Puntland, Afghanistan, World Refugee Day.

Today's three stories you should know.

Jun 20, 2023

Puntland

Heavy gun battles have erupted in Puntland - a mostly autonomous region of Somalia - as its parliament debated making changes to the voting system and the constitution. The issue has put the region’s leader and the opposition at odds. At least nine people were killed in violence across the capital Garowe, a hospital doctor told the Reuters news agency, adding that most of them were civilians. Puntland, which lies along Somalia’s northeast Indian Ocean coast, declared itself autonomous in 1998.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Taliban may be committing “gender apartheid” as it continues to strip rights from women and girls, a United Nations expert said today. Speaking to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, said: “Grave, systematic and institutionalised discrimination against women and girls is at the heart of Taliban ideology and rule.” Since coming to power in 2021, the Taliban has introduced scores of authoritarian restrictions, including banning girls from school, outlawing women working in a long list of professions, and introducing strict dress codes.

World Refugee Day

Today is World Refugee Day and, according to the UN refugee agency, the number of refugees and displaced people worldwide has hit record highs. The figures really are both staggering and disheartening. As of the end of 2022, there were 108.4 million displaced people and refugees as a result of war, persecution, hunger and other issues. It’s a 23 percent increase on 2021 and experts say the figure is expected to rise, primarily due to the still raging wars in Ukraine and Sudan.