Armed look. Hot Spots

After the New Year's defeat of the Islamists by the Ethiopian army in Somalia, the attention of the world community to the situation in the Horn of Africa noticeably weakened, and, as it turned out, in vain. The bloodshed, which has not stopped there for many years, continues. Moreover, it is not limited to Somali borders, as the inhabitants on other continents are convinced. It was only as a result of the recent state of emergency in the Ethiopian province of Afar that it turned out that another war was going on in the region.

IF THERE IS NO KIDNAPPING...

On March 1, in the region of salt lakes in northeastern Ethiopia, unidentified people took five Europeans hostage. The first secretary of the British embassy in Ethiopia, Peter Rudge, assistant administrator Jonathan Ireland, two employees of the British Ministry of Development Malcolm Smart and Laure Beaufil, as well as the wife of the British consul in Addis Ababa, Rosanna Moore, and the 13 Ethiopians accompanying them fell into the hands of the kidnappers. Five conductors reported the incident, which the raiders later released.

It turned out that the attack took place at night. 25 people in the form of soldiers of the Eritrean army fired at the jeeps of travelers, and then drove the captives on foot towards the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. By dawn they had covered at least 30 kilometers. Later, the abandoned cars were discovered by a search team, all the things of the British and their mobile phones were not touched. Later, a message came that the hostages had been seen in an Eritrean military camp. However, the Eritrean authorities categorically denied this information.

On March 4, an elite special forces unit of 60 people with full weapons was deployed from the UK to Djibouti. They were assisted by soldiers of the French Foreign Legion stationed in Djibouti. At the same time, an anti-crisis team was sent to Addis Ababa with the intention of entering into negotiations with the kidnappers. The English commandos were ready to start the operation at any time, but they decided to leave this method as a last resort.

On March 14, a message came that the European hostages had been released and taken to the British Embassy in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. The “special forces factor” worked. However, the fate of the captured Ethiopians at that time remained unknown.

These dramatic events make us take a closer look at the situation in Ethiopia. The long-term civil war in this country officially ended in May 1991, when guerrillas from the Tigris Popular Liberation Front (TPLF) captured the country's capital, Addis Ababa. The dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, who established a repressive regime in Ethiopia, fled. After his overthrow, the last government garrisons in Eritrea capitulated, besieged by local separatist rebels. Eritrea separated from Ethiopia, and the latter was on the verge of collapse, since the Tigrays (tigres) who captured its capital also fought for independence.

And multinational Ethiopia would turn into a new powerless Somalia, but the leaders of the TPLF, having acquired the whole country, changed their minds about separating. After all, the Tigre people make up only 5% of the total Ethiopian population. They began, on the contrary, to strengthen power. But first, they divided Ethiopia into eight provinces (states) strictly along ethnic lines: Oromo, Amhara, Tigre, Somalia, Afar, Gambela, Benishangul-Gumuz and the Regional State of the Southern Nations, Peoples and Nationalities (RSNUNN). Seven of them are named after the titular nationalities inhabiting them.

Almost every state has its own National Liberation Front, and sometimes more than one. Some fronts have up to 10 thousand fighters, but the number of operations carried out by them is calculated in units, as well as the number of government soldiers killed during partisan attacks. Such a sluggish civil war is explained by the mentality of the local peoples and a complex system of internal relations. Firstly, most of the tribes are primordially peaceful and do not really want to conflict. Secondly, they lead an archaic way of life and do not feel power until it touches them. Thirdly, the complex system of relations between clans and clans does not contribute to the unification of the people in the struggle for independence. As a rule, if one clan opposes the government, then the neighboring clan becomes pro-government on principle. Fourthly, if an attack is made on military personnel and there are victims, then the nearest villages are burned by punishers and peace sets in for several years in the region.

Once in power, the tiger had to build bridges with other peoples, primarily with the Amhars. The Amhars are the most warlike of the Ethiopians, it was they who, led by the Negus Haile Selassie, gathered the country and did not let it disintegrate for more than a century, fighting the Italian colonialists and the Somali aggressors. The Amhars have the highest percentage of educated people, especially those with military education. They again occupy many key positions in the country, so the Amharic "liberation fronts" do not have serious support among the masses.

The rebels of Afar deliver the most trouble to the authorities. This people, inhabiting the deserts of the north-east of the country, was divided between Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea. He is now fighting not only for self-determination, but also for the unification of his territories. The paradox of the situation is that the Afar tribes, who previously fought together with the Eritrean rebels, now went over to the side of Ethiopia. But their fellow tribesmen from other clans, on the contrary, advocate the entry of Afar into Eritrea. However, the constant unbearable heat and the lack of water of the salty desert do little to contribute to hostilities.

In recent years, the so-called "Islamic Arab factor" has sharply increased in Ethiopia. There is a rapid Islamization of the country. Now, according to the authorities, 45% of the population professes Islam, 40% are Christians of three denominations: Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants. The rest are Jews and followers of traditional African religions. Ethiopia is surrounded on all sides by Muslim states, and huge money is being poured into the country from Arab countries for the construction of mosques and the maintenance of Islamic schools.

Many Ethiopians become Muslims and learn Arabic in order to go into labor exile. About 100,000 Ethiopians work in Saudi Arabia alone. And although Islam in Ethiopia often takes bizarre forms, connecting with local deities and acquiring unorthodox rituals, it is turning into a new factor in uniting the country on a religious basis. True, not all. And this means that Islam is at the same time a factor of separation from the Christian minority. It should also be taken into account that in Ethiopia Islam is of the Sunni persuasion, and the omnipresent Al-Qaeda, which has already taken root in neighboring Somalia, also belongs to it.

World experience shows that territorial disputes and inter-tribal quarrels intensify with inter-confessional differences. They are given impetus by the emergence of a national intelligentsia and the bourgeoisie, which are becoming a unifying force and need greater independence. In addition, reserves of natural gas and oil have been discovered in some states of Ethiopia. And in our era, as you know, this is a fairly weighty reason for the "struggle for freedom." Oil-producing Eritrea, which has access to the sea, received significant support from abroad and finally achieved the right to an independent existence. Oil revenues allow it not only to buy weapons and maintain an army, but also to help other fighters against Addis Ababa.

We can safely say that Ethiopia has every chance of becoming a new significant hot spot on the planet.

It seems that today wars are a thing of the past: even recent studies show that in the third millennium, significantly fewer people die during armed clashes. However, in many regions, the unstable situation remains, and now and then hot spots continue to appear on the map. Apparat has selected ten of the most significant armed conflicts and military crises that threaten the world right now.

Zones of military tension are marked in red on the maps

Iraq

Members
Government troops, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), scattered Sunni groups, the autonomy of Iraqi Kurdistan.

The essence of the conflict
The terrorist organization ISIS wants to build a caliphate - an Islamic theocratic state - on part of the territories of Iraq and Syria, and so far the authorities have not been able to successfully resist the militants. The Iraqi Kurds took advantage of the ISIS offensive - they freely captured several large oil-producing regions and are going to secede from Iraq.

Current situation
The ISIS caliphate is already stretching from the Syrian city of Aleppo to the border areas of Baghdad. So far, government forces have managed to recapture only a few large cities - Tikrit and Uja. The autonomy of Iraqi Kurdistan has freely taken control of several large oil-producing regions and is going to hold a referendum on independence in the near future.

Gaza Strip

Members
Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Fatah, the civilian population of the Gaza Strip.

The essence of the conflict
Israel has launched Operation Protective Wall to destroy the infrastructure of the terrorist movement Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza region. The immediate cause was the increased rocket attacks on Israeli territories and the kidnapping of three Jewish teenagers.

Current situation
On July 17, the ground phase of the operation began after Hamas militants violated a five-hour truce to organize humanitarian corridors. According to the UN, by the time the temporary truce was concluded, there were already more than 200 dead among the civilian population. The Palestinian President's Fatah Party has already stated that their people "will repulse Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip."

Syria

Members
Syrian Armed Forces, National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, Syrian Kurdistan, Al-Qaeda, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Islamic Front, Ahrar al-Sham, Al-Nusra Front and others.

The essence of the conflict
The war in Syria began after a harsh crackdown on anti-government demonstrations that began in the region in the wake of the Arab Spring. The armed confrontation between the army of Bashar al-Assad and the moderate opposition has escalated into a civil war that has affected the entire country - now in Syria, about 1,500 different rebel groups with a total number of 75 to 115 thousand people have joined the conflict. The most powerful armed formations are radical Islamists.

Current situation
Today, most of the country is controlled by the Syrian army, but the northern regions of Syria have been captured by ISIS. Assad's forces are attacking moderate opposition forces in Aleppo, near Damascus, the confrontation between terrorists from ISIS and militants of the Islamic Front has intensified, and in the north of the country the Kurds also oppose ISIS.

Ukraine

Members
The Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, the militia of the Donetsk People's Republic, the militia of the Luhansk People's Republic, the "Russian Orthodox Army", Russian volunteers and others.

The essence of the conflict
After the annexation of Crimea to Russia and the change of power in Kyiv in the South-East of Ukraine in April of this year, the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics were proclaimed pro-Russian armed groups. The Ukrainian government and the newly elected President Poroshenko launched a military operation against the separatists.

Current situation
On July 17, a Malaysian airliner crashed over the territories controlled by the separatists. Kyiv called the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic fighters responsible for the deaths of 298 people - the Ukrainian authorities are convinced that the separatists have air defense systems that the Russian side handed over to them. The DNR denied any involvement in the plane crash. Representatives of the OSCE are currently working at the crash site. However, the separatists have shot down planes before, though not at such a height and with the help of man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems. To date, the armed forces of Ukraine have managed to recapture part of the territories from the separatists, in particular the city of Slavyansk.

Nigeria

Members
Government troops, Boko Haram.

The essence of the conflict
Since 2002, the sect of radical Islamists Boko Haram has been operating in Nigeria, which advocates the introduction of sharia law throughout the country, while only part of the state is inhabited by Muslims. Over the past five years, Boko Haram adherents have armed themselves and now regularly carry out terrorist attacks, kidnappings and mass executions. The victims of terrorists are Christians and secular Muslims. The country's leadership failed negotiations with Boko Haram and is not yet able to suppress the group, which already controls entire regions.

Current situation
Some Nigerian states have been in a state of emergency for a year now. On July 17, the President of Nigeria asked for financial assistance from the international community: the country's army has too outdated and small weapons to fight terrorists. Since April this year, Boko Haram has been holding hostage over 250 schoolgirls who have been kidnapped for ransom or sale into slavery.

South Sudan

Members
Dinka tribal union, Nuer tribal union, UN peacekeeping force, Uganda.

The essence of the conflict
In the midst of a political crisis in December 2013, the president of South Sudan announced that his former associate and vice president had attempted to stage a military coup in the country. Mass arrests and riots began, which later escalated into violent armed clashes between two tribal unions: the country's president belongs to the Nuer, who dominate politics and population, and the disgraced vice president and his supporters belong to the Dinka, the second largest nationality of the state.

Current situation
The rebels control the main oil-producing areas - the basis of the economy of South Sudan. The UN sent a peacekeeping contingent to the epicenter of the conflict to protect the civilian population: more than 10 thousand people were killed in the country, and 700 thousand became forced refugees. In May, the warring parties began negotiations for a truce, but the former vice president and head of the rebels admitted that he could not fully control the rebels. The settlement of the conflict is hampered by the presence in the country of the troops of neighboring Uganda, who are on the side of the government forces of South Sudan.

Mexico

Members
More than 10 drug cartels, government troops, police, self-defense units.

The essence of the conflict
For several decades, there was a feud between drug cartels in Mexico, but the corrupt government tried not to interfere in the struggle of groups for drug trafficking. The situation changed when, in 2006, newly elected President Felipe Calderon sent regular army troops to one of the states to restore order there.
The confrontation escalated into a war of the combined forces of the police and the army against dozens of drug cartels across the country.

Current situation
During the years of conflict, drug cartels in Mexico have turned into real corporations - now they control and divide among themselves the market for sex services, counterfeit goods, weapons, and software. In the government and the media, the big cartels have their own lobbyists and agents who work on public opinion. The war of the cartels specifically for drug trafficking has become secondary, now they are fighting among themselves for control over communications: major highways, ports, border towns. Government forces are losing this war primarily due to widespread corruption and the massive defection of the armed forces to the side of the drug cartels. In some particularly crime-prone regions, the population has formed a militia because they do not trust the local police.

central Asia

Members
Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan.

The essence of the conflict
The tense situation in the region is supported by Afghanistan, which has been unstable for decades, on the one hand, and Uzbekistan, which has entered into territorial disputes, on the other. The main drug traffic in the Eastern Hemisphere also passes through these countries - a powerful source of regular armed clashes between criminal groups.

Current situation
After the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the presidential elections in the country, another crisis erupted. The Taliban launched a large-scale offensive against Kabul, while the participants in the election race refused to recognize the results of the presidential election.
In January of this year, an armed conflict between the border services began on the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - each side is sure that the border of the other was violated. Until now, there is no agreement between the countries on a clear demarcation of borders. Uzbekistan also presented its territorial claims to neighboring Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - the country's authorities are not satisfied with the borders that were formed as a result of the collapse of the USSR. A few weeks ago, the next stage of negotiations began to resolve the conflict, which from 2012 can at any moment develop into an armed one.

China and countries of the region

Members
China, Vietnam, Japan, Philippines.

The essence of the conflict
After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, the situation in the region escalated again - China again started talking about territorial claims against Vietnam. The disputes concern the small but strategically important Paracel Islands and the Spratly archipelago. The conflict is exacerbated by the militarization of Japan. Tokyo decided to revise its peace constitution, begin militarization and increase its military presence in the Senkaku archipelago, which is also claimed by the PRC.

Current situation
China has completed the development of oil fields near the disputed islands, which caused protests from Vietnam. The Philippines sent its military to support Vietnam and carried out an action that angered Beijing - the troops of the two countries played football in the Spratly archipelago. There are still Chinese warships a short distance from the Paracel Islands. Among other things, Hanoi claims that the Chinese have already deliberately sunk one Vietnamese fishing boat and damaged 24 others. However, at the same time, China and the Philippines are opposed to Japan's course towards militarization.

Sahel region

Members
France, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Eritrea and other neighboring countries.

The essence of the conflict
In 2012, the Sahel region experienced its biggest humanitarian crisis, with the negative impact of the crisis in Mali coinciding with acute food shortages. During the civil war, most of the Tuareg from Libya emigrated to northern Mali. There they proclaimed the independent state of Azawad. In 2013, the military of Mali accused the president of being unable to cope with the separatists and staged a military coup. At the same time, France sent its troops to the territory of Mali to fight the Tuareg and radical Islamists who joined them from neighboring countries. The Sahel is home to the African continent's largest markets for arms, slaves, drugs, and the main havens for dozens of terrorist organizations.

Current situation
The UN estimates that more than 11 million people in the Sahel region are currently suffering from hunger. And in the near future this number may increase to 18 million. In Mali, clashes between government troops and the French army against Tuareg partisans and radical Islamists continue, despite the fall of the self-proclaimed state of Azawad. And this only exacerbates the unstable situation and the humanitarian crisis in the region - in 2014, the presence of terrorist groups increased in almost all countries of the Sahel.

A photographic chronicle of human suffering that never goes away

Photographers, photo correspondents - whether they like it or not, chroniclers of our difficult time, which sometimes slips the most intricate, unpredictable and emotionally rich stories. Yes, “hot spots” pay better, yes, photos of “meat”, ruins and conflagrations bring almost instant fame. But what mark they leave in the soul, closed by professional cynicism and the standards of the profession for a hundred bolts, no one can say for sure. This trace, like conscience, makes itself felt at night. Or in painful delirium at a high temperature from a banal cold ...

The terrible past breaks into consciousness and leaves a parched desert there. And then comes the fear. It’s probably impossible to forget it when they explain to you that you didn’t rise high above the parapet during the truce in vain and that these sounds of “fuit-fuit”, similar to the test voice of young chicks with weak ligaments, are the sounds of bullets in the foliage. Issued, by the way, and for you. There, in the opposite trench or on the opposing barricade, it is not very noticeable that you are a journalist and that you are at work, and not at war ...

Recently, such a “joy” can be experienced on oneself not somewhere in the exotic countries of Africa, Asia or Latin America. The war came to our former home called the USSR, which was so proud of its international peace and harmony.

And it is not in vain that the selection "Hot spots of the planet" begins with South Ossetia. And along with ecozot countries, you can shoot a "horror movie" in Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan. So, the continuation of the annals of the war - as one of the forms of human life. Alas...

17. South Ossetia.South Ossetia is an out-of-control Georgian province located on the border with Russia. In 1988, the South Ossetian Popular Front (Adamon Nykhas) was formed, which fought for secession from Georgia and unification with Russia. Since then, the military confrontation has become constant. The largest clashes were noted in 1991, 1992 and 2004. And the most recent happened in 2008, when Russia supported South Ossetian troops. Today, South Ossetia is believed to be under Russian control, but tensions remain high. Pictured are Russian troops climbing mountains on their way to the South Ossetian conflict, August 9, 2008.

18. Nepal.Even though a 2006 peace deal ended a 10-year civil war between the Maoists and the central government, Nepal is trying to maintain a semblance of stability even as the two ruling parties are endlessly at odds. The last outbreak of clashes was observed in Kathmandu in May 2009. Then the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Prachanda resigned after President Ram Baran Yadav criticized the Prime Minister's decision to fire General Rukmagad Katawala. Pictured is a Nepalese student activist supporting the Nepalese congress protest against Katawala's dismissal on May 3, 2009.

19. Central African Republic. In 2004, after a decade of instability, civil war broke out in the country. The rebels, calling themselves the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity, were the first to oppose the government of President François Bozize, who came to power after a coup in 2003. Although the conflict officially ended with a peace agreement on April 13, 2007, sporadic incidents of violence still continue. Since 2007, the European Union has maintained a contingent of peacekeepers dedicated to protecting civilians and assisting the government. Pictured, French representative Michael Sampik speaks with Abdel Karim Yacoub, village chief in Dahel, Central African Republic, February 12, 2009.

20. Burma.The Karen, an ethnic minority, have been fighting the Burmese government since 1949 to recognize the autonomous district of Kawthoolei, located on the border with Thailand. This confrontation is considered one of the most protracted internal conflicts in the world. In June 2009, Burmese troops launched an offensive against the Karen rebels on the border between Thailand and Burma. They managed to destroy 7 rebel camps and drive the remaining 4,000 militants deep into the jungle. Pictured is a Karen National Unity soldier armed with a machine gun during the celebration of the 57th anniversary of the confrontation on January 31, 2006.

21. Colombia.Since 1964, Colombia has been in a state of protracted low-intensity civil strife. Both the country's authorities and paramilitary organizations, drug syndicates and guerrillas, such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the National Liberation Army, are drawn into this enmity. During the conflict, hostage-taking, drug smuggling, terrorist attacks on civilians have become a familiar part of Colombian life. The picture shows a Colombian drug enforcement officer holding one of the 757 packages of dynamite that were found in Medellin on November 3, 2009 in one of the caches of weapons and ammunition.

22. Peru.Since 1980, the Peruvian government has been trying to destroy the Maoist guerrilla organization Bright Path. The partisans seek to overthrow, in their opinion, the "bourgeois" government in Lima and establish a "dictatorship of the proletariat." Despite the fact that the Bright Path was quite active in the 1980s, the arrest of the leader of the group, Abimael Guzmán, by the government in 1992, dealt a tangible blow to their activities. But after a ten-year lull, Bright Path marked its return with a bombing outside the US embassy in Lima in March 2002, just days after US President George W. Bush's visit. Pictured here, Peruvian Interior Minister Luis Alva Castro closely inspects the condition of weapons and uniforms seized following a clash between police and Bright Path militants in Tingo Maria on November 27, 2007.

23. Northern Ireland. In 1969, a secret militias of Sinn Fein (Ireland's oldest party, founded in 1905), called the Provisional Irish Republican Army, began a violent operation to drive British troops out of Northern Ireland, who hoped to unite with the rest of Ireland. The conflict escalated in 1972 when Westminster declared direct rule over Ulster. More than 3,500 people were killed between 1969 and 1998, a period that came to be known as the "troubles" and culminated in the 1998 "Good Friday" political settlement agreement in Northern Ireland. Rare echoes of political unrest can still be heard, as evidenced by the burnt-out car pictured in March 2009.

24. Darfur, Sudan.Thanks to American attempts to prevent war, which many believe led to genocide, the conflict in Darfur is becoming one of the most famous in the world. The reasons for the clashes are geographical in nature: Sudan's power and resources are located in their northern capital of Khartoum, while other regions are considered not so important. In the early 2000s, rebels in western Darfur opposed this disparity. Darfur responded powerfully by arming the nomadic Arab Janjaweed militias who pillaged and destroyed everything on the way to Darfur, killing an estimated 300,000 Darfurians. Now the situation has returned to normal, and UN peacekeepers have deployed their contingent there. But so far, more than 400,000 Sudanese refugees remain in refugee camps outside their state. The other 1.2 million dispersed throughout Sudan. Pictured are Sudanese refugees and peacekeepers in Chad on March 12, 2009.

25. South Sudan.Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir has the dubious record of being the only sitting leader in the world to be charged with a war crime on March 4, 2009. The Court refers to the crimes committed in Darfur. But Darfur is not Bashir's only headache. South Sudan, now an autonomous region rich in oil, fought Khartoum for two decades before a peace agreement was signed in 2005 to hold a referendum in 2006 on South Sudan's total withdrawal from the country. The elections forced both sides to rearm, and the outbreak of violence in the south destroyed all chances for South Sudan. Pictured are associates greeting al-Bashir on March 18, 2009. It is still popular in the north.

26. Mexico.Although Mexico is now a middle-class developing nation, it has long struggled with drug smuggling and violence. The spike in drug-related deaths has left many observers worried about the future of this country. The number of drug-related deaths has risen to 10,000 since January 2007, more than the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite attempts by Mexican President Felipe Calderon to crack down on drug dealers, frontier towns such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, serving as major drug routes, have become hotbeds of violence. Pictured is one of the Ciudad Juarez drug distribution centers, where 18 people were killed and 5 injured in a clash of drug traffickers, August 2, 2009.

27. Indonesia.The two easternmost provinces of Indonesia, Papua and West Papua, have been fighting an insurgency to secede from the state since the early 1960s. In 1961, with the support of the United States, an agreement was signed that the Netherlands ceded the provinces to Indonesia, but this happened without the consent of the provinces themselves. Today, a low-intensity conflict continues between rebels armed with bows and arrows and Indonesian troops. Papua Free Movement leader Kelly Kwalia was killed last year during a shootout with Indonesian military forces. The picture shows members of the Free Movement of Papua talking to the press on July 21, 2009, denying allegations that they were involved in attacks on the mines in 2002.

28. Iraq.On December 13, 2003, after 9 months of the American invasion of Iraq, soldiers captured the ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in a manor near Tikrit during Operation Red Dawn. This success was preceded by three years of civil war and chaos, during which American troops were brutally attacked by Iraqi insurgents. Although the US managed to turn the tide of the war in 2007, Iraq continued to suffer from violence and political instability. Pictured is one of the 50,000 American soldiers who remained in control of the situation in Iraq on October 25, 2009.

29. Yemen.Since June 2004, the Yemeni government has been in conflict with the Shia resistance Houthis, named after the deceased leader Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi. Some analysts see this war as a veiled war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi Arabia, the center of Sunni power in the region, is clashing with the Yemeni government and even launching air strikes and attacks on border areas, while Iran, the center of Shiite power, supports the rebels. Although the Yemeni government and Houthis signed a ceasefire agreement in February 2010, it is still too early to tell if the agreement will be honored. A picture shows a group of rebels "Houthis" passing through the Malahidh region in Yemen, near the border with Saudi Arabia, on February 17, 2010.

30. Uzbekistan.Uzbekistan has been in a long conflict with the Islamists, who were trying to strengthen the Muslim population. In particular, the instability of the Uzbek authorities convinced the terrorists that they would be able to establish contact with the authorities. More recently, in 2005, members of the Uzbek Ministry of Internal Affairs and security services opened fire on a crowd of Muslim protesters in Andijan. The number of those killed ranged from 187 people (according to official figures) to 1,500 (this figure appears in the report of a former Uzbek intelligence officer). The picture shows the Uzbek embassy in London on May 17, 2005, painted in red paint - the consequences of the massacre in Andijan.

31. Uganda.Over the past 22 years, fanatical guerrilla Joseph Kony has led the Lord's Resistance Army through the north of the country into the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan. At first, the movement sought to overthrow the regime of the government of Uganda and establish a Christian theocracy. Nowadays, it has descended to robbery and looting. The rebels are known for making children into slaves and warriors; the rebel army now numbers 3,000. Ceasefire between Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army in 2006-2008. was discussed in Juba, Sudan, but all hopes for peaceful coexistence were dashed after Koni broke the agreement in April 2008. A picture shows a woman and her children in front of their destroyed hut in Uganda on September 24, 2007.

32. Thailand.The Thai government has long been at odds with the country's Muslim population, most of whom live in the southern province of Pattani. Tensions peaked in 2004 when Islamists rioted in Pattani, sparking a full-blown separatist uprising. Bangkok demanded to immediately stabilize the situation in the troubled region. Meanwhile, the death toll continued to rise, with over 3,000 civilians killed as of March 2008. A picture shows Thai soldiers examining the body of an alleged insurgent who was killed in a gunfight on February 15, 2010.

33. Ogaden, Ethiopia. The Ogaden Liberation Front is a group of ethnic Somalis from Ethiopia who have fought for the independence of Ogaden since 1984. This independence, in their opinion, should inevitably lead to unification with Somalia. Failing to achieve such a result, Ethiopia took harsh measures against the Ogaden. Some believe that Somalia's 2006 invasion was a pre-emptive maneuver to convince the Somali Islamist government not to start a war over Somalia with even greater tenacity. Pictured here is a boy tending cattle in a rural nomadic area on January 17, 2008.

Vladimir SKACHKO (based on the site "News in Photos")

From the bloody civil war in Africa to the unrest in Southeast Asia, there are currently 33 hotspots in the world where the local population suffers the most.

(Total 33 photos)

The situation in Eastern Congo has been rather unstable since the Hutu (Interahamwe) militia groups declared war on the country's ethnic minority, the Tutsi people. Since 1994 this has been . Since then, the region has become home to a huge number of rebels, as a result of which more than a million Congolese were forced to flee the country, and several million were killed. In 2003, the leader of the Tutsi rebellion, Laurent Nkunda, continued the fight with the Hutu (Interahamwe) and created the "National People's Defense Congress". In January 2009, Nkunda was captured by Rwandan forces. But, even despite the loss of their leader, separate groups of Tutsi rebels are still rioting. In the picture, family members carry the body of their relative for burial. Rebel camp in Goma, January 19, 2009.

The conflicts in Kashmir have been going on since 1947, since Britain renounced its rights to India. As a result of the collapse, two countries were formed: Pakistan and India. The conflict is connected with the division of the disputed territories, and skirmishes still occur quite often on the border of these states, as well as in Kashmir itself, which belongs to India. For example, the unrest that erupted after the death of two unarmed Muslim teenagers. Pictured are Kashmiri Muslims throwing cans of tear gas, as well as rocks and lighters, back at police officers. It was this tear gas that was used to disperse a crowd of protesters in Srinagar on February 5, 2010.

A Uyghur woman peers through security fences as Chinese soldiers watch the city of Urumqi, Xinjiang province, July 9, 2009. The northwestern autonomous region is home to 13 ethnic groups - the largest of which, 45% of the population, are Uyghurs. Despite the fact that the region is considered autonomous, some representatives of the Uighurs have been demanding recognition of full independence since the mid-1990s. China's attempts to unite with this area only cause inter-ethnic tensions, coupled with religious repression and economic inequality, and all this only worsens the situation. When another one broke out, the authorities immediately reacted. As a result, 150 people died.

Protesting the results in 2009, millions of Iranians took to the streets in support of opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi. In their opinion, it was he who should have won the election, but the results were falsified. This uprising has been given the name "Green Revolution" and is considered to be one of the most significant events in Iranian politics since 1979. "Color revolutions" took place in other countries: Georgia, Ukraine and Serbia. The Iranian regime has never stopped using weapons to disperse protesters. In the picture, one of the rebels covers his face with his hand, which shows a symbolic green bandage, on December 27, 2009, after clashing with forces of the Basij volunteer militia, reinforced by internal security fighters who joined them.

For the fifth year now, a civil war has been going on here, anti-government uprisings are supported by neighboring Sudan. Chad has become a good refuge not only for thousands of refugees from Darfur, but also for those. Who fled from the neighboring republics of Central Africa. Pictured are Chadian soldiers resting after the Battle of Am Dam that lasted 2 days in May 2009. As a result, Chadian troops managed to prevent the capture of the capital N'Djamena and the overthrow of power.

Over the past 5 years, fighting in eastern Chad and neighboring Darfur has forced more than 400,000 people to flee to the deserts of Chad and set up refugee camps there. The rebels of the two countries alternately express dissatisfaction with each other. And civilians are caught in the crossfire, tired of senseless violence, scorched earth tactics and ethnic cleansing. Pictured, Sudanese women carry firewood at a refugee camp in Chad on June 26, 2008.

More than half a century after the end of the Korean War, relations between and remain tense. So far, no peace agreement has been signed between the two countries, and the US is leaving 20,000 of its troops in the south of the country. When it will be signed and whether it will be signed at all, these questions and answers are still open. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who succeeded his father Kim Il Sung in 1994, continues to develop Pyongyang's nuclear program, despite the fact that the United States repeatedly tried to reduce it during negotiations. first tested a nuclear device in 2006, the second attempt occurred in May 2009. A picture shows a North Korean army soldier standing in front of a South Korean army soldier on the border that divides the territory into two Koreas on February 19, 2009.

Pakistan's North West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas are two of the world's most tense hotspots. Along the Afghan border, these two regions have seen some of the most intense fighting between Islamists and Pakistani forces since 2001. It is believed that this is where the leaders of al-Qaeda are hiding. American planes are constantly patrolling the skies over these territories in search of terrorists and leaders of the Taliban movement. The picture shows a Pakistani soldier in front of a burnt-out oil tanker that was burnt down by insurgents on February 1, 2010.

While the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan worries the entire world community, Pakistan remains a key country in the American fight against terrorism. Under increased pressure from the US, Islamabad has more recently stepped up efforts to remove the Taliban from the borders. While Pakistani troops are celebrating some success in the fight against the Taliban, there is some instability among the civilian population. Pictured June 21, 2009, Pakistani refugees at Shah Mansoor Camp, Swabi, Pakistan.

This country, located in southeast Africa, has existed since the 1990s without a central government, and has not had a peaceful existence for as long. After the overthrow of the country's leader Mohamed Siad Barre in January 1992, the rebels split into several opposing groups led by various dictators. The United States intervened in 1992 with Operation Restore Hope, but withdrew troops from the country in 1994, months after the Black Hawk Down incident. The government of the Organization of Islamic Courts managed to somewhat stabilize the situation in 2006, but this rule did not last long. Fearing the spread of Islamism, the Transitional Federal Government was established in 2007. Now most of the country is under the control of the rebels, while the Transitional Federal Government and President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the former leader of the Organization of Islamic Courts, control only a few territories. Since 1991, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed and more than 1.5 million have become refugees. A picture shows a Somali woman cooking at a refugee camp near Mogadishu on November 19, 2007.

Although Mexico is now a middle-class developing nation, it has long struggled with drug smuggling and violence. The spike in drug-related deaths has left many observers worried about the future of this country. The number of people whose deaths have been drug-related has reached 10,000 since January 2007, more than the number of American soldiers. Killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite attempts by Mexican President Felipe Calderon to crack down on drug dealers, frontier towns such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, serving as major drug routes, have become hotbeds of violence. Pictured is one of the drug distribution centers of Ciudad Juarez, where 18 people were killed and 5 injured in a clash of drug traffickers, August 2, 2009.

Indonesia's two easternmost provinces, Papua and West Papua, have been fighting an insurgency to secede from the state since the early 1960s. In 1961, with the support of the United States, an agreement was signed that the Netherlands ceded the provinces to Indonesia, but this happened without the consent of the provinces themselves. Today, a low-intensity conflict continues between rebels armed with bows and arrows and Indonesian troops. Papua Free Movement leader Kelly Kwalia was killed last year during a shootout with Indonesian military forces. In the picture, members of the Free Movement of Papua speak to the press on July 21, 2009, denying allegations that they were involved in attacks on the mines in 2002.

On December 13, 2003, after 9 months of the American invasion of Iraq, soldiers captured the ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein at a manor near Tikrit during Operation Red Dawn. This success was preceded by three years of civil war and chaos, during which American troops were brutally attacked by Iraqi insurgents. Although the US managed to turn the tide of the war in 2007, Iraq continued to suffer from violence and political instability. Pictured is one of the 50,000 American soldiers who remained in control of the situation in Iraq on October 25, 2009.

Since June 2004, the Yemeni government has been in conflict with the Shia resistance Houthis, named after the deceased leader Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi. Some analysts see this war as a veiled war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi Arabia, the center of Sunni power in the region, is clashing with the Yemeni government and even launching air strikes and attacks on border areas, while Iran, the center of Shiite power, supports the rebels. Although the Yemeni government and Houthis signed a ceasefire agreement in February 2010, it is still too early to say whether the agreement will be honored. A picture shows a group of Houthis rebels passing through the Malahidh region of Yemen, near the border with Saudi Arabia, February 17, 2010.

Uzbekistan has been in a long conflict with the Islamists, who were trying to strengthen the Muslim population. In particular, the instability of the Uzbek authorities convinced the terrorists that they would be able to establish contact with the authorities. More recently, in 2005, members of the Uzbek Ministry of Internal Affairs and security forces opened fire on a crowd of Muslim protesters in Andijan. The number of people killed ranged from 187 people (according to official figures) to 1,500 (this figure appears in the report of a former Uzbek intelligence officer). Pictured is the Uzbek embassy in London, May 17, 2005, painted in red paint, depicting the aftermath of the Andijan massacre.

Over the past 22 years, fanatical guerrilla Joseph Kony has led the Lord's Resistance Army through the north of the country into the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan. At first, the movement sought to overthrow the regime of the government of Uganda and establish a Christian theocracy. Nowadays, it has descended to robbery and looting. The rebels are known for making children into slaves and warriors; the rebel army now numbers 3,000. Ceasefire between Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army in 2006-2008. was discussed in Juba, Sudan, but all hopes for peaceful coexistence were dashed after Koni broke the agreement in April 2008. Pictured is a woman and her children in front of their destroyed hut in Uganda on September 24, 2007.

The Thai government has long been in a strained relationship with the Muslim population of the country, most of whom lived in the southern province of Pattani. Tensions peaked in 2004 when Islamists rioted in Pattani, sparking a full-blown separatist uprising. Bangkok demanded to immediately stabilize the situation in the troubled region. Meanwhile, the death toll continued to rise: as of March 2008, more than 3,000 civilians had been killed. A picture shows Thai soldiers examining the body of an alleged insurgent who was killed in a gunfight on February 15, 2010.

The Ogaden Liberation Front is a group of ethnic Somalis from Ethiopia who have fought for the independence of Ogaden since 1984. This independence, in their opinion, should inevitably lead to unification with Somalia. Failing to achieve such a result, Ethiopia took harsh measures against the Ogaden. Some believe that Somalia's 2006 invasion was a pre-emptive maneuver to convince the Somali Islamist government not to start a war over Somalia with even greater tenacity. Pictured is a boy tending cattle in a rural nomadic area on January 17, 2008.

The year 2009, with its global financial and economic crisis, not only did not moderate the ardor of rebels and separatists of all stripes, but also outlined new hotbeds of armed confrontations on the world map. This review will focus on both protracted internal political conflicts, during which the parties have long abandoned diplomacy and switched to a showdown by force, and on one-off bursts of tension that occurred in the past year. If we add to this list such "foreign policy" actions as the January operation of the IDF in the Gaza Strip or the actions of the US army and its allies in Iraq and Afghanistan, then we have to state that 2009 did not bring peace to the world.

Civil war forever

Somalia

To introduce Sharia norms in order to stop the spread of radical Islam is, perhaps, not a single country suffering from militants that has ever taken such a non-trivial step. In Somalia this year it turned out: it does not help.

In January 2009, fighting took place in Mogadishu between government forces and the Islamic Courts Union radical group, as a result of which a moderate bloc broke away from the ICU. On January 31, its leader Sharif Ahmed became president of the country, heading a transitional government. Radical Islamists claim that their former comrade-in-arms Ahmed sold out to the United States, and al-Qaeda is jihad to the new authorities. Compromise has become an African hell.

Since then, the situation in Somalia has not changed much from what is happening, for example, in Pakistan. Terrorist attacks periodically take place in the country with a large number of victims, and the country's leadership also does not feel safe. In 2009, in particular, four ministers were blown up.

In April, the government tried to lure away some of the Islamists' supporters by taking the unusual step of introducing Sharia law, which the Islamists had been seeking for years. However, the decision, which included forced curtsies to the West in the form of non-application of the most radical norms of Islamic law, only fueled the ardor of the radicals. As a result, in June 2009, a state of emergency was declared in the country.

As a result, tension is growing not only in Somalia itself, but throughout East Africa. The African Union demands from the UN to declare a blockade of Somalia, and neighboring countries are paying more attention to the preparation of their armies: it is known that terrorists are seeking the creation of Greater Somalia, for which they plan to seize part of the territory of Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Active hostilities continued throughout 2009 in the Congolese provinces of North and South Kivu.

These two small provinces contain 30 percent of the world's diamond reserves, more than half of the world's cobalt, an impressive amount of gold, oil and uranium. To top it off, the Kivus contain three-quarters of the world's reserves of columbite-tantalite, or "coltan," a heat-resistant mineral from which tantalum is extracted, an essential component of computer chips and printed circuit boards needed for mobile phones, laptop computers and other modern electronic devices.

The civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been affecting civilians with little interruption since 1998.

In February 2009, the UN for the first time gathered 3,000 peacekeepers, who, according to the organization's plan, were to strengthen the 17,000th contingent of blue helmets in the Congo. Of the 192 UN member states, only two, Bangladesh and Belgium, responded to the call of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Belgium is generally sympathetic to the Congo, once its largest colony. Belgium is also home to the largest multinational corporations processing coltan, which, in another April UN report, S/2001/357, were found responsible for plundering the wealth of the DRC.

During the suppression of a peaceful protest, 157 people were killed. In October, it became known that sanctions against Guinea were imposed by the EU, and the International Criminal Court in The Hague took up an investigation into the events in Conakry.

Nikolay Anishchenko