International

Iraq: BP Says Taking More Oil from Iraq as Payment

Apr 20, 2015 | Reuters

BP (BP.L) has been lifting more crude oil cargoes in the past couple of months as payment for its work in southern Iraq, and is…

Sudan/South Sudan: As Gold Fuels Darfur Conflict, Activists Push for More Sudan Sanctions

Apr 19, 2015 | Johnny Magdaleno, Al Jazeera

Taj el-Bisary, an independent researcher for aid groups, visits the Darfur region in western Sudan, where he was born, at least three times a year.…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Oil Refinery at Baiji Secured, but Iraq Fighting Still Rages at Ramadi

Apr 19, 2015 | Mitchell Prothero, McClatchy DC

Iraqi security forces backed by heavy air support from the American-led coalition have secured Iraq’s largest oil refinery from a determined Islamic State offensive. But…

Colombia: In Colombia, Land Mines Are Cleared, Inch by Inch

Apr 19, 2015 | William Neuman, New York Times

Luvin Mejía kneels on the ground, wearing a heavy Kevlar vest and pants, a thick clear plastic shield over his face. It can take him…

China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Beijing, Hanoi Reach Agreement on Handling Disputes at Sea

Apr 16, 2015 | Today

China and Vietnam have agreed to manage their maritime disputes in the South China Sea through peaceful negotiations based on mutual interests, Chinese state media…

Water Wars: Battle Lines Drawn for Control over Water

Apr 16, 2015 | Suparna Dutt-D’Cunha, Gulf News

Societal unrest and strategic manoeuvring over water have pervaded the Middle East for a long time now, pushing people to act aggressively to secure the…

Liberia: FDA's U.S.$6 Million PUP Trial Defendants Linked to 'Falsifying Signatures of Land Deeds'

Apr 16, 2015 | Abednego Davis, Liberian Observer

Several former managers of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) on trial for illegally issuing sixty-one (61) Private Use Permits (PUPs) in the amount of US$6M…

Conflict Minerals: Global Witness Criticises Proposed EU Conflict Minerals Law

Apr 16, 2015 | Metal Bulletin

Campaign group Global Witness has called proposed European conflict minerals legislation “weak and ineffective”.

It criticised the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee following its vote on…

DRC: Illicit Wildlife, Gold, Timber Trade Funds DRC Conflict

Apr 16, 2015 | Environmental News Service

Organized crime funded by illegal trade in natural resources is fueling the 20-year-long conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, that has…

Yemen: Yemen War Puts 2015 Crop at Risk, Food Security Worsening - FAO

Apr 15, 2015 | Reuters

Conflict in Yemen is disrupting the crop planting season and threatens to create food shortages, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on…

Iraq: Oil Minister Says Iraq Close to Securing Refinery From Militants

Apr 15, 2015 | Jim Snyder, Bloomberg

Iraq’s oil minister said troops were closer to securing the country’s largest refinery after an attack by Islamic State militants last week.

“They are clearing their…

Nepal: Nepal's Community Forests Fight Poverty and Destruction

Apr 14, 2015 | Jennifer Collins, Deutsche Welle

From low-lying grasslands and steamy subtropical jungles, to soaring snowy peaks and pine forests, Nepal is a country of dramatic extremes. This tiny mountain nation…

Ethiopia: Ethiopians Talk of Violent Intimidation as Their Land is Earmarked for Foreign Investors

Apr 14, 2015 | David Smith, The Guardian

The human cost of Ethiopia’s “villagisation” programme is laid bare by damning first person testimony published on Tuesday. The east African country has long faced…

Yemen: Conflict, Famine, Refugees, and IDPs: A Perfect Storm in Yemen?

Apr 14, 2015 | Omer Karasapan, Brookings Institution

The current crisis in Yemen will only add to the fraying of an already extremely fragile country and worsen an unfolding human tragedy. Thousands have…

Conflict Minerals: MEPs Divided on Conflict Minerals Scheme

Apr 14, 2015 | Benjamin Fox, EU Observer

EU lawmakers have clashed over which businesses should be covered by new rules on the trade of conflict minerals used to fund civil wars.

In a…

Iraq/Syria: Research and Markets: Oil and Refined Flows From Northern Iraq and Eastern Syria

Apr 14, 2015 | Business Wire

A 30 page overview of the sources, locations, and flows of licit and illicit crude and refined product from Northern Iraq and Eastern Syria. From…

Ethipoia/Somalia: The Need for Fair Water-Sharing & Management Between Somalia and Ethipoia

Apr 14, 2015 | Bazi Bussuri Sheikh, Somaliland Press

Water is said to hit humans at a profoundly at a profoundly different level than other resources. Water experts argue that people are willing to…

Iraq: ISIS Likely to Increase Kidnappings As Oil Money Dries Up

Apr 13, 2015 | Luke Hurst, Newsweek

The Islamic State could step up its kidnapping operations to raise funds, following the loss of control of three oil fields in Iraq, according to…

Conflict Minerals: Preventing Military Groups From Funding Their Activities

Apr 13, 2015 | European Parliament

Military groups in conflict areas such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo often use the sale of minerals found in their territory to…

Iraq: Video Shows Islamic State Attacking Iraqi Refinery — But Their Oil Money Might be Running Dry

Apr 12, 2015 | Gillian Mohney, Vice News

Video released this weekend appears to show Islamic State fighters attacking Iraq's largest oil refinery in the northern city of Baiji, an assault that comes…

South Sudan: Help Milton and Blandford Deanery Plant Seeds of Hope

Apr 12, 2015 | Jackie Spiteri, Blackmore Vale

Offering the opportunity of both a healthier diet and a cash crop, a pilot project being run in South Sudan with the help of the…

Water Wars: The Growing Potential for Water Wars

Apr 12, 2015 | Richard Rousseau, International Policy Digest

Tensions over water are nothing new and will increase as shortages mount. However, it is possible to avoid violent conflicts over this fundamental resource for…

China/South China Sea: China’s Reclamations Roil South China Sea

Apr 11, 2015 | James Borton, International Policy Digest

The South China Sea remains at the epicenter of one of the most volatile maritime areas in the world with little or no agreement on…

Conflict Minerals: European Parliament Debates the Proposed Conflict Minerals Regulation

Apr 10, 2015 | National Law Review

On March 19, the International Trade Committee of the European Parliament (INTA) met to debate the amendments to the conflict minerals regulation that were proposed…

Afghanistan: UN Reports Partisan Free State Land Distribution, Land Grabbing in Afghanistan

Apr 9, 2015 | RTT News

A new UN report on land use in Afghanistan shows that there are significant vulnerabilities in the country's land distribution system that provide an opportunity…

Liberia: Liberian President Instructed ‘Lobbying Fees’ to Lawmaker

Apr 9, 2015 | Kennedy L. Yangian, Front Page Africa

Barely two weeks after losing a motion to dismiss the indictment that charged him with multiple criminal offences, Clemenceau Urey former Board Chair of the…

South Sudan: South Sudan Conflict Placing Wildlife at Risk

Apr 9, 2015 | Sudan Tribune

Millions of species of wildlife are said to be at risk in South Sudan, especially in its Jonglei state where poaching is rampantly carried out…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Wants Appeal Over Disputed Kurdistan Oil Tossed

Apr 8, 2015 | Lance Duroni, Law 360

Kurdistan’s bid to escape the Iraqi government’s lawsuit to recover more than 1 million barrels of crude oil stranded off the Texas coast should be…

Iraq: Islamic State Revenues Hit by Lost Iraqi Oil Fields: Report

Apr 8, 2015 | AFP

The Islamic State group has lost control of "at least three large oil fields" in Iraq, depriving the jihadists of a crucial source of income,…

Liberia: Ex-NOCAL Official: Legislature Demanded ‘Lobbying Fees’

Apr 8, 2015 | Bettie Johnson, Front Page Africa

The bribery case involving ex officials of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NCAL) continues to bring some internal dealings to the surface. Statements from…