Q. Consider the following pairs :

Regions often mentioned in news — Reason for being in news

  1. North Kivu and Ituri : War between Armenia and Azerbaijan
  2. Nagorno-Karabakh: Insurgency in Mozambique
  3. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia: Dispute between Israel and Lebanon

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

  • Only one
  • Only two
  • All three
  • None

Answer: (d) None

Notes:
North Kivu and Ituri:
  • North Kivu and Ituri are the eastern provinces of Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • The President of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi declared a “State of Siege” due to the increasing violence in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri.
    • The violence killed more than hundred people and displaced more than 1.5 million.
North Kivu and Ituri
Nagorno-Karabakh:
  • Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous and heavily forested region that under international law is recognised as part of Azerbaijan.
  • Recently, protests against possible concessions by Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh which is disputed with neighboring Azerbaijan, have increased.
Nagorno-Karabakh
Kherson and Zaporizhzhia
  • Russia released vote tallies showing overwhelming support in four provinces of Ukraine to join with Russia.
  • The four regions are Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Kherson and Zaporizhzhia
Cabo Delgado:
  • The insurgency in Cabo Delgado is an ongoing Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique, mainly fought between militant Islamists and jihadists attempting to establish an Islamic state in the region, and Mozambican security forces.
    • Civilians have been the main targets of terrorist attacks by Islamist militants.
  • The main insurgent faction is Ansar al-Sunna, a native extremist faction with tenuous international connections.
    • Ansar al-Sunna (“Supporters of the Tradition”) is similar to the name of an Iraqi Sunni insurgent group that fought against U.S. troops between 2003 and 2007.
    • They are known locally as al-Shabaab but they are not formally related to the better known Somali al-Shabaab.
Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
Golan Heights
  • The Golan Heights (Golan) is a region in the Levant.
  • It is a rocky plateau in south-western Syria, about 60km (40 miles) south-west of the Capital, Damascus.
  • It is bounded by the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee on the west, Mount Hermon on the north, the seasonal Wadi Al-Ruqqād River on the east, and the Yarmūk River on the south.
  • The Golan extends about 44 miles (71 km) from north to south and about 27 miles (43 km) from east to west at its widest point.
  • It is roughly boat-shaped and has an area of 1,150 square kilometres.
  • History:
    • Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Six-Day War.
    • Most of the Syrian Arab inhabitants fled the area during the conflict.
    • An armistice line was established, and the region came under Israeli military control. Almost immediately, Israel began to settle the Golan.
    • Syria tried to retake the Golan Heights during the 1973 Middle East Despite inflicting heavy losses on Israeli forces, the surprise assault was thwarted.
    • Both countries signed an armistice in 1974, and a UN observer force has been in place on the ceasefire line since 1974.
    • Israel unilaterally annexed the Golan Heights in 1981.
  • There are more than 30 Israeli settlements in the Golan. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
  • About 20,000 Syrians and 20,000 Israelis live in the Golan.
  • Strategic Importance:
    • The Syrian capital, Damascus, can be clearly seen from the top of the Golan Hills.
    • When it rains here, its water goes to the Jordan River, which supplies water in dry areas. It is believed that this water supplies one-third of Israel’s water.
    • Apart from this, the land here is very fertile, which is very good for farming.
Golan Heights