Felix HB, Global affairs (Rohingya & Somalia) Not to be published

Somalis respond to deadly Mogadishu attack

A public demonstration of solidarity and strength signalled hope for the people of Mogadishu as thousands took to the streets in response to the recent terrorist attack that saw over 500 casualties.

Police presence in the city centre was strong, with protestors coming under fire as they neared the site of the attack. Protests were especially strong as this attack marks a peak of sustained terror campaigns across Somalia.

A smaller demonstration took place in Dusamareb, a town in central Somalia, as residents called the war against militant groups to be more strongly pursued.

Although no group has officially claimed responsibility for the attack, it is thought that Al-Shabaab, a group with links to Al-Qaeda, are behind the bombings. Both vehicles used to carry out the attack, each containing 350kg of explosives, were traced to Bariire, an Al-Shabaab stronghold, as was one of the drivers of the vehicles.

It is thought the attack could stem from anti-US sentiment, and was a protest against a controversial US operation in Bariire in August which saw 10 civilians killed.

Rohingya Massacre – A Month On

Over a month after news of the atrocities being committed against the Rohingya people in Myanmar broke in the western mainstream media, Amnesty International has released a report condemning the actions of Myanmar’s security forces as crimes against humanity.

The report contained deeply unsettling testimonies from 120 Rohingya people, with the village of Min Gyi worst affected, and has evidenced that at least scores of women were killed in five Myanmar villages.

Myanmar’s population of Rohingya people contains over 1.1 million Muslims, and their persecution has worsened immeasurably in the last year. Recent violence in the northern state of Rakhine saw 90,000 Rohingya Muslims flee to Bangladesh, and the persecution has since spread across the country, reminiscent of widespread anti-Islamic violence that the country saw in 2012 and 2013.

Fleeing seems to be the only option for Myanmar’s Rohingya population. Critics of the country’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi claim she has failed to adequately protect the Rohingya people, claims that seem valid given the state-backed nature of the violence.