Two weeks ago in South Sudan, a large group of armed young men assaulted a UN compound that sheltered around 5,000 people, mostly from the Nuer ethnic group. Around 50 people were killed, dozens more injured. If it’s not investigated, such attacks will likely continue.
A car bomb shook Abuja, Nigeria, killing at least 19 and wounding dozens more in the same location that a similar blast killed 70 just weeks ago. The attack comes as people in Nigeria continue to demand the return of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the militant group Boko Haram.Tomorrow is World Press Freedom Day. The past year has been a roller-coaster ride for journalists covering conflict -- at least 60 journalists have been killed. It’s also dangerous going for journalists’ sources. But journalism is essential -- we won’t learn about the horrors in Syria, the crackdown in Russia, or the mass surveillance by the US, unless journalists can do their jobs.
Last Monday, a 7-year-old boy with an intellectual disability died in a Russian orphanage after a health worker used cloth diapers to tie him to his bed. A preliminary account stated that the boy may have choked on his own vomit and that being tied down stopped him from rolling over to breathe. The practice of binding children to beds or wheelchairs needs to stop.
