Group items tagged

This article describes how legislation that was meant to keep companies from buying minerals from armed groups actually harms honest miners. The legislation requires that companies track where their supply chains get their minerals to ensure that business is not going to armed groups. However, since small-business miners are hard to track, most companies now do not support these miners. What happens instead is that armed groups smuggle the minerals out of the Congo and sell it to those companies anyway, so this legislation actually helps them more than it hurts them. This relates to Part F since it discusses the armed groups' control over the minerals in the Congo.

This article discusses new legislation in the DRC saying that mining firms need to track their supply chain. It discusses the flaws in this law because not only does it hurt small mining firms, but also creates a source of funding for rebel groups. This relates to the activity because it discusses the presence of rebel groups around mining area since the start of the civil war.

U.S. airstrikes in Somalia in the week of September 3rd were targeted at the group that claimed responsibility for many bombings in Somalia like the Kenya Westgate mall. These missiles hit their intended target, Ahmen Godane, the leader of the Islamist group al-Shabaab.

This article gives information about one of the rebel groups and their concerns. The rebel group wants assurance from the government that the territory that the rebel group controls will protect the citizens from the FDLR. If they agree, all 2,800 members will hand over their weapons. This relates to the articles because because it shows distrust in the government from rebel groups and that the citizens still need protection and the government doesn't always supply it.

The article in question states that a certain rebel group (MMK) are merely trying to defend themselves and the civilians in the areas that they control, and that they will not turn over their weapons unless the government makes assurances that civilians will be protected. This relates to our discussion because it shows that rebels have more power than the central government in certain areas, and that rebellions are sometimes needed to secure liberty.

This article details a rebel group in Congo-Kinshasa who formed because they were threatened by rebel forces from Rwanda. The government has asked the group to hand over all weapons in order to restore peace to the Congo. This relates to the activity because the Congo is currently trying to restore itself to a state of peace and order after years of bad leaders and the civil war.

The strategy Obama plans to take against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria would be similar to the al-Qaida attacks. The airstrikes Obama has been sending have killed key militant leaders and are fewer than the al-Qaida ones. Somali security forces have combined with African Unions and have made advances against this terrorist group that has taken over territory in 2 countries. This relates to the terrorist group in Somalia that we read about in the first article.

This article discusses how Al Shabaab has named a new leader, Ahmed Omar Abu Ubaidah, after Ahmed Godane was killed in a US airstrike. The article mentions the group's acts of terror in Somalia and beyond, but says that the group suffered a huge loss with the death of its leader. This relates to the packet since it discusses Al Shabaab and some of its acts of terror in and outside of Somalia.

After the death of the Al-Shabaab leader, Ahmed Godane, the terror group has announced its new leader. The group states that even without Godane, the actions of Al-Shabaab will continue as usual. This relates to our studies, because the Al-Shabaab is a terror group that is active in Kenya and other nations in Africa that we are studying.

This article describes the inspiring story of a group of people in DRC that overcame poverty, violence, racial discrimination, and noisy environments to become the first all-black symphony orchestra. The hardships that the group overcame relate to our discussion by demonstrating the struggles that people must go through to live in the war-torn environment of DRC.

The article in question states that a U.S. drone strike had killed the leader of a Somali militant and piracy group. The death of the group's leader may lead to a severe power struggle and weakening of the group. This relates to our discussion and Friedman's arguments because the US was able to land a critical military blow from all the way around the world.

The article states the fearful effects of the Somali terrorist group Al-Shabaab and then explains its origins. The youthful group organized to implement fundamental Islamic rule. Among the smaller details mentioned in the article, the terrorist group is funded primarily by illegal taxation and it is able to survive due to the state of lawlessness and poverty that currently exists in Somalia. This directly relates to the content of the New York Times article. Al-Shabaab creates great business from its illegal activities, most notably taxation and fees, and it is able to maintain its power because there is nothing to stop the group in lawless Somalia.

This article describes the death of the leader of Al-Shabab. President Barrack Obama announced the death of Ahmed Abdi Godane was caused by a U.S. airstrike that hit the car he was riding in. This relates to the reading in this activity because Al-Shabab was mentioned multiple times in the reading and the death of it's leader will take a tremendous blow on the terrorist group.

The leader of Al-Shabaab had been killed in a US airstrike. This was the leader of on of the main terrorist groups in Somalia. Ahmed Abdi Godane had also allied with the Al-Qaeda, which is another Somali terrorist group. This refers to the first article in Part D because these groups used terror to get what they wanted.

This article relates to Somalia by giving an example of the famine that was declared there in 2011, and how it was quickly defeated. This gives an example of how quickly the media can be used to create awareness in country just like how the media created awareness about the terrorist groups in Somalia.

This article shows how Kenya continues to fight against Al-Shabaab. The Kenyan president has firmly stated that they will not stop fighting against the terrorist group until peace is restored to Somalia. This is in part because Al-Shabaab has attacked Kenya as well, most notably through an attack on a Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi. Kenya views the group as a high threat, and this illustrates the strong effect that Al-Shabaab has had throughout multiple countries. Al-Shabaab's great impact was an idea addressed in the activity.

A rebel group currently in control of a key city in The Democratic Republic of the Congo. They plan on liberating the entire country with their new power. The group makes plans on capturing important cities including Kinshasa. If success is reached, they would hold elections for new leaders to make decisions for the new government.

This article is very similar to the one we read. It describes how the al-Shabab receives money from taxes, sponsors, poaching, and discreet money transfer in a system called Hawala. It also gives updates on what has changed in the past year and how that affects their income, such as the recent death of Ahmed Godane, their leader. This relates because it similarly describes the financial practices of the Somali terrorists.

A suicide bomber attacked the Somali presidential palace triggering a massive explosion and then about 10 gunman jumped out and opened fire. This attack was part of a series of suicide bomber missions by the terrorist group, Al Shabab, the president of Somalia is alive and safe.

It is believed that the terrorist group Al Shabab's ,located in Somalia, chief, Ahmed Abdi Godane, was killed in an US airstrike even though there is no body.

More than 130 members of the terrorist organization Boko Haram have surrendered to Nigeria's military after their leader was killed. Over the past five years, the group has killed thousands of people in guerrilla attacks, including the kidnapping of about 200 schoolgirls. This article relates to our discussion because it talks of terrorism.

Nigerian rescue workers claim that at least seventy bodies have been recovered from the collapsed church. Officials believe that the cause of the collapse was the addition of floors to the church that the foundation of the building could not support. There had been at least five South African tour groups visiting the church at the time of the collapse. This is the first time in recent history that a massive number of South Africans have died on foreign soil.

This article tells how the Somali pirates are now almost out of business and are being replaced by South Asian pirates. This refers to the first article because groups in Somalia used terror as a way to earn money and create business.

Joseph Kabila has named to a top army post a general accused by U.N. experts of selling weapons to rebel groups responsible for massacring civilians in East DRC. This also refers to the first article from Part F, where the government was violent towards innocent people. These actions from Kabila have been going on since a known period in 2012.