U.N.: LRA Attacks on the Rise in Central Africa
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, recently released a regional update on the activities of the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, in the Central African Republic, or CAR, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan. The LRA remains a significant threat in both CAR and Congo, and while new attacks haven’t been reported in South Sudan, the refugee situation remains dire ...
Voices of Sudan Gathers Advocates on Capitol Hill for Independence Day Event
Monday marked the one-year anniversary of South Sudanese independence. To commemorate the day, Voices for Sudan held a press conference and invited three Sudan-watchers, including Enough Project Sudan Policy Analyst Jenn Christian, to comment on the current state of South Sudan and Sudan. The other speakers included Faith McDonnell, the director of religious liberty programs at the Institute on Religion and Democracy and Shaza Bala Elmahdi, a student activist with Girifna ...
Microsoft, General Electric, and Motorola Solutions Break from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Conflict Minerals
Throughout the month of June, three major companies broke ranks from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, announcing that they do not support its stance against Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act. These announcements came at the heels of an extensive grassroots advocacy campaign, with Raise Hope for Congo and Global Witness activists urging companies to step up for 1502. Such outspokenness from industry leaders comes as a huge success to the conflict minerals movement, and more companies should follow suit ...
World Refugee Day, Two Sudans Edition: New Crises Force Sudanese to Flee, Even While Old Conflicts Persist
In honoring this day, the world should turn its focus to the ever-growing refugee crisis taking place along the contested border between Sudan and South Sudan, as well as to internally displaced populations in Sudan’s Darfur region and in Jonglei state, South Sudan ...
Sudan and South Sudan: The Safe Demilitarized Border Zone Explained
On June 7, yet another round of negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan ended. These most recent talks centered around the establishment of the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone, or SDBZ, a border security measure to which both sides consented in a June 2011 agreement on border security. While the SDBZ is agreed upon in theory, in practice, the establishment of this zone will prove tricky ...