The weekend that was

With most Muslims commemorating Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, yesterday and today, one would expect there to be an air of peace and celebration in the Middle East. Unfortunately, this is not the case in 2012. In Yemen, a crazed gunmen killed nine worshippers at a mosque in al-Dhale on Sunday while suspected Islamist militants attacked security forces targets in Aden killing 21 on Saturday and pro-government militia in Mudiya killing on Sunday one. Fighting also continued in Syria, including in the capital, Damascus, while two car bombs detonated and three more bombs, including two IEDs and one car bomb, were defused in Tripoli, Libya. In Lebanon, a spate of kidnappings threatens to unravel the security situation in the restive state. Since last Wednesday dozens of Syrian nationals have been abducted by Lebanese clans and militant groups in response to the kidnapping of Lebanese nationals in Syria. The abductions have led five Gulf States to withdraw their citizens from the country. The upsurge in violence has not made global headlines and continues to fall below the radar of most media. In South Africa, the MENA region rarely gets a mention. While local news is important the media should appreciate that we live in a global village and information pertinent to global affairs, while not immediately relevant to local audiences, should be covered.