Urban violence

South Africa: Violence against Immigrants Shocks South Africans

Date: May 28th, 2008 |

Xenophobic attacks against foreign immigrants from other African countries occurred in Johannesburg, Cape Town and other areas in recent weeks. The violence appalled South Africans and prompted President Thabo Mbeki to call the attacks the worst acts of inhumanity in South Africa since the end of apartheid. The attacks occurred mostly in the townships and [read more]

Zimbabwe: Election Dispute Has Country on Edge

Date: April 10th, 2008 |

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Zimbabwe has teetered on the brink of political disintegration for months and is now in an acute crisis following national elections in which the opposition appears to have won both the presidency and control of parliament. Long-ruling President Robert Mugabe has refused to release the election results and appears to be calculating how to hold [read more]

Kenya: Violence Prompts Peace Corps to Suspend Operations

Date: February 7th, 2008 |

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Ongoing post-election violence that has often become ethnic prompted the U.S. Peace Corps to suspend its operations in Kenya. The Peace Corps announced the decision Feb. 5 to withdraw its remaining 58 volunteers after sending home 86 in January. Tourism has dropped to a trickle and foreign companies are considering pulling out, which would deal [read more]

Kenya: Post-Election Violence Plagues Country

Date: January 2nd, 2008 |

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Several days of violence following disputed national elections occurred in Nairobi, the Rift Valley and the coastal resort of Mombasa, prompting the U.S State Department to discourage all but essential travel to Kenya, and the British Foreign Office to warn against travel to several specific areas, including downtown Nairobi. Some 300 people have been killed, [read more]

Venezuela: Pro- and Anti-Chavez Conflicts Likely to Continue Until Referendum

Date: November 15th, 2007 |

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Political tensions are high as pro- and anti-President Hugo Chavez demonstrators clashed with each other in Caracas several days after anti-Chavez students fought with security forces throughout the city. More demonstrations are planned for Nov. 26 and others could occur in the days leading up to a Dec. 2 referendum on constitutional reforms that will [read more]

Mexico: Narco-Violence Near U.S. Border; Private Plane Stolen from Americans

Date: April 17th, 2008 |

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The U.S. State Department reissued its travel alert for Mexico citing extensive violent criminal activity in northern areas near the U.S. border. The violence is driven by drug cartels fighting over the narcotics trade. Attacks usually target cartel members, police, criminal justice officials and journalists, but foreign visitors and residents, including Americans, have been kidnapped [read more]

Russia: Racial Attacks Increase in Moscow

Date: February 20th, 2008 |

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Hate crimes against foreigners are increasing in Moscow, where four dark-skinned people were murdered in five days recently, prompting Moscow police to increase their street patrols throughout the city and the mayor to appeal for calm. Hate crime killings like these have increased steadily over the years, with ultranationalist “skinheads” often attacking in packs of [read more]

Kenya: Post-Election Crisis Continues

Date: January 10th, 2008 |

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The post-election violence that raged for several days diminished and a reconciliation appeared to be developing between the incumbent president and opposition leader, both of whom feel they are the duly elected president of Kenya. Everything unraveled again, however, Jan. 8 when incumbent President Mwai Kibaki unilaterally named several cabinet ministers to the government. Riots [read more]

France: Riots in Suburban Paris, Champs-Elysees Crime Up

Date: November 29th, 2007 |

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The rail strike that paralyzed Paris transport is over but on its heels came rioting in the city’s poor suburbs sparked by the deaths of two teenagers in a collision with a police car. Three nights of violence were reminiscent of the unrest of 2005 when riots continued for three weeks, but the current incidents [read more]

Nepal: Maoists Pull Out of Government, Troubles in Terai

Date: September 19th, 2007 |

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Maoists pulled out of the coalition government in a dispute over abolishing the monarchy, raising concerns that the fragile peace in Nepal could be in jeopardy. The former rebels have vowed not to take up arms again but to press their demands through peaceful demonstrations. They have argued that the monarchy should be abolished before [read more]