Burundi Coup is a Failure

The reinstated president is now citing vague external threats of terrorism, possibly in order to justify a crackdown. “Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza has made his first public appearance since a coup attempt last week. At a news conference Sunday at the presidential palace in the capital, Bujumbura, the president did not mention the failed coup plot or the protests over his bid for a third term in office.  Instead he described talks with presidents of nearby African countries on threats from Somalia’s al-Shabab militants, who have warned of attacks against Burundi and other nations that contribute troops to the African Union force in Somalia.” (VOA http://bit.ly/1RYabQs)

ISIS Captures Key Strategic Town in Iraq…”The capital of Anbar province fell to Islamic State militants Sunday as hundreds of police personnel, soldiers and tribal fighters abandoned the city, prompting the Iraqi premier to order Iranian-aligned Shiite militias to join the fight to win back control. The fall of Ramadi represented a huge victory for the Islamic State and dealt a profound blow to Iraq’s U.S.-backed government, led by Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, and its military campaign to drive the extremist group out of the war-torn country. Just 24 hours before, officials in Baghdad announced that military reinforcements had been dispatched to defend the city, capital of Iraq’s largest province, against a brutal assault that began on Thursday.” (WaPo http://wapo.st/1Lcf0B3)

Burundi

Burundi’s government arrested at least 17 people Saturday in connection with a failed coup attempt to overthrow the country’s president a day earlier. (VOA http://bit.ly/1HbaTBC)

Troops loyal to Burundi’s president hunted rival soldiers in a hospital during fighting provoked by a coup in the central African nation, leading to the partial destruction of the health facility, witnesses and security sources said. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1HpeiSF)

Accused of supporting an uprising against the president over his controversial bid to stand for a third consecutive term — branded unconstitutional by activists and the opposition — Burundi’s media have taken the brunt of a ferocious crackdown. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1HbaRcT)

Africa

Thousands of opposition supporters marched through the Togolese capital on Saturday to protest the results of presidential elections that extended the Gnassingbe family’s nearly five decades in power. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1Ed6NXt)

One of Malawi’s most prominent journalists was killed in a car accident, his family said on Sunday. (AP http://yhoo.it/1HpejWE)

Angola demanded an apology from the United Nations after the world body called for an investigation into the killing of members of a Christian sect by police last month. (Reuters http://bit.ly/1Hpe5yS)

The United States slammed Gambian President Yahya Jammeh on Saturday for “unconscionable” remarks, after the West African leader reportedly threatened to slit the throats of gay men in his country. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1Hpe8Ld)

MENA

The United Nations envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, called on a Saudi-led military coalition and the country’s warring parties to extend by five more days a ceasefire set to expire on Sunday evening. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1HpegKw)

The United States upped the ante in its war on the Islamic State in Syria, killing a dozen militants and a major fundraiser Saturday in a rare ground operation by special forces, the White House said. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1Hpe8dS)

The International Labor Organization says unemployment in areas of Jordan with high concentrations of Syrian refugees rose from 14.5 percent to 22.1 percent between 2011 and 2014. (AP http://yhoo.it/1Ed6T1j)

Asia

Malaysia on Sunday pressed Myanmar to engage in talks on Southeast Asia’s boat-people influx, warning it may otherwise call an emergency meeting on the unfolding humanitarian crisis. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1Ed6RX3)

Myanmar refused to shoulder the blame for an escalating migrant crisis and cast doubts on whether it would attend a meeting to be hosted by Thailand this month aimed at easing an emergency that has left boatloads of refugees stranded at sea. (VOA http://bit.ly/1HbaRti)

The number of people killed in Nepal by two major earthquakes has surpassed 8,500, making the disaster the deadliest to hit the Himalayan country on record, as rescuers on Sunday searched for dozens of people still missing in remote villages. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1Ed6VGr)

Southeast Asia’s timid diplomacy and a see-no-evil approach to human-trafficking is to blame for its boatpeople influx, and overcoming the crisis will pose a severe test for a region loathe to address divisive issues, diplomats and analysts said. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1Ed6PyD)

The Americas

Guatemalans jammed onto the capital’s streets Saturday to voice anger over corruption that permeates the government, demanding jail time for the guilty and calling for President Otto Perez Molina to resign. (AP http://yhoo.it/1Ed6P1B)

Hundreds of people gathered in a Chilean town Saturday at the funeral for a teenager who got international attention by going on YouTube to make an unsuccessful plea for permission to end her life. (AP http://yhoo.it/1Ed6Oun)

Opinion/Blogs

Geek Heresy: There is no techno-fix for poverty (Humanosphere http://bit.ly/1KeDUCr)

Why “Design For Development” Is Failing On Its Promise (Fast Company http://bit.ly/1AdN66K)

Without access to water, there can be no food security (Guardian http://bit.ly/1FimX5X)

Meet a 2015er: Alvin Leong (UN Dispatch http://bit.ly/1FinggY)

If Complexity was a person, she would be a Socialist. Jean Boulton on the politics of systems thinking. (From Poverty to Power http://bit.ly/1KeE8K0)

Talking China in Africa at the PEN World Voices Festival in New York (Africa is a Country http://bit.ly/1KeEhNu)

A flowering of approaches to complexity and development? (KM on a dollar a day http://bit.ly/1KeEfVP)

MissionCreep #7: Nepal, salary cap and man drought (WhyDev http://bit.ly/1FinqFd)

Ebola Doctor To Grads: Enter The Suffering Of Others (NPR http://n.pr/1Ed6NH1)

Sex Ed Works Better When It Addresses Power In Relationships (NPR http://n.pr/1Ed6NGN)