Minorities face attack as revolutions sour in Middle East and North Africa, says new global Peoples Under Threat survey

Egypt2-revolution
Demonstrators pack Tahrir Square, Cairo, Eqypt, on the anniversary of the start of the protests on 25 January 2012.
Mark Lattimer/MRG

Syria, Libya, Egypt and Yemen are among the most significant risers in this year's internationally acclaimed global ranking Peoples Under Threat, which lists countries where communities are most at threat of mass killing, MRG says.

According to authoritative indicators factored into the Peoples Under Threat analysis, states in the Middle East and North Africa have risen notably in the table, with minorities at particular risk. As political space opens up, ethnic or sectarian grievances have been exacerbated and minorities scapegoated.

Read the global press release and the Africa press release.

Listen to an interview with MRG Executive Director Mark Lattimer on the 2012 Peoples under Threat rankings.

MRG blog

How to Skin a Porcupine

Daniel Openshaw

Daniel Openshaw, MRG’s Publications Intern, reports back from the Expert Seminar on Indigenous Peoples’ Languages and Cultures. Read part one and part two of his blog series.

Privatization of court interpreting hinders access to justice for non-English speakers in the UK

A UK Ministry of Justice’s decision on court interpreters has severe implications for minorities from non-English speaking backgrounds. Shahendra Suliman, MRG’s Conflict Prevention Programme intern, reports. Read more...

From the Minority Voices Newsroom

Bangladesh: Smoke in the hills. A story by Per Liljas, winner of MRG's Young Journalist Award

Bangladesh MV

Forty years after Bangladesh' liberation war, indigenous communities are still stuck in the same struggle.

Twelve-year-old Dipu Chakma was woken up by the crashing sound when the front door of his family’s hut was kicked in. Five men entered, their faces covered in cloth. Twelve-year old Dipu Chakma was woken up by the crashing sound when the front door of his family’s hut was kicked in. Five men entered, their faces covered in cloth. Hurriedly, Dipu got up from his bed and ushered his little brother Riku to the back of the hut. Read more...

Donate Now

The internet's leading information resource on minorities around the globe

The internet's leading information resource on minorities around the globe

Peoples Under Threat

MRG's annual study of those groups or peoples around the world most at risk

State of the World's Minorities

A comprehensive overview of the world's minorities and indigenous peoples

Minority Voices Newsroom