a promise to seek a settlement to the 31-year war with the PKK. "Despite everything, we say peace," HDP Co-Chairwoman Figen Yuksekdag said. "We want a grand peace." HDP district officials have been detained in previous police raids in the predominantly Kurdish southeast. The HDP accuses the government of seeking to punish it for its success in the inconclusive June election that deprived the ruling Islamist-rooted AKP of its single-party majority in parliament. Opinion polls show the AKP may at the Nov. 1 election regain some nationalist voters who abandoned the party over its efforts to end the strife with the PKK, including negotiating with the group's jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan. Whether the AKP will win enough seats to regain a majority remains debatable as poll results have differed. Among the 44 people arrested were union members and former district mayors, Turkish media reported. Authorities imposed a 24-hour curfew on Silvan, where two soldiers were shot dead by suspected PKK militants on Thursday as they left for work. The army has repeatedly clashed with the rebels in Silvan in recent weeks. Deemed a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and European Union, the PKK launched its armed campaign for a Kurdish homeland in south-eastern Turkey in 1984. The conflict has cost more than 40,000 lives.

United Arab Emirates

21 October Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a son of Dubai’s ruler and elder brother to the emirate’s heir apparent, has died at age 33. The United Arab Emirates state news agency WAM said Saturday that he died of a heart attack. Sheikh Rashid was the first son of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his senior wife, Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum. In addition to his role as Dubai ruler, Sheikh Mohammed is vice president and prime minister of the UAE. His younger brother Sheikh Hamdan is Dubai’s crown prince. The commercial hub of Dubai is one of seven sheikhdoms that comprise the Emirates federation. The ruler’s court has declared three days of mourning.

17 October A soldier and an aid worker from the United Arab Emirates have been killed in Yemen where their country is taking part in a Saudi-led military campaign against Iranian-allied Houthi militiamen, Emirati and Yemeni sources said on Saturday. The UAE's state news agency WAM identified the soldier as Captain Hadef Hameed al-Shamesi but gave no details about his death. Separately, a Yemeni security officer said an Emirati aid worker had been shot dead by unknown gunmen on Saturday in Aden, in a sign of continued instability in the southern port city where Yemen's fragile government is based. The Yemeni source said the Emirati had been travelling in an armoured Land Cruiser with a group of his compatriots when he was killed. "He was shot dead when he exited the vehicle near a store by gunmen pursuing in another car," said the official. It was not immediately clear whether there was any link between the killings of the aid worker and the soldier. No one has claimed responsibility for the deaths, but al Qaeda and Islamic State have both gained ground in Yemen, where a war has been raging for seven months between the Saudi-led military alliance and the Houthi militiamen.

14 October Council of the Arab League on Tuesday endorsed a call by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for an emergency meeting for Arab foreign ministers to discuss the Israeli aggressions against Palestinians, attempts to ‘judaise’ Jerusalem as well as Israel's continued desecration of the Al Aqsa Mosque and holy sites. This came at the conclusion of an extraordinary meeting of permanent representatives, chaired by Emirati Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the Arab League, Mohammed Nakhira Al Dhaheri. On Tuesday, the UAE ambassador called for the Arab foreign ministerial meeting to make a resolution that would stop Israeli crimes and protect people and Jerusalem holy sites. "We have to take a serious stand to further urge the international community to shoulder its responsibilities," he said. The meeting was requested by Palestine and in addition to the UAE, it is backed by Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. At today's meeting, the Council of the Arab League blamed the international community and the UN Security Council for not protecting the Palestinian people from what it described as crimes that amount to war crimes against humanity. It insisted on holding Israel to account and bringing perpetrators to international justice. The council also urged the international community to act resolutely against the Israeli government's incitement of killing and hate. The Arab League's body called upon the international community to designate groups of Israeli settlers as

terrorist organisations and bring them to international courts. It additionally urged for international financial and political support for Palestinians in Jerusalem and a Palestinian strategic development plan in the city.

3 October A total of 79,157 eligible Emirati voters on Saturday elected 20 representatives of the 40-member government advisory body the Federal National Council (FNC), representing a turnout of 35.29 percent from citizens eligible to vote, authorities announced on Sunday evening. “This election process is considered a successful one by all standards,” said Anwar Gargash, the minister of state for foreign affairs and federal national council affairs, in a statement. Of the 79,157 voters who took part, 48,330 were men and 30,827 women, according to the statement. The 36 polling centres opened at 8:00 a.m. and closed 12 hours later. In the last round of elections in 2011, participation stood at 27.75 percent of the electorate, said Gargash. Half of the FNC’s members are 20 are elected by eligible Emirati citizens, and the other half are selected by the rulers of each of the seven emirates. A column in the Abu Dhabi government-owned newspaper The National called on every Emirati citizen on the Electoral College to cast their ballot, adding that the “tradition of voting is still very new and it is something that needs to be instilled in members of society at a young age.” Eleven of the polling stations are in the capital Abu Dhabi, six in Dubai, seven in Sharjah, two each in Ajman and Umm Al-Qaiwain, five in Ras Al-Khaimah, and three in Fujairah. A roll of 330 candidates included 87 women. Meanwhile, NEC said Friday that up to 52 per cent of members in the Electoral College are men while women make up the remaining 48 per cent. Emirati women have major roles in the country. A female Emirati air force pilot has become the first Arab woman which has taken part in the U.S.-led bombing campaign against ISIS in Syria. he seven-emirate Gulf country is currently witnessing at least a 57 percent increase of voters’ participation in comparison to 2011 election where there were 129,000 eligible voters, and just 6,000 in its first election in 2006. The UAE widened political participation after the Arab Spring series of revolutions hit the region in 2011. However, the Gulf state is still wary of Islamist-radical elements in the region and in response it introduced sweeping new counterterrorism legislation last year. The UAE has more than 9 million population in which Emirati nationals make up about 1.4 million.

Yemen

31 October Authorities in war-hit Yemen and in Oman on Saturday urged residents to evacuate coastal areas as a severe cyclone brewing in the Arabian Sea approached the shores. The UN's weather agency said yesterday that the "super cyclonic storm" named Chapala was expected to make landfall around midnight Monday in Yemen and Oman. Yemen's meteorological agency called on residents of the south-eastern provinces of Hadramawt and Mohrah, and the island of Socotra, to stay at least one kilometre away from the shores. It said activities at ports and airports in coastal areas should stop when the cyclone hits, and urged fishermen to stay on land and to lift their boats out of water to avoid losses. To the east, Omani authorities ordered that schools be closed Sunday and Monday in the southwestern province of Dhofar, ONA state news agency said, adding that medical and diving teams had been sent there in preparation for the storm. Satellite images have shown that Chapala was approaching the shores with wind speeds between 220 and 250 kilometres per hour, ONA said. Oman's civil aviation authority warned that waves higher than seven metres were expected to hit the beaches of Dhofar. The UN's World Meteorological Organization described Chapala as "an extremely severe cyclonic storm". WMO said that Chapala's wind speed was the equivalent of a category four hurricane.

Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir has said that he sees the Yemen war nearing its end. “I am confident that the Yemeni conflict has entered its final stage, and I’m optimistic,” he said. “There are indications that the war in Yemen is entering a final phase. The legitimate government forces are now in control of the vast majority of Yemeni territory. There still remain some areas that need to be liberated including Sanaa, but the trend is moving in the right direction,” said the minister. “The Houthis and the Yemenis have every right to be part of the Yemen political process, we have said that from the very beginning. The only thing they cannot have is a privileged position because that would distinguish them from other Yemenis and that would not be fair. And they cannot have a militia outside of the institutions of the state,” he added.

28 October Five airstrikes hit a Doctors Without Borders health clinic in Yemen on Monday, the medical organization said. The non-profit group, which works in challenging areas around the world, blamed the Saudi-led coalition that's bombing Yemen for carrying out the attack, an allegation the Gulf kingdom denied. One staff member was lightly injured as those inside the building, including two patients, fled the assault, said Doctors Without Borders, which is also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF. Hospitals fall under protected status under international humanitarian law, experts say. The clinic in

Yemen, where a civil war is raging, is in the north-western town of Haydan, according to Doctors Without Borders. The facility, which serves a population of 200,000, was the only life-saving clinic in the region, said Dalila Mahdawi, a spokeswoman for the group. It handled 150 emergency cases each week. It had treated 3,400 injured people since May, staff said. "This attack is another illustration of a complete disregard for civilians in Yemen, where bombings have become a daily routine," said Hassan Boucenine, Doctors Without Borders' head of mission in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition denies conducting airstrikes in the vicinity of the Doctors Without Borders clinic, according to the coalition spokesman Ahmed Asseri. "Our operations were along the Saudi border, not inside the city," Asseri said. Two senior Yemen Health Ministry officials confirmed the airstrikes on the Haydan clinic. Most of the victims treated there were ordinary civilians; the facility treats very few families or relatives of Houthi loyalists. Amnesty International condemned the hit on the clinic and called for an immediate, independent investigation. The rights group said that its sources in Yemen report to them that the airstrike was from the Saudi-led coalition. If the strike was deliberate, could amount to a war crime.

25 October Suspected al-Qaeda militants stormed a supermarket in Yemen's southern city of Aden on Sunday, firing into the air and briefly taking hostages, security officials and witnesses said. About 30 militants arrived at the supermarket in four pickup trucks on Sunday afternoon, the officials and witnesses said. Shoppers fled when the extremists fired in the air, but an unknown number were trapped inside when the gunmen locked the doors. The militants freed the hostages after less than an hour and left the scene. Some supermarket employees were slightly hurt when the militants kicked and punched them. The witnesses said the militants shouted that they were protesting the mingling of men and women in the supermarket and demanded that female employees cover their faces, in keeping with a strict interpretation of Islamic law. A supermarket worker said the militants told them this was the final warning. The incident happened in the late afternoon when the Zamaran supermarket, the city's largest, is usually packed with shoppers. It appeared to a show of force by the militants who have in recent months wielded significant influence in parts of the city overlooking the Arabian Sea. Aden has been a main battlefield in the conflict between Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and allied army units against forces loyal to the internationally recognized government as well as southern separatists and other militants. After pro-government forces expelled the Houthis from Aden in July, al-Qaeda appears to have taken advantage of the security vacuum as pro-government forces moved on to challenge the Houthis elsewhere in southern Yemen. An official at the University of Aden said militants have threated faculty deans, demanding they ban students of the opposite sex from mixing. Security officials in the city said on Saturday that mediated talks with al-Qaeda to persuade its fighters to surrender their weapons or move out of Aden had failed. Sunday's supermarket incident followed the overnight storming of Aden's central prison by suspected al-Qaeda gunmen who freed an individual blamed for an August attack on the compound of the city's former governor, according to security officials in Aden.

24 October The U.N. special envoy for Yemen said Friday he will start working immediately with the government and Shiite rebels on an agenda, date and format for peace talks. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed confirmed to the U.N. Security Council that Yemen's government and Houthi rebels have agreed to send delegations to the talks on ending the conflict. He said both side accepted a Security Council resolution approved in April that requires the rebels to withdraw from all areas they control and lay down arms captured in months of fighting, though he added that the Houthis are committed to "a negotiated withdrawal from Yemen's key cities." Cheikh Ahmed told reporters afterward that the U.N. will announce the location and date for the talks "very soon." Several previous attempts at peace talks have failed, with the Houthis resisting calls to withdraw from areas they control and both sides raising preconditions. It has also proven nearly impossible to arrange a humanitarian pause to deliver aid. "We certainly hope that the parties will come with no preconditions — that the parties will come ready to negotiate in good faith, and that there will be representative and ample delegations to these talks," Cheikh Ahmed said. He cautioned that "the positions of the different sides to this conflict remain very divergent" but expressed hope that these first face-to-face talks will rapidly lead to an end to fighting and resumption of political dialogue. The U.N. Security Council welcomed the upcoming talks and again called on the parties to engage "without preconditions and in good faith." It condemned all violence and any attempt to intimidate participants as "unacceptable."

15 October U.N. Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson said on Thursday he hoped peace talks to end the war in Yemen could start by the end of October despite "deep mistrust" between Saudi Arabia and Iran who back opposing sides. Eliasson, speaking after meetings in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, called for both Houthi fighters and the exiled Yemen government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to attend the U.N.-backed talks without pre-conditions. Al-Qaeda has gained territory

and influence in Yemen, which also made a "strong logic" for resuming talks on a ceasefire and a political process, mediated by U.N. envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, he said. "I found both in Saudi and the UAE a desire, a will to move to the political phase as soon as possible. I asked both sides to make that case very strongly to the Hadi government," Eliasson said, referring to the Riyadh-based Yemeni government. But both Gulf states "felt the Houthis were encouraged by the Iranians to go on with their political ambitions", he said. Saudi Arabia led an Arab military intervention against the Houthis beginning on March 26 to restore the Yemeni government ousted by the group and fend off what it sees as the creeping influence of the Shi'ite Muslim group's main ally, Iran. "I told you also about the deep mistrust that exists between key actors, not least Saudi and UAE on one side and Iran on the other. I need to balance possible optimism with this very serious problem that we have such a lack of trust among the different actors," Eliasson said. "We have been disappointed before. Geneva talks started but not much came out of it," he said, referring to a round in June. emen's Houthi forces fired a ballistic missile on Thursday in retaliation for attacks by a Saudi-led coalition, a source in the Iranian-allied group said, and a Houthi-linked television station said a Scud missile had been fired at a Saudi air base. Eliasson, noting that a U.N. verification mechanism to inspect commercial ships heading to Yemen was in place, said the United Nations was in talks on ending the Saudi-led blockade of Yemen, where the humanitarian situation is "critical". "We also are in discussion about opening other ports for access to Yemen. That process will go on even without the talks starting, but I'm sure they will be part of the talks also."

24 October At least 22 civilians were killed and several others wounded as suspected rebel rockets crashed into the central Yemeni city of Taez Wednesday, medics and military officials said. The Katyusha rockets hit areas in the centre of the city, which is encircled by the Shiite Houthi rebels and allied forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, a military official said. He said the rockets were "fired by Houthis and Saleh forces". "Al-Mutahideen hospital has received 22 bodies of civilians," a medical source said. The city remains in the hands of forces allied with President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. Human Rights Watch accused the rebels and Saleh's forces Wednesday of repeatedly firing mortar shells and artillery rocket "indiscriminately" into populated areas of Taez. It also accused the rebels of "unlawfully" confiscating food and medical supplies from civilians there. "The pro-Houthi forces should take all possible steps to minimise harm to civilians, end the unlawful confiscation of essential goods from civilians and hold accountable commanders responsible for unlawful attacks," the rights group said.

Mediated talks between the Yemeni government and al-Qaeda to persuade the militants to give up their weapons or move out of the southern port city of Aden have failed, Yemeni security officials in government-controlled Aden and tribal mediators said Saturday. Tribal and public figures accepted by both sides, who have been involved in mediation talks said the discussions began about three months ago, after government forces pushed Houthi Shiite rebels out of Aden. The mediators told AP they have also been trying to convince al-Qaeda to withdraw from areas they control in al-Houta, the capital of Lahj province. After the Houthis were expelled from Aden in July, al-Qaeda appears to have taken advantage of the security vacuum as pro-government forces moved outside Aden to challenge the Houthis, as clashes raged between the two sides in other parts of the country. Al-Qaeda militants had been fighting alongside pro-government forces without revealing their affiliation, focusing on capturing and storing weapons during the clashes with the Houthis, a security official in Aden said. Security officials said al-Qaeda and other extremist Islamic groups in Aden obtained more than 55 armoured vehicles, 22 tanks, anti-aircraft missiles and large amounts of other weapons during the fighting and hid them underground and in fields. Aden's governor, Gaafar Mohamed Saad, issued a ban Friday against carrying weapons in the streets. The decree, which went into effect Saturday, stipulates security forces would immediately confiscate illegal weapons. Officials and witnesses in Aden said al-Qaeda has held large armed parades in the city in the past two days. Washington considers al-Qaeda's Yemen branch to be the most dangerous offshoot of the terror network. Ahmed Hashem, an Aden resident, said locals supported the weapons ban. With so many weapons in the streets, "we now cannot even tell who is al-Qaeda, who is Islamic State, who is just a thug and who is from the resistance (against the Houthis)," he said. The decision to confiscate illegal weapons came after talks failed, according to security officials in Aden. The mediators tried to convince the militants to lay down their weapons and integrate into society, promising they wouldn't be harassed if they do. When that failed, they tried to convince them to take their weapons and leave Aden, but the militants refused again, saying they have the right to partake in running the city after they participated in the fighting, according to the mediators.

21 October Fourteen civilians were killed in one of Yemen's largest cities on Wednesday when shells fired by Houthi fighters and their allies, forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, fell on their neighbourhoods, medical sources said. The sources said the shells also wounded some 70 people in the neighbourhoods of Tahrir and Daboua in the city of Taiz, in southwestern Yemen. The Iran-allied Houthis and Saleh's forces are battling a Saudi-led coalition which is trying to restore the government of Yemen's current president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which is now based in the southern Yemeni port of Aden. Taiz, one of the largest cities in Yemen, has for weeks been a main battleground between the two sides and the fighting has caused significant casualties and forced thousands to flee. Houthi officials were not immediately available to comment.

The top United Nations health official in Yemen is appealing for unrestricted access to Taiz, where “innocent lives are at risk” in the besieged highland city where more than 3.3 million people are in critical need of health assistance, safe drinking water, food and fuel. “The situation in Taiz is alarming,” warned Dr. Ahmed Shadoul, the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Yemen. “Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians need life-saving medicines and health services, food, safe water and fuel,” Dr. Shadoul said. “Humanitarian and health needs are increasing and the limited response we have been able to provide is not enough.” Despite efforts by WHO to provide medicines and medical supplies to Taiz governorate, sufficient for 600,000 beneficiaries, including 250,000 people inside Taiz City, shortages of fuel and medicines have forced most health units in villages to shut down. “Patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease and cancer, are unable to access life-saving essential medicines and dialysis centres due to limited access of health facilities and reduced functionality of others,” according to WHO. WHO also said that shortages in food have led to significant price hikes, with many people now unable to afford basic food items, resulting in increased risk of malnutrition, especially in children. “The main wells providing safe drinking-water have shut down due to interruptions in power supply and lack of fuel for generators,” the agency reported. Through collaboration with health authorities in Taiz and its partners, WHO has been controlling a dengue fever outbreak in the governorate this year. Shadoul appealed for $60 million urgently needed for life-saving response operations across the country until the end of this year.

Houthi rebels, who have forced the government into exile, have been using technology provided by Canadian internet-filtering company Netsweeper to indiscriminately censor large swaths of the internet critical of the rebel group, according to new research. Researchers at the Citizen Lab, a digital watchdog at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs, probed Yemen’s internet for months looking for evidence of censorship. They found that the Houthis have made a “concerted effort to shape the information environment in the country.” That effort has resulted in the censorship of independent and critical local media—as well as all websites registered with Israel’s “.il” top-level domain—all thanks to Netsweeper’s tech. “Companies that provide censorship technologies in the course of an armed conflict have a special responsibility.“ Netsweeper did not respond to request for comment. The company also sells internet filtering technology to countries such as Pakistan or Somalia, and according to Citizen Lab researchers, has a moral responsibility to withhold its services from a country in the middle of a bloody war, where a rebel group has control of key infrastructure such as the internet. “Companies that provide censorship technologies in the course of an armed conflict have a special responsibility to do due diligence. They are, in effect, participants in the conflict,” Ronald Deibert, the director of Citizen Lab, said. Deibert said Netsweeper should have stopped providing services to Yemen when the Houthis took over the capital Sana’a, and took control of the main government-owned internet service provider YemenNet. Deibert and his colleagues at the Citizen Lab say they have collected “absolutely watertight evidence” that Netsweeper not only sold its hardware to Yemen, but is still actively providing its filtering services. Netsweeper maintains a default database of inappropriate websites to censor, as well as a live filtering system that can censor website that are not in the database according to customers’ demands—services that require the devices in Yemen to communicate with Netsweeper servers in North America. The Houthis, according to Citizen Lab, are using Netsweeper to block not just websites considered obscene in accordance to Sharia Law, but also political and news sites. In these cases, users don’t see regular messages informing the websites have been blocked, but are shown a “404” network error, according to the report—typically reserved for when a page cannot be found. The researchers believe this is a way for the Houthis to hide the fact that they are blocking critical content. This censorship adversely impacts human rights. Combined with electrical outages that seem to have the goal of disrupt communications, the Houthis “have limited citizens’ ability to communicate with their families, keep abreast of news related to local developments, or receive advance warning from Saudi-led coalition forces to leave their homes prior to airstrikes,” the report reads. Citizen Lab tested hundreds of websites from within Yemen, and found that most of

the censored sites “appear to have been blocked because they publish reports and op-eds that are particularly explicit in criticising the Houthi rebels.” This censorship calls into question whether Netsweeper cares about freedom of expression and speech. While Deibert doesn’t believe Netsweeper has broken any local or international law, he noted that the United Nations has put out sanctions against the Houthis, so “certainly there’s a question about infringing the spirit of the sanctions regime.” The Canadian government, which is trying to regulate the sale of technologies that could violate human rights, did not respond to request for comment.

17 October Hundreds of Sudanese troops arrived in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Saturday, the first batch of an expected 10,000 reinforcements for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the country's Shiite Houthi rebels, security officials said. The troops' mission is to secure Aden, which has seen an uptick in drive-by shootings of pro-government troop leaders and officials as extremists became more entrenched in the city in recent weeks, the pro-government security officials said. Yemen's fighting pits the Houthis and allied army units against forces loyal to the coalition-backed internationally recognized government as well as southern separatists and other militants.

16 October Suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen killed three Yemeni soldiers Friday in an ambush in the south-eastern Hadramawt province, a military official said. The troops were travelling in a military vehicle on a desert road linking Hadramawt to neighbouring Shabwa province when they were intercepted and fired upon, the official said. "Three soldiers died on the spot and three others were wounded," the source said. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has seized large parts of Hadramawt, where it has imposed a strict version of Islamic law. The insurgent group has been in complete control of Hadramawt's provincial capital Mukalla since April. Meanwhile, in the western port city of Hodeida, Iran-backed rebels foiled an attempt by a group of Al-Qaeda suspects to blow up intelligence headquarters, a local security official said. Two vehicles approached the building and one of them fired rocket-propelled grenades at it, killing a Shiite Huthi rebel and wounding five others, the source said. The rebels stopped another bomb-laden vehicle driven by a suicide attacker before it entered the building, the official said, adding that the explosives were defused and the bomber arrested. Another security official said three vehicles were involved in the attack, which prompted "an hour-long clash that left casualties on both sides." The official, speaking of "unknown gunmen", said they were attempting to free prisoners held at the building. Al-Qaeda, also known in Yemen as Ansar al-Sharia, claimed responsibility for the attack and alleged that it had left "dozens of casualties" among the rebel's ranks. It also claimed in a statement posted online that the bomb-laden vehicle had entered the building where it exploded. The group said it later retreated "after achieving all goals of the operation," without specifying those goals. The Houthi rebels reported on their news website sabanews.net that they had "foiled" the operation and dismantled the explosives, in addition to killing the bomb-laden car driver and arresting his companion. On Wednesday, AQAP occupied the government offices in Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province, an official there said.

14 October Five Yemeni civilians and 12 fighters from the forces fighting Shiite rebels were killed this month by rebel-planted mines in a central province, medical and security officials from the anti-rebel side said. In Taiz province, medical and security officials say 13 Houthis and allied fighters were killed in airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition, while fierce clashes were ongoing near the provincial capital's airport. Also in the city of Taiz, three individuals guarding a high-ranking military official were killed when a Houthi rocket landed near his convoy. Nine Houthi fighters were killed in airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition in Bayda province, according to independent security officials and witnesses.

12 October Yemen only received one percent of its monthly commercial fuel needs during September and Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh asked the UN to assist the nation and allow deliveries. Yemen relies on the import of fuel, but there has been a near-total blockade led by Saudi Arabia, which has slowed shipments to a trickle. An Arab coalition is inspecting shipments in an effort to thwart arms deliveries to Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The Houthis and its allies - forces loyal to former Yemen president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was overthrown in 2011 - seized the capital city of Sanaa about a year ago. “In a letter to the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 6 October, President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi pledged to allow the import of fuel through all ports," U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters on Monday. "Despite this pledge, no commercial fuel has yet been imported, and 11 commercial ships remain anchored off-shore.” He said the ships were waiting to berth at Al Hudaydah port. Fuel shortages have spread disease and suffering in arid Yemen, where access to water usually depends on fuel-powered pumps, the U.N. says. Hospitals struggle to operate without fuel and aid cannot be delivered. The United Nations has designated Yemen as one of its highest-level humanitarian crises,

alongside emergencies in South Sudan, Syria and Iraq. It says more than 21 million people in Yemen need help, or about 80 percent of the population. "Only 1 percent of the monthly requirements for commercial fuel for Yemen were imported through Red Sea ports during September, down from a low 12 percent in August," Haq said. During Hadi's speech to the annual United Nations General Assembly last month, he blamed the Houthis for the blockade and the humanitarian crisis. Yemen relies on imports for 90 percent of its food, and Haq said commercial food prices had soared about 45 percent. The United States told U.N. chief Ban that Saudi King Salman had pledged to allow "unfettered access" to all humanitarian aid, including fuel, during a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama last month.

8 October Yemen’s Houthis and the party of the ex-president have agreed to stop fighting, the United Nations said on Wednesday, more than six months after a Saudi-led coalition intervened to restore President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to power. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Wednesday said Houthi rebels agreed to negotiate a settlement based on a seven-point peace plan proposed by the UN in talks in Oman last month. The peace plan includes the implementation of UN resolution 2216 which demands the rebels put down their weapons and withdraw their militias from the areas they have seized in Yemen, including the capital, Sana’a. Last year, an alliance of Iran-allied Houthis and supporters of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh seized Sana’a and forced the internationally recognized president to flee to the southern city of Aden and then to Saudi Arabia. Saudi-led forces and government loyalists have in recent weeks retaken Aden, Yemen’s second city, and driven the Houthis and Saleh’s followers from major southern areas. Dujarric said Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN envoy to Yemen, welcomed the Houthis’ acceptance of the resolution, urging all parties to the conflict to accept a UN invitation to join peace talks based on Security Council resolutions, an initiative by the Gulf Cooperation Council and the country’s National Dialogue. Ould Cheikh Ahmed will visit the region soon to determine with the regional powers the date and location of the peace talks, the spokesman said. Saleh’s General People’s Congress (GPC) party also accepted the plan and reiterated in a statement on Tuesday its “fast position on ending hostilities and … on a peaceful solution to Yemen’s crisis.” Meanwhile, the Yemeni government said it welcomed the rebels’ acceptance of the UN resolution but demanded “concrete steps.”

Three brothers waiting to get married were killed in a rocket attack alongside at least 22 other people in southwest Yemen on Thursday, residents and medics said. Local people said jets from a Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen was probably to blame, but the coalition's spokesman said it had carried out no air strikes in that part of the country. The three brothers were waiting for their brides' party to arrive when a missile hit their house in the town of Sanban in Dhamar region, residents said. At least 50 people were wounded, but the brides were unharmed, locals and medics added. Officials and residents have accused the Saudi-led forces of killing civilians in two other attacks over the past two weeks, prompting international criticism, but the coalition has denied this and instead blamed rockets fired by the Houthis. Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri said the attack in Dhamar was likely also the work of the Houthis, and accused them of trying to divert attention from recent reverses by targeting civilians and blaming it on the Saudi-led forces. The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that a coalition air raid in Sanban had killed or wounded dozens of people at a wedding celebration and that the toll might exceed 30. Medics from the Dhamar governorate said at least 25 died.

6 October Explosions rocked a southern Yemeni hotel that houses members of deposed President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi's government, officials said, in a deadly attack Tuesday that drew conflicting accounts about the weapons used and who was behind it. At least 15 people were killed in the attack on the Al Qasr Hotel in Aden. All Yemeni government officials staying at the hotel -- including Prime Minister Khaled Bahah -- were unharmed and evacuated, Transport Minister Badr Basalma said. Four UAE soldiers were among the dead. The Saudi official press agency SPA said one Saudi soldier died. Both countries have contributed troops in a battle against Yemen's Houthi rebels, hoping to restore Hadi to power. Information about what exploded, and who was responsible, varied. Basalma said two rockets hit the building, and another landed outside. He blamed the Houthi rebels and militias loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who preceded Hadi in office. However, the Sunni Islamist militant group ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said happened in a much different manner. ISIS, in a statement posted on Twitter, said that suicide bombers blew up two explosive-laden vehicles at the hotel. Basalma, explaining his belief that Houthis were responsible, cited his understanding that rockets caused the blasts. Only they (the Houthis) have the technical capacity to do this," he said. "These were long-range rockets with high accuracy, and it's the Houthi militias, with the technical support

from Iran, who have this capability." The officials evacuated from the hotel are staying in Aden, Basalma said.

More than 114,000 people have fled war-torn Yemen, and the figure could reach at least 200,000 by the end of 2016, aid officials said Tuesday. "Close to 70,000 people fleeing the crisis have arrived in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan," the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement. "Up to 44,080 people are reported to have arrived in Saudi Arabia and Oman." The IOM said the number of people fleeing Yemen to neighbouring nations could rise to over 200,000 by the end of next year.

North America Canada

29 October Calgary police have charged two individuals with a kidnapping at gunpoint that occurred Saturday morning. Police believe the victim was forced into a home in Forest Lawn where he was assaulted and his hand and feet were tied. The victim was later able to get away in a vehicle and the suspects chased him a short distance before police arrived. Authorities believe the incident was sparked by a dispute. Ahmad Feraidoon Safari, 19, is charged with assault, assault with a weapon, kidnapping, forcible, uttering threats and three counts of being unlawfully at large. Zharif Safari, 18, has been charged with assault with a weapon, kidnapping, and forcible confinement.

26 October A Canadian man was deported on Monday to Canada for an outstanding warrant on charges of kidnapping and sexual assault with a dangerous weapon. Raymond Laurence Burke, 62, was escorted by Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers to Denver International Airport and on to Toronto, Canada, where he was transferred to Canadian authorities. The warrant was issued after an alleged kidnapping and sexual assault with a dangerous weapon on October 24, 1986.

23 October Halton Regional Police have charged an 18 year-old Oakville, Ontario man in connection to threatening posts on Instagram that placed several local schools on lockdown Friday. The man was arrested on Friday and charged with uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. The police have not released the details of the nature of the threats.

21 October RCMP have charged three men with forcible confinement, kidnapping, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm and pointing a firearm in connection to 13 October incident. Police responded to a report that a 50 year-old woman had been abducted from her home in Moncton and driven to Sackville. She was released by her abductors without injury and they later returned to her home. During the home invasion, a 26 year-old man was threatened, assaulted, sustained serious injuries and was treated at a hospital. The three men were arrested separately after

Canada-wide warrants were issued. They will appear in court in November.

A Richmond man has been charged with first degree murder from a North Vancouver kidnapping in Lynn Valley last month on 29 September. Tian Yi Zhang, 23, faces one count of first-degree murder for the kidnapping and death of a 22 year-old man. Zhang is one of four suspects which include Casey Hiscoe, 21, Dyllan Green, 20 and Jacob Gorelik, 18, who all face charges in the case, but none for murder.

20 October Newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday that he will uphold his campaign promise to pull Canadian fighter jets out of the US led bombing campaign against Islamic State terrorists in Syria and Iraq. Trudeau has informed President Obama of his plans and said, “He understands the commitments I’ve made around ending the combat mission.” He also said Canada will remain “a strong member of the coalition” against the Islamic State group. Trudeau did not specify when Canada’s airstrikes would end.

19 October Canada voted in Justin Trudeau as the new Prime Minister from the Liberal party with an absolute majority, denying a fourth term to Stephen Harper and his Conservative party. Liberal candidates have secured 184 seats or “ridings”, the Canadian term for federal electoral districts, which puts them over for a majority government. Only 170 seats are required for a majority. The Conservatives now have 99 seats. Trudeau said, "Most of all we defeated the idea that Canadians should be satisfied with less, and that better isn't possible. My friends, this is Canada, where better is always possible."

Two Calgary brothers have pleaded guilty to sexual assault, kidnapping, robbery and uttering threats. Corey and Cody Manyshots admitted to kidnapping and repeatedly raping a 17 year-old girl. According to an agreed statement of facts read in court, the brothers approached the victim while she was waiting for a bus in November 2014. They forced her into an alley, smashed her head in the ground, took turns sexually assaulting her and took the contents of her purse. The pair took her to a home in Martindale where the sexual assaults continued overnight in different

rooms of the home. The girl was able to escape the next morning while the brothers were sleeping. Corey and Cody Manshots’ attorneys expect lengthy sentences.

On Monday, a Belgian woman was sentenced to 11 years in prison for attempting to smuggle 2.82 kg of heroin into Canada through the Edmonton International Airport. Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Michelle Crighton’s ruled Rosmin Kaneza, 28, was a courier for the wholesale commercial heroin smuggling operation. According to agreed facts, Kaneza arrived at the Edmonton International Airport around 5:30 p.m. on 28 May, 2012 on a Iceland Air flight from Reykjavik and the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) found 2.82 kg of heroin inside a hidden compartment of her backpack.

16 October Friday morning, a lockdown was lifted at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus after an internet threat. A statement from the university warned that “the university’s Special Constable Service received a tip from Crime Stoppers indicating a threat to the university.” Regional police confirmed the threat was posted to 4Chan, which hosts online discussion boards. Police investigated the threat and determined it was not credible.

15 October Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrested a 43 year-old man on Thursday in connection with a kidnapping on 5 October, 2015 in the Drummond district. Gilbert Thériault of Drummond has been charged with using a firearm to kidnap the victim, using a firearm in the commission of an offence, uttering a death threat, injuring the victim's dog and extortion. The 62 year-old male victim was forced to leave his residence, put into the trunk of a car, and driven 10 kilometres from his home. The vehicle stopped on a dirt road, and the victim was able to get out of the trunk and find help. He suffered minor injuries that did not require medical attention.

6 October The latest tracking by Nanos Research for CTV News and The Globe and Mail released on Tuesday revealed the Liberals and Conservatives the top choices for Canadians in the upcoming federal election. Voters were asked “If a federal election were held today, please rank your top two current local voting preferences?" The latest numbers revealed the Liberals with 35% support, the Conservatives with 31.5% support, the New Democratic Party (NDP) at 23.1% support and the Green Party with 4.6% support. The survey is conducted nightly by Nanos Research using live agents who interview a new group of 400 eligible voters each evening. The daily tracking figures employ a three-day rolling sample of 1,200 interviews.

United States of America

30 October Dallas police arrested a 12 year-old student on Thursday for allegedly plotting a shooting at the Trinity Basin Preparatory school in Dallas, Texas. The Dallas Police Department said the student had discussed bringing a gun to school over the past month, and was turned in by a fellow student after bringing a diagram of his deadly plan to school. Dallas Assistant Police Chief Randy Blankenbaker said the boy brought a “written diagram detailing how the plan would be carried out.” The student’s name has not been released due to his age and is currently at the Henry

Wade Juvenile Justice Centre.

29 October Congressman Paul Ryan succeeded retiring John Boehner as the 54th Speaker of the House on Thursday after receiving 236 votes from the House of Representatives. He was nominated by House Republicans for the position on Wednesday. Ryan appealed for unity, understanding and called for a fresh start. "We're not solving problems, we're adding to them," Ryan said, declaring that moving forward: "We are not settling scores. We are wiping the slate clean."

28 October According to a US Customs and Border Protection news release on Wednesday, a 19 year- old woman was detained for attempting to illegally smuggle an 11 year-old girl into the country through the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge in Texas. The woman arrived at the bridge’ pedestrian walkway and presented her US birth certificate and the child’s. The child did not have valid documents to enter the US. The young girl was sent to a Health and Human Service Office Refugee Resettlement facility. The woman is in custody and faces criminal charges of alleged

violation of US immigration law.

A new bipartisan Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense presented to Congress said the US is not prepared to deal with a biological weapon attack. That panel was led by Former Senator Joe Lieberman, former Pennsylvania Governor and first director of the Department of Homeland Security Tom Ridge. The panel conducted meetings, interviews and extensive research studying

and evaluating the United States’ state of defence against biological attacks. The report prepared by the panel said, “Simply put, the nation does not afford the biological threat the same level of attention as it does other threats.” It also added that the US lacks a centralized leader for biodefense, in addition to a strategic plan and budget. The report suggested the “leadership of biodefense” should be a White House responsibility, particularly that of the Vice President; stipulating that the Vice President can help surpass bureaucratic and budgetary rivalries of

various agencies to create an effective platform to address biological attacks.

The House of Representatives passed the Northern Border Security Review Act on Wednesday aimed at increasing security along the US border with Canada. The bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) within 6 months to complete analysis of "current and potential terrorism and criminal threats posed by individuals and organized groups seeking to enter the United States through the northern border.” Also, the bill requires DHS to recommend improvement to the ports of entry along the border to reduce the smuggling of

illegal goods and drugs.

27 October A Virginia teenager was arrested for threating to detonate a bomb at Brooke Point High School in Stafford, Virginia. Stafford County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Bill Kennedy said police searched the 15 year-old boy’s home and found several weapons. The boy was charged with making bomb threats and committing or aiding an act of terrorism.

The Senate passed the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act with a 71-21 vote on Tuesday aimed at improving cybersecurity by encouraging both the government and companies to share information regarding threats. Senators Diane Feinstein and Richard Burr, the bill’s co-sponsors said the measure was needed to limit high-profile cyberattacks like the one last year on Sony Pictures. The bill requires the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defence (DOD), and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to develop and enact procedures of timely sharing of cyber threat indicator with private entities,

non-federal government agencies, and the public.

25 October Late Sunday night, a shooting wounded a student and prompted a lockdown at North Carolina Central University. The lockdown was cleared after authorities determined the gunfire was related to an argument at the edge of the campus. Campus Police Chief Willie Bell said the shooting was isolated, and investigators are looking for multiple suspects. Bell also said the 19 year-old victim was a sophomore and hit once in the buttocks. He was taken to the hospital and has been treated for non-life threatening injuries.

On Sunday, the US Border Patrol agents and the Maritime Task Force intercepted a sailboat attempting to smuggle undocumented immigrants at Harbor Island in San Diego, California. The sailboat contained 15 individuals, six of whom had entered the US illegally, and the nine others were believed to be a part of the smuggling attempt. The US Border Patrol seized the boat and the group was taken to the Border Patrol station for processing and faces multiple federal charges.

Sunday evening, US Border Patrol agents in Calexico, California seized a vehicle that transported 358 pounds of marijuana through the United States/Mexico International Boundary. Agents responded to a blue Jeep Cherokee, and the driver failed to yield for agents, which eventually stopped and two men fled into Mexico to avoid apprehension. The agents discovered 16 bundles of marijuana inside, and turned the vehicle and marijuana over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.

24 October Two male students have been arrested and accused of plotting an attack at their Riverbend High School in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Captain Jeff Pearce of Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s office said the teens planned to call in a bomb threat and then shoot students and staff as they evacuated the building. The students, ages 15 and 17 have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

23 October On Friday, Juan Fuentes-Morales and Ruben Ceja-Rangel were convicted on 8 charges related to armed abduction of a St. Mathews man in July 2014. Evidence presented during the trial established that Ruben Ceja-Rangel, 58 conspired with Juan Fuentes-Morales, 27 to kidnap the victim from St. Mathews, South Carolina. The victim was forcibly taken from his truck in the early morning of July 14, 2014, were he was transported and held at gunpoint by the defendants. He was later rescued by the FBI on July 15, 2014. Evidence also established that the victim’s father

owed money to a Mexican Drug Trafficking organization over the inability to sell over 200 pounds of marijuana, and the victim was used for ransom. Ceja-Rangel and Fuentes-Morales were convicted of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, brandishing firearms, and lying to the FBI. The defendants face a minimum of 32 years up to potential life sentences.

22 October Hillary Clinton was grilled by the House Select Committee on Benghazi for 11 hours regarding the 2012 attack on the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Clinton, a Democratic front-runner in the presidential races was in the hot seat probed by lawmakers over the 2012 attack that resulted in four Americans’ deaths.

On Thursday, a six month investigation by the US government resulted in the uncovering of a large smuggling tunnel between Mexico and the US, 22 arrests and the recovery of 12 tons of marijuana. Since 2006, more than 80 tunnels have been discovered. The tunnel located roughly 32 feet underground runs about 2,880 feet from the Otay Centre Warehouse in San Diego, California and another warehouse in Tijuana, Mexico. Assistant US Attorney David Finn said the tunnel is believed to contain a railroad system, lighting and electricity.

Late Thursday, on the campus of Tennessee State University in Nashville one man was killed and three women were wounded in a shooting from a fight over a dice game. The 19 year-old who died was not enrolled at the college. It is unknown whether the shooter, who fled the scene, was a student. An argument over a dice game turned into shots being fired, and the three women were caught in the cross fire. One did not require medical attention, and the two others were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Centre and are in stable condition. This incident comes just about a week after a shooting at an off-campus party across from the college.

21 October Two Indian nationals were arrested Wednesday at Newark Liberty International Airport on smuggling and conspiracy charges. Nileshkumar Patel and Harsad Mehta conspired with an undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent on multiple occasions in Bangkok starting in April 2014 and paid the agent to have six Indians smuggled into New Jersey. The sting operation began in June 2013. Patel contacted the undercover agent, whom he believed was a smuggler

and later told the agent he had been smuggling people into the US since 1998.

Vice President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he would not seek the presidency in the White House Rose Garden. Biden said the window for a successful campaign “has closed” with his wife, Jill and President Barack Obama by his side, noting his family’s grief following the death of his son, Beau.

20 October Paulino Ramirez-Granados, one of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) top 10 most wanted human traffickers was extradited from Mexico to New York to face criminal charges on Tuesday. Ramirez-Granados has been on ICE’s most wanted list since 2010 and has been charged with sex trafficking, alien smuggling, money laundering and conspiracy to import aliens for immoral purposes. It is alleged that between October 1998 and June 2011, Ramirez-Granados and members of his sex trafficking organization illegally smuggled young women into the US, where they were forced to work as prostitutes in New York City and other places in the United States.

Tuesday afternoon, a 4 year-old girl was killed after being shot in the head during a road rage incident on Interstate 40 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Two vehicles cut each other off, which resulted in one of the vehicles coming under fire and a bullet struck the young girl in the head. Her parents were in the vehicle but were not injured. The child was rushed to the hospital and later died from her injuries. The police are searching for the suspect and have asked the public for their help.

A 15 year-old boy was arrested Tuesday after police said he threated to shoot up North Forney High School in Texas. The teenager allegedly told others that he planned to bring a gun to school the following day. He has been charged with exhibition of a firearm.

17 October Late Saturday night, one person was killed and four were wounded after gunfire erupted at ZombiCon in Fort Myers Florida. ZombiCon is a festival that attracts thousands of individuals dressed in zombie costumes. The injured were treated at a hospital for non-life threatening injuries and police are searching for the suspect.

15 October The Justice Department announced Thursday that it has charged a hacker in Malaysia with stealing the personal data of US service members and passing it onto the Islamic State terrorist

group. Ardit Ferizi, a Kosovo citizen, was detained on a US provisional arrest warrant in Malaya. Ferizi is accused of passing data to Islamic State member Junaid Hussain, a British national, who posted links on Twitter in August of the names, addresses, passwords, e-mail, locations and phone number of 1,351 US military and other government personnel. According to the US complaint drawn up by FBI Special Agent Kevin M. Gallagher, Ferizi sent the details of government personnel to the Islamic State knowing that ISIL would use the data “to target the US personnel for attacks and violence.” Malaysian police said Thursday that Ferizi will be extradited to the United States.

14 October On Wednesday, sixty-one members of the Latin Kings gang, including their regional Texas leader were arrested and charged with racketeering and drug distribution. The members are accused of carrying out unlawful acts, including assault with a dangerous weapon, attempted murder, extortion, robbery, and drug distribution involving cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine. The Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) alleges 10 attempted murders, nearly 10 assaults and other acts of violence were committed during the initiation of members. The federal charges against the accused could lead to life in prison.

Police in Syracuse, New York are searching for suspects involved in a shooting that left a teenager dead and another teen injured on Wednesday night. Officers responded to a call of shots fired, and followed a vehicle in which suspects fired at them several times. The suspects vacated their vehicle and ran into Oakwood Cemetery. A 15 year-old boy was found dead on the rear porch of

a home and 17 year-old had been shot in the leg.

The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that a new national security position is being created to help combat home-grown terror threats. During a speech at George Washington University, the head of the department’s national security division John Carlin announced the new Domestic Terrorism Counsel. Carlin said, “in order to ensure that we are gaining the benefits of the information and input from those eyes on the ground from and around the country, and in recognition of a growing number of potential domestic terrorism matters around the Unites States, we have created a new position to assist with our important work in combating domestic terrorism.” Carlin also said the new Domestic Terrorism Counsel will serve as the main point of

contact for all US Attorney offices, and work to identify trends to shape a national strategy.

13 October The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson has ordered a review of the nation’s alert system. At the Association of the US Army in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Johnson said, “I’ve asked our folks to consider whether we should revise that system to accommodate how the terrorism threat has evolved. That review is underway now.” The old system utilized green-to-red terrorism alerts, and the current system has only two states which are “elevated threat” meaning a credible threat against the US, and “imminent threat” which is a credible, specific and impending threat against the country. The old system was criticized for a constant orange alert, while the current system is now criticized for not issuing enough alerts.

The Democratic presidential candidates gathered for the first debate Tuesday at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The candidates included Senator Jim Webb, Senator Bernie Sanders, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, and former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee. Many issues were discussed which included China, climate change, race, domestic surveillance, college affordability, Benghazi and Clinton’s emails.

12 October On Monday, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested a 36 year-old Gainesville woman in connection with a failed smuggling attempt of two Mexican children. The woman was stopped at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge, where she was presented US birth certificates for herself and the three children in the vehicle. Upon further inspection the officers discovered only the four-year old girl was the woman’s daughter and a US citizen and the five-year old girl and four-year-old boy were citizens of Mexico without valid documents. CBP officers arrested the woman, and the child was released to a family member and the two Mexican citizens were released to a US Department of Health and Human Resources Office of Refugee Resettlement facility.

9 October Early Friday morning, an 18 year-old student killed one person and injured three others at Northern Arizona University’s campus before his arrest. Campus police chief Gregory Fowler identified the gunman as Steven Jones, a freshman student who pulled a handgun in a “confrontation” with several students. Official said shots were reported at 1:20 a.m., and Colin

Brough was killed in the incident. The three injured students were identified as Nicholas Prato, Kyle Zientek and Nicholas Piring.

Officials stated that a student was killed during a shooting Friday morning outside a Texas Southern University student housing complex, and another is in stable condition after being shot. The names of the victims have not been released. Houston police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said two people have been detained, but the motive remains unclear.

8 October During an appearance Thursday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, FBI Director James Comey said the government has learned how to better screen refugees from foreign countries regarding terrorist threats to the US. Comey was asked about the refugee crisis and said there are risks in welcoming migrants from countries experiencing conflict. He also said the US has "developed an effective way to touch all our databases" and gather information about the individuals, but gaps still remain in the screening process.

7 October A Texas man, Drew Christopher Potter, 33, was indicted Wednesday on human smuggling charges for smuggling more than three dozen immigrants inside an 18-wheeler. Last month, authorities say they discovered 39 Central American immigrants locked inside a sweltering semi-trailer in Moore, Texas. Some immigrants were treated for dehydration as. If convicted, Potter faces up to 10 years in prison.

The US Senate passed the 2016 National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) on Wednesday, authorizing $612 billion in military spending, and allocating $38 billion in overseas contingency funding. The bill passed with a vote of 70 to 27, which guarantees enough Senate support to override a veto threatened by President Barack Obama. The NDAA will allocate new funding for US deployments to reassure NATO allies, and a provision to authorize the transfer of lethal weapons to Ukraine. Also, the bill prohibits further transfers of Guantanamo Bay detainees to the United States and some foreign countries, and increased defence spending while avoiding the

self-imposed budget caps known as sequestration.

A Filipino national pleaded guilty on Wednesday in Camden, New Jersey, to running an operation that smuggled more than $200,000 worth of firearm parts out of the US. Kirby Santos, 38, admitted he purchased firearm parts from US suppliers from 2008 to 2013, and had them sent to individuals in New Jersey and Washington where they repackaged the parts to send to him in the Philippines. Santos was arrested in March in Guam, and faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A man appeared in the US District Court in Boston to face federal charges for sending multiple false bomb threats to schools in Illinois, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and North Carolina. Anthony Rae, 24, has been charged with bomb threats via criminal complaint. According to the complaint, Rae used multiple e-mail accounts over the past year to send bomb threats to an elementary school in Chicago, Illinois, several public schools Norwood, Massachusetts, Rhode Island College in Providence, and North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Rae faces up to 10 years in prison,

three years’ supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

6 October Philadelphia police are investigating the murder of a transgender woman near Hunting Park Tuesday morning. Kiesha Jenkins, 22, was shot twice in the back of the head. Several tips suggested that Jenkins had been a victim of a robbery. Homicide Caption James Clark said the investigation is ongoing and is hopeful to make an arrest in the near future.

5 October In two separate incidents on Friday and Saturday, Border Control agents arrested 15 imposters, 17 smugglers and seized nearly 500 pounds of marijuana in Arizona. Over the two days, 15 Mexican nationals posing as legal US residents were arrested at Wellton Station. They presented US passports and lawfully-admitted permanent resident cards belonging to other individuals. Agents also arrested 17 Mexican nationals during marijuana smuggling incidents near Sentinel, Arizona.

A total of 490 pounds of marijuana, worth an estimated $245,450, was seized.

2 October The House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday which prevents President Obama from lifting any sanction on Iran until Tehran pays damages, which were ordered by US courts, to American victims of Iranian-sponsored terrorism. The Justice for Victims of Iranian Terrorism Act passed by a 251-173 vote. The White House stated, ““The administration continues to work to explore all possible avenues for [U.S. terror victim] compensation, but will not do so in a manner

that would connect this issue to the JCPOA, thereby jeopardizing its implementation and Iran’s

fulfilment of the critical nuclear steps required under the JCPOA.”

Twin brothers Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, 23, of Springfield, Virginia were sentenced Friday for conspiracy to access a protected computer without authorization, conspiracy to access a government computer without authorization, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. In addition, Muneeb Akhter was also sentenced for accessing a protected computer without authorization, making a false statement, and obstructing justice. Muneeb was sentenced to 39 months in prison, Sohaib was sentenced to 24 months in prison, and both were sentenced to three years of supervised release. The Akhter brothers and co-conspirators engaged in both computer intrusions and attempted intrusions against the US Department of State to gain sensitive passport and visa information. US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Dana J. Boente said, “The Akhter brothers’ misuse of their computer skills harmed numerous individuals and companies, and their efforts to gain clandestine access to State Department systems represented a threat to national security. Electronic barriers are no less real, or legitimate, than physical ones. This prosecution sends a clear message to anyone else attempting to weaken the cybersecurity of institutions or use computers to commit crimes.”

1 October On Thursday, a gunman opened fire at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College killing ten people and injuring nine others. The alleged gunman, Chris Harper Mercer, 26, a student at the community college was confirmed dead by authorities. NPR’s Dina Temple-Raston reported, “... he did engage with early victims. Some were asked about their religion before he shot them. But as the attack went on there was less engagement between the shooter and his victims and he appeared to be trying to kill as many people as possible."

Congress and President Obama steered clear of a government shutdown hours before a midnight deadline, approving temporary federal spending. This temporary fix lasts until 11 December, 2015, but avoids a repeat of 2013’s damaging 16-day government shutdown.

MS Risk is a privately owned company domiciled in the Isle of Man. It is underwritten by a syndicate of Lloyd’s of London for special risks case management in all jurisdictions. It also acts as retained advisors to syndicates in the Lloyd’s of London specialty risk insurance markets: kidnap for ransom, extortion, hijack, illegal detention, illegal war tax, malicious product tamper, terrorism, political and war risk.

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