WAR DATABASE

by Ronald Bleier (rbleier@igc.apc.org)

I'd like invite contributions from the on-line community
to this compilation of ongoing and incipient wars, war
related situations and war related information.

I have seen the statistic that there are about 30 ongoing
wars and I have managed to come up with a list of about 20
so far. Please feel free to supply missing information,
and to make corrections and additions. If you email me
information I will include it in periodic updates.

Also, readers are invited to share their knowledge of
sites on-line where relevant information is available.

***

ONGOING WARS

EUROPE

1. Former Yugoslavia; 200,000+ deaths, 1 million+
refugees, began in summer 1991 and heated up in March
1992. Siege of Sarajevo begins April 1992. Successful
September 1995 Croatian attack on Krajina has led to a new
wave of 150,000 to 200,000 refugees (WarReport, Sept 95).
10,000 dead in Sarajevo (NYT, by Kit R. Roane, 11.2.95).

SOUTH ASIA

2. Kashmir -- Indian government vs. Muslim separatist rebel
group, Al Faran.

3. Sri Lanka -- Tamils vs Sinhalese; fighting began in
1983; 36,000+ deaths. Head of state: President Chandrika
Bandaran aike Kumaratunga. Population 17.6 million; nearly
three-quarters Sinhalese and Buddhist. Guerrilla
organization led by Vellupillai Prabhakaran claims to
represent 2.2 million mostly Hindu Tamils in north and
east. (from NYT, 27 October 95, by Barbara Crossette)

NORTH AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

4. Algeria --civil war; 40,000 killed since government
annulled elections in 1992 that Muslim militants were
poised to win. Algeria achieved independence in 1962. At
that time nearly 2 million descen dants of Fr. settlers
("pieds noirs") returned to France as did 700,000
Algerians. Today there are about 5 million Muslims (of 75
million French population) living in France.  France is
providing abo ut $1 billion to Algeria in loans and grants
and importing about $1 billion worth of natural gas. (NYT,
25 Oct. 95, by Craig R. Whitney)

5. Egypt -- civil war with Islamist militants

6. Afghanistan -- civil war. Began with Russian
intervention of 1979; Soviets left in April 92. Tens of
thousands killed; hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Siege of Kabul (pop. 750,000) began in Jan 94 by Taliban
forces, mostly Pushtuns, the majority ethnic group that has traditionally provided Afghanistan's rulers. Kabul govt is dominated by ethnic Taj
iks, a minority in Afghanistan. (NYT, 16 Oct. 95; by John
Burns)

7. Turkey vs. Kurds -- hostilities began in 1984. 18,000
killed, 2,000 Kurdish villages razed, hundreds of
thousands displaced; a cost of an estimated $7 billion/yr.
U.S. provides billions in militar y aid to Turkey -- $5.1
billion over last decade and about $120 million a year in
economic aid. (Covert Action Quarterly, Fall '95 and NYT,
29 Oct. 95, by Celestine Bohlen.)

8. Kurds vs. Iraqis and Iranians

9. Shiites in Southern Iraq vs Iraqis

10. Israel in South Lebanon. Party of God guerillas
(Hezbollah: Arabic for Party of God). Earliest Israeli
interventions go back to 1975.  Major interventions in
1978 and 1982.  Since 1982 Israel has occupied at least a
portion of South Lebanon.  Tens of thousands killed;
hundreds of thousands of refugees. The U.S. provides
Israel with about $6 billion a year in economic and
military aid and loa n guarantees and arms transfers.

AFRICA

11. Sudan civil war between Muslim north and African
south; began in 1983; 100,000 refugees in Zaire and
Central African Republic; (IPS, October '95)

12. Sierra Leone; civil war; guerrilla movement began in
1991 to overthrow a dictatorship. Population 4 million;
more than half are refugees; 1.2 million internal
refugees; tens of thousands of casualties; currently
severe malnutrition; countryside empty because of lack of
security. South African mercenaries help military
Government fight bush insurgency.

13. Shahel Pastoralists (Moors and Tauregs) vs. Black
Africans

14. Somalia -- Civil war; began in 1991.

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA

15. Mexico - Rebellion in Mexican state of Chiapas by Mayan
rebels, known as Zapatistas; began in January 1994.

16. Guatemala; war began in 1961 vs. leftist guerillas,
the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unit; 100,000 dead;
40,000 missing; (NYT, 27 August 95; story by Larry
Rohter). CIA coup against democratic government led to
military dictatorship in 1954.

EX-SOVIET UNION AND CHINA

17. Russia vs. Chechen rebels began in December 1994;
thousands killed, tens of thousands displaced. Head of
State: Boris Yeltsin. Population: 148 million.

18. Armenia - Azerbaijan -- undeclared war began in 1988
prompted an exodus that has reduced Armenia's population
of 3.5 million by 20 to 30 percent (Steve LeVine, NYT, 24
Oct. '95)

19. Georgia (ex Soviet Republic); war with Abkhazian
rebels began in 1993. Thousands died and hundreds of
thousands displaced. Population of Georgia: 5.5 million.
(NYT, 19 Oct. '95)

SOUTH ASIA

20. Philippines -- guerrilla insurgency; head of state:
Fidel V. Ramos. Population: 67 million.

MILITARY OCCUPATIONS

1. China in Tibet

2. Israel in the former Palestine and South Lebanon

3. Serbian occupation of Kosovo -- Albanians make up 90% of
the population.

4. East Timor invaded December 7, 1975 by Indonesia;
estimated 200,000 killed, about a third of the population.
Population transfer program began in the 90s. U.S. gave
green light for 1975 invasion a nd has supported the
Suharto government with military and economic aid. The
Clinton administration has expressed its willingness to
sell General Suharto 20 F-16's and approve $60 million in
weapons sales.

SIMMERING

1. Rwanda -- April 6, 1994: date of plane crash
precipitating 1994 war between Hutus and Tutsis: 1 million
dead; 2 million refugees. 57,000 prisoners in Rwandan
jails; built to hold 12,000; prison po pulation has gone up
from 53,000 to 57,000 in less than a month. Some 2,300
inmates have died from disease over the past 15 months
NYT, Reuters, Oct 29, '95)

2. Burundi

3. Liberia -- by the time of the shaky cease-fire of
August 1995, 150,000 Liberians killed in war by 5 warring
factions.  3/4 of Liberia's population (2.7 million, 1991
estimated) are refugees. 60,000 -80,000 armed soldiers in
Fall 95.

4. Cambodia -- Pol Pot controls about 50% of Cambodia (The
Nation, October 2, '95)

5. Cyprus --

6. China and Taiwan

7. India and Pakistan

8. Northern Ireland

9. Angola

10. Myanamar (Burma); currently under military rule.
Population 45 million. Hundreds killed by military in
1988. Ayn San Sue Kye released from house arrest in summer
1995.

11. Suriname (pop. 400,000) rainforests under attack by
foreign investors.  6 year civil war between indigenous
Indian peoples and Maroons broken by an unsteady peace in
1992.  Ongoing skirmishes bet ween settlers and native
peoples.

COLD WAR

1. Israel and Syria

2. U.S. vs. Cuba

3. North and South Korea

OPPRESSION OF MINORITIES OR WEAKER MEMBERS
 (If not listed previously)

1. Gypsies (Roma) in Romania, Germany, Albania, Czech
Republic, Bulgaria, ex-Yugoslavia, Poland. 8 million
Gypsies in Europe; 12 million in world.

2. Latvia -- One third of the country's 2.5 million people
are ethnic Russians live under restrictive laws which make
them ineligible for citizenship; nor can they vote.

3. Nigeria  -- Muslim government of General Sani Abacha is
criticized for oppression of minority tribes including the
5 million Ogoni peoples. In October 95, several leaders of
Ogonis were sentenced to death on charges of murder.

PEACE TALKS/NEGOTIATIONS ONGOING

1. Bosnia

2. Angola

3. Mexico vs. rebels in Chiapas

4. Israelis and Palestinians

5. North and South Korea

6. Northern Ireland/England

7. Guatemala -- Rebels announce unilateral cease-fire to
coincide with Nov. 12, 1995 elections due to progress in
the peace talks.

THE END




