Cameroon fights cholera outbreak in the shadow of Ebola

By Ashley Repp

News Desk Reporter, Africa

cholera

Yaounde, CAMEROON- Rising numbers of cholera cases make aid needed to control outbreaks, but political insecurity and the impending rainy season challenge efforts, while the Ebola virus overshadows those grappling with the cholera outbreak

While the fight against the Ebola virus occupies the global spotlight and rages on, another invisible killer has quietly crept onto the stage with much less ado.  In the Lake Chad river basin countries, the occurrence of cholera has dramatically spiked in recent months.  The illness has already claimed the lives of over 1,200 individuals, and has infected nearly 40,000.

Cholera is a water-borne illness that often strikes in regions where sanitation is poor and water is generally not potable.  Despite being one of the first studied illnesses in history, Cholera still ravages many parts of the world and claims the lives of over 100,000 people every year.  The illness causes sever vomiting and diarrhea that leads sever dehydration, and in some cases, death.

Information regarding lake basins and nutrients in river beds have uncovered information that suggests that certain high nutrient levels and river surges are responsible for a growth in plankton populations.  These plankton populations have been isolated as one cause of the transmission of cholera.  Even more concerning, river surges and growth in plankton populations are associated with warming waters, according to the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.  Bearing this in mind, there is concern that global warming may lead to an increase in the number of cholera cases.  While this information is not conclusive, the issue must be paid attention as global temperatures rise and the disease claims more lives in some of the poorest countries of the world, including those of the Lake Chad river basin.

Compounding the cholera problem is the current insecurity that affects the region, most notably, the rise in power of Boko Haram, an Islamic militant group in Nigeria.  As people have fled Nigeria, some have brought cholera with them.  In fact, the first family with cholera in Cameroon was a Nigerian family that fled from Boko Haram.  The porous border of countries in the region undoubtedly contribute to the easy spread of disease, and the political insecurity makes it difficult for health organizations to distribute medical supply kits and potable water to areas affected by both cholera and instability.

While cholera cases are already high than usual, this may just be the beginning as the rainy season approaches.  Incidents of cholera tend to spike dramatically during the rainy season when flooding and water stagnation are not uncommon.  With the rainy season fast approaching, it will be difficult for health organizations to extend aid to the areas that need it most if cholera cases continue to rise in the context of instability.

 

For more information, please visit:

All Africa- Cameroon: Cholera surges in Cameroon– 4 Sept, 2014

All Africa- Cameroon: Ebola distracts from worsening cholera outbreak in Cameroon– 4 Aug, 2014

Inter Press Service- Recurrent cholera outbreak in far north Cameroon highlights development gaps- 19 Aug, 2014

Rueters- Cameroon cholera outbreak worsens

Al-Shabab names new leader in wake of Godane’s death

By Ashley Repp
News Desk Reporter, Africa

Mogadishu, KENYA- Al-Shabab grapples with the death of leader killed this week by a US strike, reveals new leader, and contends with revenge

al shabab

In a missile operation on September 1st, carried out by the United States, the leader of al-Shabab, Ahmed Godane, was killed along with two other al-Shabab members.  The United States has targeted Godane since 2012, offering a reward for information regarding his whereabouts that would lead to his subsequent death or capture.  The Islamic militant group, rooted in Somalia, confirmed the news and announced that there would be repercussions for Godane’s death, and that it is the duty of the al-Shabab organization to avenge the death of the fallen militant leader.  Along with this statement, the group also asserted that the enemies of al-Shabab should expect to be caused “great distress.”

In stark contrast to the al-Shabab announcement, the Pentagon acknowledged the death of Godane as significant and politically symbolic.  Godane played a key role in increasing the attention given to the militant group by carrying out significant attacks, including the Westgate Mall attack in Kenya last year and the bombing during the 2010 World Cup that took the lives of over 70 people.

Indeed, Godane’s involvement and leadership within the group elevated the notoriety of al-Shabab.  He rose to power in 2008 after the death of his predecessor; once in this role, he strengthened ties with the Al-Queda organization and declared allegiance to the group.  Godane expanded the breadth of the organization’s influence and began to plan attacks with targets outside of Somalia.  Such a rebranding has incited fear, and caused international political leaders to pause and asses how to best manage the risk posed by the militants.

In the wake of Godane’s death, the Somalian government has intercepted information that al-Shabab may be planning retaliatory attacks that will specifically cause the distress that the group has warned will be next.  The information reveals that the attacks are likely to target civilians, including hospitals and educational facilities.  The Somalian government has put the country on alert and has increased security forces in response to the information.  In an attempt to diffuse the potential backlash to follow in the wake of Godane’s death, the Somalian president has offered political amnesty for al-Shabab members that leave within a 45 day grace period.

While al-Shabab has named Godane’s successor, Sheikh Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah, it remains unclear what step will be next for the group.  And as retaliatory action for the death of Godane has been at the forefront of possibilities, it is likely that tensions will remain high in the region.

 

For more information, please visit:

BBC News- Al-Shabab Names New Leader After Godane Death in US Strike- 6 Sept, 2014

Rueters- Somalia’s al-Shabaab confirm leader killed by US airstrike, name new head- 6 Sept, 2014

Aljazeera- Somalia’s al-Shabab names new leader- 6 Sept, 2014

Business Week- Al-Shabaab seeks successor to US-killed leader- 6 Sept, 2014

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Sect Expelled From Guatemala Village

By Lyndsey Kelly
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – Nearly 230 members of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community were forced to leave a western Guatemala village after weeks of friction with sections of the indigenous population. The Lev Tahor community was forced to pack its bags and leave San Juan Laguna after settling there six years prior.

The Lev Tahor boarded buses to Guatemala City after being expelled from San Juan Laguna (Photo Courtesy of BBC).

The Lev Tahor is a strain of Hassidic Judaism who encountered problems in their home of Quebec after suspicions arose as to the group’s treatment of their children. Quebec’s child protection authorities believed that the group was carrying out underage marriages, and forcing members to raise their children without access to doctors or education. The allegations prompted proceedings to have more than a dozen children placed in foster care. The Lev Tahor fled Canada to avoid the repercussions of the allegations and settled in San Juan Laguna.

Differences in religion and customs led to a tumultuous relationship between the Lev Tahor and locals. Tensions between the two groups came to a head on Friday, 29 August 2014, when the town’s Elders Council voted to force the group to leave. The Council’s decision came after a failed attempt to negotiate a solution between the two groups.

Locals say that the Lev Tahor “wanted to impose their religion” and were undermining the Catholic faith. Another reason behind the Council’s decision included the mistreatment by the Lev Tahor of indigenous residents and tourists. Elders accused the Jewish members of shunning the villagers, and refusing to pay the appropriate price for products in local stores.

The Lev Tahor members accused the locals of threatening to turn off their water and electricity if they did not leave San Juan Laguna. The alleged threats even went so far as to intimidate the Jewish group with the possibility of lynchings.  Ultimately, the Lev Tahor decided to abide by the Council’s decision and leave the village. The group boarded a bus for Guatemala City where they hope to be accepted.

 

For more information, please see the following:

ABC NEWS – Members of Jewish Sect Leave Guatemala Village – 29 August 2014.

ALJAZEERA – Jews Expelled From Guatemala Village – 29 August 2014.

BBC – Jews ‘Forced’ To Leave Guatemala Village – 29 August 2014.

THE TORONTO STAR – Jewish Group Lev Tahor Expelled From Guatemala Sanctuary – 29 August 2014. 

California Drought: A Harbinger of Things to Come?

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch Managing Editor

Washington DC, United States of America – The US Drought Monitor recently stated that 58 percent of California is currently experiencing “exceptional drought,” which is the most serious category on the agency’s five-level scale. California is now experiencing its third year of severe drought with no end in sight. The drought has devastated the region economy costing an estimated $2.2 billion dollars in economic losses and costing more than 17,000 seasonal and part-time job, mostly in the agricultural sectors.  The drought has devastated crop production and contributed to massive wildfires over the past three years. Nearly half a million acres, approximately 5 percent of irrigated cropland, is going out of production in three of the key agricultural regions of the state. A new study indicates that California’s massive drought may be an indicator of things to come in the Southwestern United States if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current levels.

Depleted water sources have become a common sight in California; this image shows Enterprise Bridge at full water levels on July 20, 2011. This year, the same section of Lake Oroville was nearly dry by Aug. 19. (photo courtesy of USA Today)

According to a new study published in the Journal of Climate Science the southwestern United States faces an 80-90% chance of experiencing a decade-long mega-drought by the year 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current levels. According to the study regions of California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico will face deep dry spells if climate changes continues to accelerate meaning that “A drier Southwest is also a Southwest at risk of a megadrought,” said study author Toby Ault, a climate scientist at Cornell University.

“A megadrought is a drought that’s just as bad, in terms of severity, just as dry as the big droughts of the 20th Century, so think 1930s Dust Bowl, think 1950s drought, but much longer lasting,” said Toby Ault, a professor at Cornell University. “I think we’d really have to change the way we think about water and the way that we can use water because right now we’re on a path that would be unsustainable if we had a drought of 35 years,” Ault said. While activists and local officials have called on citizens to conserve water there is still a concern that over-use of water is contributing to the drought, especially in the industrial sectors where corporations such as Nestle bottled water operations have continued to deplete the state’s water supplies. Water theft has also become a problem, local officials across the state have reported water theft from fire hydrants sparking concerns that firefighters may not have enough water to put out fires.

The drought has forced agricultural business and other industries dependent on water to drill deeper into the surface in search of fresh sources of groundwater, depleting the states finite groundwater reserve. Since the beginning of 2013, close to 63 trillion gallons of groundwater have been depleted from the Western State’s groundwater reserves because of drought. While officials in California are trying to curve private water drilling in the state, historically state water law has favored industries with the greatest ability to access water reserves.

This tremendous loss of groundwater has had an immense environmental impact on the region. According to researchers at the University of California at San Diego and the United States Geology Survey this water loss has lifted the earth’s crust by an average of about one-sixths of an inch over the past 18 months. “The effect we’re looking at is that if you take weight off a spring, the spring goes up,” said Duncan Agnew of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography.

The data presented in the Journal of Climate Science study suggests drought could become a new norm in the Southwestern United states unless action is taken to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. The past three years of drought in California and the devastating effect it has had on the region and its economy have demonstrated the increasing importance of climate change mitigation and adaptation policy.

For more information please see:

ABC News – Water Wars: Californians Stealing From Hydrants amid Drought – 3 September 2014

USA Today – California’s 100-Year Drought – 3 September 2014

The New York Times – Desperately Dry California Tries To Curb Private Drilling for Water – 31 August 204

Al Jazeera America – what Should California do about its Drought? – 26 August 2014

Three More Officers Charged in Killing of Folk Singer Victor Jara

By Delisa Morris

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

SANTIAGO, Chile–On Wednesday, a judge in Chile charged three more people in the murder of folk singer Victor Jara.  Jara was murdered during the country’s 1973 military coup.  The murder occurred during the opening days of the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

Folk musician Victor Jara. Photo courtesy of instrumental.com

 

 

A judge charged former military officers Hernan Chancon Soto and Patricio Vasquez Donoso in Santiago.  The killing occurred Sept. 16, 1973.  Ex-army prosecutor Ramon Melo Silva was also charged as an accomplice.  The list has grown from eight former army officers who were charged in late 2012 and early 2013 in the killing of Jara.  Jara was a communist supporter, singer and songwriter.

“This decision has to be celebrated and we hope this investigation can continue,” Jara’s widow, Joan Jara, stated at a press conference.  “We know this marks a milestone.”

Jara’s songs were known for tackling social and political issues.  Jara was an open supporter of communism and was a member of the Communist Party of Chile.  During the coup he was swept up with thousands of other supporters of socialist President Salvador Allende.  The military coup was led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

In 2013, Jara’s family filed a civil lawsuit in the United States accusing former Chilean army Lt. Pedro Barrientos Nunez of ordering soldiers to torture Jara.  The lawsuit also detailed that Barrientos personally fired the fatal shot while playing a game of “Russian roulette.”  At that time some 5,000 supporters of former President Allende were being detained inside of a locker room in Santiago’s Estadio Chile.

Following his murder, Jara’s body was thrown out onto the street of a town in Santiago.

The locker room where Jara was tortured and killed remains in its original state and currently operates as a shelter for the homeless at night.

Barrientos, who left Chile in 1989 and is currently living in the U.S., is part of the group of officers who also face criminal charges in Chile related to the singer’s killing.  Barrientos continues to deny all involvement in the murder, stating that he wasn’t there and didn’t even know who Jara was at the time of the coup.

The Chilean government estimates 3,095 people were killed during Pinochet’s rule, including an estimated 1,200 people who were forcibly disappeared.

Currently, about 700 military officials still face trial in Chile and about 70 have been jailed for crimes against humanity.

For more information, please see:

ABC News – Chile: 3 More Charged in Victor Jara Murder –  3 Sept. 2014

National Post – Chile Charges Two Army Officers in ‘Russian Roulette’ Style Execution of Folk Singer Victor Jara in 1973 – 4 Sept. 2014

The Prince George Citizen – Chile Charges 3 More People for Torture Death of Folk Singer Victor Jara in 1973 Coup – 3 Sept. 2014

Cuba Si – Three Chilean Officers Charged with Murder of Victor Jara – 4 Sept. 2014