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Articles on impunity

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Taliban fighters stand guard near the venue of an open-air rally in a field on the outskirts of Kabul on October 3, 2021. Hoshang Hashimi/AFP

Why the Taliban must be held accountable for past atrocities

The Taliban is responsible for atrocities dating back to the 1990s, but has never been held responsible. The international community can play a role in ending the impunity.
The militarisation of the Zimbabwean government raises serious questions about who really wields political power - President Emmerson Mnangagwa or army leaders. Mujahid Safodien/AFP via Getty Images

Shadow states are the biggest threat to democracy in Africa: fresh reports detail how

The extent of democracy capture varies markedly between countries. It’s much higher in states such as Zimbabwe, where the government has never changed hands.
A demonstration for peace in Buenaventura, Colombia, where a cartel turf war has left at least 30 people dead since the beginning of this year. Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty Images

Colombian city beset by crime declares ‘Black Lives Matter’

A lethal turf war between drug traffickers has terrorized Buenaventura, Colombia for months. Now protesters are demanding the government’s help to protect people in this mostly Black city.
Sandra Torres, presidential candidate for the National Unity of Hope, won the first round of presidential election in Guatemala with 25% of the vote, followed by former national prison director Alejandro Giammatei. The two will face-off in the second round of voting in August. Reuters/Luis Echeverria

Corruption triumphs in Guatemala’s presidential election

For their next president, Guatemalans must choose between two veteran politicians with shady pasts and alleged ties to organized crime.
Arrests aside, until the politicians who collude with gangs are stopped, crime in Central America will likely continue unchecked. Reuters/Jose Cabezas

In Central America, gangs like MS-13 are bad – but corrupt politicians may be worse

Corruption, not gang warfare, is the root cause of the record violence in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. Until public officials stop shielding criminal groups like MS-13, lawlessness will reign.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s clampdown on dissent in Matabeleland claimed up to 20 000 lives. EPA/Aaron Ufumeli/ Pool

British policy towards Zimbabwe during Matabeleland massacre: licence to kill

The effects of President Mugabe’s post-independence security clampdown that led to the murder of between 10 000 and 20 000 Zimbabweans, known as the Matabeleland massacre, continue to be felt.
Outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s successor faces the challenge of making the organisation more accountable. UN

What can be done to stop the United Nations abusing its immunity

The ‘functional immunity’ granted to UN officials made good sense when the body was founded after World War II. But as its organisational functions have expanded, so has this immunity.
Anti-communist groups recently attacked victims of Indonesia’s 1965 anti-communist purge, unfurling banners with violent messages. This one reads ‘Crush the PKI from the motherland!!!’. Joint Secretariat on '65

Violent anti-communism is alive and well in democratic Indonesia

Gatherings of victims of Indonesia’s 1965 anti-communist purge were attacked by groups of people last week in West Sumatra and Central Java.

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