Excluded Headlines for 21 – 27 October
Stay up to date on the global news stories the US- and Eurocentric media overlooks, with journalist and author, Tamara Pearson
This week’s ignored and under-reported news from the poor majority world includes:
Myanmar: Military drops four bombs on a concert – Some 60 to 80 people, including singers and musicians, were killed in an airstrike in the north of the country on 24 October. Allegedly, the airstrike was targeting a celebration bythe Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), an ethnic resistance group which has been standing up to the military. The military confirmed the attack and claimed it was a response to “terrorism.” Since February last year, Myanmar’s military has been violently quashing resistance to its coup. Israel supplies arms to the Myanmar military, and 13.2 million people in Myanmar don’t have enough food to eat. Source, source, source, source, source.
Burkina Faso: New president as millions go without food - Ibrahim Traore, who deposed his senior in a military coup on 30 September, was sworn in as the new president of the transitional government of the country on 21 October. Conflict, climate change, and global inequality mean that a quarter of the population need emergency food assistance, with some people living off leaves and salt. 3,000 French forces have been deployed in Burkina Faso since 2014, supposedly to fight Islamist forces that France helped create. Source, source.
Haiti: Protestors continue to reject US intervention, call for leader to resign – There are hundreds of blockades around Haiti as well as street demonstrations, in response to the economic crisis there, and calling for the prime minister to resign after he requested US intervention. On 21 October, the UN Security Council passed sanctions against “gang” leaders in Haiti, based on a proposal by the US and Mexico, and the US is still pushing for UN-backed military intervention in the form of a “rapid action force” then a “multinational police task force.” The US appears to be already unloading military cargo at Haiti’s main airport. Source, source, source,
Mexico: Hundreds of Indigenous prisoners on hunger strike – Some 400 mostly Indigenous prisoners have begun a hunger strike in Chiapas state. They are demanding heath care, Tsotsil and Tseltal translators, and are protesting against a prisoner director who has been charging inmates 15% for products brought to them by family members. Source, source
Sudan: Resistance goes beyond street protests – A year after the military coup in Sudan, there are frequent demonstrations demanding a return to civilian rule. But there are also neighbourhood resistance committees engaging with locals, and writing political charters in order to imagine a new political system for Sudan. Electricity, health, cleaning, and other sectors have gone on strike, and local markets have shut down. Source.
Yemen: Gov’t threatens foreign ships trying to steal oil and natural resources – Cargo ships have been entering Yemeni waters, to steal its oil. This followers years of exploitation of its natural resources by the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Recently, the Yemen government fired shots at a Greek oil ship that tried to illegally load millions of barrels of oil from a port terminal. The Ansarullah (Houthi) movement is also threatening to target foreign cargo ships attempting to steal oil. Source.
Honduras: Gov’t summons US ambassador for interference in internal affairs – US ambassador Laura Dogu has been summoned by the Honduran government for next Monday, to present a formal protest to her for interference. The call followed Dogu expressing concern about the treatment of foreign investors in Honduras. Honduras is a “sovereign country,” the government stressed. Source, source.
Ethiopia: Peace talks being held – Ethiopia’s government and rebel forces in Tigray began talks on Monday, with the goal of ending the bloodshed. Since November 2020, Ethiopian troops have been attacking the Tigray region, where the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front is located. The war has also displaced more than two million Ethiopians. Source.
Headlines as a shareable graphic.