ethnic conflict

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Guinea Declares Emergency Amid Election Riots

Military forbids people to gather in the streets

(Newser) - Guinea's military declared a state of emergency today, after violence followed a tense presidential election. The decree prohibits civilians from circulating on the streets, the head of the armed forces said in a televised decree. Only military and security forces will have unrestricted movement, he said, offering no further details....

China Executes 9 Over Uighur Riots

Executed were convicted of murder during Xinjiang province unrest

(Newser) - Nine people convicted of murder and arson during July riots in China’s Xinjiang province were executed today. Chinese news services did not identify the executed, but previous statements suggest that they are Uighurs. The riots in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region, left 197 people dead as Uighurs...

Unrest Shines Light on Chinese Ethnic Fractures

'Monolithic myth' fades after riots

(Newser) - The government clings to the notion of a “harmonious” country, but China is home to 56 “official” ethnic groups and many unofficial divisions—which are widening as some push for “increased cultural nationalism and resistance to Beijing central control,” writes Dru Gladney in the Wall Street ...

China Closes Urumqi Mosques, Imposes Curfew

(Newser) - Chinese authorities forced mosques in Urumqi to stay closed today and reimposed a curfew in the restive western city, reports the BBC. The curfew was lifted after thousands of troops had seemed to restore order between Han Chinese and Uighur Muslims, who have battled in the worst ethnic violence China...

As Riots Quiet, China Vows to Execute Killers

Anyone found guilty of murder will be executed, says party head

(Newser) - After thousands of troops were deployed to quell ethnic unrest in the Chinese city of Urumqi, “the situation is under control,” said officials—who vowed to execute anyone behind the riot's 156 deaths. Most of those charged with murder so far have been students, said the city’s...

After 26-Year War, Sri Lanka Struggles with Peace

Ethnic tensions remain as Tamil rebels lay down arms

(Newser) - The Sri Lankan government finally prevailed in its 26-year civil war with Tamil rebels with a brutal campaign, leaving thousands dead and 300,000 displaced. Now, reports the Wall Street Journal, the country must try living in peace after years of assassinations and abductions from both sides. Tamils "should...

Sri Lanka Prez: We're 'Liberated'

Body of rebel leader said to be found

(Newser) - Sri Lanka’s leader celebrated the country’s “liberation” from the Tamil Tigers after 26 years of war in a speech to parliament today, the BBC reports. “Today we have been able to liberate the entire country from the clutches of terrorism," said Mahinda Rajapaska. "We...

Myanmar Gov't, Rebels on Collision Course

(Newser) - The tense peace between Myanmar’s military rulers and various armed ethnic groups may fracture into war next year when the government implements a controversial new constitution, the New York Times reports. The constitution requires the rebels to disarm, without granting them the de facto autonomy they currently enjoy in...

Kenyan Killings 'Planned'
Kenyan Killings 'Planned'
Jan 21, 2008 5:38 AM CST

Kenyan Killings 'Planned'

Flyers, arms distribution point to orchestrated violence

(Newser) - As the death toll in Kenya's ongoing ethnic violence continued to mount yesterday, evidence indicates that some of the horrific bloodshed was carefully planned, the New York Times reports. Flyers warned of ethnic killings—now responsible for at least 650 deaths in the past month—even before December's controversial presidential...

Ethnic Gangs Rile Kenyan Slums
Ethnic Gangs Rile Kenyan Slums
Jan 10, 2008 1:37 PM CST

Ethnic Gangs Rile Kenyan Slums

Gang with reputed vampire tendencies at center of ugly violence

(Newser) - The ethnic violence that has ripped through Kenya since December's disputed election is particularly gruesome between gangs in the slums of Nairobi, Newsweek reports. On one side is the self-proclaimed “Taliban,” a group dedicated to protecting their Luo tribe, and imposing order and justice much like their Afghan...

Odinga Rejects Unity Rule; Kenya Health Crisis Looms

Aid chiefs sound alarm in wake of chaos

(Newser) - Opposition leader Raila Odinga today rejected President Mwai Kibaki's offer of a unity government and demanded an international mediator, AP reports. "We want a properly negotiated settlement, not a coalition government," Odinga said, warning that his party would stage more rallies, threatening a new burst of violence after...

Fire at Church Kills 50 as Riots in Kenya Rage

Disputed election uncorks seething ethnic tensions

(Newser) - A mob set fire to a church filled with people in Kenya today, killing at least 50, according to the Red Cross, most of them members of Mwai Kibaki’s Kikuyu tribe. Chaos has reigned in the country since Kibaki’s disputed election victory, which EU inspectors say lacks credibility....

Tibetan Villagers Riot Over Monks' Arrest

190 people demanded alleged thieves' release

(Newser) - Simmering ethnic tensions between Tibetans and Chinese boiled over into a riot in a remote Tibet province, Reuters reports. After 3 monks were arrested following an altercation with a Chinese shop owner, hundreds of Tibetan herdsmen converged on the town to demand their release. When authorities failed to comply, they...

New Ex-Reb Prime Minister Vows Kosovo Independence

Promises independence from Serbia by Dec. 10

(Newser) - A one-time rebel leader promising independence from Serbia surged to victory in yesterday's parliamentary elections in Kosovo. Prime Minister-elect Hashim Thaci, formerly a head of the Kosovo Liberation Army, vowed as he cast his ballot that he will declare Kosovo independent "immediately" if United Nations mediation fails to deliver...

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