Iran
Street protests over water shortages have rocked southwestern Iran for two weeks. According to Amnesty International, at least eight protesters or bystanders have been killed in what rights groups are calling a heavy-handed crackdown. Internet monitoring groups now say connectivity has been blocked in the Khuzestan province, where the protests are centered. The region has suffered water shortages for decades.
More from the New Arab here.
Syria
“There is no water, no power, and we are lacking food.”
Heavy fighting has erupted in Syria’s Deraa province and the regime of Bashar al-Assad is reported to be shelling Deraa city, which is packed with civilians. Deraa, where the revolution against Assad began in 2011, was recaptured by his forces in 2018 and there has been a simmering insurrection there since. Assad’s government has regained control of most of Syria with the help of Russian and Iranian forces.
More from the Guardian here.
Ethiopia
As mentioned in many previous newsletters, the UN and aid groups say hundreds of thousands of people in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, beset by war for nine months, are living in famine conditions and that millions more are on the brink. In an extraordinary tweet, World Food Programme boss David Beasley said the organisation would run out of food aid in the region by tomorrow. According to multiple reports, the Ethiopian government is blocking the only remaining route into the region.
More from the New York Times here.