News
China’s CPC to remove obstacles in modernising military
The Chinese Communist Party unveiled plans to deepen reforms of the military, bring it directly under its command and modernize the armed forces. Among reforms in the areas of strategy and policy were also plans to harmonize civilian-military relations – The Economic Times
Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan again called for the disarmament of militias and integration into the regular armed forces. He urged civilians to encourage disarmament by denying militias entry into communities and requested further outside assistance for expertise in the field of disarmament to prevent Libya from becoming a source of terrorism and violence. He aso reiterated that payments to semi-official armed groups would end after December 31st – Magharebia
Police Reforms to Combat Sexual Violence not Enough
A recently formed unit of specialized police officers focused on combating sexual violence in Egypt has become operational. Initial reporting on its activities suggests that the unit has not gone far enough and has primarily been a public relations move. The article references a recent report by Saferworld that highlights recommendations for improving results in Egypt and the MENA region in general – Joshua Rogers, Al-Monitor
Kenya: Crime in Kenya Gets Sophisticated
A new report by the Governance, Justice, Law and Order Sector showed that crime in Kenya has become more sophisticated and complex. The report called for better training, techniques and equipment for addressing modern security challenges. Muteo Iringo, Principle Secretary for the Interior and Coordinator of National Government, identified several challenges for doing so, including a lack of access to legal services, public misperceptions, a lack of government capacity and high costs due to the need for harmonization of policies – Joseph Muraya, Capital FM
Libya: General Strike in Tripoli Over Militia Violence
In Tripoli, citizens took to the streets to protest recent violence perpetrated against Libyans who are demanding that militias disarm and step aside for the formal army and police. The Libyan government, while echoing these demands, has also moved to dissolve a state-backed militia called the Revolutionary Operations Bureau, which participated in the kidnapping of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan – Voice of America
Publications
This publication by the Overseas Development Institute examines community policing in Ethiopia’s Amhara’s National Regional State to discuss the context in which it was formed, the structures of the program, its ability to improve access to justice services and its impact on levels of citizen security. The study found that while many believe community policing has benefited communities, it also has the potential to enhance authoritarian tendencies of the state and has had a limited effect on marginalized groups such as women and girls - Lisa Denney with Demelash Kassaye, Overseas Development Institute
Security Sector Reform Resource Centre
Highlights from CCTC 13: PTSD and Child Victims of Sex Trafficking
Shannon Nash examines forensic traumatologist Halleh Seddighzadeh’s presentation from the Counter-Child Trafficking Conference to focus on the need for victim-centred approaches to after-care. She extends this to the security sector and identified ways that front-line security personnel can improve sensitivity in this regard – Shannon Nash, Security Governance Group
Miscellaneous
Power-sharing and security sector reform in Zimbabwe, Kenya
In this analysis, the role of power-sharing agreements in security sector reform is explored by comparing two cases in Kenya and Zimbabwe. The analysis found that there were two main factors that determined the influence of power-sharing agreements on SSR – the degree of political influence of security actors and the SSR-related content in the power-sharing agreement – Alexander Noyes, Zimbabwe Independent
Addressing Human Rights Violations in the Armenian Armed Forces
An Armenian NGO called Peace Dialogue has attempted to implement an innovative way of ending impunity for human rights abuses in the army. Simulations have been used in various cities across Armenia to educate both members of the armed forces and Armenian citizens; who often remain silent over such abuses, due to a lack of civilian oversight and the belief that the army’s mission to maintain stability and repel outside threats supersedes considerations for restraint - Edgar Khachatryan, TransConflict
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