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Citizens speak out. People in countries like Chile, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, Uganda and Yemen
are among those across the globe who continue to gather in solidarity to stand up for government
reforms that grant greater human rights, equality, and democracy.
UGANDA - Thousands of people gathered in Masaka on Wednesday, August 10 to attend a memorial
service for a toddler who had been fatally shot by security forces during "Walk to Work"
protests over rising food and fuel costs. As minority party leader Kizza Besigye renewed
calls for resumed demonstrations, the government troops fired tear gas to disperse the crowds.
CHILE - Following Tuesday's protests that were joined by over 500,000 people in cities
around the country, the government on Wednesday announced that it would meet with representatives
of students for dialog about their demands for educational reform.
TUNISIA - Hundreds of people in Tunis protested the release of two former regime officials
from state custody as well as permission being granted for presidential confidant Saida Agrebi
to leave the country as they demanded a new independent judiciary.
YEMEN - President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed on Wednesday for the fourth time to restart
negotiations toward the Gulf Arab peace initiative's goal of ending the unrest and transferring
power peacefully. Also on Wednesday, government forces and pro-activist tribal members signed
a peace agreement in the city of Taiz, in an effort to restore stability to the city.
LIBYA - Agence France-Presse reported that thousands of Libyans who have fled across
the border into Tunisia are facing severe shortages of food and medical care, with interim
Tunisian Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi saying that he is seeking an urgent solution
for ongoing efforts to assist the refugees. Meanwhile, Canada and Denmark expelled their
nations' Libyan diplomats, as Denmark invited an envoy from the Transitional National Council
in Benghazi.
SYRIA - On Wednesday, August 10, India, Brazil and South Africa sent envoys to promote dialog
between the government and the people, as Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan, Egyptian
Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr, and Algerian Foreign Ministry spokesman Amar Belani also
called for a halt to all violence and bloodshed, while the US announced sanctions on Syrian
companies that have been involved in the violent suppression of peaceful demonstrators. Kuwaiti
citizens held a protest, and Egyptians launched a Facebook campaign, with both groups calling
for Syrian ambassadors to be expelled from their countries. Meanwhile, activists reporting
to Agence France-Presse stated that security forces attacked two more towns on Thursday,
Al-Qusayr and Saraqeb, resulting in at least ten deaths, 16 injuries and 100 arrests, including
35 children. This follows 16 deaths in Homs and over 100 wounded on Wednesday.
With sorrow for the cherished lives lost and those who are injured or oppressed, we pray
that the turmoil everywhere ends and that people in nations across the globe may choose
to co-exist in freedom and dignity as a peaceful world�