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Transportation Strike in Bolivia Leads to Clashes

By Ellis Cortez
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

SUCRE, Bolivia – A transport workers strike caused chaos in the Bolivian city of El Alto on Tueday during a protest against the local government’s plans to regulate the transport system. The demonstrators, who are also demanding higher wages, blocked a main avenue in the city.

Bus drivers block an avenue during a previous transport workers’ strike in La Paz in 2012. (Photo Courtesy of AP)

Riot police arrived on the scene and fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse the protesters. Local media reported 58 bus drivers were arrested for damaging passing vehicles that would not support the protesters.

Bolivian Police were able to clear the roads after protesters set fire to tires in the middle of the road. Approximately 1,200 police officers guarded the highways that lead to the city’s main airports.

The protesters, who run a network of privately owned minibuses, stated that the strike would continue indefinitely if local authorities do not back down on their plans to modernize public transport systems.

A leader of a drivers’ union in El Alto, Marcos Tito Cabrera, said bus drivers have been charging the same fare for the past few decades. “Since the creation of such vehicles (minibuses) for the last 30 or 40 years we have been operating by charging only one Bolivian (peso) as passage. This government in eight years has raised the wages of workers four times, perhaps we are not part of the state but we are also the people,” Cabrera said.

The local government is implementing four modern transport systems in the metropolitan area of two million residents, which the drivers fear will affect their own services in the cities.

An exclusive bus system with special routes is planned, along with a multimillion-dollar cable car system that will link the two mountain cities of La Paz and El Alto. The system will change the way Bolivians transport around the city. The cable car and bus system will aim to offer a faster service than existing modes of city transportation, authorities say.

For more information please see:

Al Jazeera — Bolivian transport strike causes chaos – 4 June 2014

The Washington Post – Clashes in Bolivia over transportation regulations – 4 June 2014

AOL News – Clashes in Bolivia  – 3 June 2014

Boston.com – Clashes in Bolivia – 3 June 2014

South Sudan’s Rebels out of Control

By: Danielle L. Cowan (Gwozdz)
Senior Desk Operator, Africa

JUBA, South Sudan – Former South Sudan Vice President and leader of South Sudan rebels Riek Machar stated that he is “not completely in control” of his rebel forces. The rebels have recently been accused of atrocities during a brutal six-month conflict.

SDO Article 3 Picture
President Kiir (Left) and Former Vice President Riek Machar (Right) (photo courtesy of Reuters)

 

Machar further stated that he would “be lying” if he stated he was in control of the rebels. However, he also hoped that he will soon be in control of them because he hopes to train them, which is why they are disciplining them.

President Salva Kiir’s forces have been battling Machar’s rebel forces since December 15th. This fighting broke out in the capital of Juba.

The President is accused of starting the war by launching an eradication of his rivals. However, the President accuses Machar of attempting an overthrow.

Machar admits his forces have been patched together.

Machar told AFP that his rebels became an army when they were forced out of Juba. “It took us time to regroup them into a viable force under control and command.”

“We also have volunteer fighters; civilians who have their own guns who joined the war.”

In January, Machar and Kiir’s sides both agreed to a ceasefire. They also agreed to this earlier in the month. The truces, unfortunately, have not held.

This civil war has forced 1.3 million people to flee their homes and thousands have been killed.

The UN bases also are sheltering about 75,000 people in fear of ethnic violence.

Machar has stressed that he is “committed to peace” and that this was a “senseless war.” Peace talks are rescheduled to continue in Ethiopia this week.

This conflict began as a rivalry between Machar and Kiir. This conflict has divided the army and community along ethnic lines

Both sides have been accused of atrocities and revenge killings on civilians. The UN has called on both leaders to punish those responsible.

For more information, please visit:
Aljazeera – S Sudan’s Machar unable to control rebels – 1 June 2014
Africa News Desk – S Sudan’s Machar unable to control rebels – 1 June 2014
Business News – S Sudan’s Machar unable to control rebels – 1 June 2014
Got News Wire – S Sudan’s Machar unable to control rebels – 1 June 2014

Police Retaliate Against Protestors Who Gathered to Mark the One-Year Anniversary of Taksim Square

ISTANBUL, Turkey- The Turkish government sent 25,000 police officers to disperse crowds of protestors who gathered in central Istanbul to mark the one-year anniversary of Turkey’s largest anti-government protest in decades.

Riot police circled the perimeter of the square and hundreds of plain-clothed police carrying batons patrolled the area.

Turkish police were told to use any force necessary to deter protestors, including tear gas.

Police blocked off all roads and stopped public transport to the Gezi Park area and Taksim Square hoping to quell protestors who came to mark the one-year anniversary.

More than 10 protestors have been arrested by police, who were told by the Turkish government to “do whatever is necessary from A to Z to stop the protestors”.

In 2013, protestors, mostly environmentalists, descended on Taksim Square to protest the Turkish government’s, under the rule of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, plans to take away the adjoining green space of Gezi Park and turn it into a shopping mall.

The protestors staged a peaceful sit-in for several days to fight for the green space because it was one of the only parks left in central Istanbul. Erdogan had the police forcefully remove the protestors, and this use of violence brought tens of thousands of protestors to Taksim Square for two weeks before police could finally regain control of the space.

The subsequent months of unrest after the protest resulted in dozens of deaths at the hands of Turkish police who were given permission by Erdogan and the government to use “violent force” if necessary.

This past week, despite preemptive action by police, hundreds of protestors showed up shouting phrases such as “Resign murderer Erdogan” and “Everywhere is Taksim. Everywhere is resistance”.

Elif Cetinkaya and her family stood across the street from the square, quietly protesting by wearing T-shirts with the faces of those killed in the 2013 protest.

“Why did so many people have to die to save this park?” Cetinkaya said. “We are here to mourn their loss and show that we stand firm, no matter what obstacles they erect,” Cetinkaya said.

Police helicopters flew overhead and police officers fired water cannons and tear gas on the protestors, who huddled together en masse, hoping to read a statement and lay flowers at Taksim Square to honor the dozens of deaths.

Several news stations reported that tourists lugging suitcases, who had no idea the protest anniversary was occurring, got caught in the tear gas and frantically ran for cover shielding their eyes and dropping their belongings in the streets.

Prime Minister Erdogan, who has faced a more recent divided faction over his attempts to block popular websites such as YouTube and Twitter, urged his people, particularly young people, to avoid the demonstration and further demonstrations, saying the movement that began in 2013 against his government was founded by “terrorist organizations” that “manipulated our morally and financially weak youth to attack our unity and put our economy under threat”.

“Don’t fall for these games. This is not about environmentalism. There is no sincerity or honesty here” Erdogan said.

For more information see:

Al Jazeera- Police use tear gas on Turkish demonstrators– 1 June 2014

Haaretz- Facing 25,000 Police Officers, Turkey Activists Mark Gezi Protest Anniversary– 31 May 2014

Jerusalem Post- Turkish Police Fire Tear Gas at Activists Marking Taksim Protests– May 31 2014

TIME- Police Tear Gas Protestors On Taksim Square Anniversary– 31 May 2014