Israel

About 40 people were killed in the Palestinian uprising during the month (Reuters).

1 APRIL-3 JULY 2001

Diplomatic Affairs

On 1 April, there was a mid-air collision between Chinese and US military aircraft over the South China Sea near the Chinese island of Hainan, at about 0915 Chinese time. According to the US Navy, one of its EP-3 surveillance aircraft was in international airspace when it was intercepted by two Chinese F-8 fighters. According to the Chinese foreign ministry, the fighters were engaged in routine pursuit and monitoring of the EP-3 when it "suddenly veered" toward them about 104 kilometers south of Hainan. There was then a collision between one of the F-8s and the EP-3. "The nose and left wing of the U.S. plane hit the Chinese plane and caused it to crash", according to the Chinese statement. However, the US later claimed that the F-8 collided with one of the EP-3's propellers, destroying the F-8 and causing considerable damage to the EP-3.

The damaged EP-3 entered Chinese airspace and landed at a Chinese air base at Lingshui, on Hainan, where the Chinese interned it and its 24 crew. Chinese efforts to find the F-8's pilot were unsuccessful.

China demanded an apology from the US for ramming its fighter and entering its territory without permission. The US, which regarded the incident as an accident, demanded the return of the EP-3 and its crew. On 11 April, the US said it was "very sorry" for the loss of the Chinese pilot and for entering Chinese airspace without permission, and China released the US personnel. On 3 July, China allowed the EP-3 to leave, dismantled, aboard an An-124 transport (Reuters).

2-3 APRIL 2001

Israel

On the 2nd, Islamic Jihad militant Mohammed Abdeld was ambushed and killed by an Israeli attack helicopter in Gaza. The next day, Israeli attack helicopters struck Palestinian military targets in Gaza (Reuters).

6 APRIL 2001

Bosnia

Croat nationalists rioted against SFOR personel in Mostar (Reuters).

Argentina

In Buenos Aires there was a violent protest by several hundred people against a meeting of the western hemisphere's trade ministers and business leaders. The meeting was held to discuss the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) pact (Reuters).

7 APRIL 2001

Russia

Several thousand people attended a rally in Moscow to protest the recent takeover of independent television station NTV by the state-run natural gas firm Gazprom (Reuters).

8 APRIL 2001

Peru, Politics

A Presidential election was held. Alejandro Toledo won 36.5% of the vote and Alan Garcia won 25.8%, forcing them into a runoff that was to be held in late May or early June (Reuters).

11 APRIL 2001

Turkey

About 50,000 people violently protested in Ankara against the government of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit (Reuters).

13 APRIL 2001

Diplomatic Affairs

Chinese President Jiang Zemin met Cuban President Fidel Castro in Havana (Reuters).

14 APRIL 2001

Lebanon

Israeli aircraft and artillery attacked suspected Hizbollah positions near the Israeli border in response to a Hizbollah attack on an Israeli border post (Reuters).

15 APRIL 2001

Lebanon

Israeli aircraft attacked a Syrian radar station about 35 km east of Beirut near the main Damascus-Beirut highway (Reuters).

17 APRIL 2001

Sierra Leone

Nigerian troops of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) entered Makeni. Since the November 2000 ceasefire with the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF), UNAMSIL has attempted to redeploy its forces across the country. The withdrawal of the Indian and Jordanian contingents initially prevented this, but the subsequent arrival of fresh contingents from countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh has allowed UNAMSIL to resume deployment (Reuters).

18 APRIL 2001

Ethiopia

There were violent protests in Addis Ababa by thousands of students. Police reacted with deadly force; 39 students were killed. The protests were apparently related to political and academic freedom issues (Reuters).

Kosovo

A bomb exploded in a Yugoslav government office in Pristina, killing one Serb (Reuters).

Iraq

Iran reportedly carried out Scud SSM attacks on Iraqi bases of the People's Mujahideen Organization. The Mujahideen are guerillas fighting the Iranian government (Reuters).

18-19 APRIL 2001

Philippines

Gunmen killed 11 people, including two town mayors. According to police, most of the killings were by communist rebels (Reuters).

20 APRIL 2001

Democratic Republic of Congo

A small Moroccan contingent of the UN peacekeeping mission was allowed into Kisangani by the Rwandan-backed Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) rebels (Reuters).

20-22 APRIL 2001

Western Hemishphere, Diplomatic Affairs

Leaders from the region met in Quebec city, Canada. They confirmed plans to create a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) by the end of 2005. There were protests, sometimes violent, against the proposed FTAA by thousands of people during the summit (Reuters).

22 APRIL 2001

Colombia

The army captured Brazilian drug dealer Luis Fernando da Costa in Vichada province (Reuters).

Israel

A Palestinian suicide bomber killed an Israeli in Kfar Saba. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack (Reuters).

24 APRIL 2001

Diplomatic Affairs

US officials met with a delegation from Taiwan to offer for sale four Kidd-class DDGs, 8 European-made SSs and 12 P-3 Orion ASW aircraft. China formally protested (Reuters).

26 APRIL 2001

Philippines

About 150,000 people demonstrated in Manila to demand the release of former president Joseph Estrada, being held on a charge of economic plunder (Reuters).

27 APRIL 2001

Japan, Politics

Junichiro Koizumi replaced Yoshiro Mori as Prime Minister. Mori had lost his position as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the main party in the ruling coalition, to Koizumi on the 24th (Reuters).

30 APRIL 2001

Algeria

Violent clashes between protesters and police in the ethnic Berber region of Kabylie left dozens killed (Reuters).

30 APRIL-1 MAY 2001

Philippines

Thousands of Estrada supporters tried to break down the gates of the presidential palace in Manila. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's government later said that opposition politicians had tried to use the occasion to take power, and that they may have wanted both Arroyo and Estrada dead (Reuters).