Haiti, Syria, Ethiopia.

Today's three stories you should know.

Apr 24, 2023

Haiti

Haiti’s rampant gang violence problem is so bad that insecurity levels are similar to those of a country at war, the UN said today in a report that highlighted skyrocketing rates of murder and kidnapping. "With the high number of fatalities and increasing areas under the control of armed gangs, insecurity in the capital has reached levels comparable to countries in armed conflict," the report from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. Criminal gangs have taken control of an estimated 63 percent of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Civilians are regularly killed as police and the gangs do battle. The country’s prime minister has appealed to the UN to send in a peacekeeping force.

Syria

Hundreds of Syrians demonstrated today against the warming of relations between the government of President Bashar al-Assad and other Arab nations. The protests, which took place in the few parts of the country still controlled by the opposition, come as the Arab League considers readmitting Syria. Damascus was expelled from the regional body more than 10 years ago after a crackdown on protests sparked a brutal civil war. Assad’s forces are back in control of most of Syria, largely due to support from Iran and Russia. Nearly half a million people have been killed in the war.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says his government has started peace talks with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebel group. Abiy made the announcement during a speech to celebrate the end of a war with a different group - the government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front signed a peace deal last November after two years of conflict. The OLA confirmed that the talks were taking place saying they were "a crucial and positive step towards establishing a lasting peace in the region."