Author: Rebecca Brocato

In Zimbabwe, much of the news that makes international headlines involves the latest antics of political leaders and the intense dog fights that play out as corrupt ZANU-PF bureaucrats cling to power. But while the politicking of the country’s elite makes waves day in and day out, Zimbabweans continue to suffer, generating little notice. BBC photojournalist Kate Holt recently addressed this gap, publishing an important photo slideshow that tells the stories of a group of Zimbabwean pensioners. As Holt notes, many elderly Zimbabweans watched hyperinflation decimate their savings, and now, without an ability to work, they are forced to live ...

This week’s New York Times features an op-ed from South African Justice Richard Goldstone highlighting recent victories for international justice and making the case that there has been a global normative shift towards the embrace of increased accountability. Goldstone is a powerful voice supporting accountability and the end of impunity. In his native South Africa, he chaired the commission tasked with investigating apartheid era violence. He then worked as the chief prosecutor for the United Nations International Criminal Tribunals on Yugoslavia and Rwanda, where he oversaw the prosecution of those responsible for some of the post war world’s worst crimes ...

A disturbing report from Reuters today highlights increased violence throughout southern Sudan, which has been increasing unstable during the last weeks and months. Speaking about the violence over the weekend, Ashraf Qazi, the U.N. Special Representative for Sudan emphasized the necessity of security in the run-up to the elections and referendum mandated by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. He noted, “In recent months, the death rate in southern Sudan from violence conflict has been higher than in Darfur.” In southern Kordofan last week, an estimated 250 people died during fighting between the Misseriya and Rizeigat. Experts believe that up to 1,000 ...

Reports from northeastern Congo this week note that recent predations by the Lord’s Resistance army have displaced 12,000 civilians in the region. Speaking to IRIN, civil society leader Aroon Sambia noted that more than 100,000 people were sleeping without shelter on the streets of the Congolese town of Dungu and that the LRA had, “burned a dozen houses, stole sheeting provided by aid workers, as well as clothes. They even kidnapped some people.” The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, known as MONUC, estimates that the LRA killed more than 1,100 people between December 2008 and January 2009. Hundreds of thousands ...

A new chapter began in Sri Lanka over the weekend, when the last of the Tamil Tigers laid down their arms and publicly recognized that Vellupillai Prabhakaran, the Tiger’s longtime leader, had been killed by the Sri Lankan army. The war between the government and the Tigers has ended but the world must now examine the cost of the offensive, which ruthlessly pitted the Tigers against government forces inside a small strip of land with tens of thousands civilians caught in the crossfire. Myriad crucially important questions remain regarding the way forward in Sri Lanka and the role of international ...

United Nations reports tend be released with little fanfare but often include crucially important research from the field and should be read by anyone interested in better understanding complex crises around the world. The latest U.N. Group of Experts report on Congo is a perfect example. Released last week, the report, which is mandated by Security Council, is based on research conducted on the ground in eastern Congo during March and April, and is a treasure trove of useful information. It describes in great detail the recent integration of rebel groups into the FARDC and offers insights into continued FDLR ...

Violence between Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Islamist groups Shabaab and Hizbul Islam continues in Mogadishu today. Fighting has displaced an estimated 46,000 people and killed more than 150, with thousands of civilians still caught in the crossfire. Recent reports note that the TFG is attempting to quash a rebel offensive that began earlier this month. This surge in violence was discussed on Capitol Hill this week, during a Senate Foreign Relations Africa Subcommittee hearing addressing the crisis in Somalia. Witnesses at the hearing included Ambassador Johnnie Carson, the newly-minted Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Shannon ...

Spurred on by the powerful testimony during last week's Senate Foreign Relations joint subcommittee hearing on the use of rape as a weapon of war, Senator Barbara Boxer vowed that she would quickly take action to draw the attention of President Obama and Secretary Clinton to this problem in two conflicts where rape is horrifyingly prevalent and brutal: Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. True to her word, Senator Boxer co-signed a letter with Senators Feingold and Shaheen yesterday calling on Senator Clinton to push for the United States to take a more active role in helping “stop this ...

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Around the world, local religious leaders have often been vocal advocates who help highlight injustices in their communities and bring about an end to conflict. Father Justin Nkunzi, a Congolese priest and the director of the Archdiocese of Bukavu’s justice and peace commission, is doing precisely this. Speaking to the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need during a recent visit to the UK, Father Nkunzi called on his government to end the conflict minerals trade in the Congo and emphasized the duty of end users of these minerals to ensure that their products are conflict-free. He specifically called ...