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☆ Myanmar Supreme Court to hear appeal of jailed former leader Suu Kyi
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 19 (Reuters) - The Supreme Court in military-ruled Myanmar will hear an appeal by deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her convictions for corruption and violating election and state secrets laws, according to a source familiar with the matter. The 77-year-old Nobel laureate is serving 33 years in prison after convictions in more than a dozen cases that Suu Kyi has called absurd and her allies say were orchestrated by the junta to destroy her political career. The source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of matter, said no date had been set by the Supreme Court to hear the appeal of Suu Kyi and co-defendant Win Myint, the ousted former president. The popular, Oxford-educated Suu Kyi has spent much of her political life detained under military governments and is currently being held in an annex of a prison in the capital Naypyitaw. Reporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Myanmar's junta pardons over 3,000 prisoners for New Year, military statement says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 17 (Reuters) - Myanmar's junta has released 3,113 prisoners, including 98 foreigners, to mark the country's traditional New Year on Monday, according to a statement from the military government published on pro-military Telegram channels. A junta spokesperson did not answer a phone call seeking comment. (This story has been corrected to fix spelling of Myanmar in headline and paragraph 1)Reporting by Reuters Staff Writing by Ed Davies Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sudan Rivalry Between Powerful Generals Erupts in Warfare
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Nicholas Bariyo | Gabriele Steinhauser | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Smoke rises during clashes Saturday between the Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Omdurman, Sudan. Heavy fighting broke out in Sudan’s capital between the national army and a powerful militia—a dangerous escalation of tensions between the country’s top two generals, who worked together to oust the longtime dictator, Omar al-Bashir , in 2019. In competing statements, the army, commanded by Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the leader of Sudan’s military junta, and the Rapid Support Forces, a state-sponsored militia led by Gen. Burhan’s deputy, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo , blamed each other for starting the conflict.

☆ ASEAN "strongly condemns" deadly air strike in Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA, April 13 (Reuters) - The chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said on Thursday the bloc "strongly condemns" a military air strike this week on a village in Myanmar, which is reported to have killed up to 100 people including civilians. Tuesday's attack in the Sagaing area was the deadliest in a recent string of military air attacks, with children reported to be among the dead, and has drawn global condemnation. "All forms of violence must end immediately, particularly the use of force against civilians," chair Indonesia said in a statement. "This would be the only way to create a conducive environment for an inclusive national dialogue to find a sustainable peaceful solution in Myanmar," it said. A junta spokesperson said Tuesday's attack targeted a ceremony held by the NUG for their armed People's Defence Force, adding the attack aimed to restore peace and stability in the region.

☆ ASEAN 'strongly condemns' deadly airstrike in Myanmar which reportedly killed up to 100
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Young demonstrators at an anti-coup protest in Yangon, Myanmar, on July 17, 2022. Myanmar has been in chaos since a military coup in early 2021 that upended a decade of tentative democratic reform, with a bloody crackdown on protests giving rise to an armed struggle against the junta. The chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said on Thursday the bloc "strongly condemns" a military airstrike this week on a village in Myanmar, which is reported to have killed up to 100 people including civilians. Tuesday's attack in the Sagaing area was the deadliest in a recent string of military air attacks, with children reported to be among the dead, and has drawn global condemnation. Myanmar has been in chaos since a military coup in early 2021 that upended a decade of tentative democratic reform, with a bloody crackdown on protests giving rise to an armed struggle against the junta.

☆ Myanmar Military’s Attack Leaves Village In Ruins, Strewn With Charred Human Remains
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Feliz Solomon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The aftermath of the attack on the central Myanmar village of Pa Zi Gyi. A day after Myanmar’s junta unleashed one its deadliest attacks since seizing power in a coup more than two years ago, Ko Nyan sorted through the charred remains of those who had perished, helping to count the dead. A military helicopter and two jet fighters flew over his central Myanmar village of Pa Zi Gyi on Wednesday, sending a chill through his spine, said the 40-year-old who survived the assault.

At least 133 people, including women and children, were killed after Myanmar’s military junta bombed Kanbalu township in the central Sagaing region on Tuesday, the human rights minister of the ousted shadow National Unity Government Aung Myo Min told CNN. Like much of Sagaing, the area is not under the control of the military junta. I saw flesh on the road.”The eyewitness said he saw dozens of bodies after the attack, including children as young as five. The attacks have killed civilians, including children, and targeted schools, clinics, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure. And a military airstrike on a school in Sagaing in September killed at least 13 people, including seven children.

☆ Myanmar junta says military carried out deadly attack on rebel ceremony
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

At least 50 people, including children, were killed in Tuesday's air strike in the Sagaing area in northwest Myanmar, according to media reports. Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told military broadcast channel Myawaddy the attack on the ceremony held by the National Unity Government (NUG), a shadow administration, for their armed People's Defence Force was aimed at restoring peace and stability in the region. They are the ones opposing the government of the country, the people of the country," said Zaw Min Tun. Kyaw Zaw, a spokesman for the NUG, said it believed nearly 100 people were killed in the Tuesday attack when air force jets dropped bombs on villagers and military attack helicopters then followed up, calling it "another senseless, barbaric, brutal attack by the military". The military has ruled Myanmar for most of the past 60 years saying it is the only institution capable of holding the diverse country together.

☆ At least 30 killed as Myanmar military attacks rebel group event -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 11 (Reuters) - At least 30 people were killed in a central area of Myanmar on Tuesday, after the army launched an attack on an event being held by opponents of military rule, media outlets reported. Reuters could not immediately verify the reports and a spokesperson for the ruling military did not answer a phone call seeking comment. We cannot retrieve the bodies yet," said the PDF member, who declined to be identified. Myanmar's military, which ousted an elected government in 2021, has drawn global condemnation for its lethal attacks on pro-democracy opponents and civilians. Last month, at least eight civilians including children were killed in an air strike on a village in northwest Myanmar, according to a human rights group, ethnic minority rebels and media.

☆ U.S. Seeks Ways to Help Burkina Faso’s Military Junta Fight Jihadists
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Michael M. Phillips | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ACCRA, Ghana—The Biden administration is quietly helping Burkina Faso’s ruling junta battle al Qaeda and Islamic State in a hotly contested corner of West Africa, without running afoul of U.S. laws banning most security aid to military regimes. The U.S. has included Burkinabe commandos in American-led exercises, but excluded the West African country’s top officer from an international gathering of defense chiefs after a military takeover last year. The Pentagon has a team of U.S. Green Berets stationed in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital, but won’t allow them to train their beleaguered local counterparts.

☆ Chad orders German ambassador to leave the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

N'DJAMENA, April 8 (Reuters) - Chad's government ordered the German ambassador to leave the country within 48 hours, it said in a statement, a decision sources said was motivated by his comments about Chad's delayed transition to civilian rule after a 2021 coup. "This decision of the government is motivated by the discourteous attitude and the non-respect of diplomatic customs," the country's Communication Ministry said on Twitter late on Friday. Two Chadian government sources said on Saturday that Ambassador Gordon Kricke had criticised delays in holding elections after the coup, and a ruling last year that will allow interim military leader Mahamat Idriss Deby to run in elections in 2024. Military leaders in the Central African country originally promised an 18-month transition to elections when Deby seized power after his father, President Idriss Deby, was killed on the battlefield during a conflict with insurgents, ending decades of authoritarian rule. Reporting by Mahamat Ramadane, Tom Sims and Joel Honore Kouam; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha attends the draw for the party's list usage for the upcoming election ahead an event by the election commission in Bangkok, Thailand, April 4, 2023. The election broadly pits political groups backed by the royalist military and Bangkok establishment against an opposition led by the populist Pheu Thai party, which together with its previous incarnations has won every election since 2001. Pita Limjaroenrat, another opposition figure, was nominated by his Move Forward party, popular among young voters. Political experts say the generals would have an advantage in the race, having led the junta that appointed the current slate of senators. Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Burkina Faso expels two French journalists
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The two are "journalists of perfect integrity, who worked in Burkina Faso legally, with valid visas and accreditations ... We strongly protest against these absolutely unjustified expulsions," Liberation said in an editorial statement on its website. There was no statement from the authorities in Burkina Faso and it was not immediately possible to reach them for comment. The French foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The junta has since ordered French troops to withdraw from the country and suspended broadcasts by France's RFI radio and television channel France 24. Frustrations over authorities' failure to restore security has spurred anti-French sentiment and helped bring about two military takeovers in Burkina Faso and two in Mali since 2020.

☆ Japan, Australia concerned over Myanmar disbanding Suu Kyi party
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, 77, is serving 33 years in prison for various offences and dozens of her NLD allies are also in jail or have fled. The NLD had repeatedly ruled out running in the election, for which no date has been set, calling it illegitimate. "We are seriously concerned that the exclusion of the NLD from the political process will make it even more difficult to improve the situation," Japan's foreign ministry said in a statement. "Japan strongly urges Myanmar to immediately release NLD officials, including Suu Kyi, and to show a path toward a peaceful resolution of the issue in a manner that includes all parties concerned." It said all stakeholders should be allowed to participate in the political process and warned their exclusion could lead to further violence and instability.

☆ Myanmar junta dissolves Suu Kyi's party as election deadline passes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi attends the opening session of the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines, November 13, 2017. "It doesn't matter whether they say our party is dissolved or not. The shadow National Unity Government (NUG), which the junta has declared "terrorists", said the military had no authority to hold what would be a sham election. The election would return Myanmar to the quasi-civilian democratic system that experts say the military can control with the NLD out of the picture. Richard Horsey, senior adviser to the International Crisis Group, said the election was dangerous for the country.

☆ Myanmar junta leader urges foreign powers to back its return to democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The junta will hold an election in August that has already been widely dismissed as a sham. It is likely to be dominated by a proxy party of the military that was trounced in the past two elections. "The military and government need to take action against the terrorist groups that are trying to devastate the country and are killing people," Min Aung Hlaing said. His coup abruptly ended a decade of tentative democracy and unprecedented economic development in Myanmar, which has been under military rule for five of the past six decades. Human rights groups accuse the military of committing atrocities in operations against the resistance fighters, including attacks on the civilian population.

☆ Russian support for Myanmar junta 'destabilising' Southeast Asia – U.S envoy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Poppy Mcpherson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Anyone who is talking to Moscow needs to tell them that their continued military support for the junta is unacceptable. It's destabilising," he said in an interview during his trip to Southeast Asia. "What I have seen over the last several years is a military relationship that is only growing," Chollet said. "I'm more concerned right now about the supply of weapons going into Myanmar from Russia principally." Chollet said the Biden administration saw the crisis in Myanmar as "the most acute threat" in Southeast Asia, including instability, cross-border crime and illegal narcotics.

☆ US to announce more sanctions against Myanmar junta -State Dept official
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Stanley Widianto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, March 22 (Reuters) - The United States will announce further sanctions against entities inside Myanmar in the coming days, a senior State Department official said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters in Jakarta, U.S. State Department Counselor Derek Chollet said the sanctions will make it more difficult for Myanmar's junta to generate revenue to buy weapons. To date, the United States has imposed sanctions on 80 individuals and more than 30 entities inside Myanmar, Chollet said. He said that to see a solution to the Myanmar conflict, Russia must stop supplying military equipment to the junta. ASEAN currently bars junta leaders from high-level meetings, but has demurred on imposing sanctions and ruled out ousting Myanmar from the 10-member regional bloc.

☆ At least 22 people killed in suspected massacre at Myanmar monastery
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Soldiers stand next to military vehicles as people gather to protest against the military coup, in Yangon, Myanmar, February 15, 2021. A spokesman for the KNDF said its soldiers entered Nan Neint on Sunday and found dead bodies scattered at a Buddhist monastery. Video and photographs provided by the KNDF and another group, the Karenni Revolution Union (KRU), showed bullet wounds to the torso and heads of the dead bodies and bullet holes in the walls of the monastery. "Since all the dead bodies were found within the compound of Nan Nein monastery, it is evident that this was a massacre." At least 3,137 people have been killed in the military crackdown since the coup, according to the non-profit Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

☆ Blinken brings aid and praise to Niger as it battles insurgents
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Blinken's visit to Niger, the first by a U.S. Secretary of State, signals its importance as a U.S. ally in the Sahel, a senior State Department official told reporters travelling with Blinken. Landlocked Niger and other countries in the Sahel, including its neighbours Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Chad, are all struggling to repel Islamist insurgents who in some cases have seized control of swathes of territory. The official praised Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum for opposing military coups in Mali and Burkina Faso and for consulting the parliament over security issues rather than deciding alone. Ghana has asserted that Burkina Faso has also hired Wagner mercenaries. "They use a lot of misinformation and disinformation to besmirch the French, I think, and the traditional French security partnership."

☆ Blinken brings U.S. aid to Sahel for fight against Islamist insurgencies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NIAMEY, March 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $150 million in new humanitarian aid for Africa's Sahel region during a visit on Thursday to Niger, a country Washington views as an important ally in the fight against Islamist insurgencies. Landlocked Niger and its neighbors Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Chad are all struggling to repel Islamist insurgents who have killed thousands of people, displaced millions more and in some cases seized control of vast swathes of territory. "They're making the right choices, we think, to help deal with the kind of threats that are common across the Sahel. Blinken said the use of Russian mercenaries had not proven an effective response to insecurity. Ghana has asserted that Burkina Faso has also hired Wagner mercenaries.

☆ Myanmar team in Bangladesh camps for Rohingya repatriation pilot project
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DHAKA, March 15 (Reuters) - A Myanmar delegation is visiting Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh this week to verify a few hundred potential returnees for a pilot repatriation project, though a Bangladeshi official said it was unclear when they would be going home. Nearly one million Rohingya Muslim refugees are living in camps in the border district of Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, most having fled a military-led crackdown in Myanmar in 2017. "The international community are playing ping pong with the Rohingya," Tun Khin, president of Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, told Reuters. "Rohingya refugees face an impossible choice. Stay in terrible conditions in refugee camps where rations are being cut, or return to their home country where genocidal policies continue.

☆ Smuggled note exposes violence against women in Myanmar jail - lawyers, activists
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The junta has previously denied holding political prisoners, saying people in jail broke the law and were sentenced after due legal process. "During that incident, more than 100 female political prisoners were seriously injured including a broken arm, eye injuries and facial bruises," the note said. The activists, lawyers and family members interviewed by Reuters asked not to be identified for fear of repercussions as they are working inside Myanmar. "As these people are women prisoners, they have to be handled by women prison guards. The anti-junta group and two Mandalay-based lawyers who work with political prisoners said those involved in the violence were also denied medical care.

☆ Myanmar military has caused 'perpetual human rights crisis', UN report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, March 3 (Reuters) - A report published by the United Nations on Friday accused Myanmar's military of creating "a perpetual human rights crisis" in the southeast Asian country and called for an immediate end to violence there. "The military, emboldened by continuous and absolute impunity, has consistently shown disregard for international obligations and principles," the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said in a statement. James Rodehaver, chief of the U.N. Human Rights Office's Myanmar team, said that armed clashes were occurring in about 77% of the country. In its recommendations, the report called on authorities in Myanmar to end the violence and stop persecuting opponents. "Military operations must stop to provide room for dialogue that could end this crisis," the report said.

☆ Nestlé to close operations in Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Nestlé has announced that it will close its sole factory and head office in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, as it switches to a more “sustainable” business model amid ongoing turmoil in the country. Myanmar has been rocked by violence and instability since 2021 when a military coup ousted democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her government. “We will do all we can to support everyone affected by this decision,” a Nestlé spokesperson told CNN Tuesday in a statement. Total (TOT) started operating the offshore Yadana gas field in Myanmar in 1992, and was the biggest shareholder in the project. “Nestlé started distributing our products in Myanmar in 1991 and expanded our presence in the country,” the spokesperson said.

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