The Ten Underreported Stories that Impacted 2015
We are publishing one story every day that we think should have deserved more coverage in 2015. If you want to find out how we picked the stories, read our intro here.
10. Oromo protests against the capital city expansion plan
What’s the gist?
In response to the Ethiopian government’s plan to expand the capital city further into the Oromia territory, students started protests in November against what they consider a land grab move against the Oromo people, who make up 34 percent of the total population (as of the 2007 census) and are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia.
What started as protests against the expansion into land that would be taken away from Oromo farmers has turned into protests against larger grievances the Oromos have against the Ethiopian government.
The government responded violently to the largely peaceful protests. According to Human Rights Watch, 75 protesters have been killed so far, but government numbers put the deaths at only five people.
Why it deserves more coverage?
Because the Ethiopian government is calling this a terrorist move to destabilize the country. A government spokesman, Getachew Reda, said, “An organized and armed terrorist force aiming to create havoc and chaos have begun murdering model farmers, public leaders and other ethnic groups residing in the region.”
Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director of Human Rights Watch said,
“Ethiopia’s security forces … instead of trying to address the grievances that are catalyzing the protests, are shooting down more protesters.”
Why should I care?
Because the Oromos have been “politically marginalized” by the government since at least 1991.
The leader of a political opposition group, Bekele Gerba, said Ethiopia’s ruling classes consider the Oromo people a threat, and “have to be treated in such a way so that they won’t have any power.”
To learn more about the Oromo protests, read:
Global Voices: Why are students in Ethiopia protesting a capital city expansion plan?
Human Rights Watch: Ethiopia: Lethal Force Against Protesters
Sahara Reporters: Oromo Protests Shed Light On Ethiopia’s Long-Standing Ethnic Tensions
By Lakshna Mehta
9. The Nicaraguan Canal project’s uncertain future
What’s the Gist?
The Nicaraguan Canal project’s first construction started in December 2014. But its environmental consequences to Nicaragua, the second poorest nation in the Americas, hasn’t been fully measured.
The 278-kilometers-long canal, which would connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, has been labeled the world’s biggest construction project and would be three times the length of the Panama Canal. The company in charge of construction, HKND, has estimated the canal will cost more than $50 billion and take five years to build.
The canal’s main construction has been pushed back to the end of 2016 for financial reasons.
Why it deserves more coverage?
There are concerns about the devastating consequences the canal would have on a local indigenous group and on Lake Nicaragua, Central America’s largest lake, which the canal would span and from which Nicaraguans get most of their drinking water.
According to the Smithsonian Magazine, the canal would also destroy nearly one million acres of rainforest and wetlands. In an interview with BBC in March, HKND owner Wang Jing denied most of the environmental costs, but didn’t give proof against the claims.
Why should I care?
Because the company has admitted that 27,000 people would be displaced to allow the canal’s construction.
Because as one member of the Rama group living in the area that will be affected by the canal told Hakai magazine, “Where they are going to put the canal is where our people go to fish. They survive by that [fishing].”
But also because as the construction was delayed again, many think the project will never be carried out.
To read more about “the world’s biggest construction project” and its consequences, check out:
Hakai Magazine: The Rama Versus the Canal
The Guardian: Chinese mogul behind Nicaragua canal lost 85% of his fortune in stock market
Bloomberg Business: China’s Building a Huge Canal in Nicaragua, But We Couldn’t Find It
By Elian Peltier
8. Tensions with the Uighur minority in northwestern China
What’s the Gist?
China has seen an upsurge of violence in its northwestern region of Xinjiang. Its government has reacted by discriminatorily targeting the Uighur minority, which is predominantly Muslim, while claiming it’s fighting terrorism motivated by radical Islam.
After the Paris attacks in November, the Chinese government called for international support in its fight against terrorism in Xinjiang, calling itself “a victim of terrorism.”
On the other hand, some journalists, advocacy groups and Uighurs claim the Chinese government is responsible for the unrest in the region because of its repressive religious policies and efforts to marginalize the Uighurs.
Why it deserves more coverage?
Tensions in Xinjiang have been underreported by the Chinese media. The government is also restricting access to journalists in the region.
The Uighurs — who speak a different language, identify more with Central Asian cultures and are predominantly Muslim — have historically lived in Xinjiang, but Han Chinese have been immigrating in large numbers since the 1950s. Population reports say eight million there are Hans in Xinjiang for 10 million Uighurs.
In November, the Chinese forces led a raid in the Xinjiang province and killed 28 people accused of a deadly attack in a coal mine in September that killed 50 people, mostly Hans. The Chinese government blamed Uighur activists for the attacks.
Why should I care?
Because imagine you make up the majority of a region’s population, but a growing minority is mostly benefitting from your region’s natural resources — Xinjiang has 40 percent of China’s coal resources and a quarter of China’s oil reserves.
Because many call China’s policy toward the Uighurs ethnic oppression, to which the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said:
“We cannot understand why other countries’ counter-terrorism policies are legitimate, but China’s counter-terrorism activities are so-called ethnic oppression. This is an absurd logic. It is political prejudice and double standards.”
Because after Beijing-based French journalist Ursula Gauthier called the Chinese government’s attitude toward the Uighur minority a “merciless crushing” and a “pitiless repression,” her press credentials weren’t renewed.
To find out more about tensions in the Xinjiang province and China’s fight against terrorism, check out:
The New York Times: Q. and A.: Christina Lin on China’s Antiterrorism Efforts
Vox: Why China is making it harder for Chinese Muslims to celebrate Ramadan
Asian Tribune: China’s expulsion of French journalist underpins her repressive Uyghur policy (editorial)
By Elian Peltier
7. Drone strikes by the U.S.
What’s the Gist?
In an effort to fight terrorism, the United States has carried out almost 500 drone strikes in three countries alone since Barack Obama was elected president in 2008: Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia.
The increase of drones strikes under the Obama administration has led investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill to call drones “President Barack Obama’s weapon of choice.”
Drones have several advantages for the military: they rarely miss a target and don’t risk the lives of soldiers on the ground.
But civilian casualties have been numerous: in October, the online publication The Intercept reported that between January 2012 and February 2013, a drone operation campaign that intended to kill 35 targets killed 200. This is more than five times as many as the program planned to kill.
In another five-month period, The Intercept reported, more than 90 percent of the victims of drones strikes in three countries were unintended targets.
Why it deserves more coverage?
Publications have been covering the U.S. drone campaign: the majority of mainstream media outlets covered the Drone Papers (published by The Intercept), and others have been providing a monthly account of drone strikes, such as the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
So, the issue isn’t about a lack of coverage.
It is about the lack of response from public authorities. In Pakistan, where the U.S. have mainly been targeting Al Qaeda’s strongholds, only four percent of the victims of 400 drone strikes between 2004 and 2014 were Al Qaeda members, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
When it comes to drones strikes, the U.S. administration isn’t talking about assassinations, but “targeted killings,” a broad term that allows it to make public the minimally required details.
Why should I care?
Because according to Jeremy Scahill, the U.S. administration is hiding details of how many victims were intended targets or collateral damage.
Because “EKIA” (Enemies Killed in Action), may be one of the blurriest terms used when talking about intended targets and victims as collateral damages.
Because as a source for The Intercept put it:
“At this point, they [the military] have become so addicted to this machine, to this way of doing business, that it seems like it’s going to become harder and harder to pull them away from it the longer they’re allowed to continue operating in this way.”
To find out more about the U.S. drone strikes, check out:
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism: Monthly updates on drone and air strikes by the U.S. in Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan
The Intercept: The Drone Papers
Dronestream (Twitter account)
By Elian Peltier
6. Persecution of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar
What’s the gist?
Despite a new interim government and hopes for a democratic transition in Myanmar, a minority is still facing persecution in 2015: the Rohingyas.
Clashes erupted in 2012 between this Muslim minority, which came to Myanmar from Bangladesh, and the majority Buddhists.
In 2014, a Buddhist group calling themselves 969 and led by a monk by the name of Ashin Wirathu, started calling for the expulsion of all Rohingyas from the country.
And it got worse in 2015: the world’s largest group of stateless people — with Myanmar saying they’re Bangladeshi citizens, and Bangladesh calling them Burmese citizens — the Rohingyas in Myanmar fled in the thousands. But for those who can’t flee, they’re resigned to a life of violence and poverty.
Why should it get more coverage?
In 2011, Myanmar’s (also known as Burma) military junta, which had been in power since 1962, relinquished its control to pave way for democratic elections in November 2015.
But even with the switch in leadership — an interim government came to power after the elections in November during which no Rohingya was allowed to vote — the Muslim population in the country appears to be an afterthought.
Why should I care?
Because Amnesty International called the Rohingyas “the most persecuted refugees in the world.”
And because earlier in 2015, a report published by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum identified 19 early signs of a genocide against the Rohingyas.
To know more about the plight of the Rohingya, take a loot at:
International Affairs Forum: Violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State
The Malaysian Insider: Myanmar’s new leaders can end Rohingya conflict
The Irrawaddy: Rohingya trafficking victims endure stress of limbo, stranded in Thailand
5. Unusually devastating wildfires in Indonesia
What’s the gist?
Over a 100,000 wildfires blazed in Indonesia over a period of at least three months this fall, creating a haze that also affected other Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
The archipelago of nearly 250 million people had to declare a state of emergency in six of its 34 provinces.
The wildfires were started by humans but exacerbated because of El Niño, a climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean because of which the usually dry season was prolonged. Although the raging fires have been subdued because of recent rains, the forestry minister, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, said the wildfires will return as early as February, but will not be as bad.
Why should it get more coverage?
Because Indonesia has been having issues with wildfires since the mid-1990s, but this year was the worst since 1997. Wildfires have become more frequent as farmers slash and burn forests to create more land for palm oil tree plantations.
In 2013, Indonesia was the top exporter of palm oil, bringing in $16.5 billion. But since the haze from the wildfires affected life even outside Indonesia, the worst-affected countries like Singapore banned products of companies suspected of being part of the wildfire-starters.
On Dec. 22, Indonesian government punished 23 companies for causing forest fires.
Why should I care?
Because at least half a million people came down with respiratory illnesses, 21 people around the country died, and the World Bank estimated that Indonesia experienced an economic loss of $16 billion.
Because Indonesia’s carbon emissions increased because of the fires, crossing average daily emissions in the United States.
Because schools around the country shut down, airports closed, endangered animals like orangutans had to be rehabilitated and Indonesia alone could not fight back the fires – and resultant haze.
To learn more about the wildfires and how it affected Indonesia, check out:
Gistory: Indonesia Struggles to Fight Historic Wildfire
Greenpeace: UAV footage of massive forest fires as Indonesia’s carbon bomb explodes
National Geographic: Smoke From Wildfires Is Killing Hundreds of Thousands of People
4. The war in South Sudan
What’s the gist?
The world’s newest country entered its third year of civil war on Dec. 15.
South Sudan, an African country of more than 11 million that broke away from northern Sudan in 2011, has been torn apart by a deadly rivalry between the government and rebel forces.
Tens of thousands of people have died due to the conflict on both sides, there have been allegations of mass murders, mass rapes, and ethnically motivated killings.
Why it deserves more coverage?
Because it all started due to a battle of egos between two leaders, and it unleashed an ethnic civil war that forced more than two million people to flee their homes, with 180,000 being packed in UN camps, according to Human Rights Watch.
In July 2013, President Salva Kiir sacked his vice-president, Riek Machar, because the former criticized his authority. Mr. Machar gathered forces around him, started to lead the rebel forces, and the president, Mr. Kiir, denounced an attempted coup. The first clashes began Dec. 15, 2013.
Since then, both have led ethnically-motivated attacks: Mr. Kiir is a Dinka, the largest ethnic group in the country, and Mr. Machar, a Nuer, the second most populous.
Last week, rebel delegates reached the capital, Juba, to start talks with the government.
Why should I care?
Imagine: if you are from South Sudan, it means that out of four years of your country being independent, three were mired in civil war.
A peace deal was signed in August but conflicts are still going on in some regions, especially in the northern Unity State.
The government forces and the rebels have been accused of using child soldiers. The UN denounced the “new brutality and intensity” from the South Sudan army, mentioning gang-rapes, and women and girls burned alive.
With the peace deal, Mr. Machar, the former vice president, could become Mr. Kiir’s deputy again for a 30-month transitional period that would lead to elections. Whether the two opponents can work together again without more killings remains to be seen.
For more information on the consequences of the civil war for children, read:
Humans Right Watch: “We Can Die Too” — Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers in South Sudan (report)
The New York Times Magazine: The Displaced: Chuol, South Sudan
3. In Nepal, discrimination against the Madhesis and the trade blockade launched by India
What’s the gist?
Spurred by a devastating earthquake that killed 9,000 people in April, Nepal finally came up with a new constitution in September – a constitution that had been eight years in the making.
However, the adoption of the new constitution led to another problem. An ethnic group in the country, the Madhesis, have been protesting since August because they said they were not represented in the constitution.
Fearing that the protests and the resulting instability would spur Nepal into more violence, India initiated an unofficial blockade against Nepal. The Indian government wants to put economic pressure on the Nepalese government so that it reviews its plan and makes the new constitution more inclusive.
The problem is that Nepal is a landlocked country of 28 million people, and relies on India for supplies like fuel and medicine.
Why it deserves more coverage?
The last time Nepal was in international news was during the earthquake. In April, 9,000 people died and the Nepalese government estimated that 700,000 people were pushed to poverty due to the earthquake.
People are still dying in the country, but this time it’s because of clashes between the police and civilians during protests by the Madhesis. According to a report released by the United Nations in September, 41 people died in two months due to the protests.
The Madhesis account for about 30 percent of Nepal’s population. Right now, the majority of the Madhesi population lives in the southern Nepali region of Terai, on the border with India. Many Madhesis have family ties in India or work in India.
Why should I care?
The blockade has lead to shortages in fuel, medicines, and other supplies, such as paper.
Unicef warned in November that three million children under the age of five were at risk of death or disease.
According to a white paper released by the Nepali government in November, effects of the blockade include an increase in inflation rates to 8.3 percent, the closure of 2,200 factories and a drop in the number of tourists to the country (652,655 tourists during the months of January to October 2014 compared to 300,325 tourists in 2015).
It is estimated that the economic cost to Nepal because of the blockade is greater than the economic impact the earthquake had.
For more information on this humanitarian crisis and the war, read:
Gistory: Months after earthquake, nepal struggles to find stability
Gistory: A 2-minute guide on Nepal’s recent political history
BBC News: Nepal blockade: Six ways it affects the country
2. The conflict in Ukraine is far from over
What’s the gist?
After a ceasefire deal, called the Minsk Agreement II, between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed rebels was signed in February, the conflict in Ukraine was expected to abate. But it was far from over. The countries have been at loggerheads since March 2014, when Ukraine was about to sign a deal with the European Union that Russia did not agree with.
In March, 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, also known at the Crimean Peninsula, with ethnic Russians making up a majority of the two million-strong population. After the annexation, Crimean residents held a referendum — considered illegal by international law — to stay with Russia.
The crisis in Ukraine has lead to the deaths of more than 9,000 people.
Why it deserves more coverage?
The conflict in Ukraine was all over the news in 2014. And in 2015, it was covered far less.
During the United Nations General Assembly in September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was a “military coup orchestrated from the outside that triggered a civil war” in Ukraine, and not Russia’s incursions into Ukraine.
After Russia became involved in the war in Syria, the fighting in the eastern regions of Ukraine reduced, but still persist. A travel warning from July was updated Dec. 14, and the Federal Aviation Administration’s declaration of a no-fly zone over Dnepropetrovsk and Simferopol (Crimea) remains.
After a meeting with the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow Dec. 15, United States Secretary of State John Kerry said:
“We had a good discussion about Ukraine and we agreed on the spot that we will continue to grow out the bilateral process that the presidents agreed on and established recently — some months ago, as a matter of fact. And it’s our hope that the sooner the Minsk agreements are implemented and implemented in full, the better, and U.S. and EU sanctions can be rolled back.”
Why should I care?
Because according to a professor of international law at Tufts University, Daniel Drezner:
Learn more about Ukraine’s continuing conflict here:
Gistory: Ukraine is Fighting a Second Battle, One Against Foreign Debt
Global Journalist: Ukraine Divided
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: More Than 9,000 Killed In Eastern Ukraine Conflict, UN Says
1. The war in Yemen and the resulting humanitarian crisis
What’s the Gist?
As the war in Syria and Iraq rages on in an effort to quell the Islamic State, the Saudi Arabian-led coalition of Arab states continues its fight against a rebel group coming from the north of Yemen, the Houthis.
Saudi Arabia started the intervention in March. The civilian death toll is over 2,300, according to a report from Human Rights Watch published in September.
The Houthis seized control of the country’s capital city, Sanaa, in September 2014, and forced the Yemeni president, Abd Rabo Mansour Hadi, to flee his own country. Hadi remained in exile in Saudi Arabia for six months, and returned to Aden in September.
In addition of the war, the two most dangerous terrorist organizations of the region, Al Qaeda in the Arabic Peninsula, and the Islamic State (or ISIS) have established a presence in parts of the country.
Why it deserves more coverage?
Don’t get us wrong: we are not saying that Yemen’s civil war hasn’t received coverage: every major media outlet has pieces on it. But the humanitarian crisis that the war caused needs to be addressed by the Saudi-led coalition.
The resultant war has forced the United Nations to declare Yemen a level three humanitarian crisis — the highest level of crisis the organization can designate. Yemen’s health system has collapsed because of a lack of fuel, health care providers and hospitals. Currently, 14.1 million Yemenis lack the healthcare they need.
Why should I care?
Because the war has created one of the worst humanitarian crises of 2015; because observers first thought the country would find a path of transition after the Arab Spring; and because the existence of a failed state could leave room for a larger expansion of Al Qaeda and ISIS, it deserves more of your attention.
At stake are the political stability of Yemen, the poorest country in the region, and, maybe most importantly, its unity: Yemen became a unified country in 1990, and clashes and divisions have been constant since then.
For more information on this humanitarian crisis and the war, read:
Gistory: Yemeni Civil War Grinds On With No End in Sight
Gistory: Lack of Aid Pushes Yemen Into Humanitarian Crisis
Foreign Policy: In Yemen, a Saudi war fought with U.S. help
Save the Children: Nowhere safe for Yemen’s children: The deadly impact of explosive weapons in Yemen
