Tunisian Revolution and the Middle East--And Now, The Withdrawal From Afghanistan (M.E.T.)

[Hubbs]

Isn't Jordan's government considered to be relatively liberal?

[visionary]

Isn't Jordan's government considered to be relatively liberal?

For a dictatorship, I guess.

I think they're somewhat less violent on their own people than other Middle East governments have been.

But it's been pretty much the same people in power for decades (not to mention the monarchy).

Edited March 25, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

SYRIA

http://twitter.com/iDeskCNN

Nine people in the Syrian city of Daraa were killed on Friday when security forces opened fire on demonstrators in the city's main square, 23 minutes ago via yoono

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1717: Reuters are quoting residents as saying that security forces have killed three people in a suburb of Damascus, Mouadamieh. No independent confirmation of this.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1737: Syria's information says that the situation is calm all over the country, Al-Arabiya TV reports. Not quite what we've been hearing.

JORDAN

http://twitter.com/iDeskCNN

Several demonstrators calling for reform in Jordan were injured in Amman Friday when government supporters hit them with rocks and sticks about 3 hours ago via yoono

http://twitter.com/JomanaCNN1

the protest in #Amman turned very violent very quickly- the most serious situation since the start of demos here #JO #reformjo about 1 hour ago via web

I had to run out of the protest in #Amman when violence broke out as gov "loyalists" attacked journalists #reformjo #jo #mar24 28 minutes ago via web

@NasserJudeh we are chasing reports of a protester killed by police & pro-demonstrators. #reformjo 18 minutes ago via web in reply to NasserJudeh

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1726: AFP reporting that one protester has died in Amman, Jordan.

#1729: Reuters also says one person has died in Jordan. It cites Amer Khairy Saad as saying that his 57-year-old father Khairy died in hospital after police beat him as they were trying to disperse crowds near the interior ministry.

http://twitter.com/acarvin

Jordanian men walking up the to livestream cameras, faces/heads covered in blood. Hit by the rocks we heard about? #jordan 2 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Edited March 25, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

More news about France and the Ivory Coast.

Apparently France believes that the UN Peacekeepers there should be allowed to use force to protect the civilians. I'm a bit confused as to if there's already a resolution in place or if he's calling for a new upgraded one or not. There was a resolution mentioned though, and according to the Al Jazeera reporter in New York, the resolution calls for all means necessary to protect civilians.

(which seems to be even more broad then it is for Libya perhaps. I don't think the US has much involvement in this though. Could be wrong of course.)

---------- Post added March-25th-2011 at 04:42 PM ----------

Ok, here's an article I found:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20110325/tpl-un-under-pressure-as-ivory-coast-on-383fe17.html

UN under pressure as Ivory Coast on edge of civil war

"Law and order is collapsing, humanitarian access is more and more difficult, hospitals are closing -- we are very, very close to a civil war in Abidjan," France's ambassador to the United Nations, Gerard Araud, said in New York Friday.

The draft resolution demands an end to attacks against the UN mission and civilian populations by the Gbagbo camp and calls for UNOCI to protect civilians, according to one diplomat.

"It's saying first, 'Gbagbo has to leave.' The second point is to stop the violence against the civilians," Araud said.

The International Crisis Group, in an open letter to the Security Council, warned of ethnic cleansing and mass atrocities if the UN peacekeeping mission UNOCI was not strengthened, saying "civil war in the country has been reignited".

As many as one million people have fled their homes as civilian areas are bombarded daily with rockets, mortars and shells and bloody clashes between forces backing the two rival presidents saw 52 killed in the past week, the UN estimates, with the total death toll reaching at least 462.

An attack by Gbagbo troops on a market which killed up to 30 civilians last week in the Ouattara stronghold of Abobo has led to widespread condemnation of possible crimes against humanity.

West African leaders on Thursday called on the UN Security Council to reinforce the mandate of the 10,000-strong UNOCI force.

The ICG think-tank warned the UN's reputation was at stake.

"The UN's posture in the country must change, and UNOCI must be required to use force when necessary to carry out its mandate effectively," it said.

It appears France has been trying of late to force the UN to actually do it's job.

---------- Post added March-25th-2011 at 05:02 PM ----------

In Syria Protesters throw shoes at and tear down poster of Assad the father and the son

http://twitter.com/acarvin

Wow. RT @Mohammad_Syria: OMG, it's happening: Tearing Assad's picture in #Daraa today http://bit.ly/i4m7DH #Syria #mar15 #Freedom 18 minutes ago via TweetDeck

H9_BOjkD2wY

RT @jan15egy: That was Assad the Son. This is Assad the father in Homs http://goo.gl/ac637 14 minutes ago via TweetDeck

dz56DBwjLdQ

---------- Post added March-25th-2011 at 05:24 PM ----------

JORDAN

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1912: Reaction from Jordan where protests broke out earlier (see 1729, 1557): prime minister says clash was beginning of chaos, and is unacceptable, says Reuters quoting Jordan TV.

#1923: More from the Jordanian PM: he blames Islamists for the protests, and warns of consequences if there are any more clashes.

#2022: Jordan's PM, who we heard from earlier, goes on TV to accuse "brother Muslims" of "receiving instructions from Egypt and Syria to execute plans against Jordan", following clashes in Amman between pro-monarchy and pro-reform protesters.

Edited March 25, 2011 by visionary

[twa]

can ya feel the love?

Sri Lankan Muslims beat and stamp on an effigy of U.S. President Barack Obama during a protest rally against the allied forces' air strike in Libya,

[visionary]

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE72O0QZ20110325

Chad opposition quits election body, vote in doubt

N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chad's opposition parties withdrew from the electoral commission on Friday, putting at risk a delayed presidential election scheduled for next month.

Three major opposition candidates in the oil-producing Central African country already said this week they would boycott the vote on concerns it would not be credible.

Chad's electoral code requires the commission to have at least two-thirds of its 31 members present to constitute a working quorum. Fifteen are from the opposition.

"The coalition of political parties have decided to suspend their participation in the electoral commission," said a letter by the deputy spokesman of the coalition, Saleh Kebzabo, who is a presidential candidate.

President Idriss Deby had been set to face five opponents in the election on April 24. His ruling party and its allies won a parliamentary election on February 13.

There has been a lull in rebel attacks recently after years of unrest which have frustrated previous attempts to hold elections.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad

Some Chadian history:

France conquered the territory by 1920 and incorporated it as part of French Equatorial Africa.

In 1960 Chad obtained independence under the leadership of François Tombalbaye. Resentment towards his policies in the Muslim north culminated in the eruption of a long-lasting civil war in 1965. In 1979 the rebels conquered the capital and put an end to the south's hegemony.

However, the rebel commanders fought amongst themselves until Hissène Habré defeated his rivals. He was overthrown in 1990 by his general Idriss Déby. Recently, the Darfur crisis in Sudan has spilt over the border and destabilised the nation, with hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees living in and around camps in eastern Chad.

While many political parties are active, power lies firmly in the hands of President Déby and his political party, the Patriotic Salvation Movement. Chad remains plagued by political violence and recurrent attempted coups d'état (see Battle of N'Djamena (2006) and Battle of N'Djamena (2008)).

The country is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world; most Chadians live in poverty as subsistence herders and farmers. Since 2003 crude oil has become the country's primary source of export earnings, superseding the traditional cotton industry.

In 1979 the rebel factions conquered the capital, and all central authority in the country collapsed. Armed factions, many from the north's rebellion, contended for power.[14][15]

The disintegration of Chad caused the collapse of France's position in the country. Libya moved to fill the power vacuum and became involved in Chad's civil war.[16] Libya's adventure ended in disaster in 1987; the French-supported president, Hissène Habré, evoked a united response from Chadians of a kind never seen before[17] and forced the Libyan army off Chadian soil.[18]

Habré consolidated his dictatorship through a power system that relied on corruption and violence; an estimated 40,000 people were killed under his rule.[19][20] The president favoured his own Daza ethnic group and discriminated against his former allies, the Zaghawa. His general, Idriss Déby, overthrew him in 1990.[21]

Déby attempted to reconcile the rebel groups and reintroduced multiparty politics. Chadians approved a new constitution by referendum, and in 1996, Déby easily won a competitive presidential election. He won a second term five years later.[22] Oil exploitation began in Chad in 2003, bringing with it hopes that Chad would at last have some chances of peace and prosperity. Instead, internal dissent worsened, and a new civil war broke out.

Déby unilaterally modified the constitution to remove the two-term limit on the presidency; this caused an uproar among the civil society and opposition parties.[23] In 2006 Déby won a third mandate in elections that the opposition boycotted. Ethnic violence in eastern Chad has increased; the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has warned that a genocide like that in Darfur may yet occur in Chad.[24]

Chad's greatest foreign influence is France, which maintains 1,000 troops in the country. Déby relies on the French to help repel the rebels, and France gives the Chadian army logistical and intelligence support for fear of a complete collapse of regional stability.[38] Nevertheless, Franco-Chadian relations were soured by the granting of oil drilling rights to the American Exxon company in 1999.[39]

Edited March 26, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

SYRIA

http://twitter.com/acarvin

Video reportedly of Syrian protesters marching in Latakia today: http://on.fb.me/fRxzDe #syria 18 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Another Syria protest video, reportedly from Damascus: http://youtu.be/ucJL_V4DM6s 16 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Another protest video from the same series. Anyone know what they're chanting? http://youtu.be/GY7oESpiTic #syria 15 minutes ago via TweetDeck

http://www.tweetdeck.com/twitter/noornet/~MSuMU

@acarvin Andy ..they are chanting.. "We swear in the name of God the Great.. And by the blood of the Free Martyrs..that we'll stay standing until reforms occur & God is the best of witnesses"

JORDAN

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/201132517059876641.html

Two person have been killed after being beaten to death by riot police and pro-government loyalists in the Jordanian capital of Amman, Al Jazeera has learned.

More than 100 people, including policemen, were injured in the clashes. "Two of the injured are in critical condition," a medical source at the scene said.

Anti-riot police also broke up a protest camp for students and arrested several of them, a security official told AFP news agency.

The clashes erupted after around 200 government supporters hurled large stones at more than 2,000 young demonstrators from different movements calling for reforms to the current leadership and more efforts to fight corruption, an AFP journalist reported.

"Our gathering is peaceful, but this did not prevent the attacks," demonstrators said.

"Does the king agree with such actions? We are Jordanians and we have the right to express ourselves," said Reda Darwish, aged 20.

"We as young Jordanians, and as a whole nation, are fed up to see our demands ignored by the government and official institutions of this country," youth activist Moadh Khawaldeh told Al Jazeera.

UPDATE

videos from today's protests in Jordan:

WATCH: New #Jordan video: police attack protesters with sticks, yell "Good, hit them... Go to hell, you son of a *****." http://t.co/WOR8o9l 38 minutes ago via TweetDeck

ieGqRd8pbOQ

More video of beatings in Jordan: "Look how scared they are; hit them. Break their heads, the traitors." http://t.co/7MwdYln 34 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Edited March 26, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

SYRIA

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/20113268047311197.html

There is anger in Syria a day after a deadly security crackdown against anti-government protesters in the town of Daraa.

Protesters vowed to hit the streets on Saturday, despite a rising death toll in demonstrations that have put President Bashar al-Assad under unprecedented domestic pressure.

A Facebook group behind a string of demonstrations that have surfaced in Syria this month drummed up support for more rallies on Saturday.

"Today, Saturday... popular uprisings in all Syrian governorates," read a posting on The Syria Revolution 2011, which has garnered the support of over 86,000 fans.

People are set to gather today for funerals of those killed.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Damascus, said people in Daraa are angry at the government for the violence and government will have to work hard to reconcile with the people of the area.

The crackdown has attracted the attention of the United Nations with Navi Pillay, the human rights commissioner, calling for an investigation and an immediate halt to violence, a message echoed by Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General.

Human rights group Amnesty International said on Friday that at least 55 people had been killed since protests erupted. However, government figure stands at 37.

Meanwhile, Syrian authorities have released 260 prisoners, mostly Islamists, from Saydnaya jail on Friday, a human rights lawyer said.

"These are prisoners who have completed at least three-quarters of their sentences and are entitled to be freed but the authorities rarely granted them that right before," the rights lawyer, who declined to be named, told Reuters.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1304: According to Reuters, hundreds of protesters are chanting for freedom in the main square of the southern Syrian town of Deraa, which has been convulsed by demonstrations over the past week.

#1307: Reuters also reports that thousands of Syrians mourning a slain protester in the village of Tafas, near Deraa, have burned the local Baath Party headquarters and a police station.

Edited March 26, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1619: Syrian security forces fire tear gas at protesters staging a sit-in at the main square in Deraa, Reuters reports.

#1637: Syria: Two people have been killed and two wounded by unidentified snipers in the coastal town of Latakia, an official tells AFP. No details on who the victims might be.

http://twitter.com/The_Opposition

15 killed by Syrian forces in since morning until n0w Latakia city. 23 minutes ago via Mobile Web

Edited March 26, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/201132616546326475.html

Two people are reported dead in clashes between Syrian anti-government protesters and security forces in the coastal city of Latakia, where mourners attending a funeral set fire to the local Baath Party building and a police station.

There were witness reports of Syrian security forces firing tear gas on several hundred protesters who staged a silent sit-in near a mosque in the southern city of Daraa.

The clashes came as anti-government protests continued despite a government crackdown, with authorities freeing about 260 political prisoners in an attempt to appease demonstrators.

In Tafas, south of the capital Damascus, angry residents set ablaze a police station and the local headquarters of the Baath party, which has ruled Syria single-handedly for close to half a century.

The residents had gathered for the burial of three demonstrators who had been shot dead by security forces in rallies on Friday.

In Daraa, a tribal town that has emerged as the symbol of the Syrian protests, some 300 shirtless young men climbed on the rubble of a statue of Hafez al-Assad, the late Syrian president, shouting anti-regime slogans, witnesses said.

Protesters had pulled down the statue on Friday in a scene that recalled the toppling of Saddam Hussein''s statue in Iraq in 2003 by US troops. They had also burned the home of the governor.

In the northern city of Latakia, "armed men" on rooftops fired at passers-by, a Syrian official said, without disclosing whether there had been any casualties.

Bouthaina Shaaban, a Syrian presidential advisor, said an "armed group" had occupied the roofs of some buildings and was allegedly shooting randomly at citizens.

Edited March 26, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-march-26

9:45pm More amateur video of today's protests. This one is from demonstrations after Asr prayer in Banyas, a city 55km south of Latakia:

NJajnvPkdRI

10:10pm A small group of Syrian pro-reform protesters has gathered in front of the White House in Washington D.C.: Protest in USA for Syria

http://bambuser.com/channel/Mohammad_Syria/broadcast/1532232

10:26pm A witness of the shooting in Latakia told Al Jazeera that his brother, Wael, a 26-year-old shop owner from Latakia (the man in this video), was shot in the head and was taken to the hospital. The family of the victim was told that he had died and the body has not yet been released. The witness said police fired at people indiscriminately and "snipers shot at specific people". He said 20 were killed in the shooting in Latakia.

a3RiFkdSZ5A

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/201132623534648404.html

Ouatarra rejects AU mediation offer

Alassane Ouattara cites AU envoy's personal relations with incumbent president Luarent Gbagbo as problematic.

Last Modified: 27 Mar 2011 00:18

Internationally recognised president of Cote d'Ivoire Alassane Ouattara has rejected the African Union's choice to mediate the crisis, citing the envoy's "personal relations" with his rival Laurent Gbagbo.

The African Union (AU) on Saturday named Cape Verde's former foreign minister Jose Brito as its representative to Cote d’Ivoire to mediate an end to the crisis pushing the country towards civil war.

But in a statement Ouattara said he "deeply regrets not having been consulted, nor having been approached" about the decision.

He "expressed surprise" about the selection of Brito "given his personal relationship and his political connection, known to everyone in Cote d’Ivoire, with the incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo.

"Moreover, this decision does not conform to the expressed will to appoint a former head of state in this function," his statement added.

"Consequently, the Presidency of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire rejects Jose Brito as the AU high representative."

Earlier this month, the African Union endorsed the conclusions of a panel of five African heads of state.

They recognised Ouattara as the legitimate winner of November elections against his rival, but asked him to put in place an inclusive government and help find a "graceful exit" for his rival.

But the Gbagbo camp quickly rejected the AU's proposals as "unacceptable".

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1128: Some news from Syria - government officials are saying 12 people died in unrest in Latakia on Saturday. AFP quotes presidential adviser Buthaina Shaaban as saying the dead were 10 members of the security forces and two gunmen.

Righhhhht.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-march-27

11:40am Al Jazeera obtains exclusive footage of funerals being held for those killed in pro-reform protests in the town of Sanamin:

r21PHDaRthQ

12:53pm Syrian authorities have released Diana Jawabra, a Daraa activist, whose arrest this month helped fuel mass protests in her home city of Deraa against Baath party rule.

One of Jawabra's lawyers told the Reuters news agency that Jawabra was among 16 people released on Sunday.

They took part in a silent demonstration this month demanding the release of political prisoners and of 15 children arrested in Daraa for writing freedom slogans on school walls.

1:00pm The Syrian government has confirmed to Al Jazeera that the country's emergency law is to be lifted.

---------- Post added March-27th-2011 at 08:19 AM ----------

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1211: Syrian government officials say President Bashar al-Assad will address the nation soon, AFP reports.

Edited March 27, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

JORDAN

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1522: Meanwhile in Jordan, thousands of people have attended the funeral of the man who was killed during clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces on Friday, the Ammon News website reports. Khairi Jamil Saad died after troops tried to disperse demonstrators gathered outside the interior ministry. Officials say he died as a result of a cardiac arrest. Protesters say he was badly beaten.

#1527: Mr Saad's brother, Saeed, has told the Associated Press that he was a follower of the Muslim Brotherhood's political arm in Jordan, the Islamic Action Front, and not a government supporter.

The 55-year-old was bringing food to a group of people encamped outside the interior ministry "when police beat him to death", he added. "I saw blood on his face when we took him to the morgue for an autopsy. There were clear marks of torture and beatings on his face."

#1533: At Mr Saad's funeral, many people chanted "The prime minister is the enemy of God", according to the Associated Press.

The opposition wants Maarouf al-Bakhit to resign, parliament to be dissolved and elections to be held. The new legislature would then appoint a prime minister, rather than King Abdullah II.

SYRIA

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1539: Meanwhile, al-Arabiya TV is reporting that Syria's government is expected to resign on Tuesday; that the Baath Party Regional Command will abolish the emergency law after a new counter-terrorism law has been drafted; that Article 8 of the constitution, which defines the Baath Party as the "leading party in the society and the state", has been amended; and that a new media law "preventing the imperilment of reporters" has been endorsed.

Let me guess, right after the president of Yemen resigns?

Edited March 27, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1653: Meanwhile, the central committee of Yemen's ruling General People's Congress party has recommended forming a new government "tasked with drafting a new constitution for the country on the basis of a parliamentary system", state media report.

#1655: Earlier, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said the fall of President Saleh, or his replacement by a weaker leader, would pose "problems" for the US. "The most aggressive branch of al-Qaeda... operates out of Yemen," he said. "We have had a lot of counter-terrorism co-operation from President Saleh and the Yemeni security services, so if the government collapses or is replaced by one that is dramatically more weak, then I think we'll face some additional problems out of Yemen."

#1657: Security officials in Yemen have said at least six soldiers were killed in an attack by gunmen with suspected links to al-Qaeda on Sunday. The incident took place east of the capital, Sanaa, in Marib province. The area is one of Yemen's main oil producing regions and has been a militant stronghold.

[visionary]

SYRIA

http://twitter.com/acarvin

Correction: AP: Anarchy on the streets of Latakia; gangs roaming city with swords; eyewitnesses reports guns and screams in the city. #syria 8 minutes ago via TweetDeck

http://twitter.com/wissamtarif

Mazah 86 area under siege by Security forces #Syria #Dara #Mach15 about 3 hours ago via web

Mazah 86 area is being attacked by security forces one resident dead so far #Syria #March15 #Daraa about 3 hours ago via web

A phone call from Mazah 86 area asking for help. Security forces beating people to death #Syria #March15 #Daraa about 3 hours ago via web

Mazeh 86 is not the diplomats and well off people. It is one of the poorest area of #Damascus #Syria #Daraa about 2 hours ago via web

The news circulated about three peaceful protesters being killed in Al Keswa is true. Two were beaten to death #Syria #March15 #Daraa 3 minutes ago via web

BAHRAIN

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/201132711146179309.html

Bahrain's main Shia opposition group, Wefaq, has welcomed Kuwait's offer to mediate in talks with the Sunni al-Khalifa family-run government to end a political crisis gripping the Gulf Island kingdom, a Wefaq member has said.

Jasim Husain said on Sunday Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah had offered to mediate between the al-Khalifa ruling family and Shia opposition groups.

"We welcome the idea of bringing in an outside element," Husain told the Reuters news agency.

He said that Wefaq had no conditions for entering mediation talks but the presence of foreign troops in Bahrain would be a thorny matter in the discussions.

Wefaq and other six allies had said last week they would not enter talks offered by the crown prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa unless the government pulled troops off the streets and freed prisoners.

Husain said talks must be based on issues outlined by the crown prince before Saudi-led Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) troops entered Bahrain to quell weeks of unrest.

These include an elected government and reform of electoral districts that the opposition says were cut to ensure a Sunni majority in parliament.

Edited March 27, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

EGYPT

#1135: In other developments in the region, Egypt is to hold a legislative election in September, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has said, as reported by Reuters. But a date for a presidential election has yet to be set, Mamdouh Shaheen, a member of the military council, says at a news conference.

#1154: More on those newly announced Egyptian elections (1135 entry): Egypt will lift its emergency laws before the polls in September, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces says. Egypt's emergency laws have been in place since 1981.

#1337: Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has now confirmed that former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his family are under house arrest, the AFP news agency reports. The council also denied that Mr Mubarak had fled to Saudi Arabia.

SYRIA

#1239: Syrian President Bashar Assad will announce important decisions that will "please the Syrian people" in the next two days, Vice-President Farouq al-Shara has told Lebanese Hezbollah's al-Manar television, Reuters reports. The station did not give further details.

#1255: Syrian security forces have opened fire on hundreds of demonstrators chanting against emergency laws in the southern city of Deraa, a witness is quoted as saying by Reuters. The demonstrators had converged on a main square in the city, chanting: "We want dignity and freedom" and "No to emergency laws", the witness said.

YEMEN

#1342: Meanwhile in Yemen, officials say 78 people were killed by an explosion at an explosives factory in southern Abyan province after it was briefly taken over by Islamist militants and then looted by locals, according to the Associated Press. Another 27 people were critically injured.

#1425: Doctors in Yemen now say the death toll from the explosion at an ammunition factory in the southern town of Jaar, in Abyan province, has risen to at least 110, the Reuters news agency reports. More bodies are expected to be recovered, they add. The dead include women and children.

There are many reports of gunmen running around the area shooting people.

Yemen is blaming Al Queda, but reporters and residents of that area have said there is no

indication that Islamic terrorists are behind this.

#1419: Tunisia's Interim President, Fouad Mebazza, has meanwhile named a new interior minister, according to the official TAP news agency. It said Habib Sid would replace Farhat Rajhi.

Edited March 28, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

:mad:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/2011328111747469782.html

Bahrain's Foreign Minister has denied reports that Kuwait would mediate to resolve Bahrain's political crisis.

Wefaq, the island's leading Shia opposition group, said on Sunday it would accept an offer by Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Kuwait's Emir, to mediate between Bahrain's ruling Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa family and the Shia opposition groups.

The Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional political and economic bloc made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, had welcomed the mediation move on Sunday.

The oppositon party is hoping to re-open a dialogue with the government in an effort to end the political crisis in Bahrain.

A British newspaper report says the opposition is no longer insisting on certain conditions for talks, including the sacking of the cabinet, or a new assembly to rewrite the constitution.

Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Khalifa, Bahrain minister of foreign affairs said on his Twitter page there were no plans for a Kuwaiti-led dialogue.

"Any talk about Kuwaiti mediation in Bahrain is completely untrue, there were previous efforts that were not answered, but these were ended by the act of National Safety (martial law)."

Edited March 28, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

I'm seeing some reports that Syrian troops are keeping people from protesting in Daraa and Latakia. They have the city square in Daraa blocked off and are discouraging people from gathering.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-march-28

2:55pm Syrian forces have reportedly opened fire to disperse hundreds of protesters in Daraa calling for an end to emergency laws, but demonstrators regrouped despite a heavy troop deployment, a witness said.

The demonstrators had converged on a main square chanting: "We want dignity and freedom" and "No to emergency laws", the witness said.

He also said security forces fired in the air for several minutes, but protesters returned when they stopped.

Security forces had in recent days reduced their presence in the city, but residents said on Monday they had returned in strength.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-march-28

10:35am Turkey's prime minister says Syria is working on reforms, including lifting emergency rule and restrictions on political parties.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had spoken to President Bashar Assad twice in the past three days and advised the Syrian leader to "answer the people's calls with a reformist, positive approach.''

I did not get a 'no' answer.

Edited March 28, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#2024: Reports from Syria say security forces in the southern city of Deraa have fired tear gas at hundreds of anti-government protesters. Witnesses said the protesters were calling for more political freedom. President Bashar al-Assad is expected to announce changes in the next few days after more than a week of unrest across Syria, including the lifting of the country's decades-old emergency law.

Ghayth Armanazi, a Syrian and former Arab League representative in the UK, tells the BBC: "I think change is inevitable. Syria is now at a crossroads and the focus of attention is on the announcement expected in the next few days about the reforms that have been solemnly promised by the government."

#2031: Mr Armanazi says President Assad is a reformer. "When he took over the presidency, he was faced with a political machine and a bureaucracy rooted in a mindset that existed in the 1970s. He had to struggle hard to push through his reforms.

He is a reformist, he is a modernist. He is now taking over the reins of power much more firmly than ever before. I believe the events of the last few days will strengthen his hand against those who do not want to see political and economic reform. I think the announcements will represent a momentous achievement, and that Syria will be on the road to a much better future."

#2035: However, a former member of the Syrian parliament who was jailed for five years for demanding political freedoms has said the president will simply replace the emergency law with equally repressive anti-terrorism legislation. "Assad is being subjected to internal and external pressures.

He has prepared a plan to give the impression to public opinion that he has begun reforms," Maamoun al-Homsi told the Reuters news agency. "With regards to lifting emergency law, this is misleading and a trick. Lifting it will not prevent raiding homes in Syria." The new legislation "could include a clause against any group or person carrying out actions that would affect national security", he warned. "And it would be under the guise of terrorism."

#2038: A senior diplomat in Damascus also told Reuters that he doubted President Assad, who authorised a brutal crackdown on a Kurdish uprising in 2004, would scrap the emergency law without replacing it with "something just as bad".

---------- Post added March-28th-2011 at 04:07 PM ----------

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/2011328133647412221.html

Pro-Ouattara forces claim Cote d'Ivoire town

Fierce fighting has broken out in Cote d'Ivoire's western town of Duekoue between forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent president, and his internationally recognised rival, Alassane Ouattara, residents and combatants say.

Rebels who took control of the north of the country during the 2002-3 civil war and are now backing Ouattara said on Monday they had taken Duekoue, which has been under Gbagbo's control for nearly a decade.

Duekoue lies in a region that produces around 250,000 tonnes of cocoa a year in the west African nation, which is the world's top grower.

"The town of Duekoue has been under our control since 7am (0700 GMT). We are conducting search operations throughout," said Lacine Mara, a spokesman for pro-Ouattara forces in the west.

Gbagbo's forces confirmed the fighting, but said they remained in control of at least part of the town.

"Our men have been in combat since about 2am (0200 GMT) this morning with the rebels, who tried to take the town. We control one part and they control the other," said Yao Yao, operations chief of Gbagbo's Front for the Liberation of the Great West (FLGO) militia.

A Reuters reporter in the main city of Abidjan also reported shooting and heavy arms fire on Monday, from areas where pro-Ouattara fighters seeking to oust Gbagbo are pushing towards the city centre.

Edited March 28, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

SYRIA

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/03/28/syria.unrest/index.html?hpt=T2

In Daraa on Monday, forces filed into the city's main square before dawn, tearing down the tents and anti-government signs of about 100 protesters who were staying there overnight, according to one eyewitness.

The forces fired shots into the air and turned water cannons on the protesters, the witness said, leading to a clash with hundreds of nearby residents who rushed to the square to defend the demonstrators.

The resulting confrontation lasted about 30 minutes, reportedly without injuries or arrests, according to the witness.

Another witness said the army was blocking the city on three sides and that security forces, surrounding government buildings and the Al-Omari mosque where some protesters remained, had opened fire. The witness was not aware of any injuries.

Syria's state-run news agency said the government denied firing on protesters, calling the allegations "completely false."

Political dissident Aman Aswad, who is in Daraa, said the city is extremely tense. "People are sitting at home scared, watching the updates on TV," he said.

In Latakia, another eyewitness said mysterious men in black shirts carrying sophisticated weapons terrorized residents overnight, firing into the air and banging on the doors of homes.

"We do not understand who these men are but government officials say they are members of a 'foreign group,'" the witness said. "We all think they are lying about this because every time one of them is captured and handed over to the police he is released."

Hundreds of government troops have also filtered into the Latakia and are guarding public buildings and other important sites, the witness said.

CNN could not independently confirm the accounts because the Syrian government has yet to grant access to the network.

Edited March 29, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

Today in Syria there is a massive pro-Assad crowd in Damascus and it seems people have come from everywhere in Syria and even Lebanon to support him.

Also the Syrian government has told Al Jazeera that the government will resign on Tuesday and a new cabinet will be announced. (isn't that what Mubarak did at one point?)

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/201132975114399138.html

Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, has accepted the resignation of the country's government, following two weeks of anti-government protests that have gripped Syria.

"President Assad accepts the government's resignation," an announcement on state television said on Tuesday.

Naji al-Otari, the resigning premier, has been chosen by Assad as caretaker prime minister.

The government has little power in Syria, where power is concentrated in the hand of Assad, his family and the security apparatus. Otari has been prime minister since 2003.

The 32-member cabinet will continue running the country's affairs until the formation of a new government.

A new cabinet is to be formed in 24 hours, sources have told Al Jazeera.

Assad is to address the nation on Wednesday, according to a senior official, in his first speech in two weeks of unprecedented dissent.

He is expected to elaborate on a string of reforms announced last week, amid a wave of dissent and protests demanding reform and more freedoms in the country, which has been ruled by the Baath party since 1963.

More than 60 people have died since March 18 as security forces cracked down on protesters, Human Rights Watch has said.

---------- Post added March-29th-2011 at 01:30 PM ----------

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/2011329154436206976.html

UN: Gbagbo forces behind Abidjan 'atrocity'

World body says forces loyal to incumbent Ivorian president opened fire on civilians, killing about a dozen.

Last Modified: 29 Mar 2011 16:18

The UN peacekeeping mission in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) has released a statement saying forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, the country's incumbent leader, opened fire on civilians in Abidjan on Monday, killing about a dozen people.

The organisation said that in another incident, a group of pro-Gbagbo youths put a tyre around a young man and burnt him alive in the Riviera area of the city, and that another group "savagely attacked" two UN staff.

"With the increase in human rights violations and barbaric practices, there are grounds for wondering whether President Gbagbo is still in charge of his forces and supporters," Tuesday's statement said.

"UNOCI believes it is imperative to end this spiral of violence by finding a definitive solution to the political impasse which stemmed from the post-electoral crisis."

Gbagbo's camp was not immediately available to comment on the UN statement.

The UN statement came as forces loyal to Ouattara, the internationally-recognised winner of the country's presidential elections in November, seized the towns of Daloa, Bondoukou and Belleville.

On Monday, pro-Outtara forces took control of the town of Duekoue.

A source in the pro-Gbagbo military said Daloa and Duekoue had fallen, but fighting continued in parts of Duekoue.

"The combat was very violent in Daloa the whole night, but we couldn't keep our positions ... It has fallen into rebel hands," the source said.

The capture of Daloa and Duekoue, potentially open up a route to the major exporting port of San Pedro and the area the supporters of Outaeea now control produces about 600,000 tonnes of cocoa a year, half of Cote d'Ivoire's output.

San Pedro ships out about that amount each year.

Edited March 29, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

Bashar Assad is giving his speech to the parliament in Syria, and is getting quite an exuberant reception from them.

People keep standing up and making small speeches, apparently supporting him and the government.

This seems like some sort of political theater. :mad:

I'm not sure people in Daraa and Latakia or even Damascu will be too happy about this speech today.

People on twitter are making fun of his lack of mustache and calling that "real change and reform".

This sounds more like a defiance speech so far than a conciliatory one.

We've seen this before too much lately.

He keeps claiming that he speaks for all Arabs and not just Syria.

Seems every dictator in the Middle East seems to think so.

And yet they have no problem blaming other nearby countries sometimes all of them of causing the chaos in their country.

---------- Post added March-30th-2011 at 07:51 AM ----------

http://twitter.com/jonathanshainin

That's serious reform! RT @AliaMalek #Syria hey, Bashar shaved his mustache

Wise move by Bashar -- everyone knows that if Saddam had shaved his mustache, he'd still be in power today. 1 minute ago via web

http://twitter.com/HalaGorani

If every sycophant in the room gets up to compliment the president, this might take a while. #Syria 6 minutes ago via web

He's now talking about revolutions in other countries and saying it is all linked to Syria.

He says there may be some actually calling for reform in this country.

But that other elements are taking cover from them and are using it for evil purposes.

He gets another round of applause from his lackeys and scum in the parliament.

http://twitter.com/KMFlower

Assad: not all events a conspiracy from abroad (but just most of them)...

Now he's saying the reason for a lot of these attempts and actions in Syria is to destabilize the country, split the country and aid Israel.

Oh, boy...

They are using tweets to different sects to incite each other to violence and coordinating with others. There are groups that work to falsify stories and push this.

Wow...he just got applause for saying that Daraa was a border area.

This is getting ****ing ridiculous.

---------- Post added March-30th-2011 at 07:53 AM ----------

I have a feeling that unless there's some obvious and real reforms stuffed amidst this political fear mongering bull **** there's going to be some major riots today.

---------- Post added March-30th-2011 at 08:05 AM ----------

http://twitter.com/blakehounshell

This time the camera panned to the MP before she started speaking... 4 minutes ago via Twitter for Mac

http://twitter.com/glcarlstrom

Assad argues that these "reforms" would have been implemented anyway, without protests; otherwise the government "would be yielding." 6 minutes ago via TweetDeck

He says that the emergency law reform bill has been in the process for a long time now.

In the year 2011 everything will be new.

These reforms are in place and have been for a long time now, and there are no real hurdles.

We have to avoid making these reforms a reaction to the current crisis.

They have to be from ten years in the past and ten years in the future.

He's talking about Tunisia and Egypt. Not saying anything about freedom, just economic stuff.

---------- Post added March-30th-2011 at 08:24 AM ----------

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-march-30

1:55pm President Assad:"Some people on some satellite channels will come and say these reforms are not enough, don't get upset with these satellite channels, they fall into the same traps all the time, they lie and they start to believe their own lies.

And **** just finished his speech.

Ooops, I mean "Bashar"...silly me.

Someone let me know if they can figure out what reforms he announced.

---------- Post added March-30th-2011 at 08:25 AM ----------

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1323: As President Assad finished his speech, lawmakers started chanting: "God, Syria and Bashar!" The president responded to this by saying: "God, Syria and Its People!"

Edited March 30, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

Daraa is surrounded by military and Al Jazeera reporters tried to get in with acredited ids and are told by military not to come in and that all journalists are not allowed in Daraa today. He said even Syria state television is being disallowed from entering the city.

The reporter says he has never seen this heavily reinforced a checkpoint in Syria before.