New SSR Logo - Final-page-0 (2)

News Roundup: 5 May - 11 May 2015 By: SSR Resource Centre | SSR Weekly | May 11, 2015

Want to keep up to date on the SSR field? Once a week, the CSG’s Security Sector Reform Resource Centre project posts pertinent news articles, reports, projects, and event updates on SSR over the past week. Click here to sign-up and have the SSR Weekly News Roundup delivered straight to your inbox every week!

Security Sector Reform Resource Centre

DDR in Darfur: Progress, challenges and outlook

Zurab Elzarov argues that, after a long delay, the DDR process in Darfur has seen some progress over the past several months with disarmament and demobilization of ex-combatants from former rebel movements who decided to join the peace process, surrender their weapons and return to civilian life.

 

News

Over 50 Thai police punished over links to human trafficking

Following the discovery of trafficking camps near the Malaysian border, Thai authorities transferred over 50 police officers suspected of ties with human trafficking networks. – The Nation

Central African Republic militias agree to free child soldiers

Armed factions have agreed to free all child soldiers – an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 according to UNICEF – and end the recruitment of children. - Reuters

No grounds to charge Canadian military police over interrogation techniques in Afghanistan, Tories say

The Canadian Conservative government says that it found no grounds to charge Canadian military police  over interrogation techniques of 40 prisoners in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011. – Alex Boutilier, Toronto Star

EU draws up plans for military attacks on Libya targets to stop migrant boats

The European Union will try to secure a UN mandate this week for armed action in Libya’s territorial waters. – Ian Traynor, The Guardian

Mexican Authorities Implicated In Violence, But U.S. Security Aid Still Flows

The authors analyze state-sponsored violence in Mexico and its potential impact on U.S. security assistance. – Cora Currier and Jesse Franzblau, The Intercept

Macedonia blames Kosovans for deadly clash

A deadly raid on state institutions killed eight police officers in the northern town of Kumanovo in Macedonia. – Al Jazeera

Syria | The Defenders of Yarmouk

Palestinian fighters allied with the Assad regime are fighting against the Islamic State in the Yarmouk refugee camp. – Nour Samaha, Foreign Policy

Central African Republic militias poised to sign disarmament agreement

An agreement on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) could be signed this week by the country’s main armed groups.  – Clár Ní Chonghaile, The Guardian

 

Analysis

Why Assad is Losing

Charles Lister discusses the impact of rebels’ important victories in the north of Syria and the consequences for Bashar al-Assad’s regime. – Charles Lister, Foreign Policy

Will Erdogan’s backtracking torpedo PKK disarmament?

The peace process with the Kurds has stalled in Turkey following controversial actions and statements by the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan  –Fehim Taştekin,  Al-Monitor

Iraq’s Sunni fighting force still months away

Plans for the formation of a national Iraq guard that would include local Sunni fighters are being developed, but it will take at least 6 months to train and develop. – Mona Alami, Al-Monitor

Indonesia | Police Should Be Placed Under Ministerial Control

Aleksius Jemadu argues that the reorganization of the National Police is an essential element of Indonesia’s security sector reform plans. - Aleksius Jemadu, Jakarta Globe

A seat at the table in Afghanistan

Heather Barr argues that Afghan women must be included in the next round of peace talks between the government and the Taliban. – Heather Barr, The Washington Post

Peace in Colombia Falters in Critical Area: Public Opinion

New polls in Colombia show that public support for a peace deal have dropped significantly in the past few months. – Virginie M. Bouvier, IPI Global Observatory

Afghanistan | The First Battle of the 21st Century

In the context of Afghanistan’s latest fighting season, Charles Sennott revisits the Qala-i-Jangi fortress which was the site of a battle in November 2001 to see what happened in the last decade there. – Charles M. Sennott, The Atlantic

Indonesia | Editorial: Policing the military

Indonesia’s military recently merged the military police of the different military branches into a single institution in order to better enforce military law and justice. – The Jakarta Post

Thailand | Police reform cannot be put off any longer

This editorial argues that the Thai police must let go of its bureaucratic mentality and deal with the issues of political interference, incompetence, corruption and accountability immediately. – The Nation

Why Islamist insurgents are so difficult to coerce

Based on research on the South Caucasus and Syria, the authors argue that a different kind of counterinsurgency strategy is necessary to deal with Islamist insurgents, including efforts to counter external support provided to Islamists insurgents. – Monica Duffy Toft and Yuri Zhukov, The Washington Post

Corruption Scandal Renews Fight Against Impunity in Guatemala

The article discusses recent efforts in the fight against impunity following a corruption scandal around a criminal network known as La Línea. – Adam Lupel and Jimena Leiva Roesch, IPI Global Observatory

Canada | Omar Khadr’s ordeal: When a war crime isn’t a war crime

Jo Becker analyzes the consequences of Omar Khadr’s case and the possibilities of reintegration following his release from prison. – Jo Becker, Human Rights Watch

What happens when Arab foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria go home?

Daniel Byman provides key insight – and complementary analysis to research focused on Western foreign fighters - to the important question of what happens when Arab foreign fighters return home.  – Daniel L. Byman, Brookings

 

Publications

Satellites, Plasmas and Law: The Role of TeleCourt in Changing Conceptions of Justice and Authority in Ethiopia

This article analyzes Ethiopia’s experiment with ICT and justice delivery through the TeleCourt system which uses videoconferencing for justice support in remote areas. - Zenebe Beyene,  Abdissa Zerai and Iginio Gagliardone, Stability: International Journal of Security & Development

Elites, power and security: How the organization of security in Lebanon serves elite interests

Erwin Van Veen discusses the organization of Lebanon’s state security and argues that security organizing practices are mainly developed to protect elite interests. – Erwin Van Veen, Clingendael

Women’s role in Yemen’s Police Force

This background paper provides key information on the current situation of women’s limited role in Yemen’s police force. - SaferWorld

The current state of peacebuilding programming and evidence

This scoping paper shows that there is a high demand and low supply of evidence and impact evaluation of security sector reform interventions. -  Annette N Brown, Faith McCollister, Drew B Cameron, and Jennifer Ludwig, International Initiative for Impact Evaluation

Syria’s ‘Circle of hell’: Barrel bombs in Aleppo bring terror and bloodshed forcing civilians underground

Amnesty’s latest report on Syria highlights the atrocities, devastation and impact caused by barrel bombs during the civil war. – Amnesty International

Tags: