Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Western Sahara.

Today's three stories you should know.

Jan 16, 2022

Lebanon

Some apparent political progress today in Lebanon, which has been trapped in an economic death spiral for more than two years. The Hezbollah and Amal groups agreed to end a boycott of cabinet sittings, saying they had made the decision to help approve a new budget and address the country’s financial freefall. It’s hard to overstate the extent of Lebanon’s economic crisis. The World Bank has said it may be the world’s worst since the mid-1800s. A staggering two-thirds of the population has been pushed into poverty and there are crippling shortages of medicine and fuel.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s government has raised the official death toll from last week’s unprecedented violent protests to 225. The vast majority of that number were protesters, with 19 members of the security forces also reported killed. The unrest began over a fuel price hike but grew into an expression of anti-government anger over a host of issues. The protests died down when the president issued a “shoot to kill” order, and a regional force of Russian-led troops arrived in the country.

Western Sahara

The UN’s special envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, today visited refugee camps in neighboring Algeria in what looks like a renewed push for peace. Morocco in 1975 annexed Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, sparking a rebellion from the Polisario Front that went on until a ceasefire was declared in 1991. Morocco proposes autonomy for Western Sahara under its jurisdiction, while the Polisario wants a referendum on full independence. The Polisario ended the ceasefire in 2020; a decision said to be driven by frustration among younger members that the referendum has not yet happened, despite promises from the UN.