Human Rights
This week, Egypt faces renewed criticism over its human rights record after the release of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s assessment of human rights in Egypt since 2011. Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Mexico city to push the government for a more forceful response to the case of 43 university students who have been missing for over a month. After a military takeover in Burkina Faso, the African Union is threatening to implement sanctions. Georgia’s Prime Minister dismissed the Minister of Defense after he commented on the arrest of several of his colleagues at the Ministry of Defense.
This week, Turkey allowed roughly 150 Iraqi Kurds to transit Turkish territory in order to reinforce Kurdish forces defending the city of Kobani, Syria, which has been under siege by the Islamic State. President of Burkina Faso Blaise Campaore decided to step down following violent protests against efforts to amend the constitution to allow for his reelection. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto met with the families of dozens of students who went missing near the town of Iguala last month. The U.S.-appointed Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) published a series of major reports this week showing that U.S.-funded reconstruction efforts are currently hampered by a variety of issues.
According to a new report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) last month, military personnel from the U.S.-supported African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) “have sexually abused and exploited vulnerable Somali women and girls on their bases in Mogadishu.” The full report, titled “‘The Power These Men Have Over Us’: Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by African Union Forces in Somalia,” urges the United States to push for more independent oversight of AMISOM military personnel to ensure they are not complicit in such gender-based violence.
Security Assistance Monitor published its first Country Profile analyzing U.S. security assistance to Yemen. South Sudanese rival factions signed a framework for future peace talks. Public demonstrations against corruption and insecurity continued across Mexico. The U.S. State Department welcomed the release of four Azerbaijani human rights activists. These stories and more in this weeks top security assistance news.