CFC Complex Coverage Review, 26 February 2012

7/29/2019 CFC Complex Coverage Review, 26 February 2012

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Complex CoverageC I V I L - M I L I T A R Y F U S I O N C E N T R E

26 February 2013 Comprehensive Information on Complex Crisis

aq 1Mali 3

yria 4ED/Demining 6n Brief:Syrian Refugee Crisis in Jordan 7

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Iraq Linda Lavender [email protected]

Protests which have continued within Iraq over the past two months have now spread to encompass

Sunnis, protesting against the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and Shiites

who supporting Maliki. Tensions between Muslim sects further escalated when Wathiq al Batat, the

head of Hezbollah in Iraq, announced the formationof the al MukhtarArmy, according to Integrated

Regional Information Networks (IRIN). The Iraqi Hezbollah leader threatened that the militia would

fight against Sunni protesters if they became infiltrated by al Qaeda in Iraq or any other Sunni terrorist

groups. Batat stated, Kurds have theirmilitia to protect them, Sunnis have al Qaeda; and Shiites have

nothing[t]hat is why we are forming this army-to protect Shiites and Iraqis in general from al Qaeda

and the Free Iraqi Army. After his announcement, Baghdad issued a warrant for his arrest. In response

Sunni protesters in Anbar refrained from chanting Baathist slogans and some even carried flags of

Iman Hussain and other Shiite leaders. However, Time reports that fliersbegan surfacing in some

Baghdad neighbourhoods with a chilling message to Sunnis; Get out now or face great agony soon

The leaflets were signed by al MukhtarArmy and added; [t]he zero hour has come. So leave along

with your familiesyou are the enemy. Another round of protests occurred after Muslim prayers

concluded on 15 February in the cities of Fallujah, Ramadi, Samarra, Mosul, Kirkuk, and in areas of

Baghdad under heavy security, according to Voice of America (VOA).

For the second time since December 2012, Iraqi officials in Kirkukdenied a Turkish planepermission

to land as it attempted to transport 75 Kurdish victims from the assault in Tuz Khurmatu, according to

United Press International (UPI). The air ambulance was transporting victims for medical treatment to

Ankara, Turkey. While relations between Iraq and Turkey have deteriorated since Turkish officials

signed an oil deal with the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, Iraqi officials said the plane was

denied landing due to inclement weather. Baghdad has suspended all private planes flying into

This document provides complex coverage of global events from 12 25 February 2013 with

hyper-links to source material highlighted in blue and underlined in the text. For moreinformation on the topics below or other issues pertaining to events in the region, contact themembers of the Complex Coverage Team or visit our websiteatwww.cimicweb.org.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.irinnews.org/Report/97465/Briefing-A-guide-to-defusing-sectarian-tensions-in-Iraqhttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/97465/Briefing-A-guide-to-defusing-sectarian-tensions-in-Iraqhttp://www.irinnews.org/Report/97465/Briefing-A-guide-to-defusing-sectarian-tensions-in-Iraqhttp://world.time.com/2013/02/25/return-of-sectarian-threats-in-iraq-raises-alarm/http://world.time.com/2013/02/25/return-of-sectarian-threats-in-iraq-raises-alarm/http://world.time.com/2013/02/25/return-of-sectarian-threats-in-iraq-raises-alarm/http://www.voanews.com/content/thousands-of-sunnis-protest-in-iraqi-cities/1604283.htmlhttp://www.voanews.com/content/thousands-of-sunnis-protest-in-iraqi-cities/1604283.htmlhttp://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/02/11/Report-Iraq-wont-let-Turkish-plane-land/UPI-82131360607232/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/02/11/Report-Iraq-wont-let-Turkish-plane-land/UPI-82131360607232/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/02/11/Report-Iraq-wont-let-Turkish-plane-land/UPI-82131360607232/http://www.cimicweb.org/http://www.cimicweb.org/http://www.cimicweb.org/http://www.cimicweb.org/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/02/11/Report-Iraq-wont-let-Turkish-plane-land/UPI-82131360607232/http://www.voanews.com/content/thousands-of-sunnis-protest-in-iraqi-cities/1604283.htmlhttp://world.time.com/2013/02/25/return-of-sectarian-threats-in-iraq-raises-alarm/http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97465/Briefing-A-guide-to-defusing-sectarian-tensions-in-Iraqmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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the semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Eight F-16 fighter jets were deployed to the Kurdish region of Iraq from Diyarbakir, Turkey on

12 February to strike militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK1) locations, reports UPI. Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep

Erdogan engaged in dialogue with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to explore peace initiatives with the terrorist organisation

Again on 21 February, Turkish jets were sent across the border to bomb twelve PKK targetsin the Kandil Mountains, according to

Agence France-Presse (AFP).

On 13 February, the Peoples Mujahedeen of Iran (MEK), an Iranian dissident group, accused Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Al

Khamenei of ordering the 09 February attack on MEK members residing in Camp Liberty near Baghdad, according to AFP. The MEK

claims that the forty attackers who entered the camp were members of the Shiite militant group Ketaeb Hezbollahand technica

agents from Iranselite al Quds. Rockets and mortars used in the attacks, the MEK claims, were transported in vehicles belonging tothe Iraqi police and the Iraqi interior ministry. Malikis spokesman Ali Mussawi told AFP,MEKs presence in Iraq is illegal andillegitimate. A number of violent incidents were reported across Iraq over the past few weeks, including those summarised below:

On 14 February, attacks largely targeting Iraqi security forces north of Baghdad killed seven people, according to AFPGunmen killed a policeman and soldier outside Mosul while a roadside bomb detonated near Mosul killing two policemen.

Separate shootings and bombings in Balad and Dujail left three dead, including two Sahwa2 fighters.

A suicide bomber in Tal Afar, northern Iraq, killed a senior Iraqi intelligence officeralong with three of his bodyguards on 16February, reports al Jazeera. On the same day, a senior judge was killed north of Baghdad by a sticky bomb3.

Aseries of car bombskilled at least 26 people in largely Shiite neighbourhoods across Baghdad on 17 February, accordingtoReuters. Days later, al Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility for theattacks.

Also on 17 February, Reuters reports that attackers bombed and disabled a pipeline carrying oil south to Baghdad fromNinevah province. The pipeline was disabled for a second time on 20 February following another bomb attack, reports

Reuters.

According to UPI, a bomb detonated 20 February in Baquba near thetrain station, killing five people. On 21 February, Iraqofficials say gunmen attacked asecurity checkpointnorth of Baghdad in Duluiayah, killing four soldiers and wounding four

others, reportsAssociated Press (AP).

Mosul saw more violence on 21 February when three suicide bombers killed three policemen at a security checkpointaccording toReuters.

Gunmen dragged Sahwa fighters from their homes in Tuz Khurmato on 22 February, killing seven of them and seriouslywounding one other, according toReuters.

Bakhtiar Omar al Qadhi, deputy chief of Iraqs Justice and Accountability Committee, tasked with purging government ranks of

former Baathists, removed Iraqs top judge Medhat al Mahmoud from the Supreme Judicial Council, reports AP. Qadhi indicated tha

there was strong evidence to support the decision. However, on 18 February, an Iraqi judicial panel rejected the decision to remove the

Chief Judge after Mahmoudfiled an appeal, successfully arguing that there was not enough evidence to remove him, reports AP. Also

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the Iraqi government to conduct an investigation into the January shooting of protesters in

Fallujah, according to UPI. Joe Stork, deputy director of HRWs Middle East programmes, stated, Iraqi authorities seem to think that

announcing an investigation is all thats required when security forces kill protesters. HRW maintains that Iraqi forces fired onprotesters after the troops were hit with stones. Nine protesters were killed and another 45 were injured in the incident. Finally, Nadir

Dendoune, a French journalistdetainedby Iraqi authorities for taking unauthorised pictures in the countrys capital, was released on

14 February, according toRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

The ongoing dispute between Baghdad and Kurdistan over oil rights has led to delays in finalising the national budget and is

jeopardising major infrastructure projects and payments to regional authorities, according to Reuters. While Iraqs cabinet approved a

USD 118.6 billion in October 2012, infighting among Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish members of parliament resulted in the failure to pass

draft legislation. The budget, which forecasts a deficit of USD 15.5 billion, includes USD 45.5 billion for much needed investment

projects and has apportioned USD 644 million for companies in Kurdistan. Kurdistan, which has its own regional government and

armed forces, contributes its oil to national exports and relies on seventeen per cent of Baghdads national budget. This wee k Prime

Minister Malikis State of Law coalition, Sunni-backed Iraqiya Bloc, and other political blocs called for Kurds to receive no more than

twelve per cent of the national budget, claiming they are a minority population. Additionally, Exxon Mobil has decided to move

forward with its controversial decision to develop oil fields in Kurdistan in defiance of Baghdads opposition to the move, reportsUPI.Middle East Economic Digestsays, [i]f Exxon Mobil starts drilling operations, Baghdad will have no option but to try and stop

them. Baghdad has declared the Exxon deal illegal and maintains that Kurdistan has no authority to sign oil agreements a privilege

reserved for the central government. Meanwhile, Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani met with the head of Russian oil giant

Gazprom, Alexei Miller, in Moscow to discuss oil and gas cooperation in the semi-autonomous region, according to UPI. Discussions

focused on the potential for cooperation in geological exploration, development and operation of oil and gas fields. UPIreports tha

Baghdad has consented to a preliminary agreement tobuild oiland gas pipelines from Iran to Syria. Gas from the project would come

1The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States, the European Union and NATO.2Sahwa, also known as the Sons of Iraq, are the pro-government Sunni militias that fought against al Qaeda during the US-led war in Iraq.

3Sticky Bombs are magnetic explosive devices thatstick to metal(often placed on vehicle undercarriages) widely used by the Iraqi insurgency.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2013/02/12/Turkey-targets-PKK-in-northern-Iraq/UPI-22941360682921/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2013/02/12/Turkey-targets-PKK-in-northern-Iraq/UPI-22941360682921/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2013/02/12/Turkey-targets-PKK-in-northern-Iraq/UPI-22941360682921/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-21/207375-turkish-jets-strike-kurd-rebels-in-iraq-military-source.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-21/207375-turkish-jets-strike-kurd-rebels-in-iraq-military-source.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-21/207375-turkish-jets-strike-kurd-rebels-in-iraq-military-source.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-13/206307-iran-dissidents-say-khamenei-ordered-attack-on-iraq-camp.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-13/206307-iran-dissidents-say-khamenei-ordered-attack-on-iraq-camp.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-13/206307-iran-dissidents-say-khamenei-ordered-attack-on-iraq-camp.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-19/207029-iraq-wants-rehabilitated-iran-terror-group-out.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-19/207029-iraq-wants-rehabilitated-iran-terror-group-out.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-19/207029-iraq-wants-rehabilitated-iran-terror-group-out.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-19/207029-iraq-wants-rehabilitated-iran-terror-group-out.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://dawn.com/2013/02/15/iraq-attacks-claim-seven-lives/http://dawn.com/2013/02/15/iraq-attacks-claim-seven-lives/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/02/201321691456452100.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/02/201321691456452100.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/02/201321691456452100.htmlhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/17/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE91G03420130217?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/17/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE91G03420130217?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/17/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE91G03420130217?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/18/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE91H04J20130218?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/18/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE91H04J20130218?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/18/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE91H04J20130218?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-17/206814-bomb-disables-iraq-fuel-oil-pipeline.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-17/206814-bomb-disables-iraq-fuel-oil-pipeline.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/20/uk-iraq-energy-bomb-idUKBRE91J0OR20130220http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/20/uk-iraq-energy-bomb-idUKBRE91J0OR20130220http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/20/uk-iraq-energy-bomb-idUKBRE91J0OR20130220http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/02/20/Five-dead-in-Iraq-IED-explosion/UPI-65381361366893/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/02/20/Five-dead-in-Iraq-IED-explosion/UPI-65381361366893/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/02/20/Five-dead-in-Iraq-IED-explosion/UPI-65381361366893/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-21/207341-officials-gunmen-kill-4-soldiers-in-iraq.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-21/207341-officials-gunmen-kill-4-soldiers-in-iraq.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-21/207341-officials-gunmen-kill-4-soldiers-in-iraq.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/21/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE91K18820130221?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/21/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE91K18820130221?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50902065/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50902065/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa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uters.com/article/2013/02/17/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE91G03420130217?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/02/201321691456452100.htmlhttp://dawn.com/2013/02/15/iraq-attacks-claim-seven-lives/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-19/207029-iraq-wants-rehabilitated-iran-terror-group-out.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-19/207029-iraq-wants-rehabilitated-iran-terror-group-out.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-13/206307-iran-dissidents-say-khamenei-ordered-attack-on-iraq-camp.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-21/207375-turkish-jets-strike-kurd-rebels-in-iraq-military-source.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2013/02/12/Turkey-targets-PKK-in-northern-Iraq/UPI-22941360682921/


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from Iran and help support electricity for the Iraqi and Syrian markets. An oil pipeline would run from the southern Iraqi port of Basra

and deliver approximately one million barrels of oil per day to the Red Sea port city of Aqaba, Jordan. Tehran has long been interested

in a westward-bound pipeline.

In other news, the Iranian-backed Shiite group Asaib Ahl al Haq the League of the Righteous which carried out many of the

attacks against US forcesin the final years of the Iraq war, is evolving into a political organisation, according to TheWashington Post

The group is rapidly expanding and gaining support throughout Iraq as it opens offices and is providing a plethora of social services to

widows and orphans and launching religious schools. Maliki welcomes the groups foray into the political arena and sees the group as

a potential counter-weight to Shiite adversary Muqtada al Sadr. Finally, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, convalescing in Germany from

a stroke, is reportedly makingsolid progressand has regained his speech, according to Reuters.

Mali Foard Copeland [email protected]

French and Malian troopsstruggledlast week to exert control over the countrys North, including the town of Gao, which had been

held by the Malian army for almost three weeks, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). On 21 February, forty rebels convergedon

Gao, situated along the Niger River, taking control of the mayors office and engaging in an hours-long fire fight. The French engaged

the insurgents with helicopters and heavy firepower after Malian troops failed to repel the militants, according to Al Jazeera. Four

Malian soldiers and two French soldiers werewoundedin the Gao offensive that also resulted in the deaths of fifteen Islamists. On the

same day, a car bombdetonatedin the northern town of Kidal near a camp that houses French and Chadian forces. Two civilians were

killed and several more wereinjuredin the attack, informs theAssociated Press (AP). On 22 February,65 insurgentswere killed in a

battle in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains that also took the lives of 13 Chadian soldiers. Fighting in the area continued over the

weekend, and an additional 10 Chadian soldiers were killed as they stormed a rebel base. After the fire fight, 28 insurgents were

reported dead and at least 30 wounded. Chad deployed over 1,800 troops to Kidal earlier in February and has suffered more casualtiesthan any country with a presence in Mali. The conflict also expanded to Tessalit, according to the AFP, where the Movement for the

Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) confirmed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed at least three Tuaregs in

retaliation for the recent Tuareg split from MUJAO. The infighting indicates the fractious dynamics that continue to play out between

various rebel groups in northern Mali. Finally, French President Francois Hollandeannouncedthe death of the second French soldier

since the invasion began last month; a legionnaire in the 2nd parachute division killed during clashes that took place in the northern

Adrar des Ifoghas mountains, informs The Guardian. A helicopter pilot was killed in January during the first week of the French

offensive, according toFrance24.

In the increasingly international conflict, several major developments took place between regional partners, including the following:

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) appointed a Nigerian officer to lead the regional bodysmission in Mali. Subair Olusola Kamar, a Nigerian police officer who trained in Paris, will oversee the African-led

International Assistance Mission to Mali (AFISMA). Kamar previously supported UN peacekeeping operations in the Former

Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)4 and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; he takes up his post at the end of

the month.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel approved a plan to send 330 troops to Mali, according to The Washington Post. Thecontingent will train Malian forces and provide technical assistance. Government forces will not be authorised to participate

in combat operations and must still be approved by the German parliament. The decision came one week after the European

Union (EU) agreed tolauncha European Union Training Mission (EUTM) of 500 soldiers to Mali, according to an EU press

release. The mission has a fifteen-month mandate, and as many as seventy personnel were immediately dispatchedto Mali to

prepare for the larger contingency.

The EU released a stabilisation package worth EUR 20 million (approximately USD 26 million) to provide emergencysupport to the country, according to Europa. The funds will support law enforcement and justice initiatives. In the coming

months, the EU plans to release another EUR 250 million (approximately USD 328 million) to support long-term

stabilisation.

Russias Foreign Ministryannouncedit was sending aid to Mali, citing concerns about the spread of militant Islam in theregion and numerous political transitions in recent months, according to Reuters.

US President Barack Obama announced on 22 February that approximately 100 US troops had been deployed to Niger in order to

supportFrench-led militaryoperations, through intelligence-gathering, against al Qaeda and other extremists groups in the northern

regions of Mali, reports The Washington Post. According to a US defence official, US military operations include establishing a base

of operation to support drone flights. The drones will initially be based in the capital city of Niamey and may eventually be moved

further north to Agadez, which is closer to the Mali region infiltrated by al Qaeda. It was unclear whether predator drones were being

4 Turkey recognises the Republic of Macedonia by its constitutional name.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iranian-backed-militant-group-in-iraq-is-recasting-itself-as-a-political-player/2013/02/18/b0154204-77bb-11e2-b102-948929030e64_story.html?wprss=rss_worldhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iranian-backed-militant-group-in-iraq-is-recasting-itself-as-a-political-player/2013/02/18/b0154204-77bb-11e2-b102-948929030e64_story.html?wprss=rss_worldhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-23/207631-iraq-presidents-health-improving-can-now-talk-doctor.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-23/207631-iraq-presidents-health-improving-can-now-talk-doctor.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-23/207631-iraq-presidents-health-improving-can-now-talk-doctor.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130221/mali-troops-battle-islamists-gao-car-bomb-targets-camphttp://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130221/mali-troops-battle-islamists-gao-car-bomb-targets-camphttp://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130221/mali-troops-battle-islamists-gao-car-bomb-targets-camphttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/02/201322120659992641.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/02/201322120659992641.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/02/201322120659992641.htmlhttp://c/Users/act.guertin/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.IE5/81EPSH1R/Al%20Jazeera%20reportedhttp://c/Users/act.guertin/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.IE5/81EPSH1R/Al%20Jazeera%20reportedhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/us-mali-rebels-france-idUSBRE91L0DH20130222http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/us-mali-rebels-france-idUSBRE91L0DH20130222http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/us-mali-rebels-france-idUSBRE91L0DH20130222http://www.voanews.com/content/france-15-islamist-rebels-killed-in-northern-mali-fighting/1608626.htmlhttp://www.voanews.com/content/france-15-islamist-rebels-killed-in-northern-mali-fighting/1608626.htmlhttp://www.voanews.com/content/france-15-islamist-rebels-killed-in-northern-mali-fighting/1608626.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130221/af-mali-fighting/?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=greenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130221/af-mali-fighting/?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=greenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130221/af-mali-fighting/?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=greenhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/02/201322223819792689.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/02/201322223819792689.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/02/201322223819792689.htmlhttp://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=103854http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=103854http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=103854http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5icyCLx20VcdHtNLlOTu6m7zm2jcw?docId=CNG.63e9b7f19c50802ac3600e4768e6c6d7.431http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5icyCLx20VcdHtNLlOTu6m7zm2jcw?docId=CNG.63e9b7f19c50802ac3600e4768e6c6d7.431http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/19/french-soldier-killed-malihttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/19/french-soldier-killed-malihttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/19/french-soldier-killed-malihttp://www.france24.com/en/20130112-islamist-militants-warn-france-mali-military-operationhttp://www.france24.com/en/20130112-islamist-militants-warn-france-mali-military-operationhttp://www.france24.com/en/20130112-islamist-militants-warn-france-mali-military-operationhttp://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/mali-crisis-ecowas-appoints-nigerian-to-command-position/139925/http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/mali-crisis-ecowas-appoints-nigerian-to-command-position/139925/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/german-cabinet-adopts-plan-to-send-330-soldiers-to-mali-in-support-of-french-african-efforts/2013/02/19/d42d21c4-7a78-11e2-9c27-fdd594ea6286_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/german-cabinet-adopts-plan-to-send-330-soldiers-to-mali-in-support-of-french-african-efforts/2013/02/19/d42d21c4-7a78-11e2-9c27-fdd594ea6286_story.htmlhttp://www.consilium.europa.eu/homepage/highlights/eu-training-mission-in-mali-launched?lang=enhttp://www.consilium.europa.eu/homepage/highlights/eu-training-mission-in-mali-launched?lang=enhttp://www.consilium.europa.eu/homepage/highlights/eu-training-mission-in-mali-launched?lang=enhttp://eeas.europa.eu/csdp/missions_operations/eutm-mali/final_factsheet_eutm_mali_en.pdfhttp://eeas.europa.eu/csdp/missions_operations/eutm-mali/final_factsheet_eutm_mali_en.pdfhttp://eeas.europa.eu/csdp/missions_operations/eutm-mali/final_factsheet_eutm_mali_en.pdfhttp://www.msrisk.com/mali/mali-security-update-18-february-2013/http://www.msrisk.com/mali/mali-security-update-18-february-2013/http://www.msrisk.com/mali/mali-security-update-18-february-2013/http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-117_en.htm?locale=enhttp://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-117_en.htm?locale=enhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/us-mali-russia-idUSBRE91L0K120130222http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/us-mali-russia-idUSBRE91L0K120130222http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/us-mali-russia-idUSBRE91L0K120130222http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-troops-arrive-in-niger-to-set-up-drone-base/2013/02/22/2a3348c0-7d01-11e2-9e84-3fbb5d2ef2a9_story.html?hpid=z1http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-troops-arrive-in-niger-to-set-up-drone-base/2013/02/22/2a3348c0-7d01-11e2-9e84-3fbb5d2ef2a9_story.html?hpid=z1http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-troops-arrive-in-niger-to-set-up-drone-base/2013/02/22/2a3348c0-7d01-11e2-9e84-3fbb5d2ef2a9_story.html?hpid=z1http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-troops-a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protected]://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-23/207631-iraq-presidents-health-improving-can-now-talk-doctor.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iranian-backed-militant-group-in-iraq-is-recasting-itself-as-a-political-player/2013/02/18/b0154204-77bb-11e2-b102-948929030e64_story.html?wprss=rss_world


4/7

426 February 2013

used in the surveillance operation. Finally, two senior UN peacekeeping officialsannouncedthat a mission in Mali was a very rea

possibility, informs the UN News Centre. The UNendorsedAFISMA in December 2012.

Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) reported on the potential for instability in Mali to spill into regional neighbours

particularly those countries from which fighters are believed to have originated. The exact number of rebels in northern Mali remains

uncertain; however, experts suggest that fewer than 3,000 insurgents are still active. Jeremy Keenan, professor at the University of

Londons School of Oriental and African Studies, estimates the number might be one thousand or fewer. Yvan Guic haoua, a Mal

expert at the University of East Anglia, predicts a possible fragmentation among Islamist fighters. In such a scenario, al Qaeda in the

Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) could withdraw into North Africa, relying on networksit established after the fall of Moammar Gaddafis

regime in Libya.IRINreports the organisation possesses large weapons caches in Tunisia. MUJAO fighters may seek haven in Gao or

their home countries of Niger, Nigeria, Mauritania, and perhaps even Algeria, Morocco, and Western Sahara. Finally, the SudanTribunereports the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), a prominent militia in Sudans Darfur region, claimed on 18 February tha

Malian Islamistsentered Sudan, led by an army captain named Adam Osman.

OCHA released anassessment that found 4.3 million people in Mali were in need of humanitarian assistance. Aid activities remain

limited in the north as a result of continued insecurity including mine incidents. Food is also becoming scarce as the entire Sahe

region braces for a potentialfood crisisin 2013. According to Zlatan Milisic, Malis country director for the World Food Programme

(WFP), We are worried that food is being consumed faster than it can be replaced. Malis agricultural season starts in May, and the

UNs Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) stressed the need for farmers to return to their lands. FAO Director-General, Jos

Graziano da Silva, outlined challenges that farmers will face, even if violence does not prevent them from returning to their fields.

Many have lost seed, tools and livestock necessary for agricultural production. As of 22 February, only four per cent of the

humanitarian appeal for USD 373 million had been provided by donors. A number of other humanitarian updates were reported over

the past few weeks including the following:

AFP reported the Malian army was accused of torture and carrying out summary executions. While unconfirmed, theallegations hint at reprisal attacks against Muslim citizens in the countrys North.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced that humanitarian conditions in northern Mali areparticularly grave. The organisation said that most of the displaced persons are not returning to their homes, leaving them

susceptible to heightened insecurity. A shortage of teachers in the North, many of whom fled, has caused schools to close for

700,000 students.

Armed groups have recruited children, according to the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF). From the north, wehave heard horrifying reports of human rights violations, recruitment of children an d rising sexual violence, said Jens

Laerke spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

Syria Linda Lavender [email protected]

The Syrian government signalled its readiness to send a minister abroad for talkswith the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) leader

Moaz al Khatib, according to The Guardian. However, differences remain over the shape of any political transition between

Damascus and the opposition. In a surprise move, the SNC said it would suspend its participation in the upcoming Friends of Syria

conference in Rome, in protest of the shameful international position regarding the conflict, according to CNN. Adib Shishaky

representative of the SNC, said, enough is enough. The whole world is not doing anything. We are not going to more conferences

We are not going to Rome. We are not going to Moscow. Shishaky also asserted that Scud missiles were used in an Aleppo attac k

that killed over fifty civilians on 22 February. The SNC announced plans on 22 February to form a provisional government in rebel-

held regions of Syria following a meeting in Cairo in which opposition leaders debated whether to engage in peace talkswith the

Assad government, according to VOA. The SNC provisional government will meet 02 March in Istanbul to select a Prime Minister.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Brian, on 16 February, called for urgent action to facilitate a power transfer in Syria tha

would exclude a role for Syrian President Bashar al Assad, according to AFP. On 18 February, the European Unionrenewed sanctions

targeting the Syrian regime, while amending provisions in order to protect Syrian civilians, according to RFE/RL. The renewal of

sanctions for an additional three months enables greater nonlethal support and technical assistance for the protection of civilians,

said EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton. On the same day,AFPreports that EU foreign ministers remain split on meeting the

UKs demand to lift anarms embargoon Syria.

On 14 February, Syrian rebels claimed to have near-total control of the strategically important Hasaka province in the Northeast where

the few remaining domestic oil facilities that supply the Assad government are located, according to the New York Times (NYT)

Battling for control over theAleppointernational airport, 150 rebels and government troops have been killed in recent days, according

to a 15 February Time article. On 19 February, a missile strike levelled anAleppo neighbourhood, according to The Guardian. A day

later, two mortars fired by rebels exploded close to one of Bashar al Assads presidential palaces in Damascus and the Tishreen

footballstadium was struck by mortars killing a Syrian footballer and wounding four others. AFPreports that three surface-to-surface
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526 February 2013

missiles fired by Syrian regime forces in the northern city of Aleppo on 22 February have left 58 people dead, among them 36

children. Opposition forces report on 24 February they have captured a nuclear reactor site, now being used as a Scud launch base

according toReuters. Turkish officials confirmed that a Syrian mortar shell was fired from Syria and fell in the town of Yayladagi in

southern Turkey, according to UPI. Turkey responded by striking against Syrian army targets.

AFPreports that a new jihadist group, Ahrar al Sham, has emerged asa key playerin northern Syria, espousing its nationalist roots

and a more moderate form of Islam. Operating in Idlib, Aleppo, and central Hama, the group comprises former political prisoners who

were detained in the infamous Sednaya prison near Damascus. Meanwhile, Iran and Hezbollah are building a network of militias

inside Syria to fight alongside Syrian government forces in order to support the Assad government, according to The Guardian. A

senior US government official cited Iranian claims that Tehran was backing as many as 50,000 militiamen in Syria. Syrias

ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdel-Karim Ali, denied Hezbollah was involved in the Syrian conflict, according to Daily StarHowever, on 14 February, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Hessam Khoshnevis waskilled insideSyria by rebels, according

toReuters. The attack was carried out near the Syrian town of Zabadani, close to the Lebanese border. RFE/RLreports that Russias

state arms exporter claims that Moscow is still providing weapons to Syria. Russian deliveries include anti-missile air-defence

systems. Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated that Russian troops were not in Syria and Russia was not delivering arms

to the Assad government. Lavrov stated that, themilitary equipmentthat we [Russia] have delivered to Syria is designed to protect

Syria against outside aggression, according to UPI. Meanwhile, Finnish authorities have launched an investigation into an alleged

attempt tosmuggle armsto Syria from Russia through a Helsinki port after a Russian ship was intercepted carrying spare tank parts in

January, reports al Jazeera. AFPreports that four moreRussian warshipshave been deployed to the Mediterranean Sea to possibly

facilitate a larger evacuation of its citizens.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told the fifteen-member UN security council (UNSC) that the death toll in

Syria is probably now approaching 70,000 and repeated her call to the UNSC to refer the Syrian conflict to the International

Criminal Court (ICC), according to Reuters. UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said that Syria is self-destructing. Ki-moon notedthat, [f]ighting rages. Sectarian hatred is on the rise. The catalogue of war crimes is mounting. On 13 February, BBC reports that a

member of the UN special envoys team completed the first field visit in several months with the intent of additional follow-up visits

in the coming weeks. A UN independent team investigating war crimes in the Syrian conflict reports that Syrians in leadership

positions who may be responsible for war crimes including killings and torture have been identified along with their units, according

to al Jazeera. Both sides stand accused of war crimes in the 23-month old conflict.

On 15 February, the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that the situation in Syria is nothing short o

catastrophic. After a four-day visit to Syria, ICRC director of operations Pierre Krahenbuhl stated that millions have been displaced

and thousands have gone missing or been arrested. On 19 February, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

reported that the number of Syrian refugees hasexceeded 850,000.

At Bab al Salamadisplacement campin northern Syria, more than 10,000 Syrians are struggling to survive, according to VOA. The

size of the tent city has blossomed in recent months as violence has continued. Most people in the camp are waiting to be relocated to

Turkey, but the process to enter has slowed. Those living in the camp, report lack of food, medical assistance, and sanitationCompounding the displacements, fighting in the eastern oil-producing province of Hasaka has forced an estimated 40,000 civiliansto

flee the region, says the World Food Programme (WFP). The firstdetailed surveyof the humanitarian crisis in northern Syria by the

Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) declared Syria the largest IDP crisis in the world, according to McClatchy

Newspapers. While UNHCR released figures showing 2.08 million people in six northern provinces of Syria urgently need assistance,

the IDMCs survey placed the number at 3.2 million in the same provinces. Also, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that

an estimated 2,500 people in northeastern Deir al Zor province have typhoidfever, a contagious, potentially fatal disease, according to

Reuters. Elisabeth Hoff, Syrian WHO representative, indicated that the number of those infected was very high and was spreading

with the movement of people. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Aleppo have reportedly brought the disease to the port city of

Tartus.

The Daily Starreports that more than 25,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria have approached the United Nations Relief and Works

Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) for assistance in Lebanon. UNRWA reported that 31 per cent of Palestinian refugees

from Syria were staying in the Sidon area, followed by 22 per cent in Bekaa, 17 per cent in Beirut and 15 per cent in Tyre and Tripoli.

On 25 February, rioting broke out at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, leaving two Syrian refugees and a Jordanian policeman

injured, reports AP. The rioting was sparked by rumours that Jordanian police had sexually harassed three female refugees. Also

Russia announced it was sending two planes, carrying 46 metric tonnes ofhumanitarian aidto Syria, while also taking the opportunity

to transport Russian citizens that would like to leave the country, reports Reuters.

Spillover Violence in LebanonArecent eruptionof Sunni-Shiite clashes across Lebanon has heightened the risk of chaos in Lebanon and another conflagration

with Israel, warned David Schenker of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, according to UPI. Islamist militant cells linked

to al Qaeda appear to be proliferating in Lebanon, spurred in part by the growing presence and military successes of Sunni rebels

fighting in Syria. VOA reports that there is growing concern in Lebanon that the country will be dragged into the mayhem o
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6/7

626 February 2013

The CFC is pleased to announce the launch of its2013 Kenya Electionswebpage providing

detailed coverage of the upcoming Kenyan elections.

neighbouring Syrias increasingly sectarian violence. In the tense Bekaa Valley, protesters sympathetic to Syria rebels threatened to

block the passing of eleven Syrian tanker trucks loaded with fuel from Beirut headed to Syria via the Masnaa border crossing

according to theDaily Star. Similar protests broke out earlier in February in north Lebanon as residents blocked trucks heading toward

the Arida border crossing. AFPinforms that a security vacuum has befallen northwestern Syria, where more than300 people were

abducted in tit-for-tat kidnappings on 16 February. An estimated 40 civilians, from majority-Shiite villages, were kidnapped by

armed groups in Shiite villages. Then, hours later, more than seventy people from Sunni areas were kidnapped by gunmen from

nearby Shiite villages. Subsequently, on 22 February, APreports that over 200 of those abducted were released,easing tensionsin the

region.

On 17 February, Lebanese Member of Parliament Khaled Daher stated that trucks loaded with dozens of tonnes of explosives

traversed the Masnaa border-crossing; similar transfers have been occurring regularly since May 2012, reports UPI. Daher maintainsthat the arms transfers have occurred with the knowledge of the Lebanese armed forces and army intelligence. The Daily Starreports

that, on 18 February, three Hezbollah fighters and twelve Syrian rebels were killed in fierce battles in Qusayr along the Syrian

Lebanon border. The same day, shelling from Syria fell on several northernLebanese towns, according toDaily Star. Residents of the

border town of Arida blocked theArida border crossingto protest the shelling of their town. Meanwhile, theBBCreports that Syrian

rebels have accusedHezbollah of attackingthree Syrian villages close to the Lebanese border. Hezbollah claims that three Lebanese

were killed in the clashes. On 19 February, March 8-affiliated parties5- threatened to confront Salafist Sheikh Ahmad Assir if he

resumes protests against trucks transporting diesel to Syria from the Zahrani refinery, raising tensions in the village of Sidon,

according to Daily Star. Several politicians said that Assirs call for demonstrations against the diesel -carrying trucks threaten to

undermine political and religious coexistence in Sidon. The Daily Star also reports that March 14 officials6 and the Progressive

Socialist Party leaderdenouncedHezbollahs involvement in Syrian violence while Hezbollah defended its fo ray into Syria, stating i

was defending villages in Syria inhabited by Lebanese Shiites. In response, General Selim Idriss, the Free Syrian Army chief of staff

warned on 19 February that his forces would target Hezbollahin Lebanon if the militant organisation continued shelling territory in

Syria held by rebels, reportsAFP. On 22 February, thousands of Syrian protesters took to the streets in the Turkish border town of Ainal Arab to vent their frustration over perceived inaction by world leaders, and Hezbollahs involvementin the conflict, according to

AFP.

IED & Demining Linda Lavender [email protected] CFC publishes a weekly IED and Demining Events map. This global compilation identifies and links to articles pertaining to

IED events as well as demining efforts. (Reporting period from 13 25 February

2013).

GLOBAL NEWS

Bahrain: Bahrain police identified a bomb planted on a busy causeway linking the

island to Saudi Arabia, reportsReuters.

Degestan: A suicide car bomb attack in the volatile Russian Caucasus region of

Dagestan killed three police officers and wounded six other people, according to

Agence France-Presse

Ireland: Police in Northern Ireland say a suspicious object found near a school in

Belfast was apipe bomb, reports United Press International.

For more IED & Demining newsclick hereor click on the map above.

5LebanonsMarch 8 Allianceis a coalition of opposition, mostly Shiite Muslim and Syrian-backed parties led by Hezbollah and the more moderate Amal party.6Lebanons March 14 Alliance is aSunni-Druze-Christiancoalition. The group is currently led by the Future Movement.

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SYRIAComplexCoverage
https://www.cimicweb.org/cmo/medbasin/Pages/Kenya_Election.aspxhttps://www.cimicweb.org/cmo/medbasin/Pages/Kenya_Election.aspxhttps://www.cimicweb.org/cmo/medbasin/Pages/Kenya_Election.aspxhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2013/Feb-23/207624-bekaa-residents-protest-over-syria-bound-oil-trucks.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2013/Feb-23/207624-bekaa-residents-protest-over-syria-bound-oil-trucks.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130216/syria-rebels-offensive-amid-spate-abductionshttp://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130216/syria-rebels-offensive-amid-spate-abductionshttp://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130216/syria-rebels-offensive-amid-spate-abductionshttp://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130216/syria-rebels-offensive-amid-spate-abductionshttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-22/207533-more-than-200-kidnapped-syrian-villagers-released.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-22/207533-more-than-200-kidnapped-syrian-villagers-released.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-22/207533-more-than-200-kidnapped-syrian-villagers-released.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/02/17/Lebanese-MP-Govt-gives-Syria-explosives/UPI-25701361107775/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-18/206866-three-hezbollah-fighters-12-syrian-rebels-killed-in-clashes.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-18/206866-three-hezbollah-fighters-12-syrian-rebels-killed-in-clashes.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-18/206866-three-hezbollah-fighters-12-syrian-rebels-killed-in-clashes.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-18/206866-three-hezbollah-fighters-12-syrian-rebels-killed-in-clashes.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-18/206866-three-hezbollah-fighters-12-syrian-rebels-killed-in-clashes.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-18/206866-three-hezbollah-fighters-12-syrian-rebels-killed-in-clashes.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-18/206891-arida-residents-block-lebanon-syria-road.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-18/206891-arida-residents-block-lebanon-syria-road.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-18/206891-arida-residents-block-lebanon-syria-road.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21496735http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21496735http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21496735http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-19/207013-sidon-on-edge-as-march-8-groups-vow-to-confront-assir.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-19/207013-sidon-on-edge-as-march-8-groups-vow-to-confront-assir.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-19/207007-march-14-psp-slam-hezbollah-activities-in-syria.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-19/207007-march-14-psp-slam-hezbollah-activities-in-syria.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-19/207007-march-14-psp-slam-hezbollah-activities-in-syria.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i43fgsSiFRPNICaK_veR2TVdWANw?docId=CNG.de51b59a1e3ed3c4a8f38876e161c3ef.e41http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i43fgsSiFRPNICaK_veR2TVdWANw?docId=CNG.de51b59a1e3ed3c4a8f38876e161c3ef.e41http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i43fgsSiFRPNICaK_veR2TVdWANw?docId=CNG.de51b59a1e3ed3c4a8f38876e161c3ef.e41http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-22/207525-syria-protesters-vent-fury-at-assad-hezbollah.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-22/207525-syria-protesters-vent-fury-at-assad-hezbollah.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-22/207525-syria-protesters-vent-fury-at-assad-hezbollah.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vmailto:[email protected]://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-16/206708-bahrain-police-find-bomb-on-causeway-to-saudi-arabia.ashx#axzz2LalR7k1vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-16/206708-bahrain-police-find-bomb-on-causeway-to-saudi-arabia.ashx#axzz2LalR7k1vhttp://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Europe/Suicide-attack-kills-3-police-officers-in-Dagestan/Article1-1011486.aspxhttp://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Europe/Suicide-attack-kills-3-police-officers-in-Dagestan/Article1-1011486.aspxhttp://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/02/15/Pipe-bomb-found-near-Belfast-school/UPI-22341360952856http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/02/15/Pipe-bomb-found-near-Belfast-school/UPI-22341360952856http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/02/15/Pipe-bomb-found-near-Belfast-school/UPI-22341360952856https://www.cimicweb.org/sites/C-IED/Pages/default.aspxhttps://www.cimicweb.org/sites/C-IED/Pages/default.aspxhttps://www.cimicweb.org/sites/C-IED/Pages/default.aspxhttp://cdn.optmd.com/V2/80255/186452/index.html?g=Af////8=&r=www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/165498http://cdn.optmd.com/V2/80255/186452/index.html?g=Af////8=&r=www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/165498http://cdn.optmd.com/V2/80255/186452/index.html?g=Af////8=&r=www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/165498http://middleeast.about.com/od/lebanon/g/me090427a.htmhttp://middleeast.about.com/od/lebanon/g/me090427a.htmhttp://middleeast.about.com/od/lebanon/g/me090427a.htmhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Iraq.aspxhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Iraq.aspxhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Iraq.aspxhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Iraq.aspxhttps://www.cimicweb.org/Pages/RFI.aspxhttps://www.cimicweb.org/Pages/RFI.aspxhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Mali.aspxhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Mali.aspxhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Mali.aspxhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Mali.aspxhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Syria.aspxhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Syria.aspxhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Syria.aspxhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Syria.aspxhttps://www.cimicweb.org/Pages/RFI.aspxhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Syria.aspxhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Mali.aspxhttps://km.cimicweb.org/cmo/ComplexCoverage/Pages/Iraq.aspxhttps://www.cimicweb.org/cmo/medbasin/Pages/Kenya_Election.aspxhttps://www.cimicweb.org/sites/C-IED/Documents/CFC%20C-IED%20products/(26-Feb-13)%20CFC%20IED-Demining%20Weekly%20Events.pdfhttp://middleeast.about.com/od/lebanon/g/me090427a.htmhttp://cdn.optmd.com/V2/80255/186452/index.html?g=Af////8=&r=www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/165498https://www.cimicweb.org/sites/C-IED/Pages/default.aspxhttp://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/02/15/Pipe-bomb-found-near-Belfast-school/UPI-22341360952856http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Europe/Suicide-attack-kills-3-police-officers-in-Dagestan/Article1-1011486.aspxhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-16/206708-bahrain-police-find-bomb-on-causeway-to-saudi-arabia.ashx#axzz2LalR7k1vmailto:[email protected]://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-22/207525-syria-protesters-vent-fury-at-assad-hezbollah.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i43fgsSiFRPNICaK_veR2TVdWANw?docId=CNG.de51b59a1e3ed3c4a8f38876e161c3ef.e41http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-19/207007-march-14-psp-slam-hezbollah-activities-in-syria.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-19/207013-sidon-on-edge-as-march-8-groups-vow-to-confront-assir.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21496735http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-18/206891-arida-residents-block-lebanon-syria-road.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-18/206866-three-hezbollah-fighters-12-syrian-rebels-killed-in-clashes.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-18/206866-three-hezbollah-fighters-12-syrian-rebels-killed-in-clashes.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/02/17/Lebanese-MP-Govt-gives-Syria-explosives/UPI-25701361107775/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-22/207533-more-than-200-kidnapped-syrian-villagers-released.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttp://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130216/syria-rebels-offensive-amid-spate-abductionshttp://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130216/syria-rebels-offensive-amid-spate-abductionshttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2013/Feb-23/207624-bekaa-residents-protest-over-syria-bound-oil-trucks.ashx#axzz2Ll5OOV6vhttps://www.cimicweb.org/cmo/medbasin/Pages/Kenya_Election.aspx


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A C O C I V I L - M I L I T A R Y F U S I O N C E N T R E

Syrian Refugee Crisis in JordanBy Trista Guertin

As the humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate, the number of people

fleeing the Syrian civil war has increased at a much faster pace than the international

community first anticipated. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

(UNHCR) reports that as of 19 February, 857,712 refugeeshave fled Syria since 2012,

most of whom are women and children. However, the actual number is likely much

higher, as many refugees have not officially registered with the either United Nations

(UN) or host country authorities. Neighbouring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and

Turkey are struggling to meet the demands of the growing refugee crisis. The UN predicts

that refugee numbers in the region could reach1.1 millionwithin the next several months.

Refugees are arriving in record numbers to Jordan, which currently hosts the largest

number of displaced Syrians; more than 89,000 have arrived in the kingdom since 01

January. On 22 February, more than4,000 refugeesarrived within one 24-hour period. Refugees enter Jordan through 45 crossingpoints along the 373-kilometre border; travelling mainly on foot, they are usually guided by Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels and

met on the other side by Jordanian soldiers. UNHCR reports that as of 25 February, it has registered 242,162Syrian refugees in

Jordan, with another 54,805 still in process, while the Jordanian government reports it is hosting over 350,000Syrians, and expects

their numbers to reach 700,000 by June. The government further reports that less than a third of these have sought accommodation

in camp Zaatari, which currently holds approximately 122,000 people, of whom 60,000 have arrived since 01 February. The

majority of the displaced persons, approximately seventy per cent, are urban refugees, residing in cities along the shared border. A

second camp will soon open, and the government announced plans for the construction of a third campon 23 February. UNHCR

officials estimate that Jordan will needfour more campswithin the next few months to meet the needs of the anticipated 300,000

additional refugees by mid-year.

The influx of refugees into Jordan, and the entire region as a whole, has severely strained already limited resources. Jordan

continues to be highlydependent on aid. The kingdom faces chronic shortages of both water and energy, and possesses few natural

resources. Its fragile economy is the smallest in the Middle East. The response to the refugee crisis in Jordan is being led by

UNHCR, in coordination with the Jordanian government. The UN Regional Response Plan (RRP) for Syrian refugees has

appealed for USD 1 billion to cover the needs of 1.1 million Syrian refugees in the entire region from 01 January to 30 June 2013.

However, in January, feeling the stress of the burgeoning refugee population, King Abdullah II made an appeal for additional

international aid. The Prime Minister, Abdullah Ensour, said that if the Syrian government falls, Jordan would not accept more

refugeesbut would use its military to create safe havens inside Syria for those displaced by conflict, reports The New York Times.

TheJordanian Armed Forcesreports spending more than USD 350 million since mid-2012 to assist the refugees, and expects that

figure to double in coming months.

The increasing numbers have also placed a heavy burden on host communities, as refugees compete for jobs, and place growing

demands on already limited public services such as water, health care and education. Tensions amongst the refugees within camp

Zaatari have also flared, as riots have frequently broken out, mainly over theinadequate living conditions. UNHCR, along with the

government, and local and international implementing partners, provides basic amenities within the camp.

Children, who comprise nearlysixty per centof the camp population, require vital services, including schooling and medical care,

as well astrauma counselling, providedby the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children. Doctors Without

Borders/Mdecins Sans Frontires (MSF) in coordination with the Jordanian Ministry of Health plan to open a hospital for Syrian

children in Zaatari at the end of February.

The World Food Programme (WFP) provides ready-to-eat meals to Syrians arriving at the camp; soon after, the refugees are

provided food rations to cook in communal kitchens. WFP is currently distributing overeighteen tonnes of breadeach day in the

camp. Needs assessments indicate that food is the top priority for the refugees, and WFP is increasing operational support in order

to provide food assistance to 750,000 people by mid-year, a drastic increase from the 100,000 refugees assisted now. However, the

UN reports that it is experiencingcritical funding shortfallsfor its response in Jordan, as only twenty per cent of requested funding

has been received, warning that if additional support is not forthcoming, life-saving interventions will be reduced.

Complex Coverage In-Brief

Source:New York Times
https://www.cimicweb.org/http://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/syrian-refugees-fleeing-unforeseen-numbershttp://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/syrian-refugees-fleeing-unforeseen-numbershttp://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/2013-syrian-refugees-glance-egypt-iraq-jordan-lebanon-and-turkeyhttp://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/2013-syrian-refugees-glance-egypt-iraq-jordan-lebanon-and-turkeyhttp://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/2013-syrian-refugees-glance-egypt-iraq-jordan-lebanon-and-turkeyhttp://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/2013-syrian-refugees-glance-egypt-iraq-jordan-lebanon-and-turkeyhttp://www.shelterbox.org/deployment_details.php?id=205http://www.shelterbox.org/deployment_details.php?id=205http://www.france24.com/en/20130220-weary-wary-syrian-refugees-flood-jordanhttp://www.france24.com/en/20130220-weary-wary-syrian-refugees-flood-jordanhttp://www.france24.com/en/20130220-weary-wary-syrian-refugees-flood-jordanhttp://www.france24.com/en/20130220-weary-wary-syrian-refugees-flood-jordanhttp://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/165498http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/165498http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/165498http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.phphttp://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.phphttp://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.phphttp://www.petra.gov.jo/Public_News/Nws_NewsDetails.aspx?Site_Id=1&lang=2&NewsID=101137&CatID=13&Type=Home&GType=1http://www.petra.gov.jo/Public_News/Nws_NewsDetails.aspx?Site_Id=1&lang=2&NewsID=101137&CatID=13&Type=Home&GType=1http://www.petra.gov.jo/Public_News/Nws_NewsDetails.aspx?Site_Id=1&lang=2&NewsID=101137&CatID=13&Type=Home&GType=1http://reliefweb.int/report/jordan/un-weekly-inter-a

CFC Complex Coverage Review, 26 February 2012

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Transcript of CFC Complex Coverage Review, 26 February 2012