United Nations
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, has criticized Australia's asylum seeker policies in front of the human rights council in Geneva, labeling them as setting a "poor benchmark" for the region. The comments come amidst a growing controversy
United Nations
Angelina Jolie, the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, met with thousands of Syrians who have fled to Turkey's Altinozu camp in Hatay province, just 20 kilometers from the Syrian border. The camp is home to 1,700 people who have escaped the violence in their country. Jolie, an advocate
United Nations
Angelina Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has traveled to Turkey's border with Syria to meet with thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled their government's crackdown on dissent. As the actress arrived in the Turkish province of Hatay, she brought
Milosevic, Slobodan
European leaders presented a plan to resolve the Kosovo crisis by placing the province under temporary international European administration, if President Slobodan Milosevic agreed to withdraw his forces and allow hundreds of thousands of Albanian refugees to return. The European Union's proposal, discussed today by 15 EU countries,
Milosevic, Slobodan
As the world watches the unfolding drama in Kosovo, President Clinton declared that the region "could be a very good place to begin the next century," signifying a new era of willingness to intervene in ethnic conflicts. However, the mission's murky goals and lack of clear
Refugees
The Roman conquest of the Balkan Peninsula over 2,000 years ago set the stage for the complex and often treacherous politics of the region. The presence of the Greeks, Illyrians, and Thracians, among others, has contributed to the "special peculiarities of Balkan politics," as historian J.A.
Refugees
As we witness the devastating consequences of NATO's air attacks on Yugoslavia, it is imperative to reflect on the lessons that can be learned from the Kosovo crisis. The diplomatic process preceding the conflict ignored or violated basic principles that could have prevented the human suffering and destruction.
United Nations
A tense situation is unfolding in Rwanda as the United Nations withdraws its peacekeepers, leaving the country vulnerable to a possible reprise of last year's civil war. The Rwandan military, predominantly Tutsi, is massing troops along the western border in anticipation of an attack by rearmed remnants of
United Nations
Croatian and Bosnian government forces have been accused of deliberately targeting Serb refugees fleeing from the Croatian military operation in the Krajina region, resulting in the deaths of at least five people and injuring 15 more. The United Nations has reported that Croatian troops have opened fire on refugees and
United Nations
Bosnian Serb forces have forced thousands of Muslim refugees from their homes in Srebrenica, a town in eastern Bosnia, and UN officials are struggling to account for nearly 20,000 people who are unaccounted for. The refugees, who have been living in a wretched camp outside the airport in northeastern
United Nations
As Bosnian Serb forces, led by General Ratko Mladic, demanded that thousands of Muslim refugees leave the captured Srebrenica enclave immediately, the United Nations peacekeeping forces found themselves overwhelmed by the largest single refugee evacuation of the Balkan war. At least 30,000 people huddled around Dutch peacekeepers near the
Soldiers
Russian military planes have indiscriminately bombed refugee camps and killed civilians in Chechen towns and villages, according to a report by the human-rights group, Human Rights Watch. The organization condemned the Russian military for "horrendous violations of the rules of war" in the latest stages of the Chechnya
