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Seven Things to Know About Education in Mozambique

Education in Mozambique

Mozambique has a population of about 30 million people. Statistics from various organizations, such as USAID, have shown that the adult literacy rate in the country is approximately 47 percent. In the surrounding countries of Zimbabwe and Malawi, the rate is much higher, at 87 percent and 66 percent, respectively. There are many contributing factors to the standards of education in Mozambique.

Here are seven things to know about education in Mozambique:

  1. Primary school is mandatory for children, but secondary school is not. In fact, there are only 82 secondary schools in the country.
  2. Poverty is a big contributor to the standards of education. As secondary school is not mandatory for children, attendance is extremely low during this stage – seven percent – since many children aged 14 and older would rather work than go to school. The children want to earn money for their families since resources can be spread so thin. Girls also tend to drop out of school at a young age to get married and start families of their own.
  3. Mozambique abolished primary school fees in the early 2000s. This abolition caused the primary student population to double in a decade.
  4. Teachers are outnumbered heavily by their students. This causes the available education in Mozambique to suffer.
  5. Children are also inclined to drop out of school altogether if their parents die because of poor living conditions or other extenuating circumstances.
  6. Studies by organizations such as UNICEF have shown that the early moments of childhood matter most. There are 15 countries with policies in place that allow mothers to have the time to devote to their children’s’ early years. Mozambique is not one of them and this affects the levels of education in Mozambique
  7. The government and various aid organizations, such as UNICEF, are also working to certify and train more teachers so that the teacher to student ratio can be improved.

The battle is being fought on all ends – teachers, funding and attendance are all issues currently being tackled. Hopefully, by improving literacy and education in Mozambique, this will enable many to pull themselves out of the vicious cycle of poverty.

– Dezanii Lewis

Photo: Flickr

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Yemen’s Human Trafficking Crisis

Human Trafficking Crisis in Yemen
Amid the continued civil unrest and armed conflicts, the Republic of Yemen’s human trafficking crisis is continuously getting worse. The weakening of Yemeni government control over a significant portion of territory, following the 2011 uprising, has allowed human trafficking to thrive. Now, NGOs are reporting that vulnerable populations are at an increased risk of falling victim to the human trafficking network.

Yemen’s human trafficking crisis has not been properly addressed since 2006. According to the U.S. State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons report, released in 2014, Yemen was demoted from a Tier 2 to a Tier 3 rating. Tier 2 recognizes that a nation does not comply with the Trafficking Victim’s Protection Act’s (TVPA) standards but is making efforts to achieve compliance.

Yemen’s current Tier 3 rating (since 2011) means that Yemen is not complying with the TVPA and that it has ceased making significant efforts to improve. That same year, the United Nations Refugee Agency reported over 103,000 new arrivals in Yemen, having been smuggled or trafficked to the country.

As of 2017, Yemen’s human trafficking crisis has not changed for the better. Due to the tenuous political circumstances, the government faces serious obstacles in combatting trafficking. Yemen is dealing with substantial internal security threats, weak institutions, widespread corruption, economic dilapidation, limited territorial control and poor law enforcement capacities.

However, the greatest threat is the inherently increased risk for human trafficking due to the nation’s failure to implement and enforce any anti-trafficking laws. The lack of government control has also resulted in little oversight or activity in the courts. Without the government to prosecute, convictions and punishments are not being sought.

Allegedly, some officials willfully ignore the trafficking crimes in their regions. The most vulnerable to Yemen’s human trafficking crisis are migrant workers who attempt to flee poverty by finding work in the Gulf states and are unaware of the situation. As they travel to their destination, they are caught in large crowds, pushed overboard, and taken hostage by the smugglers.

Locals are also at risk. A common practice known as “sex tourism” (described as brief marriages between visitors and young Yemeni girls) has largely resulted due to raising poverty levels in rural areas.

The criminal networks do not stop at Yemen’s borders, but rather extend to Ethiopia, Djibouti and Saudi Arabia. As the smugglers continue to move victims internationally and Yemen further develops into a place of origin and transit, the chances that victims are recovered and returned to their families decreases.

By combatting poverty in Yemen, many of the workers who desperately search for opportunities and fall prey on fraudulent job offers would decline. However, until people can provide food and basic necessities for themselves, they may have no choice but to accept any work they can. Unfortunately, smugglers will exploit this. Thus, by combatting poverty, Yemen’s human trafficking crisis can be addressed, too.

– Taylor Elkins

Photo: Flickr

Education in Mongolia

Education in MongoliaSince its transition from a member of the Soviet Union to an independent state, Mongolia has struggled to maintain its pre-independence levels of educational attainment and literacy. In the absence of a centrally-planned system, education in Mongolia has had to find its own way.

Previously, Mongolia had a 5-4-2 education structure, meaning students attended five grades of primary school, four grades of lower secondary school and two grades of upper secondary school. In 2016, a new 6-3-3 plan was fully implemented. Under both systems, all public education is free – though costs associated with education still deter some students – and the primary and lower secondary levels are compulsory.

Current Issues

Education in Mongolia faces the following issues: poor quality of curriculum, materials and teacher training, inconsistent standards, low-quality learning environments and conditions and irrelevant vocational programs. Specific parts of the population also face more specific barriers to educational attainment. For example, children with disabilities (especially if they are non-ambulatory) have very few accessible options and the schools which are open to them receive far less funding than “mainstream” schools.

Children from poor, rural communities, such as those in the Khangai and Western areas, are significantly less likely to attend school at all. Ethnic minorities, including Indigenous children, face discrimination and stigma as well as inadequate curriculum and language materials. Despite the 1995 Basic Principles of Education Law – which guarantees all citizens education in their native language – many students such as Kazakh students (who are the largest minority group) do not have access to textbooks written in their native language.

Successes and Positive Measures

There are many initiatives from within Mongolia and from external nongovernmental organizations looking to improve education in Mongolia. The READ (Rural Education and Development) Project created 3,560 libraries in 383 rural primary schools. This increased classroom reading time by 100 percent.

The Basic Education Program, part of UNICEF, assists the government in the development and implementation of its own education policies. UNICEF also funded upgrades to the Non-Formal and Life-Long Education Center of Nalaikh District, a school that is accessible to children with disabilities (including those in wheelchairs) and provides education to children who would otherwise have to stay home.

An initiative called the Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework has the mandate to recommend changes to the Mongolian Education Quality Reform Project in order to make it more useful to Indigenous children. In its initial form, this reform project would likely not hurt Indigenous children, but it contained no specific measures to help them.

Today, the system of education in Mongolia faces several issues of accessibility and suitability, particularly toward disadvantaged population groups. However, it is on the right path to improving access and quality of education for all.

– Olivia Bradley

Photo: Flickr

10 Facts About the Sinai Insurgency

the Sinai InsurgencyA conflict that has raged since the beginning of 2011, with little sign of ending in the near future, the Sinai Insurgency has pitted the military forces of Egypt against militant Islamist insurgents across the Sinai Peninsula. Over the years, the war has cost an unclear number of lives and livelihoods, as nearly six years of suicide bombings and insurgent attacks have rocked the region. Here are 10 facts about the Sinai Insurgency and its effects on the region:

  1. According to the nonprofit Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, the insurgents have launched over 800 attacks solely in the region of Wilayat Sinai since late 2014.
  2. Though the number of attacks in 2017 has decreased from previous years, the deadliness of the attacks has increased. In mid-September, 18 members of Egypt’s security forces were killed in a suicide bomber attack near the Sinai city of Arish. This attack followed a July attack that claimed the lives of 23 policemen.
  3. At least 1000 members of security forces have been killed in combat or in terrorist attacks since mid-2013. In 2017 alone, more than 200 members of Egypt’s forces have been killed.
  4. The continued conflict has also led to increased tension between Egypt and its neighbors, as Egypt has closed borders along the Gaza strip after accusing Hamas of harboring some of the insurgents it is battling in Sinai.
  5. The downing of a Russian airliner in 2015 has led to immense pressure on Egypt’s economy, as Russia, a major trade partner, has ceased all civilian flights into Egypt, while many other nations have blacklisted cities that comprise a large portion of Egypt’s tourism revenue.
  6. The Tahrir Institute estimates that over 2500 militants have been killed since the struggle ramped up in intensity in 2013. Many media outlets report militant casualties far higher than that, though their numbers are unofficial and suspect.
  7. Islamist insurgents have continually targeted the Coptic Christian population of Sinai in their attacks, particularly their churches and gathering places. Successful attacks have stirred resentment against the Egyptian government for failing to protect the minority population.
  8. Though the vast majority of insurgent attacks are concentrated in the northeastern corner of the peninsula, attacks have been reported across the length and breadth of Sinai. Some have even been reported as making their way into other areas of Egypt.
  9. Many of the Islamist insurgents aim to remove the unpopular president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, but others, such as the Bedouin tribesmen native to Sinai who are barred from the Egyptian army and many jobs, have joined the conflict as a way of violently addressing other grievances at the hands of the Egyptian government.
  10. In August, the U.S. cut $100 million dollars worth of aid to Egypt and continues to withhold hundreds of millions more. The decision, according to State Department statements, was motivated due to concerns over the state of human rights in Egypt.

Though a mere 10 facts about the Sinai Insurgency is hardly enough to encapsulate the entire conflict, the above facts can help foster a better understanding of the scope and motivations behind the conflict, particularly in regards to the tense political situation that cloaks the region, and how that relates to the U.S.

– Erik Halberg

Photo: Google

10 Facts About the Holocaust Genocide

Holocaust Genocide

The Holocaust genocide, which occurred between 1933 and 1945, is the deadliest genocide in history. As part of Adolf Hitler’s Final Solution, the Holocaust genocide saw the slaughter of approximately six million Jewish people and five million Slavic, Roma and disabled people in concentration camps scattered throughout areas in Europe such as Germany and Poland. The Holocaust genocide can be further understood through history and facts.

Top 10 Facts about the Holocaust

  1. According to a broad definition, the Holocaust is considered to have started in 1933, when the Nazi party came to power in Germany and the exclusion of Jewish people and other groups considered “undesirable” from German society began. Mass killings began in 1941, during the height of World War II.
  2. The Nazi party systematically planned the mass slaughter of millions of people in order to construct solid cultural and societal norms through the enactment of the Nuremberg Laws, a set of rules that systematically removed Jewish people from society. For instance, Jewish Germans were prohibited from marrying non-Jewish Germans.
  3. The Nazi party forced Jewish people to wear a yellow Star of David badge in order to distinguish between Jewish people and other European people, which served as a systematic approach to isolate Jewish people from society. This practice was a part of Hitler’s use of media and propaganda in order to degrade the Jewish people.
  4. Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass,” was a period of two days in November 1938 during which Nazi paramilitaries burned approximately 250 synagogues and destroyed thousands of Jewish-owned businesses, schools and homes.
  5. Jewish, Slavic, Roma and disabled people were forced to congregate in “ghettos” throughout Germany and Poland.
  6. Before the creation of extermination camps and gas chambers, Nazi Germans murdered the prisoners of concentration camps by shooting them. After experimentation, it was determined that gassing could murder more people at once and would be less costly. The most famous gas used in the gas chambers was called Zyklon B.
  7. In concentration camps, the prisoners were forced to complete excruciatingly difficult physical labor in the absence of adequate food, water or shelter. Nazi doctors also performed numerous experiments on the prisoners without their consent.
  8. Extermination camps served solely to murder large amounts of Jewish, Slavic, Roma and disabled peoples. The largest extermination camp was Auschwitz-Birkenau, which was located in Poland and responsible for killing approximately one million Jewish people.
  9. During the Holocaust genocide, millions of Jewish people sought refuge in the United States; however, strict immigration quotas in the United States had been enacted in 1924, and most Jewish people were barred from entering the United States.
  10. Many Jewish women created art while confined in the ghettos and concentration camps, and a great deal of the art depicts the hopelessness felt by the Jewish people throughout the period. For example, according to the Jewish Women’s Archive, Emmy Falck-Ettlinger, who lived through and survived the Holocaust genocide in the Gurs concentration camp in France, drew depictions of “emptiness and loneliness.”

These 10 facts about the Holocaust genocide do not even begin to cover the disturbing and horrific details of the historical tragedy. It is incredibly important to study the circumstances in which the Holocaust genocide was developed and executed in order to prevent any group of people from being treated in such an inhumane manner in the future.

– Emily Santora

Photo: Flickr

6 Tech Awards Laureate Startups That Improve Lives

Tech AwardsThe Tech Awards is an annual competition that recognizes work done by startups around the world that help to improve the standard of living in impoverished areas. Through the work done by these startups, many people are able to gain access to tools to better their education, communication and rights.

From the 2016 Tech Awards, the panel of judges recognized six Tech Awards laureates who have continued to improve communities over the last 15 years. Each startup won an award related to the work they do. These are the six companies and their impact on the communities they help.

Source International
Source International was named a Tech Awards laureate in 2014. In 2016, they won the Intel Environment Award. Source International is an Italian company that works with communities to deal with environmental pollution and health issues that arise because of it.

Source International provides these services free of charge in communities where their services work. Furthermore, they train local leaders to develop and promote environmental monitoring systems to benefit those communities.

Equal Access International
Equal Access International was named a Tech Awards laureate in 2003. In 2016, they won the Microsoft Education Award. Equal Access International is a non-profit organization that creates informative and educational media programs to address women’s rights and education issues in different countries across the world.

Equal Access International currently works in nine countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. They use a multimedia approach as well as direct community involvement to raise awareness of these issues, educate people on how to overcome these issues and train people to actively change unfavorable laws and legislation.

Souktel
Souktel was named a Tech Awards laureate in 2010. In 2016, they won the PayPal Equality Award. Souktel is a company that connects employers with employees using development and tech expertise to expand technological communication.

Souktel is focused in areas where unemployment is high due to the lack of access to communication. They work directly with companies to establish platforms for companies to use mobile phones, hotlines and more, while Souktel provides servers to host the platform, as well as customer support.

Angaza
Angaza was named a Tech Awards laureate in 2012. In 2016, they won the Katherine M. Swanson Young Innovator Award. Angaza works to provide affordable solar energy to areas that rely on more toxic forms of lighting, such as kerosene.

Angaza developed a pay-as-you-go platform that allows people in low-income areas to make micro-payments in order to pay for solar products. This creates an affordable way to access cleaner and safer energy for those who need it most.

IDE-India
IDE-India (IDEI) was named a Tech Awards laureate in 2004 and 2010. In 2016, they won the Sobrato Organization Economic Development Award. IDEI is an Indian organization that focuses on providing water access to poor and smallholder farmers. 57 percent of the Indian population relies on agriculture to provide for their families.

According to the Tech Awards website, “IDEI created a low-cost drip irrigation system and foot-powered water pump, which currently reaches 1.38 million households.” Through the improved accessibility of water for small farmers, they are able to generate more income and thrive as businesses.

D-Rev
D-Rev was named a Tech Awards laureate in 2013. In 2016, they won the Sutter Health Award. D-Rev is a company that creates medical technologies at affordable prices for low-income areas. This helps to close the quality healthcare gap for underserved areas.

One example of their medical technology is a phototherapy lamp used to treat jaundiced newborns. Most phototherapy lamps cost thousands of dollars; however, D-REV’s Brilliance phototherapy lamp starts at only $400. It also saves hospitals up to $240 per year on bulb replacements.

These six startups have worked to create innovative solutions to help those in need. From medical and agricultural technologies to communication accessibility, many underserved areas of the world are gaining access to important technologies to help their communities thrive. Not only are these startups improving the lives of those in impoverished areas, but the Tech Awards focus on important companies and organizations such as these increase their ability to help others.

– Rebekah Covey

Photo: Flickr

Combating Female Genital Mutilation

Female Genital MutilationMore than 120 million women and girls worldwide are victims of female genital mutilation (FGM). Often referred to as circumcision, a tragic misnomer, FGM is practiced in 28 different African countries, southern parts of the Arabian Peninsula, the Persian Gulf, among Muslim populations in Malaysia and Indonesia and increasingly among immigrant groups in Europe, Australia, Canada and the U.S.

Some cultures believe a woman’s ability to be stimulated sexually is impure within the definition of their religious practices. Others believe women are unmarriageable if they have not been cut, and therefore the practice is often perpetuated by mothers to ensure their children are not cast out societally. It is also believed that having their children cut can reduce the chances of extramarital affairs. Female genital mutilation is an epidemic with little justification for its practice.

There are four types of FGM:

  • Type I: The prepuce (clitoral hood) is removed, sometimes with part or all of the clitoris.
  • Type II: The prepuce, clitoris and part or all of the labia minora are removed.
  • Type III: Sometimes called infibulation, it involves the complete removal of the clitoris, labia minora and inner surface of the labia majora. Then the raw edges of the labia majora are then stitched together with thorns, silk or catgut sutures, resulting in a layer of scar tissue covering the vaginal opening and leaving a small opening for urine and menstrual blood to pass through.
  • Type IV: Encompasses any other surgical procedures that include the manipulation of female genitalia. Examples include pricking, piercing, incision of the clitoris or labia, stretching of the clitoris and/or labia, cauterization by burning of the clitoris and surrounding tissue, introcision (defined as a tearing of the perineum followed by compulsory intercourse with a number of young men), scraping of the vaginal orifice, cuts into the vagina and introduction of substances into the vagina with the intention of tightening or narrowing the vaginal opening.

The short-term effects of female genital mutilation include severe pain, infections, abscesses and recurring cysts. Long-term effects include painful intercourse, menstrual complications, increased risk during childbirth, sexual dysfunction and psychological trauma.

In spite of legislation to end the occurrence of FGM, in some cultures, it is an ingrained rite of passage for women to enter womanhood. Mona Eltahawy, an op-ed contributor to the New York Times, interviewed a 53-year-old FGM survivor from Cairo who said, “It must be carried out because that’s the way to maintain the purity of girls, to make sure the girl is not out of control. We don’t care if it’s against the law or if they’re trying to stop it. We know doctors who are willing to continue and have done so.”

In October 2014, the U.N. Secretary-General announced a global campaign to end the practice of FGM within a generation. The government of Egypt banned it in 1959, then permitted again in some forms including “medical” genital cutting. Then a universal ban on all FGM was enacted in 2008. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has ensured that everyone within their jurisdiction has the rights and freedom defined in the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

The Guide to Good and Promising Practices Aimed at Preventing and Combating Female Genital Mutilation, written by the Steering Committee for Human Rights, outlines the Four Ps implemented to combat FGM.

The Four Ps:

  1. Integrated Policy and Data
  2. Prevention
  3. Protection
  4. Prosecution

Several countries and organizations have employed methods to fight FGM on a large scale. Senegal has been hailed as a success story not for eradicating the practice but reducing the rate at which it is performed. Their methods include alternative rites of passage into womanhood, campaigns that include brides and bridegrooms to reject the custom, involving priests and clerics and helping women to reach higher levels of education.

A group of young women in Kenya who call themselves The Restorers developed an app to prevent female genital mutilation and other gender-based violence. The Restorers entered their app, i-Cut, into the Technovation Challenge. The app includes an SOS option for those who believe they may become victims of FGM or other gender-related violence, as well as an option to report if they have been victimized.

The Restorers didn’t win the competition, and many Kenyan leaders have not embraced the app, claiming that the girls have “become too westernized and are ruining African culture.” However, they plan to submit the app to Google Play and other digital marketplaces. This type of innovation complements more traditional preventative measures by raising awareness and giving women the option of reporting FGM.

The Committee of Ministers of the Council has stressed the need to raise awareness and improve educational campaigns to combat gender stereotypes that drive discrimination against women and girls. These campaigns must involve both genders collaborating to prevent the spread of harmful ideologies fueling violence against women and specifically female genital mutilation.

The issue is not strictly legal and not entirely social. In order to truly end this custom, the underlying issues regarding gender and power dynamics must be addressed.

The causes of FGM are rooted in the promotion of misconceptions about female sexuality in addition to detrimental gender politics within societal structures. Confronting FGM and its sources requires a multidimensional approach that enacts policies that dictate preventative measures, campaigns to influence the cultural perception of the practice, programs to improve gender equality and safety for women and girls worldwide.

– Rebekah Korn

Photo: Flickr

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The Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act Passes House

Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality ActThe House of Representatives passed the Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act on October 3, 2017. Authored by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), the bill was first introduced last year and passed the House then; however, its progress was impeded by the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. With a new session underway, it was reintroduced and will now go on to the Senate for further deliberation.

The legislation opposes loans made by U.S. international financial institutions for the government of Nicaragua. This measure is in response to the alleged fraud and irregularities associated with the recent reelection of Daniel Ortega as president of Nicaragua. Former United States Ambassador to Nicaragua Robert Callahan testified that “Daniel Ortega’s candidacy was illegal, illegitimate and unconstitutional.” Callahan also went on to claim that the period leading up to the election as well as the elections themselves were “marred by serious fraud.”

After a brutal civil war that decimated the Nicaraguan economy in the 1970s, Daniel Ortega and his quasi-communist Sandinista party first took power in 1979. He was voted out in 1990, however, and lost later elections in 1996 and 2001. Having lost three prior elections, his victory in 2006 surprised the world and was reasonably met with skepticism. Ortega has since seized control over all four branches of the Nicaraguan government: the presidency, the judiciary, the National Assembly as well as the Supreme Electoral Council.

Since the 1990s, when Ortega was first ousted from office, the U.S. has sought to assist Nicaragua in establishing a fair democracy, a free-market economy as well as improving respect for basic human rights.

Consequently, until Nicaragua is prepared to make progress towards increased political transparency and fair elections, the U.S. Congress proposes to not allow any new loans to be given to Nicaragua unless they are proven to help improve democracy and address human rights. The Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act will put pressure on Ortega to insist upon free and fair elections by cutting off vital financing. Through this legislation, the U.S. will be prevented from encouraging the behavior of a budding dictator and hopefully pave the way for a liberated Nicaragua.

– Micaela Fischer

Photo: Flickr

Education in Moldova Shows Encouraging Improvement

Education in MoldovaEducation in Moldova includes five tiers. Students enter school at the age of six and graduate at 17, and the school year runs from September to July, similar to American school systems. Introduction to the educational system begins with primary school until age 10. Secondary education is split into lower and upper secondary cycles. Lower secondary, grades five to nine, is called gymnasium. Gymnasium graduates must pass an entrance exam to qualify for Lyceum before admittance.

Upper secondary—or lyceum—includes grades 10 through 12. Graduating from lyceum qualifies students to receive their “Scoala Medie de Cultră general,” or general certificate of completion. Students may also be awarded a Diploma de Bacalaureat if they opt to take and pass the national baccalaureate exam.

Higher education is offered by both private and public universities, academies and institutes. Getting a degree from any of these can take four to five years depending on the chosen upper secondary education. Undergraduate, Masters and Doctoral studies are also available.

The Moldovan Constitution guarantees that state public education be free and all citizens have the right to access to education. Higher education in Moldova is more or less free. Tuition fees for students living off-campus is an average of 5000 Moldovan Lei, or $280.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) occurs every three years in order to test the effectiveness of education in Moldova, with a two-hour-long exam on math, science and reading for 15-year old students. The program is a global effort that engages over half a million students from 72 countries in order to evaluate education systems worldwide.

PISA encourages the development of facilitative learning environments and improved educational systems for low and middle-income countries and aims for inclusive learning for all students. PISA is designed to assess students’ ability to apply what they have learned in school to real-life situations. The organization’s main goal is to measure a country’s effectiveness in preparing students for success in higher education and a professional career.

In 2009, Moldova scored below average in all areas of study according to PISA test results. However, in 2015, Moldovan students had a 15-point increase in the sciences, a 28-point increase in reading and a 23-point increase in math. Equity rankings between boys and girls and social backgrounds are about equal.

In 2013, the Moldovan government devised and instituted pivotal changes that may be responsible for improved scores: increased funding and academic accountability. Increased financing for public educational institutions has undoubtedly improved conditions.

The implementation of the Education Management Information system (EMIS) which includes information about a school’s ranking and performance marks, has motivated schools to improve their quality of education. This also allows parents to make informed decisions when choosing a school for their child.

The students’ PISA scores offer a hopeful insight into education in Moldova. Although it may not be the best, it is improving.

– Sloan Bousselaire

Photo: Flickr

10 Facts About the Burundian Unrest

Burundian UnrestSince 2015, the Republic of Burundi in East Africa has been faced with unrest, due to the current president, Pierre Nkurunziza being elected for a third term. The opposition claimed it was an unconstitutional election – and that Nkurunziza was authoritarian – and began to protest, thus starting the worst civil distress since the civil war that ended in 2005. The Burundian Unrest is brutal, yet virtually unknown to most Americans. Here are 10 facts about the Burundian Unrest:

  1. There has been ethnic tension in Burundi since 1962. In 1890, Ruanda (Rwanda) and Urundi (Burundi) were joined in German East Africa as Ruanda-Urundi. Since then there has been tension between the majority Hutu population with the minority Tutsi population, with Tutsi typically being the dominant ethnic group. Since 1994 (the start of the civil war between Tutsis and Hutus), Burundi has been considered one of Africa’s most difficult conflicts to deal with.
  2. Pierre Nkurunziza was the first president to be chosen in a democratic election since the start of the civil war in 1994.
    Nkurunziza is a former Hutu rebel leader and was elected in 2005 – one of the final steps in a peace process meant to end years of fighting between Hutu rebels and the Tutsi-controlled army. He has since been slowly seeing accusations of authoritarianism, with people boycotting the polls in 2010 and in 2015 when he ran for president again, despite the Burundian constitution limiting presidents to two terms.
  3. Burundian authorities have been abducting and killing its citizens. This is happening at an alarming rate; however, their methods have shifted. In 2015, authorities would openly murder civilians and leave their bodies in the streets of Bujumbura (the capital of Burundi), but recently they have been more discreet about it by kidnapping citizens and not telling their families where they went.
  4. In 2016, an average of more than 100 people a day crossed the Tanzanian border seeking refuge from the chaotic situation.
    These new refugees joined the 250,000 refugees from the year before and are spread out throughout Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The refugees find themselves in shelters that are underfunded and overcrowded. Refugees risk a lot running away from Burundi because if they get caught by the militia, they are labeled “traitors” and are either sent back with a warning or, in extreme cases, assaulted and murdered.
  5. The ruling party in Burundi is the National Council of The Defence of Democracy- Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) The CNDD was created in 1994, as a direct result of the assassination of the democratically elected president that was the start of the civil war. The FDD was later created as an armed wing to establish popular resistance.
  6. Imbonerakure is the youth branch of the CNDD-FDD and is causing a lot of destruction. Imbonerakure is accused of beatings and killings and there is a suspected collaboration with the Burundi government. They have also been raping women related to men who are rebelling against the government. In addition, they have been known to go door to door, extorting money from residents, and have been arresting citizens despite having no technical arresting power.
  7. Mass arrests of opposition parties have been conducted. At least 16 members of the opposition party – National Liberation Forces (FNL) – were arrested in March 2016, with many more arrested in the following months.
  8. Despite being accused of human rights violations, Burundi is on the U.N.’s 47 member Human Rights Council. There was a panel of investigators set up by the human rights council last year, and in early September 2017, they said that they would be delivering the council a list of potential human rights violators in Burundi.
  9. Burundian refugees that have made it out of Burundi still face conflict in their new homes In September of this year, 36 refugees were shot and killed in the Congo, after an altercation with Congolese security forces.
  10. The U.N. has been working in Burundi since 2015. On Jan. 1, 2015 the U.N. Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi (MENUB) began working in the conflicted country. Jamal Benomar, Ban Ki-Moon’s Special Advisor, has been working with the Burundi government on creating a “credible and inclusive political dialogue.” It is a continuation of the U.N. office in Burundi (BNUB) that ended in 2014.

The crisis in Burundi is still rampant, but there are ways that everyday American citizens can help. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been assisting Burundi since 1996 to help victims recover from the war. The IRC is now focusing its efforts on Burundi’s border with Tanzania and around Bujumbura, the capital. They are providing emergency relief, deinstitutionalizing children in orphanages, teaching young people job skills, helping to manage refugee camps, safeguarding the human rights for refugees and more. Donations to them and organizations like them will go a long way for the people in Burundi and will hopefully allow the Burundian Unrest to begin settling.

– Téa Franco

Photo: Google