Syria, UAE, South Sudan.

Today's three stories you should know.

Mar 15, 2023

Syria

It is 12 years today since anti-government demonstrations that quickly morphed into one of the most brutal wars in modern history began in Syria. Thousands of people thronged the streets of the last rebel-held city, Idlib, to mark the milestone. Twelve years in and the conflict has ebbed to standstill with President Bashar al-Assad back in control of most of the country thanks largely to the support of Russia and Iran. Some of the statistics around the war are staggering: The United Nations estimated last year that more than 306,000 civilians have been killed, about 1.5 percent of the population, though other groups believe the number to be even higher. More than 14 million people have been forced from their homes. Nearly seven million are displaced inside the country and 5.5 million are in neighboring countries - Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. Many more are further afield with Syrians seeking refuge in at least 130 countries, according to the UN refugee agency. And 90 percent of Syrians live in poverty. Al Jazeera published an excellent explainer on the conflict today.

UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is holding at least 2,400 Afghan refugees in "cramped, miserable conditions," according to a US-based rights group. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the adults and children were evacuated from Kabul after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 and have been held in a makeshift facility in Abu Dhabi since. More than 10,000 other Afghans who were flown to the UAE at the time have been resettled in the US, Canada and elsewhere. Refugees in the facility told HRW that it was, in effect, a prison and that people there were suffering from mental health issues. The UAE denied that the conditions were poor.

South Sudan

Two journalists in South Sudan, who were arrested over a video that showed the country’s President Salva Kiir wetting himself at a public event, have been released. Two others, though, remain in custody. The Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) called on the government to free the journalists it is still holding. “[We] urge the government to release Garang John and Jacob Benjamin or if they have a case to answer, they should be produced in a court of law," UJOSS said. The Committee to Protect Journalists said the arrests matched "a pattern of security personnel resorting to arbitrary detention whenever officials deem coverage unfavourable."