Migration, terrorism mark year of international news

This year, World Tour has documented important stories from around the world, including ones from Kenya, Nigeria, China, Yemen, and Australia. The topics ranged from political upheavals to migration crises. We also highlighted reports of people recognized for their work in regions wracked with conflict and captives rescued from extremists groups. This 2017 roundup highlights some of the stories with wide-reaching implications going into the new year.

Libya’s migration crisis and slave-trading

A CNN video released in November renewed global outcry against the plight of migrants who arrive in Libya with hopes of crossing the Mediterranean into Europe. The video showed Libyans auctioning off a dozen African migrants for about $400. Since NATO overthrew Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011, lack of security and governance has transformed the North African nation into a hub for smugglers and a transit point for illegal migration. More than 3,000 migrants died in 2017 during the perilous journey, a majority of them by drowning. Since the video’s release, African countries, including Nigeria and Ghana, stepped up their efforts to voluntarily repatriate migrants. At a November summit between the European Union and the African Union, the continents agreed to set up a joint task force, among other resolutions. But analysts insist any solution must address the migrants’ fears in order to work. Italy’s move in May to equip Libyan coastguards only left more migrants stranded in deplorable Libyan camps.

Global terror activity

This year welcomed both wins and unprecedented losses against global terror groups. The Islamic State in Egypt claimed responsibility for bombings at two Coptic churches in April on Palm Sunday that killed at least 44 people and injured more than 100 others. The group also staged a November attack on the Sufist al-Rawdah mosque that killed at least 305 people and injured 128 others, making it the country’s worst attack in recent years. In Somalia, authorities accused al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab of planning an October truck bombing in the capital city of Mogadishu that killed 512 people and injured 312 others—the country’s deadliest attack. In Iraq and Syria, security forces made significant gains against ISIS as the terror group lost its strongholds in both countries. In December, Iraq declared complete victory over ISIS. But international security officials warn that many fleeing foreign fighters are returning home, some to Africa.

China’s Xi tightens grip on power

China’s Communist Party in October held its twice-a-decade National Congress, during which President Xi Jinping began his second five-year term. The meeting came with increased powers for the leader and a heightened crackdown on religious and political opposition. China’s Communist Party voted during the meeting to include Xi’s name and ideology in the Constitution of China, making him the first leader besides party founder Mao Zedong to receive the honor while in office. In November, authorities in southeast Yugan county asked Christians to replace religious icons and images of Jesus Christ with Xi’s portraits. One resident in the county said officials threatened to rescind the poverty-relief fund quota for anyone who refused to take down the images. Ahead of the Congress, human rights activists reported increased house arrests, and several activists went missing. In July, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and activist Liu Xiaobo died months after being diagnosed with a liver cancer while in prison. He was serving an 11-year sentence for writing a manifesto that called for democratic reform.

Global secession wave

Several autonomous and ethnic groups across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa sought—and failed—to secede from their countries. In Spain, Catalonian leaders are facing charges of rebellion, sedition, and embezzlement after they declared independence. Iraq’s Kurdish region also faced a regional air blockade and lost much of its disputed territory during clashes that erupted after its independence move. Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani resigned following the backlash. Increased calls for secession persisted in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions. English speakers in the bilingual country complained of political and economic discrimination from the French-speaking majority. In southeast Nigeria, the Biafran movement similarly complained of marginalization and increased calls for the government to allow an independence referendum. This year marked 50 years since the group’s first secession that resulted in Nigeria’s civil war.

The Rohingya crisis

Security forces in Myanmar, also known as Burma, faced international condemnation and accusations of ethnic cleansing for their clearance operations against minority Rohingya Muslims. A Rohingya militia group in August attacked security forces in Rakhine state, and they responded with wider-scale attacks. More than 625,000 Rohingya fled into neighboring Bangladesh, and many women who survived continue to tell ghastly stories of rape. Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders documented that at least 6,700 Rohingya died between August and September—a number it calls a conservative estimate. Myanmar’s de facto leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, brushed off criticism for her prolonged silence on the atrocities. Myanmar’s military continues to deny the accusations: The military conducted an investigation in November that concluded none of the assaults occurred.