Author: Lindsay McClain

From April 6-17, Resolve Uganda hosted its second “Knock Knock” campaign, aimed at bringing a lasting solution to the more than two decades of violence by the Lord's Resistance Army, or LRA, in central Africa. During that two week period, nearly a thousand people in over 30 states met with their Congressional representatives. According to the advocacy organization Resolve Uganda, the general response from the members was that they need to hear more from their constituents. Although this is Africa’s longest running conflict, some U.S. leaders still do not know that it is happening. Dustyn Winder, a junior at the ...

This week, the World Bank’s Social Development Department hosted a conference titled, “Violence Prevention: A Critical Dimension of Development.” This two-day event sought to foster a greater understanding of how “violence has become one of the most salient development issues in the global agenda” and “how the World Bank can move forward in addressing crime and violence.” Off-setting panels that featured economists, statisticians, and analysts, the World Bank dedicated an entire session to highlighting a vital, yet often overlooked, perspective: children who survived war. This panel featured testimonies, insights, and recommendations from four survivors: Grace Akallo and Dominic Akena, both ...

From April 6-17, our partners at Resolve Uganda are hosting their second “Knock Knock” campaign and encouraging YOU to bring solutions to ending LRA violence to dozens of Congressional front doors—literally. While the U.S. Congress is on recess, RU’s activist constituency will meet with their representatives and senators across the country on their home turf and express concerns over the ongoing violence committed by the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, in central Africa. Resolve Uganda and their lobbyists will express three key requests to each Congressperson and Congressional office: 1. COMMIT to co-sponsor upcoming bipartisan legislation that will develop a ...

In the eastern Congo, violence against communities by armed groups has become all too common. Over 5 million people have been killed, and millions more have become victims of forced labor, torture, recruitment of child soldiers, extortion, and displacement. Too often the trauma left in the wake of these atrocities is overlooked and underfunded. A recent feature by BBC, “In pictures: Congo mental health centre,” profiles the Centre Sosame, one of the few mental health clinics in the war-torn eastern region. This facility can accommodate up to 100 patients at a time and is often completely full. Clinic staffers travel ...

Last night’s Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit episode on the Lord’s Resistance Army focused much needed attention on the brutality of child soldiering and sexual slavery in Africa’s Great Lakes region. At Enough, we are very pleased that NBC chose to spotlight such an important, but often overlooked, issue. Thousands of children like SVU's Miriam and Elijah need your voice to put an end to Africa’s longest running insurgency. Here are three ways you can take action right now. CALL the White House at 202-456-1111 and tell President Obama to appoint a Special Envoy for Africa’s Great Lakes region ...

In response to last week’s audio recording by Osama bin Laden calling for the toppling of Somalia’s new government, two notable Somalis and a group of influential Somali Islamic clerics spoke out against al Qaeda. Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, a well-known Islamist (who has himself been accused by the U.S. of having close ties with al Qaeda), and Information Minister Farahan Ali Mohamoud released separate statements urging bin Laden to stay out of Somali affairs. The leader of the Council of Correction and Reconciliation stressed that more than anything Somalis want an end to war and the restoration of law ...

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, recently released this map highlighting the organizations in Darfur affected by last week’s expulsion by the Sudanese government. OCHA estimates that 86 NGO staffers have been removed in South Darfur, but the figures are expected to increase once all of the organizations report their statistics. The United Nations estimates that roughly 50 percent of aid workers — about 7,600 people — are affected by the expulsion. As this map illustrates, the consequences of this pullout could be severe for the 2.1 million people in Darfur. Click here for ...

With its decision regarding an arrest warrant a day away, the International Criminal Court, or ICC, has been in the news a great deal. The court was created in response to the need for international justice to end impunity, a point ICC President Phillipe Kirsch rightly emphasizes. Enough has created a multimedia slide show narrating the history behind the ICC’s creation and the genesis of international justice in the post-war era. Despite some rocky periods, international justice—stretching from the Nuremberg trials to modern-day Sudan—has made some remarkable progress in both theory and practice. Click here to view the slideshow, “Building ...

This morning, the International Criminal Court announced the date when the Court’s Pre-Trial Chamber will issue its decision concerning Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo’s application for an arrest warrant against Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir. The decision will be announced by a press release and publication on the ICC website on March 4. This decision will come nearly eight months after the Chief Prosecutor applied for the warrant under article 58 of the Rome Statute. Click HERE to read “What the Warrant Means: Justice, Peace, and the Key Actors in Sudan,” Enough’s strategy paper on the implications of the likely issuance of ...

With all the hype surrounding the impending indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, you may be thinking, “Where in the world is the ICC?” Depending on your knowledge base, you may mean that literally or figuratively, and we’ve created a map to catch you up on both. The International Criminal Court, or ICC, is a permanent court located in The Hague, Netherlands that has jurisdiction over cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Click here for an interactive map that highlights the cases currently before the ICC and the situations that the ICC is investigating. For more information ...