Conflict in the Asia / Near East Region  | |  Asia/Near East region (ANE)
ANE countries with USAID missions
Countries experiencing violent, armed conflict*
within the last 5 years
* At least 250 conflict-related deaths |
OverviewConflict has taken a terrible toll on many countries in the Asia/Near East region. Moreover, current violence in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan directly threatens international stability. Despite significant development needs, regional and international tensions have led some states to spend far more on defense and military expenditures than on social and economic development activities to benefit their citizens.
Despite recent progress in addressing certain armed conflicts in Southeast Asia, the region is still plagued by violence and instability. For example, religious and ethnic separatist movements vie for control even as states in the region strive to democratize and to implement complex decentralization arrangements. Factors such as religious extremism and competition for land and natural resources further complicate the peaceful settlement of many of these conflicts.
In South Asia, peace and security are gradually taking hold in some of the most conflict-affected areas but major risks and vulnerabilities remain. Afghanistan’s opium production has exploded, warlords are omnipresent and insurgency continues in the South and East of the country. Pakistan and Bangladesh struggle with widening religious extremism, endemic corruption, and political violence. While the peace process in Nepal has gained momentum, it remains fragile. Sri Lanka’s peace process has stalled with frequent clashes between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government, and concessions on both sides continue to be limited.
Conflict remains a dominant feature of the Middle Eastern landscape, as tensions from the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a bitter insurgency in Iraq inflame the region. Terrorists and insurgents continue to exercise power and there is fear of spill over into Iran, whose relations with the West have been deteriorating. In Yemen and Morocco, economic and political progress is threatened by religious extremists, who exploit inequality, large pools of unemployed youth, and limited state services to foment radicalism and violence.
Our Work: Country & Regional Highlights
West Bank/Gaza
DCHA/CMM supports several initiatives to foster peace at the grassroots level through programs that develop mutual understanding and build ties between Israeli and Palestinian youth leaders, religious scholars, environmental scientists, educators and community activists.
Yemen
DCHA/CMM is supporting two separate programs that will help manage inter-tribal violence and growing extremism in the north, building on the mediation efforts of an inter-tribal council of elders. One program focuses on the Al-Jawf and Sadaa regions and at the local level through grassroots community-based empowerment groups. This is especially difficult given that the Sadaa region is embroiled in an insurgency with the government of Yemen playing a role in trying to suppress it. DCHA/CMM’s other program is aimed at reconciliation between tribes through a mix of traditional mechanisms and an NGO comprised of sheiks who are advocating for the Government to play a more active role in peace-building and providing services.
NepalDCHA/CMM has provided technical assistance and funds to USAID/Nepal for a range of conflict activities, including support to the Nepal Transition to Peace (NTTP) Project. DCHA/CMM has also assisted the mission with developing its FY 2006 strategy that addressed the nine-year conflict against Maoist insurgents. In addition, DCHA/CMM has provided funds to the newly established Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal. OHCHR focuses on protection and prevention of abuses by reporting on specific cases and general trends. OHCHR also advises representatives of civil society and local human rights defenders on the promotion and protection of human rights.
Sri LankaThe Sri Lanka Peace Support Project bolsters talks to end the decades-old conflict between the Tamil Tigers and the Government. The project builds public support for peace among civic groups, businesses, and media outlets. Activities range from a pro-peace tele-drama and national peace survey to support to government research and policy coordination on peace-process related matters
Indonesia
DCHA/CMM provides technical assistance and financial support to USAID/Indonesia to promote stability and consolidate peace, including through support for the implementation of the Aceh peace accord, which ended 30 years of conflict in Aceh province.
Philippines
DCHA/CMM works with USAID/Philippines to identify and address the underlying causes and consequences of conflict and instability as well as to promote peace and reconciliation, particularly in conflict-affected Mindanao. DCHA/CMM also works with the Mission to support strong inter-agency coordination on issues of regional importance such as counter-terrorism efforts.
East Timor
Since the outbreak of violent conflict in East Timor in Spring 2006, DCHA/CMM has worked with the Mission to understand and address the root causes of conflict and to support the country’s full transition to a stable, peaceful democracy. DCHA/CMM provides technical assistance as well as financial support to USAID/East Timor for conflict mitigation.
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