Blog 10: Grief Mixes With Anger Over Christian Ethiopian Deaths

            Thirty people were killed by militants in Libya. Two of those people Eyasu Yikunoamlak and Balcha Belete were from ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia and the city is still mourning their death. The Libya militants who killed them said they were representing the Islamic State. The brother of the victim believes he was killed because he attended the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Although religion may play apart a lot of these people were killed because they wanted to go to a foreign country for better jobs.  

         I don’t think its fair that people are being killed because they want to seek better opportunities. They are trying to keep them in this cycle of poverty and not letting them to leave to better themselves. One third of Ethiopia's population lives below the poverty line. There are other obstacles that are interfering with Ethiopians leaving as well. Ethiopians traveling to the Middle East for work have faced mistreatment and mass deportation. People trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea risk drowning in route. Many people also pay people to get them out of Ethiopia and if they don’t get them out successfully they loose their money. Although militants are making it hard to leave some people are still trying to. I understand wanting to move for better opportunities and its sad that people don’t have the freedom to do that. 

Tamaiya Davis 
4/23/2015 
3:12  
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/world/africa/grief-mixes-with-anger-over-christian-ethiopian-deaths.html?ref=world&_r=0

Blog 9: Shabab Carry Out Deadly Attack on Ministry Building in Somalia

On Tuesday an attack took place in Mogadishu. A car bomb exploded outside the Ministry of Higher Education building. It was a meeting taking place in the Ministry building to discuss standard exams for the nation schools. The attack left nineteen people dead and fifteen people wounded. The image of the scene described was that it was filled of smoke, debris, pools of blood and burned bodies. An Islamic group named Shabab who is tied to Al Qaeda took credit for the attack. Mr. Kay the secretary general of the United Nations made a statement saying he was "appalled by the complete disregard for the lives of innocent people shown by the attackers.”

A lot of different attacks are stating to place by the Shabab group. The Shabab group is very dangerous and they are evolving rapidly as their attacks are taking place closer together. The Shabab group wants African union forces to leave Somalia. Soldiers from an African Union peacekeeping force were inside the Ministry of Higher Education building and were killed. A lot of innocent people are being killed and their citizens are worried for their safety. Another reason for some of the attacks taking place is also religion. The Al Shabab group goal is to create an Islamic state. The Shabab group also attacked Kenya two weeks ago and eighty percent of Kenya population are Christians. This attack left 144 people died. 

 

Tamaiya Davis 

12:29 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/world/africa/shabab-attack-ministry-mogadishu-somalia.html?ref=africa 

Blog #8: Taliban Attack in Northern Afghanistan Leaves at least 10 Dead

           On Thursday in one of the most peaceful cities in northern Afghanistan, assailants armed with heavy weapons and suicide vests stormed the provincial prosecutor’s office. They battled security forces for more than six hours. At least 10 people were dead and dozens wounded. The attack took place in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh Province, which has long been seen as a model of economic prosperity and stability. The Taliban claimed responsibility for this attack. The number of assailants remained unknown late Thursday, but the bodies of four attackers were recovered from the compound. Witnesses’ accounts cited by local news suggested that the militants wore Afghan security force uniforms. After killing the guards at the entrance, about 50 yards from the office of the provincial governor, they fought their way inside the compound and took more than a dozen lawyers and visitors hostage. The penetration of such a highly secure area raised concerns over what is expected to be the most bloody fighting season in more than a decade of war. The Taliban typically escalate their attacks in the summer.  

More attacks had taken place in the last few weeks. Those attacks include a bicycle bombing that on Thursday wounded 16 people in the southeastern city of Khost. Another attack in Khost killed 17 people who had gathered outside of the offices of the embattled provincial governor to demand his removal. Also in the last week, at least 13 people were wounded in two attacks in the capital of the northern province of Kunduz. Citizens are being attacked everyday and they are afraid for their lives. Coalition forces led by the United States military have stepped back entirely from day-to-day combat operations. This has left Afghan forces severely challenged. There are more attacks that are going to take place in the future and the citizens in Afghanistan have no way to protect themselves, because most of the attacks are random. 

 Tamaiya Davis 

April 9, 2015 

8:35 pm 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/10/world/asia/mazar-i-sharif-balkh-afghanistan-taliban-attack.html?ref=world&_r=0 

 

Blog 7: Explosion at Dairy Factory in Yemen Kills Dozens

             Last night there was an explosion at a Dairy Factory near the costal city of Al Hudaydah. At least twenty seven people were killed. The factory was owned by Yemen Dairy and Juice Industries. According to the director of the health bureau in Al Hudaydah the victims were employees working the night shift. Witnesses say it's not clear if the whether the explosion was caused by a Saudi airstrike or an errant shell fired by an armed Yemen faction. Last week the Saudi Military launched a bombing campaign intended to roll back the gains of the Houthis. The Houthis is a militia group that forced the Yemen's government from power in January. Saudi officials say their goal is to restore the exiled president Abdu Hadi to power.  

            I have been following this story for a while and it's sad how much violence has taken place. Yemen has been filled with fighting over the last few weeks and hundreds of people have been killed. They have had clashes stretching from the southern port city of Aden to the border with Saudi Arabia to the north. International aid agencies fear the safety of their workers has withdrawn from Yemen. The agencies that remain there says that the Saudi air and sea blockade on the country is preventing critical supplies from getting through. 

Tamaiya Davis 

4/1/2015 

10:54 am

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/02/world/middleeast/dozens-of-civilians-die-in-yemen-as-factory-is-hit.html?ref=world

Blog 6: Regime strike in Deraa kills 22, rebels press Idlib offensive

           Syrian has been struck with a lot of violence lately. On Thursday twenty two people were killed by an airstrike in the countries South. Three children, an opposition activist and a monitoring group were killed. Also a barrel bomb struck the area of Deraa al-Balad in the city of Deraa. This bomb also killed a number of innocent citizens. These attacks came in southern Syria between government forces and rebels who seized the nearby historic site of Busra al-Sham the day before. Busra al-Sham was in the hands of President Bashar Assad’s troops throughout the conflict. Heavy fighting raged around Idlib in northwestern Syria Thursday as rebels continued with their attacks against the government stronghold. According to the Observatory the rebels have seized at least 17 checkpoints and military outposts from pro-Assad troops during clashes that have cost at least 71 lives.  

 

              There has been a tremendous number of other bombings, clashes and acts of violence all together. For example clashes between regime troops and their allies and rebel groups were reported in the city of Aleppo and in the north of the city. Regime aircraft pounded the eastern city of Deir al-Zor with at least 14 airstrikes targeting ISIS. In recent days ISIS militants have stepped their attacks on the military airport. A car bomb also targeted the city of Hassakeh killing at least one Kurdish policeman. There was also another city car bomb last week that killed fifty  people in an attack claimed by ISIS. All of the violence that is taking place across Syria and surrounding areas is unfair to their citizens. These violent groups don’t care who they kill and its sad that they have to live in those conditions.

 

3/26/15

8:57

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Mar-27/292328-regime-strike-in-deraa-kills-22-rebels-press-idlib-offensive.ashx 

Blog 5: Dozens killed in Suicide Attacks at Shiite Mosques in Yemen

 Sana, Yemen has had many attacks on their citizens. In January a car bomber killed over thirty people outside a police academy. Friday suicide bombers attacked two Zaydi Shiite mosques in the capital. This attack killed more then 100 people. A group called the Yemeni division of the Islamic State militant group said they were responsible for the attack. There was a third suicide bomber aiming to attack the northern province of Saada but, he was caught before he got there. The hospitals in the capital treated hundreds of people injured in the explosions.  

Yemen has been leaderless since January. The Houthis placed president Abdu Rabbu Hadi and his government under house arrest. The attacks on Friday happened after days of fighting across Yemen. The violence also spread to Aiden over control of the international airport and a security base. Violence has been occurring across Yemen and surrounding areas. They have had a increase number of assassinations, bombings and clashes. I couldn’t imagine living in a place with no official government and violence all of the time. At any moment there could be a bombing which makes their citizens live in fear. 

Tamaiya Davis 

March 20, 2015 

12:30 pm 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/21/world/middleeast/suicide-attacks-at-shiite-mosques-in-yemen.html?ref=world&_r=0  

Blog #3: Persecution Define's Life for Yemen's Remaining Jews

Yemen was once a lively Jewish community but now all that is left is untended cemeteries, ghetto villages and a few families. This area is now controlled by Houthis militants who now dominate the country. The Jews that live there have been threatened by the Muslims and have no protectors. Most Western countries including the United States and Britain closed their embassies. On top of that the President Ali Abdullah Saleh who were the Jews protector is no longer in power and isn't liked by the Houthis. In 2008 Moshe Yaish Nahari a father of eight children was killed by an assailant as he stepped outside his home. Before the assailant shot Mr. Nahari he said "Jew, here's a message from Islam. Mr. Nahari family left Yemen and soon after, so did a lot of other families. Yemen Jews have suffered wave after wave of persecution. In 2007 the Houth told the Jews in Saada to leave or they would be killed in ten days. The Yemen president Mr. Saleh protected the Jews and moved them to a gated community next to the American Embassy. There use to be 400 Jews living there now its only 20 to 40. Mr. Saleh played a huge role in protecting the Jews but he is no longer in power and the Jews are left to defend for themselves.   

This story caught my attention because the last chapter we read was on religion and ethnicity. I remembered discussing in my outline the same things that are taking place in Yemen. I cant believe people hate and kill other people because of their religion. Most of these people are forced to pack and move or change their appearance so they wont be killed. The article states that many of the men cut off their earlocks because it illustrates they are Jewish. The fact that people use religion to justify the violence that is taking place is unbelievable. Jews are a group of people that has encountered a lot of hatred throughout history. No matter what takes place they continue to practice and trust in their religion. 

Tamaiya Davis

February 19, 2015

5:43

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/world/middleeast/persecution-defines-life-for-yemens-few-jews.html?ref=world 

 

 

Blog #2: Boko Haram Kidnapps Hundreds, Tells Stories of Chibok Girls

            Nigeria has been battling with Boko Haram for about six years now. Boko Haram seeks to impose a Islamic state across Nigeria. Protest broke out world wide and more attention was brought to this situation when Boko Haram kidnapped more than 270 girls from the Chibok boarding school in Nigeria. Although the news went national and the US pledged to help find them it has been about ten months and a lot of the girls are still missing. Boko Haram tells them that they should accept the Islamic state says Abigail. Abigail was held by Boko Haram for four weeks before she escaped. On Wednesday the Nigerian President Jonathan promised that all the girls would be brought home alive. 

               This mass kidnapping illustrates Boko Haram boldness and determination to create an Islamic state across Nigeria. 10,000 people have been killed over the last year because of this Islamic uprising. In the ten months since the Kidnapping Boko Haram crime activity has risen. In August they began seizing and holding towns declaring that they would recreate an ancient Islamic caliphate in the region. The fighting is still taking place and have spilled all across the Nigerian boarder. This fight over religious power is growing more and more intense everyday. 

Tamaiya Davis

February 11, 2014

10:23pm 

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/boko-haram-kidnaps-hundreds-tells-stories-chibok-girls-28882689