World roundup: December 18 2024

Stories from Syria, China, Chad, and elsewhere

TODAY IN HISTORY

December 18, 1499: Increasing repression from proto-Spanish authorities sparks a rebellion among Muslims centered on the Alpujarras region near Granada. This first “Alpujarras Rebellion” was violently put down by 1501, with the Spanish monarchy forcing any Muslims remaining in Granada to convert to Christianity or be expelled from the region. That choice was subsequently extended to Muslims elsewhere in Castile and by the early 1520s would be forced upon all Muslims in the rest of Spain.

19th century British painter Edwin Long’s The Moorish Proselytes of Archbishop Ximenes depicts the forced conversion of Muslims in Granada, the main cause of the uprising (Wikimedia Commons)

December 18, 2005: The four year Chadian Civil War begins when the rebel group Rally for Democracy and Freedom attacks the town of Adré near the Sudanese border. The rebels, backed by Sudan and its Janjaweed militia, were eventually defeated by the Chadian government of President Idriss Déby, and an agreement between Déby and then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir ended the conflict in January 2010.

MIDDLE EAST

SYRIA

While Syria’s new ruling authorities continue to talk a good game in Damascus, The Washington Post highlights mounting evidence of vigilante sectarian violence by the new regime’s fighters:

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist rebel group that led the charge on Damascus and is now trying to consolidate its rule, has pledged to protect minorities and restore security to Syria after a brutal 13-year civil war. But in Latakia, and across the country, HTS is struggling to contain revenge attacks, as vigilantes seize on the chaos of the moment to settle personal and sectarian scores.

Over the past week, Washington Post reporters saw evidence of extrajudicial killings in Damascus and Hama province, and verified two videos showing fighters executing alleged members of Syria’s state security forces. While the violence so far appears scattered and disorganized, preventing it from spiraling will be a key test for HTS as it seeks to unite a fractured country only loosely controlled by different armed factions.

Asked for comment, an HTS spokesman referred The Post to official channels and cautioned reporters against “fake news.” The group has said publicly that it aims for reconciliation in Syria based on “justice and accountability.”

I think if we’ve learned nothing else over the past few years, we’ve learned that when somebody starts complaining about “fake news” it’s usually because the news being reported is anything but fake.