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Luis Miguel

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RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES?

2/17/2016 11:09:47 AM

Children at a displaced persons camp in Maiduguri, in northeast Nigeria, wave to a visitor on Feb. 4. Maiduguri has been among the cities worst affected by Boko Haram Islamists' deadly insurgency.

(Pius Utomi Ekpei / AFP/Getty Images)

By Robyn DixonContact Reporter

February 15, 2016 REPORTING FROM JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

The babies are called “bad blood.”

Before they can walk or talk, hostile eyes slide suspiciously over them. In the womb, even their mothers might suspect them.

They face a life being shunned, hated and rejected.

They are the children of the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram, the products of forced marriage, sexual slavery and rape. Their plight was detailed Tuesday in a report released by UNICEF and a British-based peace-building agency, International Alert.

“When I think of the baby that will come, it disturbs me a lot because I always ask myself this question, ‘Will the child also behave like [Boko Haram]?’” -- An October interview by the report's researchers with an unidentified woman freed after being abducted by Boko Haram. She wanted to terminate her pregnancy, but changed her mind after counseling in an internally displaced persons camp.

Boko Haram, which is fighting to establish an Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria, has beheaded people, burned schoolboys alive in dormitories and killed schoolteachers, among other atrocities. But the act that received the most attention was its 2014 kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in Borno state. A few escaped. The others were never recovered.

Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari, elected last year on a promise to defeat Boko Haram and end corruption, has vowed to free the abducted schoolgirls if possible. But he told their parents at a meeting last month that authorities had no credible intelligence as to where they are.

The extremist group has abducted at least 2,000 girls and women since 2012. Nigerian forces have freed hundreds of abducted women and girls in recent months as they have driven Boko Haram out of towns and villages in northeastern Nigeria.

The girls are interrogated and screened by Nigerian officials and eventually allowed to move into displaced persons camps or to return home.

But they are rarely welcomed, according to the UNICEF-International Alert report. Some were rejected by their husbands, or ejected by co-wives who persuaded their husbands to divorce them, according to the report.

“[Boko Haram] uses juju [witchcraft] to initiate members, so all women and children may have some of these traits in their blood.” -- An unidentified representative of Borno state government in an interview with researchers.

For much of 2014 and early 2015, Boko Haram controlled a vast swath of northeastern Nigeria. Boko Haram fighters with AK-47s would sweep into towns and villages on motorbikes, SUVs and even at times armored personnel carriers. They often pulled up at the local market square and opened fire, killing dozens or hundreds of people.

They would burn down local shops, according to survivors of attacks, killing terrified shop keepers hiding inside. They dragged people out of houses and killed them on the spot.

But Boko Haram rarely killed women, unless they were accused of being spies. Instead, the militants abducted them and took them to base camps in their stronghold in the Sambisa Forest near the Cameroon border. Some women disguised their sons as girls to escape death at the hands of Boko Haram.

According to the report, women and girls who escaped Boko Haram are dubbed "annoba," meaning "epidemic," by their communities, suggesting they can spread dangerous extremist ideas. They’re also stigmatized and feared as “Sambisa women,” “Boko Haram blood” and “Boko Haram wives."

Rumors abound of women returning from Boko Haram camps and killing their parents.

“Popular cultural beliefs about ‘bad blood’ and witchcraft, as well as the extent of the violence experienced by people at the hands of [Boko Haram], form the basis of this fear,” the report said.

“Victims’ husbands and fathers, whose views and feelings carry more weight in highly patriarchal societies such as the one in Borno, also have mixed feelings about their wives and daughters. These feelings range from complete rejection and fear to acceptance.”

“No, I will not accept her, I am afraid.” -- Interview with family members of women and girls abducted by Boko Haram. The report doesn’t specify the relationship of the person speaking.

One group of community leaders interviewed said that after a group of women who had escaped from Boko Haram moved into the area, community leaders set up a committee to spy on them. Women abducted and kept by Boko Haram in Gwoza -- which was the group’s headquarters, where it set up governing structures -- were regarded with deep suspicion, according to the report.

It said they would likely be attacked, even killed, were they to leave the displaced persons camps and attempt to return home.

“Should they attempt to return with the rest of their community to Gwoza, they may face grave danger,” the report said.

“The child of a snake is a snake,” goes a local saying. One community leader interviewed for the report called the babies of Boko Haram fighters “hyenas among dogs.”

The report concluded it was unlikely the children of Boko Haram fighters would ever gain acceptance.

“The lady would be accepted, but not her child because of the husband’s genes.” -- Interview with an unidentified government leader in Borno state.

“There is a belief that, like their fathers, the children will inevitably do what hyenas do and 'eat' the innocent dogs around them. In addition to the immediate risks to these children, it is likely that they will be stigmatized throughout their life, thus increasing their vulnerability to abuse and exploitation,” the report said.

The report called for government programs to sensitize communities to the suffering of Boko Haram’s victims and the children born of rape.

Community distrust of the women and girls has been deepened by Boko Haram’s recent practice of using them in suicide attacks. Last week, dozens of people were killed when two female suicide bombers blew themselves up in a displaced persons camp in Dikwa, 55 miles northeast of the Borno state capital, Maiduguri. A third woman was captured after deciding not to detonate her bomb because she didn’t want to kill her parents, who were in the camp, according to local officials cited in Nigerian media.

Local people interviewed by the researchers said that government screening of women before allowing them to move into camps wasn’t sufficient to ensure they didn’t harbor extremist ideas.

“An overwhelming majority among the displaced population remain deeply distrustful of the returnees even though they have been screened," the report says. "They believe that the women and girls will need to go through a more comprehensive rehabilitation process before returning to their village of origin, as many fear that their return to the environment from where they were abducted could re-traumatize and 'radicalize' them.”

Follow @RobynDixon_LAT on Twitter for news from Africa.

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 2/17/2016 2:10:14 PM
	Syria: How one strip of land could change everything By Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Updated 1907 GMT (0307 HKT) February 16, 2016 Beirut (CNN)The dusty roads of Azaz, just off the Turkish-Syrian border, used to be the sort of place you whizzed through on the way to rebel-held Aleppo. Now it is the scene of seismic changes to the war in Syria, which could decide the most complex and unresolved question of the conflict: who will fight for Syria's Sunni Arabs? Hospitals in Azaz were hit by a rocket strike Monday, but the area has also been the scene of fierce clashes. Contesting the town are two groups: Syrian Sunni rebels, many backed by Turkey, Gulf states and sometimes the U.S., are facing an advance from the Syrian Kurds known as the YPG, another group that receives U.S. support. Why this region matters: A rock and a hard place It will help if you look at a map: Essentially this fight is for the slim tranche of territory these relatively moderate Sunni rebels used to consider their stronghold and that used to be the vital supply route into Aleppo. In the past 10 days, all that has changed. The Assad regime has moved fiercely into the south of the area, cutting off the supply route to Aleppo. Then, in the past few days, the Syrian Kurds have moved east out of Afrin, the enclave north of Aleppo in which they had stayed peacefully for years, and taken territory quickly from moderate Syrian rebels. On Monday night a leader with the Syrian moderates told CNN that the Syrian Kurds had taken Tal Rifaat, a vital town to the south of Azaz. This means they only have to advance mere kilometers east before they reach the front lines with ISIS that the Syrian moderate rebels have fought to defend for months. As of Tuesday afternoon, reports were emerging the Syrian Kurds had struck a deal to enter the key town on that front line -- Marea -- without a fight. This leaves the U.S. as an awkward spectator to a fight between one group it has been supporting with limited success -- the Syrian moderate (Sunni Arabs) rebels -- and another group which has thrived with its assistance -- the Syrian Kurds. The U.S. will do what it can to pressure the Kurds to turn back, but it may be too late. One of the Syrian moderate rebels told CNN he believed the Syrian Kurds were getting arms from the Russian and regime forces to their south. The rebel, who has strong ties to the U.S., told CNN: "We have strong evidence that (they) are coordinating with the Russians, who have been providing a lot of support. We have already submitted this evidence to the Americans." The destruction of Kobani 02:19 He echoed what many observing the Kurdish advances have feared: that they are part of a land grab by the Kurds to bolster their ambitions for a state of their own. This idea terrifies NATO member Turkey, which sees the Kurds as the major threat to its state. The Kurdish move east brings them closer to their dream of uniting Afrin with the town of Kobani and creating a contiguous Kurdish state along Turkey's long southern border. "We will take part in the battle against them because they are trying to change the demographic of the land," the Syrian Sunni rebel told CNN. "It has been Arab land for thousands of years; they want to change it with Kurdish leadership. But they are dreaming. This will never happen." Yet such sentiments may already be too late: The advances are swift and the Syrian Kurds have historically been successful at holding territory. For their part, the supporters of the Syrian Kurds claim they are cleansing the area of radicals among the rebel ranks. Things are moving very fast -- and the changes may alter the course of U.S. policy in the war. On the front lines of the battle for Aleppo But why is this tiny patch of land, and the ramshackle moderate rebels who hold it, so important? It's because they are -- in the north of the country, at least -- all that remains of the moderate Sunni Arab forces the U.S. has long courted to attack ISIS and, possibly later, confront the Syrian regime. Their defeat could put an end to the international coalition's goal of finding a moderate Sunni force as a partner in the fight against ISIS and to represent the millions of Syrian Sunnis who began the rebellion against Assad. Granted, there are moderate forces in the south of Syria who have been getting Western aid, but they are mostly not fighting ISIS. And the pockets of moderates around the country that remain have been hit hard and are tricky for outside aid to reach. It has been in the north that the bulk of the US effort has focused. For this reason, the advances around Azaz have had greater impact. It's been the failure of moderate Sunni Arabs in Syria to find a cohesive political and military voice that has been behind the rise of ISIS. This is how we got here: Failure of moderates Back in 2012, when the revolution became a civil war, most of the fighting against al-Assad was done by moderate Sunni Syrians: schoolteachers or plumbers who had taken up arms and sought a better life. They were bombed relentlessly by the regime, yet persevered. In many ways, they were this long war's first and indisputable heroes: protecting themselves and infected by the dizzy and unattainable ambitions of the Arab Spring. 17 photos: Syrian refugees flee embattled city of Aleppo Refugee children sit on a car near the Turkish border crossing on February 6. Hide Caption 9 of 17 17 photos: Syrian refugees flee embattled city of Aleppo A refugee warms himself at a bonfire near the Turkish border on February 6. Hide Caption 10 of 17 17 photos: Syrian refugees flee embattled city of Aleppo Refugees brave the cold and rain as they arrive at the Turkish border on February 6. Hide Caption 11 of 17 17 photos: Syrian refugees flee embattled city of Aleppo A child tries to climb over a fence near the Turkish border as Syrians fleeing the northern city of Aleppo wait on February 6. Hide Caption 12 of 17 17 photos: Syrian refugees flee embattled city of Aleppo A young refugee carrying belongings arrives at the Turkish border on February 6. Hide Caption 13 of 17 17 photos: Syrian refugees flee embattled city of Aleppo Refugees arrive near the Turkish border as they flee the city of Aleppo on February 6. Hide Caption 14 of 17 17 photos: Syrian refugees flee embattled city of Aleppo A child carries his belongings as Syrian refugees arrive at the Turkish border on February 6. Hide Caption 15 of 17 17 photos: Syrian refugees flee embattled city of Aleppo A child sleeps as Syrians fleeing the northern embattled city of Aleppo wait near the Turkish border on February 5, 2016. Hide Caption 16 of 17 17 photos: Syrian refugees flee embattled city of Aleppo A Syrian teenager and a child look on near the Turkish border on February 5. Hide Caption 17 of 17 Syrian refugees await their fate near the Turkish border gate as they flee the northern embattled city of Aleppo on February 6, 2016. Read more
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 2/17/2016 3:59:19 PM
	SUSAN WALSH/AP Start Preparing for the Collapse of the Saudi Kingdom FEBRUARY 16, 2016 BY SARAH CHAYES ALEX DE WAAL Saudi Arabia is no state at all. It's an unstable business so corrupt to resemble a criminal organization and the U.S. should get ready for the day after. For half a century, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been the linchpin of U.S.Mideast policy. A guaranteed supply of oil has bought a guaranteed supply of security. Ignoring autocratic practices and the export of Wahhabi extremism, Washington stubbornly dubs its ally “moderate.” So tight is the trust thatU.S.special operators dip into Saudi petrodollars as a counterterrorism slush fundwithout a second thought. In a sea of chaos, goes the refrain, the kingdom is one state that’s stable. But is it? In fact, Saudi Arabia is no state at all. There are two ways to describe it: as a political enterprise with a clever but ultimately unsustainable business model, or so corrupt as to resemble in its functioning a vertically and horizontally integrated criminal organization. Either way, it can’t last. It’s past time U.S.decision-makers began planning for the collapse of the Saudi kingdom. In recent conversations with military and other government personnel, we were startled at how startled they seemed at this prospect. Here’s the analysis they should be working through. Understood one way, the Saudi king isCEO of a family business that converts oil into payoffs that buy political loyalty. They take two forms: cash handouts or commercial concessions for the increasingly numerous scions of the royal clan, and a modicum of public goods and employment opportunities for commoners. The coercive “stick” is supplied by brutal internal security services lavishly equipped with American equipment. The U.S. has long counted on the ruling family having bottomless coffers of cash with which to rent loyalty. Even accounting today’s low oil prices, and as Saudi officials step up arms purchases and military adventures in Yemen and elsewhere, Riyadh is hardly running out of funds. Still, expanded oil production in the face of such low prices — until the Feb. 16 announcement of a Saudi-Russian freeze at very high January levels — may reflect an urgent need for revenue as well as other strategic imperatives. Talk of a Saudi AramcoIPO similarly suggests a need for hard currency. A political market, moreover, functions according to demand as well as supply. What if the price of loyalty rises? It appears that is just what’s happening. King Salman had to spend lavishly to secure the allegiance of the notables who were pledged to the late King Abdullah. Here’s what played out in two other countries when this kind of inflation hit. In South Sudan, an insatiable elite not only diverted the newly minted country’s oil money to private pockets but also kept up their outsized demands when the money ran out, sparking a descent into chaos. The Somali government enjoys generous donor support, but is priced out of a very competitive political market by a host of other buyers — with ideological, security or criminal agendas of their own. Such comparisons may be offensive to Saudi leaders, but they are telling. If the loyalty price index keeps rising, the monarchy could face political insolvency. Looked at another way, the Saudi ruling elite is operating something like a sophisticated criminal enterprise, when populations everywhere are making insistent demands for government accountability. With its political and business elites interwoven in a monopolistic network, quantities of unaccountable cash leaving the country for private investments and lavish purchases abroad, and state functions bent to serve these objectives, Saudi Arabia might be compared to such kleptocracies as Viktor Yanukovich’s Ukraine. Increasingly, Saudi citizens are seeing themselves as just that: citizens, not subjects. In countries as diverse as Nigeria, Ukraine, Brazil, Moldova, and Malaysia, people are contesting criminalized government and impunity for public officials — sometimes violently. In more than half a dozen countries in 2015, populations took to the streets to protest corruption. In three of them, heads of state are either threatened or have had to resign. Elsewhere, the same grievances have contributed to the expansion of jihadi movements or criminal organizations posing as Robin Hoods. Russia and China’s external adventurism can at least partially be explained as an effort to re-channel their publics‘ dissatisfaction with the quality of governance. For the moment, it is largely Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority that is voicing political demands. But the highly educated Sunni majority, with unprecedented exposure to the outside world, is unlikely to stay satisfied forever with a few favors doled out by geriatric rulers impervious to their input. And then there are the “guest workers.” Saudi officials, like those in other Gulf states, seem to think they can exploit an infinite supply of indigents grateful to work at whatever conditions. But citizens are now heavily outnumbered in their own countries by laborers who may soon begin claiming rights. For decades, Riyadh has eased pressure by exporting its dissenters — like Osama bin Laden — fomenting extremism across the Muslim world. But that strategy can backfire: bin Laden’s critique of Saudi corruption has been taken up by others and resonates among many Arabs. And King Salman (who is 80, by the way) does not display the dexterity of his half-brother Abdullah. He’s reached for some of the familiar items in the autocrats’ toolbox: executing dissidents, embarking on foreign wars, and whipping up sectarian rivalries to discredit Saudi Shiite demands and boost nationalist fervor. Each of these has grave risks. There are a few ways things could go, as Salman’s brittle grip on power begins cracking. One is a factional struggle within the royal family, with the price of allegiance bid up beyond anyone’s ability to pay in cash. Another is foreign war. With Saudi Arabia and Iran already confronting each other by proxy in Yemen and Syria, escalation is too easy. U.S. decision-makers should bear that danger in mind as they keep pressing for regional solutions to regional problems. A third scenario is insurrection—either a non-violent uprising or a jihadi insurgency—a result all too predictable given episodes throughout the region in recent years. The U.S. keeps getting caught flat-footed when purportedly solid countries came apart. At the very least, and immediately, rigorous planning exercises should be executed, in which different scenarios and different potential U.S. actions to reduce the codependence and mitigate the risks can be tested. Most likely, and most dangerous, outcomes should be identified, and an energetic red team should shoot holes in the automatic-pilot thinking that has guided Washington policy to date. “Hope is not a policy” is a hackneyed phrase. But choosing not to consider alternatives amounts to the same thing. (defenseone.com/)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 2/17/2016 4:33:47 PM
	Decorated Marine attacked by group of teens outside McDonald's in D.C. BY ROZ PLATER, STEPHENTSCHIDA/ABC7 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH 2016 WASHINGTON — A decorated war veteran is recovering after a brutal attack Friday night. He says it happened at a McDonald's on 911 E St., N.W., D.C. Chris Marquez says a group of rowdy teens came up and started taunting him. "They asked me if I believe that black lives matter," Marquez said. "I felt threatened and thought they were trying to intimidate me, so I figured I'm just going to keep to my food, eat my food, and hopefully they'll leave me alone. And because I wasn't respond back to them, they were calling me a racist." Marquez says he doesn't remember much about what happened next, but says the manager told him the group followed him outside. "As soon as I walked out of the McDonald's I got hit in the back of the head,or the side of the head. I just dropped to the ground, and he says I looked unconscious," Marquez said. He suffered head and neck injuries along with multiple bumps and bruises. "Kinda brought back memories of the war and stuff," Marquez said. Marquez is a decorated Marine and eight year veteran of the Iraq War. He shared a picture with us that showed him help rescue a fellow Marine during the Battle of Fallujah. That photo was the inspiration for the "No Man Left Behind" sculpture at two Marine bases. Now he is battling back after a vicious attack, at a place he thought he'd be safe. "My head really hurts. I get this sharp pain, straight down my face, and I haven't really slept too well at all since it happened," Marquez said. "I just want them to get caught, especially if they're doing this to other people." The teens also robbed him of his wallet and credit cards. Marquez says they used the cards right after the attack. He is hoping that will help police catch the suspects. (http://wjla.com/)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 2/17/2016 4:55:23 PM
	Russia submits to UN SC "express review" of gross violations of UN Charter by US, UK Russian Politics & Diplomacy February 16, 3:47 UTC+3 The list has been read out by Russia’s deputy permanent representative to the UN in response to accusations against Moscow over developments in Ukraine and Crimea’s reunification with Russia © EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT UNITED NATIONS, February 16. /TASS/. Russia has presented at the UN Security Council on Monday an "express review" of the most flagrant cases of disregard for international law by the United States and the UK. The list covering events from the mid-20th century to the present day has been read out by Russia’s deputy permanent representative to the UN Pyotr Ilyichev in response to accusations against Moscow over developments in Ukraine and Crimea’s reunification with Russia. "Some delegations have spoken today of violations of the principles of the UN Charter unsubstantially accusing Russia of this. To prevent this wishful thinking from creating the wrong impression, let me make an ‘express review’ of the most flagrant cases of disregard for international law, including the purposes and principles of the UN Security Council over the past few decades, the more so since they have apparently been forgotten," the diplomat said at the debate dedicated to maintaining international peace and security. UN condemnation He drew attention, in particular, to Britain’s bombing of the Yemeni city of Harib in 1946, noting that the UN Security Council condemned these actions in its Resolution 188 "pointing to the incompatibility of reprisals with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter." "In 1983, the United States carried out an armed invasion of Grenada. The General Assembly, in its Resolution 37/8, called these US actions ‘a flagrant violation of international law.’ Many people probably know about the response by the then US President [Ronald Reagan - TASS] to this document that the news did not spoil his appetite at breakfast," Ilyichev said. According to him, in 1986 the United States carried out an attack against Libya and in 1989 invaded Panama. In both cases these actions were met with condemnation from the UN General Assembly, which qualified them as a violation of international law. The Russian diplomat noted that violations of the UN Charter were registered by the International Court of Justice as well. "For example, in the first in its history decision on the 1946 case of Corfu Channel the court recognized that the UK had violated Albania’s sovereignty. The ruling on the 1986 Nicaragua vs US case is well-known. The court pointed out bluntly that the US had violated Nicaragua’s sovereignty and the norms of non-interference in internal affairs and non-use of force," Ilyichev said. From Yugoslavia to Syria According to Ilyichev, "irresponsible attitude" of the US and its allies to the UN Charter continued and resulted in the bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Then came Libya where "with allegedly disinterested outside help the fire broke out that destroyed the state leaving ashes and chaos in its place," the diplomat said. He noted that "it was such unlawful interference in the form of illegitimate air strikes or arms deliveries to non-government armed groups" that led to the growth of radical sentiment in Syria that ultimately "resulted in the emergence and strengthening of such terrible phenomena" as the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group (banned in Russia). "The effects of the invasion of Libya and Syria are striking in their scope. These are terrible suffering of civilians, the destruction of the cultural heritage of mankind and the unprecedented migrant crisis," Ilyichev said. He went on to say that 70 years after the end of World War II the basic principles underlying the system of international relations "are becoming an inconvenient obstacle for some and, as a result, are exposed to all sorts of interpretations or are just sidestepped." "Apparently, the presumption of their own exclusiveness have long made it possible for some countries to put themselves above the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," the diplomat said referring to a well-known remark of US President Barack Obama about the "exclusiveness" of the American nation. Venezuelan Foreign Ministry: they are trying to split up Syria The debate at the UN Security Council was chaired by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez. She pointed to the need to respect the sovereignty of states and other fundamental principles enshrined in the UN Charter - the right of peoples to self-determination, peaceful settlement of disputes and promoting the spirit of cooperation and non-aggression. Regarding the situation in Syria, Rodriguez pointed to the attempts to split this Arab country into pieces ignoring the will of its people. According to her, "certain countries for whom their national interests are a priority" are interfering in Syria’s internal affairs. She drew attention to the fact that, while the developing nations are strictly abiding by the UN Charter, the rich powers are acting contrary to it resorting to "unilateral acts of aggression" and demonstrating determination to dominate the market of natural resources. According to Rodriguez, this has led to the growing economic inequality, discrimination, Islamophobia and the undermining of the peoples’ right to self-determination. More: http://tass.ru/en/politics/856935
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

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Syria: How one strip of land could change everything

Why this region matters: A rock and a hard place

This is how we got here: Failure of moderates

FEBRUARY 16, 2016 BY SARAH CHAYES ALEX DE WAAL

(defenseone.com/)

Decorated Marine attacked by group of teens outside McDonald's in D.C.

Russia submits to UN SC "express review" of gross violations of UN Charter by US, UK

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