http://www.irinnews.org/Updated everydayen-gbFri, 24 May 2013 18:30:53 GMTFri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DUBAI 24 May 2013 (IRIN) - Getting humanitarian supplies into conflict zones like Syria is no mean feat, often requiring negotiations with warring parties, braving insecurity and facing repeated delays and logistical challenges.Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98087/How-To-Get-medical-aid-kits-to-Aleppo-SyriaDUBAI 24 May 2013 (IRIN) - Getting humanitarian supplies into conflict zones like Syria is no mean feat, often requiring negotiations with warring parties, braving insecurity and facing repeated delays and logistical challenges.]]>Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>ZIGUINCHOR 24 May 2013 (IRIN) - Demining has been halted in southern Senegal’s Casamance Region after 12 deminers were taken hostage by fighters with the separatist Movement of Democratic Forces in Casamance (MFDC) on 3 May.Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98094/Demining-on-hold-in-Senegal-s-Casamance-RegionZIGUINCHOR 24 May 2013 (IRIN) - Demining has been halted in southern Senegal’s Casamance Region after 12 deminers were taken hostage by fighters with the separatist Movement of Democratic Forces in Casamance (MFDC) on 3 May.]]>Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>AMMAN/DUBAI 24 May 2013 (IRIN) - Thousands of people are gathering in villages in southern Syria, unable to seek refuge in Jordan either because of insecurity along the border or, according to some, new Jordanian security measures. In the meantime, some of them are living “between the mosques and the streets” without enough food and water, amid daily violence. Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98096/Concern-for-Syrians-stuck-at-Jordanian-borderAMMAN/DUBAI 24 May 2013 (IRIN) - Thousands of people are gathering in villages in southern Syria, unable to seek refuge in Jordan either because of insecurity along the border or, according to some, new Jordanian security measures. In the meantime, some of them are living “between the mosques and the streets” without enough food and water, amid daily violence. ]]>Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KACHIN STATE 23 May 2013 (IRIN) - Children's laughter rings out from bamboo huts along the perimeter of the Lana Zup Ja camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in a part of Myanmar’s Kachin State controlled by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA): A group of pre-schoolers are playing in a plywood hut, seemingly oblivious to the squalid conditions surrounding them.Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98083/Helping-displaced-children-in-rebel-held-parts-of-KachinKACHIN STATE 23 May 2013 (IRIN) - Children's laughter rings out from bamboo huts along the perimeter of the Lana Zup Ja camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in a part of Myanmar’s Kachin State controlled by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA): A group of pre-schoolers are playing in a plywood hut, seemingly oblivious to the squalid conditions surrounding them.]]>Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>MISRATA 23 May 2013 (IRIN) - Two years ago Syrians in the relative security of their own country watched the unfolding crisis in Libya descend into a devastating civil war.Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98085/Syrians-seeking-refuge-in-LibyaMISRATA 23 May 2013 (IRIN) - Two years ago Syrians in the relative security of their own country watched the unfolding crisis in Libya descend into a devastating civil war.]]>Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KANO 22 May 2013 (IRIN) - Tens of thousands of residents of northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State have fled their homes - thousands of them into neighbouring Niger and Cameroon - following airstrikes by Nigerian fighter jets on Boko Haram (BH) camps from 15 May.Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98076/Analysis-Nigerians-on-the-run-as-military-combat-Boko-HaramKANO 22 May 2013 (IRIN) - Tens of thousands of residents of northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State have fled their homes - thousands of them into neighbouring Niger and Cameroon - following airstrikes by Nigerian fighter jets on Boko Haram (BH) camps from 15 May.]]>Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 22 May 2013 (IRIN) - Over one million people in Somalia are currently food insecure, according to a May report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET). This number is a significant drop from the 3.7 million considered food insecure in mid-2011.Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98082/Somalia-beyond-the-famineNAIROBI 22 May 2013 (IRIN) - Over one million people in Somalia are currently food insecure, according to a May report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET). This number is a significant drop from the 3.7 million considered food insecure in mid-2011.]]>Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>MANILA 21 May 2013 (IRIN) - The oppressive summer heat bore down on this impoverished southern Philippine town on Mindanao Island as thousands gathered to hear a "proxy candidate" of the country's largest Muslim rebel force address the crowd on the eve of recently concluded mid-term elections.Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98072/Filipino-Muslim-rebels-take-tentative-steps-towards-governanceMANILA 21 May 2013 (IRIN) - The oppressive summer heat bore down on this impoverished southern Philippine town on Mindanao Island as thousands gathered to hear a "proxy candidate" of the country's largest Muslim rebel force address the crowd on the eve of recently concluded mid-term elections.]]>Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>MONROVIA 20 May 2013 (IRIN) - The Liberia Land Commission, which was set up in 2009 to help settle land disputes between returning refugees and their neighbours, is making significant headway, say land experts, but non-conflict related land disputes are increasing, most of them as a result of weak land laws.Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98070/The-changing-face-of-land-disputes-in-LiberiaMONROVIA 20 May 2013 (IRIN) - The Liberia Land Commission, which was set up in 2009 to help settle land disputes between returning refugees and their neighbours, is making significant headway, say land experts, but non-conflict related land disputes are increasing, most of them as a result of weak land laws.]]>Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>GARISSA-NAIROBI 17 May 2013 (IRIN) - The presence of foreign militias in parts of northeastern Kenya, and their collusion with security officials and business people there, may be to blame for a rise in insecurity in the region, where multiple gun and grenade attacks have been reported over the past two years.Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98059/Briefing-Restive-northern-Kenya-sees-shifting-power-risksGARISSA-NAIROBI 17 May 2013 (IRIN) - The presence of foreign militias in parts of northeastern Kenya, and their collusion with security officials and business people there, may be to blame for a rise in insecurity in the region, where multiple gun and grenade attacks have been reported over the past two years.]]>Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>CAIRO 16 May 2013 (IRIN) - Until government and revolutionary forces attacked the Libyan town of Bani Walid, about 170km southeast of the capital Tripoli in October last year, Abdullah Warfella had been determined never to leave.Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98045/Libyans-in-North-Africa-scared-to-return-homeCAIRO 16 May 2013 (IRIN) - Until government and revolutionary forces attacked the Libyan town of Bani Walid, about 170km southeast of the capital Tripoli in October last year, Abdullah Warfella had been determined never to leave.]]>Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 16 May 2013 (IRIN) - Pastoralism is often regarded as an antiquated practice ill-suited to the modern economy, yet trade between pastoral communities in Africa - much of it informal and illegal - generates an estimated US$1 billion each year, according to a new book published by the Futures Agriculture Consortium.Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98052/Pastoralism-s-economic-contributions-are-significant-but-overlookedNAIROBI 16 May 2013 (IRIN) - Pastoralism is often regarded as an antiquated practice ill-suited to the modern economy, yet trade between pastoral communities in Africa - much of it informal and illegal - generates an estimated US$1 billion each year, according to a new book published by the Futures Agriculture Consortium.]]>Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>LAIZA 15 May 2013 (IRIN) - Former rebel fighter Lahpai Hkam has been in pain every day since a landmine destroyed his lower right leg during a battle with government soldiers 18 months ago in Myanmar’s northern Kachin State.Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98040/Landmine-casualties-rising-in-Kachin-MyanmarLAIZA 15 May 2013 (IRIN) - Former rebel fighter Lahpai Hkam has been in pain every day since a landmine destroyed his lower right leg during a battle with government soldiers 18 months ago in Myanmar’s northern Kachin State.]]>Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KANO, NIGERIA 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - Around 15,000 children in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, have stopped attending classes since February 2013, according to a Borno State Ministry of Education official who preferred anonymity, as Boko Haram extremists continue a wave of attacks on state schools.Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98032/Boko-Haram-attacks-hit-school-attendance-in-Borno-StateKANO, NIGERIA 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - Around 15,000 children in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, have stopped attending classes since February 2013, according to a Borno State Ministry of Education official who preferred anonymity, as Boko Haram extremists continue a wave of attacks on state schools.]]>Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KAMPALA 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - A UN intervention brigade will soon be deployed to the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a bid to neutralize militia groups operating there.Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98036/Briefing-Towards-internal-solutions-to-the-DRC-crisisKAMPALA 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - A UN intervention brigade will soon be deployed to the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a bid to neutralize militia groups operating there.]]>Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DUBAI 13 May 2013 (IRIN) - In recent months, Syrian rebels have faced increasing criticism for violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights law. For guidance on the laws of war, they turn to a combination of Islamic law, IHL and their own sense of righteousness or, as one expert put it, “revolutionary justice” - with mixed results.Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98021/quot-Sometimes-you-cannot-apply-the-rules-quot-Syrian-rebels-and-IHLDUBAI 13 May 2013 (IRIN) - In recent months, Syrian rebels have faced increasing criticism for violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights law. For guidance on the laws of war, they turn to a combination of Islamic law, IHL and their own sense of righteousness or, as one expert put it, “revolutionary justice” - with mixed results.]]>Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DUBAI 13 May 2013 (IRIN) - Like Syrian regime forces, Syria’s multitude of rebel fighters have faced growing criticism in recent months over violations of international humanitarian law (IHL), including war crimes, with groups from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to the UN Commission of Inquiry accusing them of killing opponents execution-style, torturing detainees, taking hostages, including UN peacekeepers, and possibly using chemical weapons. So how do the rebels view IHL principles? What guides their action? Who do they consider a civilian? And what do they think of aid workers?Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98022/Syrian-rebels-on-IHL-In-their-own-wordsDUBAI 13 May 2013 (IRIN) - Like Syrian regime forces, Syria’s multitude of rebel fighters have faced growing criticism in recent months over violations of international humanitarian law (IHL), including war crimes, with groups from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to the UN Commission of Inquiry accusing them of killing opponents execution-style, torturing detainees, taking hostages, including UN peacekeepers, and possibly using chemical weapons. So how do the rebels view IHL principles? What guides their action? Who do they consider a civilian? And what do they think of aid workers?]]>Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 13 May 2013 (IRIN) - At Gashandiga barracks in Mogadishu, Somalia, Pvt Mohamed Sheikh Issak pulled back his military fatigues to show his scarred right shoulder. “I was shot by Al-Shabab when they still controlled half of Mogadishu,” he told IRIN. “I was at home, but they knew I was a soldier.”Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/98028/Analysis-Somali-security-sector-reformNAIROBI 13 May 2013 (IRIN) - At Gashandiga barracks in Mogadishu, Somalia, Pvt Mohamed Sheikh Issak pulled back his military fatigues to show his scarred right shoulder. “I was shot by Al-Shabab when they still controlled half of Mogadishu,” he told IRIN. “I was at home, but they knew I was a soldier.”]]>Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>NIZIP 08 May 2013 (IRIN) - Turkey's camps for Syrian refugees are, by many measures, a model of humanitarian assistance. But one important detail appears to have been overlooked: According to aid workers, nowhere in Turkey's 17 refugee camps can survivors of sexual violence find the level of specialized psychosocial support experts say they so desperately need.Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/97953/Analysis-Towards-increased-services-for-Syrian-survivors-of-sexual-violenceNIZIP 08 May 2013 (IRIN) - Turkey's camps for Syrian refugees are, by many measures, a model of humanitarian assistance. But one important detail appears to have been overlooked: According to aid workers, nowhere in Turkey's 17 refugee camps can survivors of sexual violence find the level of specialized psychosocial support experts say they so desperately need.]]>Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>SAADNAYEL, BEKAA VALLEY 08 May 2013 (IRIN) - The experiences of 1.4 million Syrian refugees are increasingly well-documented, but little is known about the people who open up their homes to host them. How do you organize your house to accommodate people you may only barely know? What are the stresses and strains? Do politics get in the way? IRIN spent a day in the life of a host family to bring you this portrait.Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/97997/Coffee-and-patience-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-family-hosting-Syrian-refugeesSAADNAYEL, BEKAA VALLEY 08 May 2013 (IRIN) - The experiences of 1.4 million Syrian refugees are increasingly well-documented, but little is known about the people who open up their homes to host them. How do you organize your house to accommodate people you may only barely know? What are the stresses and strains? Do politics get in the way? IRIN spent a day in the life of a host family to bring you this portrait.]]>Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>GOMA 08 May 2013 (IRIN) - Entrepreneur Gilbert Makelele wants armed groups in his part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to wake up and smell the coffee.Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/97998/Trading-conflict-for-coffee-in-DRCGOMA 08 May 2013 (IRIN) - Entrepreneur Gilbert Makelele wants armed groups in his part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to wake up and smell the coffee.]]>Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 08 May 2013 (IRIN) - The imminent deployment of a UN-backed 3,000-strong international force mandated to “neutralize… and disarm” all armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) marks a switch to a more belligerent international stance towards rebel militia, but has met with scepticism in some quarters.Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/97999/Is-more-force-in-the-DRC-more-of-the-sameJOHANNESBURG 08 May 2013 (IRIN) - The imminent deployment of a UN-backed 3,000-strong international force mandated to “neutralize… and disarm” all armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) marks a switch to a more belligerent international stance towards rebel militia, but has met with scepticism in some quarters.]]>Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>BAGA,NIGERIA 07 May 2013 (IRIN) - Thousands of residents of Baga in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, remain displaced for fear of further clashes breaking out between radical Islamist group Boko Haram and troops from the Nigeria-Niger-Chad Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF). A reported 187 people died in the clashes on 16 and 17 April.Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/97988/Displaced-still-homeless-after-clashes-in-Baga-NigeriaBAGA,NIGERIA 07 May 2013 (IRIN) - Thousands of residents of Baga in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, remain displaced for fear of further clashes breaking out between radical Islamist group Boko Haram and troops from the Nigeria-Niger-Chad Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF). A reported 187 people died in the clashes on 16 and 17 April.]]>Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>BAGHDAD/DUBAI 07 May 2013 (IRIN) - The number of Iraqis without secure access to food dropped by more than a quarter of a million people between 2007 and 2011, part of a generally positive trend of increasing food security in Iraq over the last decade.Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/97991/Less-dependent-on-food-rationsBAGHDAD/DUBAI 07 May 2013 (IRIN) - The number of Iraqis without secure access to food dropped by more than a quarter of a million people between 2007 and 2011, part of a generally positive trend of increasing food security in Iraq over the last decade.]]>Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DUBAI 06 May 2013 (IRIN) - In the 1980s, Iraqi women enjoyed more basic rights than their counterparts in the region; today, despite steps taken after decades of conflict and sanctions, Iraqi women do not have equal educational or employment opportunities, and many are subjected to gender-based violence.Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/97976/Women-yet-to-regain-their-placeDUBAI 06 May 2013 (IRIN) - In the 1980s, Iraqi women enjoyed more basic rights than their counterparts in the region; today, despite steps taken after decades of conflict and sanctions, Iraqi women do not have equal educational or employment opportunities, and many are subjected to gender-based violence.]]>