1857: The Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British/First Indian War of Independence.

1931: The movement against the Maharaja in Kashmir begins but is suppressed by State forces.

1932: Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah sets up the ‘All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference’ to fight for Kashmiri freedom from the Maharaja’s rule, which would branch off to become the National Conference in 1939. The Glancy Commission publishes a report in April 1932, highlighting the inequality of the Muslim population and discusses the need for their adequate representation in the state’s services; the Maharaja accepts these recommendations but delays implementation; the Maharaja grants a Constitution providing a legislative assembly for the people, but the Assembly turns out to be powerless.

1939: The National Conference launches the ‘Quit Kashmir’ movement demanding abrogation of the Treaty of Amritsar and a call of sovereignty for the people of Kashmir.

1940: The Pakistan Resolution is passed and demands the establishment of an independent state, comprising all regions in which Muslims are the majority.

1947 (Mar): An internal revolt begins in the Poonch region but is suppressed by the Maharaja’s forces.

1947 (15 Aug): The partition of India: The British Indian Empire is dissolved and the Muslim-majority areas in the East and West are partitioned to form the separate state of Pakistan.

Image from JP, published under the creative commons license.

1947: Kashmir signs the Standstill Agreement with Pakistan. The Maharaja delays his decision to accede into either India or Pakistan.

1947 (Oct): Indo-Pakistani War of 1947:  Thousands of Pashtuns from Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province attack Kashmir and the Maharaja’s forces. The Maharaja ask India for help, who abides under the conditions that he relinquish control over defense, communication and foreign affairs to India. The Maharaja agrees and signs the Instrument of Accession.

image from mfr_isb@yahoo.com, published under a creative commons license

The Indian Army enters the state to repel the invaders. Sheikh Abdullah endorses the accession as ad-hoc which would be ultimately decided by a plebiscite and is appointed head of the emergency administration.

1948: India takes the Kashmir problem to the UN Security Council. The resolution orders the cessation of hostilities and a formulation of a truce agreement, and that a plebiscite should determine the future of Jammu and Kashmir. However, both countries cannot agree on the terms of demilitarisation.

1949: On 1 January, the ceasefire between Indian and Pakistani forces leaves India in control of most of the valley, as well as Jammu and Ladakh, while Pakistan gains control of part of Kashmir including, what Pakistan calls, Azad Kashmir and Northern territories.

1950 (Jan): India gains independence and becomes a republic.

1957: India’s Home Minister declares that the State of Jammu and Kashmir is a fundamental part of India and there can be no question of a plebiscite. Kashmiri activists continue to insist on self-determination.

1963 (Dec): Mass uprisings occur in the Kashmir Valley and protests occur against Articles 356 and 357 of the Indian Constitution, by which the Indian government can exercise legislative powers. The Indian army attacks the protesters.

1965: Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. Pakistan backs rebel groups in Kashmir and sends armed Pakistani infiltrators to join them across the ceasefire line, which leads to more violence across the whole of the Kashmir Valley.

1966: Kashmiri nationalists form another Plebiscite Front with an armed wing called the Jammu and Kashmir National Liberation Front (NLF) in Azad Kashmir, with the objective of freeing Kashmir from Indian occupation.

1971: The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: Pakistan descends into civil war after East Pakistan demands autonomy and later independence of what will become Bangladesh.

1972: India and Pakistan agree to a ceasefire, and sign the Simla Agreement, which states that they will respect the Line of Control, the border between the two countries and China. However, fighting continues along this line, making it one of the most violent and dangerous border lines in the world.

1987-1990: Kashmir Insurgency: After the 1987 elections the Muslim United Front (MUF) declares the elections as rigged, and the insurgency in the valley increases. The MUF candidate later breaks away to become head of the militant group Hizb-ul-Mujahedin. Further protests and anti-India demonstrations in the Kashmir Valley followed by police retaliation, arrests and curfew orders by the Indian police and army.

1989: At the end of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan a great deal of weapons are released into Kashmir and Pakistan provides further training to Kashmiri and foreign militant groups in Kashmir. The Kashmiri independence movement becomes more Islamist in its ideology.

1990 (1 Mar): An estimated one million people take to the streets in protest of the Indian occupation and more than 40 people are killed by the police. This is seen by many as the beginning of a massive Kashmiri uprising, but India claims that it is orchestrated by Pakistani trained operatives. Many of the 162,500 Hindu community in Kashmir flee the area to refugee camps in Jammu.

image from mfr_isb@yahoo.com, published under a creative commons license

1990: An estimated 34,000 people have been killed since 1978.

1998: India and Pakistan perform nuclear tests in a show of strength.

1999: Indian and Pakistani militaries clash in Kargil, India launches air-strikes in Kashmir.

1999: General Musharraf leads a military coup in Pakistan.

2000 (Nov): India puts a ceasefire into effect in Kashmir. However, violence continues.

2001 (Oct): Kashmiri assembly in Srinagar attacked and 38 people are killed.

2001 (Dec): Attack on Indian parliament in New Dehli. The militant groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed take responsibility.

2003: India and Pakistan restore diplomatic ties.

2004 (24 Sep): Prime Minister Singh and President Musharraf meet in New York during UN General Assembly for first round of peace talks.

2006: Second round of Indo-Pakistan peace talks.

2007: Amnesty International and other human rights organisations report of gross human rights violations from India that include systematic arrests and detentions, enforced curfews, and testimonies of rape and torture. India denies many of these claims and states it is suppressing terrorism.

2008 (Aug): The beginning of the second uprising by local groups and youths which leads to massive redeployment of Indian security forces.

2010 (Aug): Tens of thousands of people stage street demonstrations against the deaths of two young men detained in Indian custody.

2010 (Sep): The Indian government has claimed it will release hundreds of students and young people after months of civil unrest that has left at least 107 people dead.

image from mfr_isb@yahoo.com, published under a creative commons license

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1979: Saddam Hussein succeeds Al-Bakr as President.

1980-1988: Iran-Iraq war.

1990: Iraq invades Kuwait, prompting what becomes known as the first Gulf War. A US-led coalition forces Iraq to withdraw in February 1991.

1995: Saddam Hussein wins a referendum allowing him to remain President for another seven years.

1998: Iraq ends cooperation with UN Special Commission to Oversee the Destruction of Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (UNSCOM). After UN staff are evacuated from Baghdad, the US and UK launch Operation Desert Fox, to destroy Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programmes.

1999: UN creates the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) to replace UNSCOM. Iraq rejects the resolution.

2001: Britain, US carry out bombing raids to try to disable Iraq’s air defence network.

2002 (Jan): US President George W Bush includes Iraq in his ‘axis of evil‘.

2002 (Sept): US President George W Bush tells world leaders at a UN General Assembly session they must act against Iraq or stand aside as the US acts.

2002 (Nov): UN weapons inspectors return to Iraq.

2002 (Dec): Iraq submits documentation that claims to detail the disposal of all of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.

2003 (Mar 7): UNMOVIC chief inspector Hans Blix submits his report to the UN Security Council.

2003 (Mar 17): Arms inspectors evacuate and US-led forces begin invasion.

2003 (May): UN Security Council backs US-led administration in Iraq and lifts economic sanctions. US administrator abolishes Baath Party and institutions of former regime.

2003 (Dec): Saddam Hussein captured in Tikrit.

2004 (Apr): Evidence emerges of abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US troops at Abu Ghraib, prompting international condemnation.

2004 (June): US hands sovereignty to interim government headed by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

2005 (Jan): US inspectors declare search for WMD over.

2005 (Dec): Iraqis vote for the first full-term government and parliament since the US-led invasion.

2006 (Jun): Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is killed in an air strike.

2006 (Dec): Saddam Hussein is executed for crimes against humanity.

2007 (Dec): Turkey launches an air raid on fighters from the Kurdish PKK movement inside Iraq.

2007 (Dec): Britain hands over security of Basra province to Iraqi forces.

2008 (Jan): US military declare end to US troop ‘surge’, leaving just under 147,000 American soldiers in Iraq.

2008 (Nov): Parliament approves a security pact with the United States, under which all US troops are due to leave the country by the end of 2011.

2009 (Apr): Britain end combat operations in Iraq.

2009 (May): Iraqi leaders reach oil deal with Kurds.

2009 (Jun): US troops withdraw from towns and cities in Iraq and formally hand over security duties to new Iraqi forces.

2010 (Jan): Iraq attempts to bar 15 political parties with Baathist ties from upcoming parliamentary elections, however a court later lifts the ban.

2010 (Jan): Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as ‘Chemical Ali’, is executed.

2010 (Mar): No outright majority gained in parliamentary elections.

2010 (Apr): Amnesty International says that there has been an upsurge in violence.

2010 (Nov): Eight months after the parliamentary elections, a coalition government is formed.

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Africa Humanitarian – Liberia: Local initiatives for Liberian communities as well as news about the recovery of the country’s social fabric.

Amnesty International Liberia: Reports outlining investigation of war crimes and abuses.

BBC Country Profile – Liberia: An insightful overview of the political, social and economical landscape. Also noteworthy is the extensive timeline feature.

Daily Observer Newspaper: Online newspaper with extensive information about the situation in Liberia. Search for articles related to peacebuilding, justice and reconstruction.

Global Security – Liberia: Provides wide range of information on the conflict and its consequences. Highlights government, rebels, forces and refugees involved in the conflict.

Human Rights Watch: A range of reports and related news from Liberia.

Internally Displaced Monitoring Center: Extensively categorised and comprehensive resource of IDPs in Liberia. Under the ‘Internal Displacement Profile’, search for the specific reports, statistics and maps.

International Crisis Group: A comprehensive resource for information on the instability and ongoing humanitarian challenges in Liberia. Particularly noteworthy is the categorised Africa Briefing Reports.

IRIN – UN Humanitarian News and Analysis: The UN news service IRIN carries news of the latest humanitarian developments, from Liberia and across the world.

Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo Information Services: Provides statistics of population composition and distribution released from the Census 2008.

Reuters Alertnet – Liberia Crisis: Navigate through the extensive categorised sections for a comprehensive overview of Liberia. Includes timelines, statistics and a ‘who works where’ database of local and international NGOs.

UNDP Liberia: Official UN website which provides figures and work made in Liberia for development, reconstruction and social recovery after the civil war.

United Nations Mission in Liberia UNMIL: A complete database of all aspects of the mission’s operations in Liberia. This is an essential tool in understanding the complexities and scale of the UN commitment in the Liberia.

USAID Liberia: USAID have been developing programmes to help people recover from the war through economic opportunities and return of displaced people.

Books

Journey Without Maps, Graham Greene: This journey across Liberia with his cousin Barbara was Greene’s first book

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1847: Liberia becomes a Republic.

1951: The right to vote is extended to women and some property-owning indigenous people.

1971: President William Tubman dies and is succeeded by Vice President William Tolbert.

1980: Sergeant Samuel K. Doe, a member of the indigenous Krahn group, seizes power in a military coup which sees the execution of President Tolbert.

1984: Under pressure from international donors, Doe introduces a new constitution which allows for multi-party elections.

1985: Does is elected President, in an election marred by widespread, systematic vote-rigging.

1985 (Nov): Thomas Quiwonkpa leads a failed coup attempt, which is followed by violent reprisals against the Gio and Mano people of Quiwonkpa’s native Nimba County.

1989 (December): Charles Taylor leads the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) in an invasion of Nimba County from the Ivory Coast, with the aim of ousting the Doe regime.

1990: As the the rebels look poised to take Monrovia, the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), forms ECOMOG – a peacekeeping force headed by Nigeria – and sends them into the city. to keep the warring parties apart.

1990: Doe is captured, tortured and killed by a splinter group of NPFL.

1991: An Interim Government of National Unity, headed by Amos Sawyer, and sponsored by ECOWAS is established. The plan is rejected by Taylor, who establishes his own, rival government.

1992: NPFL rebels attack ECOMOG peacekeepers in Monrovia.

1993: The warring factions agree to a ceasefire, but it fails to halt the violence.

1995: A peace agreement (pdf) is signed by the temporary Liberian government, rebel groups and civil society.

1996: Fighting between the various factions resumes, and spreads to Monrovia. Around 3,000 people are killed in the battle that follows.

1996 (Aug): ECOWAS begins disarmment programme, clearing the way for the return of refugees.

1997: Taylor wins the presidential elections elections with 75 per cent of the vote. Although they are seen as free and fair, many Liberians believed Taylor would resume fighting if he failed to win the presidency.

1999 (Jan): Liberia accused of supporting the RUF rebels in Sierra Leone, leading sanctions from the US, UK, and UN.

1999 (Apr): Emergence of a new rebel group, the Liberians United for Reconcilation and Democracy (LURD). Operating out of Guinea, they attack the town of Voinjama in Loma County, north west Liberia.

2000 (Sept): The beginning of a major Liberian operation to end the rebel presence in the north. Guinea accuses Liberia of entering its territory.

2001 (Mar): UN imposes an arms embargo against Liberia for their support of Sierra Leonean rebels.

2002: Liberia declares a state of emergency, as the rebels advance on Monrovia.

2003: Heavy fighting in Monrovia as rebel forces seem on the brink of taking the city.

2003 (Jul): Sierra Leone produces indictment accusing Taylor of being implicit in war crimes committed by the RUF. Fighting around Monrovia intensifies, and ECOWAS once again deploys peacekeepers to defend the city.

2003 (Aug): Taylor resigns and is exiled in Nigeria, opening the way for a peace agreement between the rebels and the government. US troops arrive to help enforce the peace.

2003 (Oct): US troops withdraw, and are replaced with the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

2004: UNMIL announces it has successfully demobilised over 103,000 ex-combatants.

2005: Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is elected President, becoming Africa’s first female democratically elected head of state.

2006 (Feb): The Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission is established in order to investigate human rights abuses committed between 1979 and 2003.

2006 (Apr): Taylor is arrested in Nigeria and handed over to the United Nations in Sierra Leone.

2006 (Jun): International Criminal Court agrees to host Taylor’s trial due to fears of instability if the trial were to be held in Sierra Leone. In order to allow training of the security services, the UN eases a ban on weapons sales. The following month the timber export embargo is lifted.

2006 (Jul): Generator-powered street lights provide Monrovia with the first electricity it has had for 15 years.

2007 (Apr): The UN lifts the embargo on Liberian diamonds.

2007 (Jun): Taylor’s trial begins, although it is subsequently postponed for a year.

2008 (Mar): Liberia conducts its first census since 1984.

2008 (Jun): Taylor’s trial is re-opened.

2009 (Dec): The Truth and Reconciliation Committee produce their final report.

2010 (Feb): The American-born son of former Liberian dictator; Chuckie Taylor has been ordered to pay more than £14m in compensation to five people tortured during the West African country’s civil war. He is currently serving 97 years in prison for his role in one of Africa’s bloodiest chapters; he was the first person to be convicted by a federal court of committing offences outside the US.

2010 (Aug): Mia Farrow and Naomi Campbell give evidence to the ICC about blood diamonds given to Campbell by Charles Taylor. Their appearances bring media attention back to the long running case.

2010 (Dec): A WikiLeaks cable details America’s lack of confidence in the proceedings against former Liberian president Charles Taylor (right) in the international criminal court. Judges in one of the world’s most controversial war crimes trials have been deliberately slowing down proceedings, senior US officials believe, causing significant delays to proceedings.

2011 (Jan): Thousands of young Liberians paraded through the streets of Monrovia, Buchanan, Gbarnga, Voinjama, Kakata, and Sanniquelie in a historical event to raise awareness about the ongoing voter registration process ahead of the October elections.

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1903: The last sultan of Patanni opposes the Thai occupation and is subsequently charged with treason and imprisoned.

1910: Two attempted uprisings are put down by the Thai army.

1917: Siam becomes an ally of Great Britain in World War I.

1922: A protest regarding Thai educational reforms in Pattani leads residents of Namsai village to refuse to pay land tax to the Thai government.

1932: On 24 June a bloodless coup (known as the ‘Siamese Coup d’état’) led by ‘Khana Ratsadon’, or the People’s Party, brought to an end 150 years of absolute rule. King Prajadhipok’s absolute monarchy was transformed into a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government.

1939: The ethnically neutral name of Siam is changed to Thailand (‘Land of the Free’). Buddhist Thai culture is imposed across the country.

1941: Thailand allies with Japan in World War II. Thailand allows Japanese forces to advance through Thailand towards the British-controlled Malay Peninsula, Singapore and Burma.

1942: Thailand declares war on Britain and the US. However, the Thai ambassador in Washington refuses to deliver the declaration to US government.

1944: Pridi Phanomyong takes power, revoking many assimilation policies of his predecessor.

1945: Pridi establishes a new governance structure that incorporates Malay Muslims into Thai politics.

1946: One year after his return from exile, King Ananda is assassinated.

1947: Military coup by the wartime pro-Japanese leader Phibun Songkhram. This military rule remains absolute until 1973.

1947: Haji Sulong, the chairman of the Pattani Provincial Islamic Council, establishes the Patanni People’s Movement. It petitions for self-rule, linguistic and cultural rights, and the implementation of Islamic law.

1948: Songkhram’s military government imprisons Haji Sulong and other southern leaders. In an attempt to gain accession to the new Federation of Malaya, 250,000 Thai Malays petition the UN. Whilst limited concessions are made by Songkhram, protest riots still erupt across the region.

1959: The ‘Patanni National Liberation Front’ is formed. It calls for Patanni’s independence and is the first such organised armed group.

1960: Over 60 armed groups are active in the southern states.

1965: Thailand permits the US to use bases there during the Vietnam War. Thai troops fight in South Vietnam.

1970s: Armed southern-based groups continue to wage campaigns of violence, mainly through attacks on police posts and government buildings. The government reacts by launching military operations.

1980: General Prem Tinsulanonda assumes power.

1983: Premier gives up his military position and becomes the head of a civilian government. He is re-elected in 1986.

1990: Rebel groups in the south accept an amnesty. This leads to optimism that the insurgency is over, however, low-level militant activity continues.

1991: Another military coup, the 17th since 1932. A civilian, Anand Panyarachun, is installed as Prime Minister.

1997-98: After a request from the Thai government, Malaysia begins to crack down on Thai separatist leaders in its northern states.

2001: Thaksin Shinawatra, newly elected Prime Minister, attempts to re-establish a top-down political structure over the southern provinces.

2001 (Dec): Militants carry out coordinated attacks on police posts.

2003: The Thai government launches a war on drugs, with the southern border provinces heavily affected. More than 2,200 people are killed and thousands arbitrarily arrested, blacklisted and ‘disappeared’, according to Human Rights Watch.

2004 (Apr): Following more coordinated attacks on police stations and check points in the south, three prominent Muslims are arrested on terrorist charges. Hundreds more suspected Islamic militias are killed in fighting. The government imposes martial law.

2004 (Oct): A demonstration outside a police station in Tak Bai results in arrest of hundreds of Muslim men and boys, 85 of whom die from suffocation after being put in army trucks.

2005 (Jul): Prime Minister Thaksin is granted new powers to counter suspected Muslim militants in the region.

2005 (Oct): A Buddhist monk dies when a temple in the Pattani province is burned down. This is the first direct attack on a Buddhist temple since the onset of violence in 2004.

2005 (Nov): Following government crack downs on Muslim militants, the death toll, since January 2004, tops 1,000.

2006 (Jan): Prime Minister Thaksin rejects an offer of peace talks by a separatist rebel group, saying he has never heard of them.

2006 (Sept): Four die and 68 are injured when three bombs are detonated in the southern tourist town of Hat Yi.

2006 (Oct): Following the earlier disposal of Thaksin, retired General Surayud Chulanont is appointed Interim Prime Minister. He takes a more pacifying approach to the south.

2007 (Feb): Yet more coordinated bombings, this time on Lunar New Year, targeting people of Thai-Chinese ancestry. Eight are killed and 50 wounded.

2007 (Mar): Thai security forces raid the jungle camp of a group called Barasi Revolusi Nasional (BRN), killing five militants. This group is believed to be one of the largest southern separatist networks, and is an offshoot of the National Revolutionary Front.

2007 (May): More than 100 killed in one of the bloodiest months since the violence began.

2007 (Aug): Voters endorse a new, military-drafted constitution, the 18th in 75 years of on-off democracy.

2007 (Dec): The Pro-Thaksin People Power Party (PPP) falls just short of an outright majority in a general election. The Constitutional Court disbands the PPP.

2008 (Aug): Thousands of protesters from the People Alliance for Democracy (PAD) storm Government House in attempt to unseat the new Prime Minister, Mr Samak.

2008: Mr Samak declares a state of emergency in Bangkok after one person is killed and 45 hurt in clashes.

2008 (Sept): Mr Samak is found guilty of violating constitution and he has to quit.

2008 (Sept): Mr Thaksin’s brother-in-law at the time, Somchai Wongsawat, is elected Prime Minister by parliament.

2008 (Oct): The Supreme Court sentences Mr Thaksin to two years in jail for breaking a conflict-of-interest law.

2008 (Nov): PAD protesters storm Bangkok’s main airport. Up to 250,000 foreign tourists are stranded.

2008 (Dec): The Constitutional Court disbands the PPP. PAD protesters say they will end the blockade of Bangkok’s two airports after the ruling.

2008 (Dec): Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva becomes the third Prime Minister in as many months. Two hundred red-shirted demonstrators block access to parliament, accusing him of links of the military.

2009 (Apr): The red shirts target the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the beach town of Pattaya.

2009 (Apr): The ASEAN summit is cancelled after protesters overwhelm riot troops and storm part of the conference venue. Fifteen visiting leaders are evacuated by helicopter.

2009 (Apr): Mr Abhisit declares a state of emergency in Bangkok. About 50 protesters force their way into the interior ministry with Mr Abhisit inside. He escapes.

2009 (Apr): The Thai army cracks down on protests in Bangkok; 77 people are reported injured in the clashes.

2009 (Jul-Dec): Thousands of pro- and anti-Thaksin protestors regularly rally in Bangkok and elsewhere.

2010 (Mar-May): Tens of thousands of pro-Thaksin opposition protesters – in red shirts – paralyse parts of Bangkok for two months, demanding PM Abhisit’s resignation as well as early elections. After the negotiations fail, military troops storm the protesters’ barricades and put an end to the demonstrations.

2011 (Feb): Thai and Cambodian troops exchange fire across the disputed border area near the Preah Vihear temple. Both sides agree to allow Indonesian monitors in order to prevent further clashes. The government releases seven leaders of the red-shirt movement after nine months in jail.

Source: Reuters, BBC

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1913: Treaty of London.

1918: Following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War One (WW1), Kosovo becomes part of the Kingdom of Serbia.

1941: Germany invades and much of Kosovo becomes part of a greater Albania controlled by the Italians.

1946: Kosovo is absorbed into the Yugoslav federation and becomes communist.

1960: Belgrade shows increasing tolerance for Kosovan autonomy.

1974: Yugoslavian Constitution accords Kosovo autonomy and the status of a ‘federal autonomous unit.’

1981: Yugoslav troops sent in as Albanian students riot over poor living conditions in the province. Several deaths result and increasing anti-Serb sentiments prompt some non-Albanians to leave the region.

1987: Slobodan Milosevic is elected President in Serbia.

1989: A decade of rising Serb nationalism culminates in a mass rally, led by Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic, on the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo Field. Milosevic warns Serbs will never cede control of Kosovo.

1989: Kosovo autonomy begins to be progressively stripped away.

1990: Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian leaders declare independence from Yugoslavia in July. After declaring itself a Republic, a parallel education structure is created and non-violent civil disobedience campaigns are suppressed. Belgrade reacts by dissolving the province’s government and sacking more than 100,000 ethnic Albanian workers. This leads to wide spread strike action across the remaining workforce.

1991: Croatia, Bosnia and Slovenia declare their independences from Yugoslavia.

1992 (July): Ibrahim Rugova is elected president of the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo.

1992: War breaks out across the Balkans.

1997: As ethnic tension and armed unrest escalates, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) is formed and begins to intimidate the non-Albanian population. This drives the minorities from their homes.

1998: The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) guerrilla insurgency gathers pace, meeting with harsh Serbian reprisals.

1998 (Sept): NATO offers an ultimatum to President Milosevic to halt the crackdown on Kosovo Albanians.

1999 (June): NATO Air strikes are suspended after Milosevic agrees to withdraw troops. NATO forces arrive in Kosovo and the KLA agrees to disarm. Serb civilians flee revenge attacks.

2001: General elections in Kosovo see Ibrahim Rugova elected President and Bajram Rexhepi Prime Minister.

2003 (Oct): Kosovo Albanian and Serbian politicians meet for the first time since 1999.

2003 (Dec): The U.N. sets out its conditions for final status talks due in 2005.

2004: A fresh wave of anti –Serb violence and generalised insecurity leaves 19 dead.

2004 (Dec): Rugova is re-elected as President and former KLA commander Ramush Haradinaj is elected as Prime Minister.

2005 (Mar): Mr Haradinaj indicted for war crimes tribunal by the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague. After resigning as prime minister he is succeeded by Bajram Kosumi.

2005 (July): A series of simultaneous bomb attacks go off near the UN, OSCE and Kosovo parliament buildings in Pristina. Attacks against minority groups continue.

2005 (Oct): U.N. Security Council gives go-ahead for final status talks to begin the following year.

2006 (Jan): President Rugova dies from lung cancer. He is succeeded by Fatmir Sejdiu.

2006 (Feb): Talks on the final status of Kosovo begin. They are brokered by U.N. special envoy, former Finnish President, Martti Ahtisaari.

2006 (Jul): Talks in Vienna fail to reach a breakthrough.

2006 (Oct): A Serbian referendum approves a new constitution that re-asserts Kosovo’s status as part of the country. Kosovo’s Albanian majority boycotts whilst allegations of massive fraud at polling stations are reported.

2007 (Feb): Special UN envoy Ahtisaari presents an independents plan for Kosovo under European Supervision. Russia threatens to veto the UN resolution. The plan is welcomed by Kosovo Albanians but rejected by Serbia.

2007 (Mar): Talks end in deadlock. Ahtisaari confirms it is now up to the UN Security Council to decide whether to grant the province independence.

2007 (Jun): Although Russia continues to oppose the resolution, U.S. President George Bush clearly states his support for Kosovo independence.

2007 (Nov): UN multi-party talks end with no compromise. Albanian leaders say province will declare independence shortly.

2008 (Jan): Former guerrilla leader Hashim Thaci becomes Prime Minister whilst Serbia’s pro-Western President Boris Tadic wins re-election.

2008 (Feb): Kosovo declares independence.

2008 (Jun): After nine years of UN rule Kosovo’s constitution enters into force; transferring power to a majority Albanian government. Hardline Serbs convene their own rival assembly in the divided city of Mitrovica

2008 (July): 1.2bn Euros is pledged by international donors to help rebuild Kosovo.

2008 (Oct): The UN General Assembly grants Serbia’s request to ask the International Court of Justice to consider if Kosovo’s secession is legal.

2008 (Dec): EU police and justice mission (EULEX) deploys in Kosovo. Serbia accepts the mission.

2009 (Jan): Kosovo’s launches a multi-ethnic Security Force under NATO supervision.

2009 (May): Kosovo joins the International Monetary Fund.

2009 (Jun): Kosovo joins the World Bank.

2009 (Jun): NATO decides to cut its presence in Kosovo from 14,000 to 10,000 peacekeeping troops.

2009 (Feb): UN War Crimes Court acquits former Serbian President Milan Milutinovic of ordering a ‘campaign of terror’ against Kosovo Albanians in the 1990s.

2009 (Apr): Serbian President Boris Tadic makes rare visit to Kosovo.

2009 (Apr): The deadline for parties to submit arguments to the International Court of Justice on the legality of Kosovo’s declaration of independence passes.

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1948: The assassination of the left-wing Mayor of Bogota, Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, leads to the ‘Bogotazo’, massive urban riots and, subsequently, to a period of civil strife known as ‘La Violencia’ that lasts until 1957. An estimated 250,000-300,000 are killed.

1958-1978: Top level political agreement to establish a ‘National Front’, whereby all government offices are shared between Liberals and Conservatives. Other political parties are banned.

1964-1966: The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is founded, and goes on to be leading guerrilla threat to the Colombian state.

1964: Leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) and Maoist People’s Liberation Army (EPL) is formed.

1970: Formation of left-wing M-19 guerrilla group.

Image by h de c published under a creative commons license

1978: Intense campaign against drug traffickers by President Julio César Turbay Ayala (Liberal).

1982-1985: President Belisario Betancur (Conservative) negotiates a cease-fire, grants amnesties to guerrillas and releases political prisoners. Negotiations fall apart when the armed M-19 guerrillas briefly seize the Justice Court in Bogota. Over 100 people die as the army move to retake the building, including 11 Supreme Court judges and several of the leading members of the M-19. The M-19 was subsequently much weakened.

1985: The FARC and the Colombian Communist Party found the Patriotic Union Party (UP), as part of the peace negotiation process between Betancur and the guerrillas. Since September 2002 the UP has had no legal representatives.

1986-1990: President Virgilio Barco Vargas (Liberal) continues the peace process but the period is marked by extreme violence, including from increasingly powerful drug cartels and paramilitary groups.

1989: M-19 becomes a legal political party (M-19 Democratic Alliance) following a peace agreement with the government.

1990: Three presidential candidates are assassinated by narco-terrorists. President César Gaviria Trujillo (Liberal) is elected on anti-drug platform.

1991: New Colombian Constitution. It replaces the 1886 constitution and bans the extradition of Colombian citizens (this article was repealed in 1996), includes new human rights and for indigenous groups, and reforms Colombia’s political institutions.

1993: Medellin drug-cartel leader Pablo Escobar is killed by Colombian security forces. Indiscriminate acts of violence follow.

1997: The United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) is established, an umbrella organisation of right-wing paramilitary groupings.

Image by kozumel published under a creative commons license

1998-2002: President Andrés Pastrana Arango (Conservative) initiates peace talks with guerrillas. After three years of convoluted talks, they end after the guerrilla kidnaps a congressman and other political figures.

2000: Pastrana launches controversial and unpopular Plan Colombia, with the aid of the USA, to put to a halt the flow of cocaine and heroine entering the USA over the Mexican border and to fight drug trafficking and rebels that benefit form the trade.

2001: The USA State Department adds the AUC to the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

2002: Independent candidate Álvaro Uribe Vélez wins presidential elections.

2003-2006: Demobilisation of the AUC.

2004: Uribe launches ‘Plan Patriota’, which is widely seen as a continuation of Pastrana’s Plan Colombia, and also controversial. With the financial support of the USA, it aims to uproot guerrilla groups in Colombia, gain military presence in remote areas of the country, traditionally controlled by the guerrillas, and introduce social programmes.

2005: Uribe sets the Justice and Peace Law that reduces punishments for guerrilla and paramilitary members if they surrender their arms, renounce violence and return illegal assets.

2006: The FARC launches ‘Plan Resistencia’, a final offensive to counteract military activities and, in view of the 2006 presidential elections, undermine the public’s perception that the security situation has improved under Uribe’s government.

2006: Uribe’s second presidential election win, after a presidential re-election ban is revoked.

Image by eltiempo.com published under a creative commons license

2006: Preliminary peace talks between the government and the ELN take place in Cuba. Formal negotiations are yet to start however.

2007: Connections between paramilitary groups and several congressmen come to light, creating the parapolitics scandal.

2008: Diplomatic crisis between Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela intensifies following a Colombian cross-border strike into Ecuador. FARC leader Raúl Reyes is killed.

2008: Manuel Marulanda Velez, known as ‘Tirofijo’ and main leader of FARC-EP, dies of a heart attack.

2008: Release of Ingrid Betancourt, a high-profile FARC hostage, after over six years in captivity.

2008: ‘False Positives’ scandal, in which the government and army is accused of colluding in the murder of up to 1,500 civilians who were then presented as guerrillas killed in combat.

2009: The FARC launches ‘Plan Rebirth’ to avoid defeat by intensifying guerrilla warfare – i.e. use of landmines, snipers and bomb attacks in urban areas. This plan is counteracted by ‘Strategic Leap’, a military offensive in areas where guerrillas still have a strong military presence.

2009: Colombia and US sign Military Cooperation Agreement.

2010: Jose Manuel Santos, a former Defence Minister under Uribe, is elected President.

2011: Oliver Solarte and Jerónimo Galeano killed by army – both high level FARC members, while FARC continues taking hostages.

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1905: Creation of Sinn Fein – a political party with the aim of freeing Ireland from British rule

1913: Creation of Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) – formed of Protestants who opposed Irish Home Rule

1916: Easter Uprising Irish Catholics proclaim an Irish Republic in Dublin, brutally suppressed by the British army. The Easter Uprising volunteers become known as the Irish Republican Army

1920: Partition of Ireland The 6 northern counties will remain part of the United Kingdom with a parliament in Belfast, while the 26 other counties form the Irish Free State with a parliament in Dublin. Conflict over partition led to intra-communal violence that left hundreds dead in 1922

1948: Irish Free State granted full independence from Britain and become the Republic of Ireland

1967: Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) formed to agitate for full civil and political rights for Catholics in Northern Ireland. 19th century anti-Catholic laws remained on the statute books as the Northern Ireland parliament was dominated by Protestant Unionists

1968:Duke Street March was a demonstration of the Civil Rights Association that was violently attacked by the Royal Ulster Constabulary. It is also commonly referred to as the beginning of the ‘Troubles’.

1969: Increasing tensions between Catholics and Protestants overwhelm the Royal Ulster Constabulary (police) and the British army are called in

1969: The Irish Republican Army (IRA) splits into the Official IRA and the Provisional IRA (PIRA).

1971: Internment (detention without trial) of IRA members legalised

1972: Bloody Sunday British Paratroopers fire on a peaceful civil rights protest in Derry, killing 14 people. Belfast parliament is suspended and Northern Ireland will be ruled direct from London. The IRA responds with increased attacks on British targets.

1980s: Hunger strikes and violent attacks on British targets in Northern Ireland the Britain

1994: IRA and Loyalist groups declare a ceasefire

1996: Multi-party peace talks break down over disarmament, violence resumes

1998 (April): 6 months of peace talks lead to the Good Friday Agreement and a formal end to hostilities

1998 (August): A bomb set by the Real IRA kills 29 civilians in Omagh, the worst single bombing of the Troubles for civilian victims

1999: Direct Rule ends as power is handed to the Northern Ireland Assembly

2000: Continuing controversy over the decommissioning of weapons leads to the re-instatement of Direct Rule and the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly from February to May

2001: The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) is replaced by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) with recruitment set to be 50% Catholic and 50% Protestant.

2005: The PIRA announce that they have decommissioned

2007: A new Northern Ireland Assembly is elected

2009 (March): 2 British army soldiers are shot dead, then one British police officer. Dissident Republicans claim responsibility. Fears grow of a new phase of violence, but there are strong public displays of opposition to any more violence, and the killings are rejected by all political parties

2010 (January): Scandal involving Iris Robinson, MLA and wife of Peter Robinson, the First Minister of the NI Assembly, leads to Peter Robinson temporarily stepping down as First Minister – he resumes his role in February.

2010 (February): Announcement of a deal on the devolution of policing powers to the NI Assembly. This issue had been particularly contentious, and it was feared could cause the collapse of the Assembly.

2011 (April): Ronan Kerr, a 25-year-old Catholic PSNI officer, was killed after a bomb exploded under his car in Omagh, County Tyrone for which the Real IRA claimed responsibility. Hundreds of people peacefully marched through Omagh in protest against the violence

2011 (May):Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Ireland, the first visit of a British Monarch since 1911 to the Republic of Ireland

2011 (June/July): The 2011 Northern Ireland riots were a series of riots starting originally in Belfast, before spreading to other parts of NI, and are considered the most serious in the area for a decade

2011 (September):Supergrass trials in Belfast cause Loyalist riots after the controversial supergrass hearings of the 1980s

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2001: Citing its record on terrorism and human rights violations, the US extends unilateral sanctions against Sudan for another year.
2002: The government and the SPLA sign a landmark peace deal. A renewable 6 month ceasefire agreement is made. This brings to an end 19 years of civil war.
2003: Two rebel groups in the Western region of Darfur rise up against what they believe to be government neglect of the arid region. The groups arm Arab militia against civilians.
2004: The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebels agree ceasefire in the South.
2004: In Darfur, as the army moves against the insurgency, hundreds of thousands of refugees flee into Chad.
2004 (Mar): UN official says pro-government Arab militias known as “Janjaweed” are carrying out systematic killings of villagers in Darfur.
2004 (May): Further progress is made in North – South relations when the government and southern rebels agree on power-sharing protocols.
2004 (Sept): The US describes Darfur killings as ‘genocide’. The UN says Sudan has failed to disarm pro-government militias but do not accept the term ‘genocide.’ The Sudanese government agrees to the African Union (AU) sending in a protection force.
2005 (Jan): Government and southern rebels sign a comprehensive permanent peace deal.
2005: The UN Security Council says those who commit atrocities in Darfur can be brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC). Three months later Khartoum seeks to head off international action by setting up its own tribunal.

2005: Following the September introduction of a power-sharing government in Khartoum, in October, an autonomous government is formed in the South. The new administration is dominated by former rebels.
2006 (Aug): The UN Security Council vote to send a 26,000 strong peacekeeping force to Darfur but Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir – citing a violation of sovereignty – refuses to allow the deployment of the UN force. Two months later, Jan Pronk, the UN’s top official in Sudan, is expelled from the country.
2007 (May): The ICC issues its first arrest warrants for a Sudanese Minister and a Janjaweed militia leader. Khartoum rejects the statement and says the court has no jurisdiction.
2007 (July): Sudan accepts the deployment of a 26,000 strong AU -UN force to Darfur –UNAMID.
2008: UNAMID officially takes over from the AU peacekeeping force in Darfur.
2008: Troops are deployed in Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) to assist with the refugee flow from Darfur.
2008 (April): The UN predict that 300,000 people have been killed in the five year Darfur conflict.
2008 (May): Sudanese government bombs hit schools and market places in Darfur, killing 13 civilians. UNHCR withdraws its staff from sites on the Chad/Sudan border citing insecurity.
2008 (June): Northern and Southern forces begin intense fighting over the disputed oil-rich town of Abyei.
2008 (July): The ICC calls for the arrest of President Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur. It is the first appeal the ICC has ever made for the arrest of a sitting head of state. Sudan rejects the charges.
2009 (Mar): The ICC in The Hague issues an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir.
2009 (May): 250 people in central Sudan are killed during clashes between nomadic groups fighting over grazing land.
2009 (July): North and South Sudan accept a ruling by The Hague which gives control of the Abyei region and its oilfields to the North.
2010 (Feb): An ICC appeals court rules that a previous judgement that charges of genocide could not be considered against al-Bashir, was wrong. The case has been passed back for a decision on the case for charging al-Bashir with genocide.
2010 (Apr): National elections return Al-Bashir as President of Sudan, and Salva Kiir as President of South Sudan. Opposition parties allege vote rigging.
2010 (Dec): An upsurge in fighting in Darfur as the ceasefire between the SLA and the government breaks down. Followed by the end of the peace talks in Doha.
2011 (Jan): With over 99% in favour, South Sudan votes overwhelmingly in favour of independence in a vote widely regarded as free, fair and credible.
2011 (5 June): clashes begin in Southern Kordofan
2011 (July): Formation of the South Sudan Liberation Army (SSLA)
2011 (9 July): South Sudan becomes independent.
2011 (13 July): Sudan’s parliament passes a law cancelling the Sudanese nationality of Southerners
2011 (14 July): South Sudan is admitted by the General Assembly as the 193^rd member of the UN
2011 (18 July): South Sudan launched its own currency
2011 (20 July): Rebel leader Gatluak Gai signs a peace deal with the SPLA, and is shot dead three days later in Unity State
2011 (27 July): South Sudan becomes the 54^th member of the African Union
2011 (August ongoing): cattle raids and violence across South Sudan with a number of military and civilian deaths
2011 (1 August): Salva Kiir Mayardit appointed the South Sudan Council of State, consisting of fifty representatives
2011 (5 August): Sudan blocked a shipment of oil from South Sudan after Juba reportedly refused to pay customs fees – the South accused Khartoum of sabotaging its economy
2011 (27 August): New Cabinet of South Sudan is announced, considered representative of ethnic groups and across states; it is made up of 29 ministers and 27 deputies
2011 (3 September): State of emergency declared in Blue Nile state, elected SPLM-N Governor Malik Agar sacked. Some 100,000 said to have fled unrest.
2011 (9 October): South Sudan and Sudan agree to set up several committees tasked with resolving their outstanding disputes
2011 (11 November): Sudan accused of bombing refugee camp in Yida, Unity State, South Sudan

No related posts.