Crackdown in Kinshasa: Congo Government Bans Peaceful March, Cuts Broadcast Stations
Tensions in Congo’s capital are rising as the Congolese government took swift action this week to suppress opposition voices. The government banned a peaceful march organized by Catholic religious leaders yesterday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of what is known as the “Christians Massacre” and to protest the recent botched presidential and legislation elections. The anniversary marks the day in 1992 when several Christians were killed during a pro-democracy rally against the closure of a national conference to debate the Mobutu Sese Seko regime. Yesterday, soldiers met peaceful demonstrators with tear-gas and arrests. Congo’s Voice of the Voiceless rights group ...
Why the Most Dangerous Places to Women Threaten Global Peace and Security
Sexual and gender-based violence, or SGBV, does not just affect an individual but also has the power to permeate an entire community. Often these acts are carried out during periods of conflict or post-conflict transitions when rule of law is weak and a culture of impunity reigns. In the Congo alone an estimated 48 women are raped every hour, according to a study published last year by the American Journal of Public Health. The prevalence of SGBV in Congo indicates a systematic breakdown of societal norms, paving the way for further violence and destruction ...
Wave of Arrests in Khartoum Targets Non-Violent Student Activists
Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party’s grip on power seems to be tightening to the point of suffocation. In the past week, Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services, or NISS, has targeted non-violent, pro-democratic student activists in a wave of arrests and harassment ...
5 Stories You Might Have Missed This Week
A weekly round-up of must-read stories, posted every Friday ...
Lessons to Learn on Certification: Global Witness Pulls Out of Kimberley Process
In a move this week that had been a long time coming, Enough partner organization Global Witness officially pulled out of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, or KP, due to its “refusal to evolve and address the clear links between diamonds, violence and tyranny.” The announcement was significant given the organization’s role as a key architect in the creation of the international diamond certification scheme and as an official observer since the KP’s launch in 2003 ...
Sudan Rebel Groups Unite, Pledging to Overthrow Bashir
Amid cross-border attacks by the government of Sudan on South Sudan, and the recent takeover of the former rebel stronghold Kurmuk in Sudan’s Blue Nile state, major Sudanese rebel groups have officially joined forces in an alliance to topple the Khartoum regime ...
Congo: Political Tensions Heat Up Ahead of Election
The excitement and anticipation of the upcoming Congo elections have been overshadowed by rising tensions between opposing political parties, resulting in recent clashes throughout the country. The election—only the second in the nation’s history—is set for November 28, but already violence and hate speech surrounding the election has heated up and fears of further eruption are looming ...
Congo Minerals Trade is Open for Business—as Long as It’s Conflict-free
Despite misperceptions recently voiced by some companies, the minerals trade in the Congo is open for business—as long as the minerals are conflict-free. Some companies, such as the Crankset Group co-owned by Chuck Blakeman, are using Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act as a scapegoat, claiming the bill has created an embargo in the trade of specific minerals—tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold—from the Congo. In reality though, companies can source minerals from the Congo and should capitalize on this opportune time to invest in conflict-free supply chains ...
‘Stream’ing Live with Satellite Sentinel Project
On October 3, Enough Project Communications Director Jonathan Hutson and Nuba leader Nanya Konda—who leads humanitarian relief efforts in the Nuba Mountains for the Nuba Relief Rehabilitation and Development Organization—appeared on the live Al Jazeera English news broadcast “The Stream.” The broadcast, which aired in the U.S. and 100 other countries around the world, focused on the Satellite Sentinel Project, or SSP, and the impact of its unprecedented approach to utilize cutting-edge satellite technology to document human rights atrocities in Sudan ...
U.N. Human Rights Official Assaulted by South Sudan Police
South Sudanese police dramatically flouted the concept of respect for human rights in a recent attack on a senior U.N. official – the head of the human rights division, no less. On August 20, the U.N. human rights chief in South Sudan, Benedict Sannoh, denied police access to search his belongings at a hotel in Juba, which Enough sources said contained U.N. reports ...
