Excluded Headlines: What happened in the Global South this week? Peru uprising, Bangladesh protests
Stay up to date on the global news stories the US- and Eurocentric media overlooks, with journalist and author, Tamara Pearson.
The mainstream media has taken the typical line of Peru protesters “clashing” with police and dying rather than acknowledging that the security forces which support the recent coup have murdered protesters. This is because the mainstream media also supported the coup, by denying that it happened. The BBC has had some minimal coverage, and labelled people “anti government protesters” – despite the fact that they are demanding that their votes be respected after the installation of a president they did not vote for. The CNN’s take is that Boluarte is “battling to contain protests.” DW headlined that “Protests in Peru have left two dead.” However, protesters are not killing anyone, the police are.
The English-language mainstream media is covering this repression with less empathy than in its coverage of Iran because of its political stance against Iran, but in favour of a the US-backed coup by right-wingers in Peru. The media has also downplayed the full extent of the protests.
Other ignored or minimised news stories this week from the Global South include massive protests in Bangladesh, a teachers’ strike in Sudan, and flooding in the DRC.
Peru: Massive uprising, and pro-coup police kill at least 7 protesters – Following a coup against, and arrest of the left-leaning president of Peru last week, mass protests have spread throughout the country. Marches of tens of thousands have been held, and blockades or static protests set up outside television channels, which refuse to cover the protests, the Public Ministry, and police stations. Protesters also took over the Arequipa airport, the Cajamarca university, and have blocked roads around the country. In Cuzco, people set fire to the municipal building. Indigenous people, teachers, students, and farmers, announced a national strike from Tuesday, and another for Thursday. Protesters want the right wing congress to be shut down – a move the overthrown president, Castillo, had attempted to declare, and which the US immediately condemned. They also don’t want the recently-sworn in Boluarte as president. Mining workers that marched to Camaná, Arequipa demanded congress be shut down.
Police have thrown tear gas and shot at protesters, killing seven so far, with an eighth death due to a falling rock. On Monday, the new, unelected president, Boluarte declared a sixty-day state of emergency in Apurimac and Arequipa states, which includes ending the freedom to meet. She was originally going to stay on as president until 2026, but following the protests, announced elections will be held in 2024, then changed that to the end of next year. Source, source, source, source, source
Bangladesh: Hundreds of thousands protest – On the weekend, locals held a mass protest in Dhaka against price increases and the government’s economic policies. There were also calls for the government to step down and for new elections. The mainstream media did mention these protests, but the amount of coverage was significantly disproportionate to the size of the protests. Source, source.
Sudan: Teachers go on national strike – Teachers in Sudan went on strike earlier this week in order to demand increased spending on education, an increase in the minimum wage, and improved school conditions. Salary payments are also long overdue. The strike will continue Thursday and then through to next week. Source.
Sahara: Refugees dying of thirst in desert – Since 2014, at least 5,600 deaths or disappearances have been documented of migrants who transited through the Sahara, in countries like Chad. Real figures may be much higher. The figure follows the recent discovery of a broken truck in the desert next to 27 migrants’ bodies, who likely died of thirst. Source
Tunisia: Parties to boycott upcoming parliamentary elections – Tunisia will hold legislative elections this weekend, a year and a half after the president sacked the previous elected government. Major parties are calling for a boycott, as a new law abandons proportional representation and affirmative measures for women and disabled people, as well as public funding for election campaigning. Source.
Congo: Worst floods in years kill at least 120 in capital – Floods and heavy rains have caused landslides, and ripped houses and roads apart, including a key highway. At least 120 people have been killed in Kinshasa. Some 15 million people live in the city, and inequality and poverty means that low grade infrastructure and lots of informal housing are vulnerable to floods, which have increased with climate change. Locals say the recent flood is the worst yet. Source, source.
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