May 2011

In Algeria, some protests and strikes have continued in the capital, but they have been mostly peaceful and remain focused on reforms rather than regime change.

In Bahrain, antigovernment protesters barricaded the streets of the financial and diplomatic districts of the capital and took over a major hospital in March, but they were sharply put down by Bahrain military and additional troops from Saudi Arabia and neighboring nations. More than 24 deaths were reported, and martial law was declared on March 15.

In Yemen, the continuing opposition to the government of Ali Abdullah Saleh by protesters in the capital was exacerbated on March 18 when security forces opened fire on a crowd and killed at least 50. The outrage and further protests around the country resulted in violence and a breakdown in security in several northern and southern provinces.

When security forces abandoned an arms factory in the Abyan province, over 100 people were killed on March 28 in an explosion that occurred as it was being looted.

In an ongoing political crisis in Syria, protests against the ruling Baath party and President Bashar al Assad resulted in violent clashes during March that left more than 100 people dead.

Fighting between supporters of Muammar Gaddafi and opposition troops continued in March and April in Libya, resulting in hundreds of civilian and military deaths. The United Nations began to enforce a “no fly zone” intervention, and many nations imposed sanctions against Gaddafi’s government over the violence against civilian protestors.

Hundreds of thousands of Libyans were fleeing the civil war to Tunisia and Egypt, causing a humanitarian crisis at the borders.

Due to the continuing political upheaval in many countries of North Africa and the Middle East, hundreds of thousands of refugees are fleeing. Tens of thousands of people from Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and other countries are crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, where they hope to find safety and work.

On just the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa, south of Sicily, more than 19,000 migrants passed through in the first three months of 2011. The refugees were living in tent camps with no showers or toilets as they wait to be taken to refugee camps on the mainland.

Heavy rains in southern Thailand in late March caused floods and landslides that killed at least 45 and left thousands stranded when airports, railways and roads were closed. The provinces of Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Trang, Krabi and Phatthalung had the worst flooding. Eighty districts in eight provinces were declared disaster areas, with a million people affected.

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck in the northeast region of Myanmar on March 25 near the border of Laos and Thailand. It collapsed hundreds of buildings and damaged roads and bridges. Hardest hit were the town of Tachileik and surrounding villages in the mountains of the Shan State. At least 75 people were reported dead, with the toll expected to climb.

A 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a tsunami it triggered struck the northeast coast of Japan on March 11, leaving more than 12,000 people dead and, at press time, 15,500 people missing, with massive damage to homes, factories, ports, roads and other infrastructure. In addition, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex suffered damage, resulting in a nuclear crisis and a 30-kilometer restricted zone.