Portal:Current events/2020 August 22

August 22, 2020 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Afghan peace process, August 2020 Afghanistan attacks
  - At least 14 security forces are killed across Afghanistan in attacks in Takhar, Badakhshan, and Kabul. The Taliban claims responsibility for the first two attacks but denies involvement in Kabul's. The group reiterated that it will not enter peace talks with the government until all prisoners are released. (Al Jazeera)
2020 Democratic Republic of the Congo massacres
- Suspected
  Islamist militants kill 13 people during raids on two villages in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the army and a village chief report. It is the latest of such attacks that the United Nations says may be war crimes. The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have killed more than 1,000 people since 2019, according to UN figures. (Reuters)

Colombian conflict
- Three
  Nariño. These complete a week with five massacres, adding up to more than 33 this year. Gangs are believed to be responsible for nearly 80 percent of massacres in Colombia this year, the vast majority of them occurring in departments with illegal coca-producing enclaves. (Colombia Reports) (Buenos Aires Times)

2020 Atlantic hurricane season
- Two simultaneous tropical storms, Laura and Marco, threaten
  Yucatan Channel. This would mark the first time in over 60 years in which two tropical storms were active simultaneously in the Gulf of Mexico. (CNN) (CNN²)

COVID-19 pandemic in Peru
- At least 13 people are killed after
  asphyxiation. (Reuters via Hindustan Times)

International relations

A 90-minute meeting held between delegates representing the
Economic Community of West African States and leaders of the recent coup d'état in Mali over a return to civilian rule is cut short to 20 minutes for unknown reasons. (Reuters)

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, 2020 United States Postal Service crisis
In a 257–150 vote, the House of Representatives approves a bill that would reverse changes to the operations of the Postal Service implemented by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, amid a series of backlogs and delays in the delivery of mail following his appointment in June. The bill also aims to provide the agency financial support worth $25 billion in preparation for an expected surge in postal voting in the upcoming election due to the pandemic. (AP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
2020 Ivorian presidential election
- Incumbent
  President Alassane Ouattara is formally chosen by his party, the Rally of the Republicans, to run for a third term in the October election. However, opposition and civil society groups claim the move is unconstitutional, as the Constitution limits a president to only two terms. (France 24)