Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are “separatist regions” in Georgia, have been fighting for international recognition as independent entities since 1990s. Both these regions wanted to be a part of Russia. In order to establish peace between Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Russia has long been acting as peacekeeper.

Following the detention of Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia in June, tension built between Georgia and two enclaves. From August 6, there have been attacks and counter attacks between the Georgian and Russian troops. Moscow accused Georgia’s motive of ethnic cleansing executed by the Tbilisi’s units. On the other hand, Georgia Government accused Russian troops for invading their country.

On August 8, Georgian troops struck South Ossetia to regain control on Tskhinvali, the capital of the region, and to force the Russian troops out of the territory. Since Thursday, more than 1,500 people had died in the conflict. The Georgia-Russia crisis has forced thousands of people to take refuge.

Following the attack, Russia has decided to take preventive measures to guard against Georgian attack on Abkhazia, which is another separatist region in the country. 9,000 paratroopers and 350 armored vehicles are to be deployed in the region to face the Georgian attack.

Tension is building between Georgia and Russia with every passing day. Russian president has declared to help Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as most of the people living there have Russian citizenship. Though UN officials are trying to establish peace in the region, the Georgia-Russia crisis still remains unsolved.

Ratko Mladic, who is one of the associates of Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian leader, is the most wanted fugitive of the country. After the arrest of Karadzic, Mladic is one of the most wanted Serbian war crimes suspect. Like Karadzic, Rakto Mladic is also indicted of the atrocities during the 44 months siege of Sarajevo and the July 1995 massacre, which left more than 15,000 people dead.

Karadzic, who has been presented before the International Criminal Court at The Hague, is considered to be the mastermind behind the atrocities during the Bosnian war between 1992 and 1995. But, it is said that Ratko Mladic was the executor of Karadzic’s plans.

Now 66 years old, Mladic has evaded arrest for over a decade. It is believed that he has been hiding in military bases across Serbia all these years. It is also believed that he lives in Srpska, which is the Serb dominated pert of Bosnia. His arrest will give the Karadzic Case a new dimension. The whole world is waiting for the arrest of this stern-faced, chess-playing general of Radovan Karadzic.

World saw the face of Radovan Karadzic, the “Butcher of Bosnia”, on July 31, 2008, when he appeared for the first time before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He has been accused for being the designer of the 44 month siege of Sarajevo, which resulted in deaths of over 10,000 people, and for being the originator of the July 1995 massacre, in which around 8000 Muslim men and boys were killed in Srebrenica.

Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader, was finally arrested on July 21, 2008. He had been on the run for over a period of 12 years. Karadzic was ordered to surrender before the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, the head quarter of the International Criminal Court (ICC). He had disappeared in 1996 following the Dayton peace agreement at the end of the 1992-1995 Bosnian War.

Karadzic, the Serbian party leader in Bosnia and the president of the self-announced Serbian Republic, was one of the most wanted Serbian war crimes suspects in the U.N. war crimes tribunal. In 1995, Radovan Karadzic was indicted by the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia on 11 charges of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. Karadzic is accused of being the mastermind behind the bloodiest massacre that has occurred in Europe since the World War II. If convicted of the charges, he will face life imprisonment.

During his trial, 63 years old Radovan Karadzic denied for entering a plea for one month. In his statement, Karadzic has stated about a secret deal between him and the US negotiator Richard Holbrooke, in which he was asked to disappear from public arena. However, Holbrooke has denied of any such deal with the Serb leader.

Serge Brammertz, the ICTY chief prosecutor, stated that this is going to be a complex trial. To convict Radovan Karadzic of the charges of genocide, a number of evidences and testimony of witnesses will be required. Brammertz said that his team will try their best to prove Karadzic guilty. He is also waiting for the arrests of Ratko Mladic, Bosnian Serb wartime commander and Goran Hadzic, who were associates of Radovan Karadzic.

Mahatma Gandhi had said, “I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.” And the evil effects of war still continue in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  

The wars of 1996 and 1998 have resulted in a persisting humanitarian crisis in Congo. As per the report of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), about 5.4 million people have died since 1998 as a result of the continuing conflict in the country. The Second Congo War officially ended in 2002. But it has left the country in a deadly and critical condition. Still there are a number of small conflicts in the eastern provinces like North Kivu of the Congo Republic.  

Due to the aftermath of the deadly war, the DR Congo is considered to be the deadliest humanitarian crisis ever faced by any country of the world since the World War II. Congo, the third largest country on the Africa map, has suffered from great disturbance in the social, economic and political scenarios. The country has suffered a loss of over 3.9 million people between 1998 and 2004. But, record shows, only 10% of the deaths was caused by violence.  

Majority of the Congolese died as an aftermath of the Second Congo War. The principal causes of the deaths in the country are malnutrition, pneumonia, malaria, respiratory infections, tuberculosis, neonatal conditions and diarrhea. More than 50% of people died from these apparently preventable and curable diseases! Violent deaths have become isolated events throughout the country. Congo is suffering more from the consequences of the bloody wars.  

Can’t we stop wars? Can’t we think of the devastation caused by wars in the lives of millions of innocent people? Can’t we help people to recover from the nightmares of wars?