Afghanistan, photos from 2012.
Photos taken by Goran Tomasevic, Brian Smith-Dutton (US Army/SPC) and Rahmut Gul.
With the recent events in Afghanistan it's worth remembering, and visualising, 20 years of Western involvement in the country. These photos are all taken in 2012, 11 years after the initial invasion. This post will be the first of a few depicting Afghanistan and the run up to the Western pull out.
Posted 28/08/2021
Second Liberian Civil War , photos from 1999-2003.
Photos taken by Voanews, QuartzAfrica (photographers unknown) and Corinne Dufka
The Second Liberia Civil War began 2 years after the election of Charles Taylor, which ended the First Liberian Civil War. The conflict is noted for extreme human rights violations on either side and extensive use of child soldiers. Observers from Human Rights Watch described the siege of Monrovia as involved child soldiers firing "very shiny toys" that they not been instructed how to use.
The conflict is also notable for the formation of the "Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace" which lobbied Charles Taylor through non-violence means to attend peace talks in Ghana (eventually culminating in the Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement). The women, 3000 Christian and Muslim, successfully brought about peace after 14 years of civil war and, in turn, would elect the country's first female president in 2005.
The conflict would result in upwards of 300,000 civilians killed, the resignation of Charles Taylor who is now serving a prison sentence in the United Kingdom.
Posted 06/07/2021
Democratic Republic of Congo, photos from 2010-2019.
Photographs taken by Goran Tomasevic , John Wessels and Phil Moore .
The images depict the near constant conflict that has ravaged the DRC for nearly a generation. The second stage of the conflict, known as the Second Congo War or African World War, began in 1998 and officially ended in 2003. However violence has continued, particularly in the east close to Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi who have all been accused of actively destabilising the region.
The conflict in the DRC is believed to be the most deadly since the end of WW2 with an estimated 5.4 million excess deaths between 1998-2008. As the conflict rages on it is clear this figure is only increasing. The conflict is also noted for its under-coverage in non-local/regional news media, a fact covered by the author in his paper "Noticing Conflict: The Importance of Attention in the Democratic Republic of Congo" .
Posted 12/06/2021
Chechnya, 1995-96.
Photographs taken by Thomas Dworzak and Teun Vouten (photographer unknown).
The images show the First Chechen War fought between December 1994 to August 1996 culminating in the destruction of the capital city, Grozny and with the withdrawal of Russian Federal troops.
The conflict, killing up to 80,000 civilians, has been noted for its particular brutality in both loss of civilian and military lives. Although resulting in the de-facto independence of Chechnya, the conflict would reignite in 1999 resulting in a total Russian victory and restoration of a pro-Russian government. An insurgency would continue until 2017.
Posted 29/05/2021
Kargil War, 1999.
Photographs taken by unknown.
The above images depict the Kargil War or Kargili conflict between India and Pakistan between May and July 1999. The war was/is part of a long series of military clashes along the "Line of Control" in the Kashmir region, in part claimed by both India and Pakistan.
The first image depicts Indian soldiers burying Pakistani soldiers, covered in Pakistani flags, whose bodies had been refused to be retrieved by the Pakistani government. The soldiers would later be recognised as belonging to the Northern Light Infantry of the Pakistan Army, a few being posthumously awarded medals. The names of the soldiers nor the specific location of the photograph could not be identified.
Posted 22/05/2021
Hong Kong protests, 2019-2020.
Photographs taken by Lam Yik Fei.
The above images depict clashes between pro-democracy protestors and Hong Kong police. The 2019-2020 Hong Kong protests, known as the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement, were a series of starting on the 15th of March 2019 and would eventually culminate in the successful passing of the extradition bill on the 30th of June 2020 after many months of street violence.
The protests were, in part, a response to the failure of the Umbrella Revolution in 2014 which saw similar protests and clashes between civilians and police.
Posted 15/05/2021