Author: Laura Heaton

Writing in today's Guardian, Enough's Executive Director John Norris connected the dots between the global demand for electronics, the world's deadliest conflict, rampant sexual violence and other atrocities, and the illicit mineral trade in eastern Congo. Here's a clip: Millions of people have died in eastern Congo, in what is the world's deadliest conflict since the second world war. Ending the Democratic Republic of the Congo's multiple conflicts is the single most important task in improving the lives of Congolese, making more lasting development possible and giving people a say in their own affairs. Trying to talk about economic development ...

Here at Enough, we often swap emails with interesting articles and feature stories that we come across in our favorite publications and on our favorite websites. We wanted to share some of these stories with you as part of our effort to keep you up to date on what you need to know in the world of anti-genocide and crimes against humanity work. The Sri Lankan conflict zone is largely closed off to outside observers. This illustrated account by Human Rights Watch of the horrors within the government-declared ‘safe zone’ is a rare glimpse into the suffering of civilians caught ...

Writing in the Huffington Post recently, Enough co-Founder John Prendergast and Rabbi David Saperstein reflected on the importance of activism in ending the "genocide by attrition" in Darfur today. Here's a clip: There are no gas chambers; there are not even the dramatic village burnings of 2003-5 Darfur. But the conditions designed to bring about the destruction - in whole or in part - of particular groups of people on the basis of their identity continues. That is why we decided to hold a protest in front of the Sudanese embassy on Monday, and to get arrested when the Secret ...

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal describes how the tin trade in eastern Congo is “under threat” due to increased attention from the United Nations on the illicit mineral trade in the region. The article is certainly alarming as a suggestion of the effect a significant decrease in the trade would have on the livelihood of the already impoverished miners. But before concluding that the U.N.’s calls for due diligence will lead to more harm than good, it’s important to take note of the strongly competing interests of the various actors involved in the trade, including the unnamed tin ...

In a remote village in eastern Congo, Mama Nadi’s brothel is an unlikely haven for young women who are victims of the brutal sexual violence that is used as a weapon in this war-torn region. But women come to Mama Nadi’s, and she takes them in, because they have nowhere else to go. Rejected because of the disgrace they bring to their villages, families, and husbands, these women create new lives at Mama Nadi’s. Their livelihoods may be tied to sexual whims of rebels, Congolese soldiers, and coltan miners, but the women consider themselves fortunate. And compared to the brutality ...

An African Union team tasked with facilitating an end to the six-year conflict in Darfur announced this weekend that its members would meet with the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). South African President Thabo Mbeki, who chairs the AU’s Darfur panel, did not give details about what the AU hopes to achieve, but said the meeting would focus on issues of “justice.” This is a notable development given the AU’s strong condemnation of the ICC’s arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. On March 6, just two days after the ICC issued its arrest warrant for Bashir, ...

Speaking to VOA this week, Enough's Colin Thomas-Jensen reflected on decisions made at an international donors' conference to support humanitarian and security efforts in Somalia. Donors pledged more than $200 million, with the largest portion allocated to the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia. As Thomas-Jensen pointed out, the remaining funds must be distributed carefully to ensure they are used effectively: The issue of simply providing money to the greatest strongman in Somalia in the hopes that he will exert control militarily over the country has failed miserably time and time again. And so direct support to this government ought ...

Here at Enough, we often swap emails with interesting articles and feature stories that we come across in our favorite publications and on our favorite websites. We wanted to share some of these stories with you as part of our effort to keep you up to date on what you need to know in the world of anti-genocide and crimes against humanity work. Two weeks after Human Rights Watch published a detailed report documenting the brutality of the Ugandan Joint Anti-terrorism Task Force (JATT), The Independent newspaper in Kampala published this column on the same topic by the lead HRW ...

As the second day of peace talks between Sudan and Chad came to a close in Doha, Qatar today, the U.S. State Department issued the following statement: The United States calls on all parties to the conflict in Darfur to join the Doha peace talks immediately and to cease all provocations and violent actions in Darfur. An interim ceasefire is within reach, one which will allow the armed movements and the Government of Sudan to achieve a comprehensive solution that includes security, individual compensation, wealth-sharing, respect for land rights and political participation by all the people of Darfur. The United ...

Don't miss the op-ed co-authored by Grammy winner Sheryl Crow and Enough co-Founder John Prendergast in today's Christian Science Monitor. Here's a clip: Your cellphone purchases might be fueling the world's worst sexual violence. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a place most of us will never go, and the war there is affecting people most of us will never meet. But the link between our demand for electronic products and mass human suffering is incredibly direct. It is stunning that we as consumers have been completely unaware of the complex chain of events tying widespread sexual violence in ...