Holding On

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Pascale Harter introduces reportage, analysis and reflection from correspondents and writers around the world. Kate Clark, in Kabul, discusses how Afghanistan is marking the beginning of forty years of almost unbroken war - with the anniversary of the leftist coup of 1978. Tens of thousands of people were abducted, tortured, imprisoned and 'disappeared' by the new government - and that set the scene for decades of further conflict. Now, the attacks and the armed struggles continue, but is there a new mood of exasperation among civilians, which could fuel a movement for peace? Diana Darke recently travelled in government-controlled areas of Syria, being shown the version of events favoured by the Assad regime. But she speaks Arabic, knows the country well, and was able to break away from the official agenda - to hear, straight from displaced people from Ghouta, how they're surviving after being driven from their homes. Laurence Blair's in Bolivia, visiting an Andean museum with an eclectic collection of objects on display - from an old school report to a wooden football. They're all linked to the country's President, Evo Morales, adored when he first came to power over a decade ago and still hugely admired in many parts. But after his moves to extend and re-extend his time in control, there are some signs of disenchantment on the streets. And Aisha Gani stumbles on a very unexpected scene in a camp for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. After escaping mob and military attacks on their villages in Myanmar, a whole generation of young people are stuck here with little to do. But there's always time for a wedding - and if someone's managed to hire in a sound system, it's even possible to join a dance party. Photo: Mourners and relatives pray in front of the coffin of one of the victims of a bomb set off in a voter registration centre in Kabul, on April 23, 2018. (SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images)