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Here’s another one for the “we hope the Obama administration takes a more nuanced approach to foreign policy” file. A coalition of organizations recently released a set of policy recommendations on how the United States can better address the crisis in Chad. Their recommendations largely echo what Enough has long been arguing—that although the violence in eastern Chad is in part a spillover from neighboring Darfur, Chad is mired in its own unique political crisis, and the international community needs to be much smarter in developing a practical roadmap toward lasting stability in Chad. My colleagues Omer Ismail and Maggie ...

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars recently hosted a panel discussion examining the dynamics of the widespread sexual violence occurring in eastern Congo. Michael VanRooyen and Jocelyn Kelly of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative discussed their ongoing study on the root causes of sexual violence in eastern Congo. In addition to documenting the “medical, psychosocial, and livelihood” needs of the survivors of sexual violence in Congo, the study—undertaken in partnership with Panzi Hospital, in Bukavu, eastern Congo—assesses community perceptions of sexual assault and seeks to understand the motivation of perpetrators. In the effort to help Congolese women to rebuild their ...

In a dramatic reversal of fortune for one of Central Africa’s most powerful warlords, Congolese rebel leader Laurent Nkunda was arrested by Rwandan authorities last night along the Congo-Rwanda border. When my colleague Rebecca and I met with Nkunda in the town of Rwanguba on Thanksgiving Day, he seemed on top of the world. His rebel movement, the National Congress for the Defense of People, or CNDP, had routed the Congolese army, embarrassed UN peacekeepers, consolidated control of a large swath of North Kivu province, and threatened the regional capital of Goma. Nkunda shrugged off allegations that his lieutenant, Bosco ...

The innovative Institute for Inclusive Security, which includes the equally impressive Women Waging Peace Network, hosted its tenth annual Policy Forum today in Washington. The forum marked the end of a colloquium that brought together 21 women leaders from 12 conflict and post-conflict areas around the world, from Kashmir to Southern Sudan to Northern Uganda. These champions of women’s rights are coordinating their efforts around the powerful idea of “inclusive security”: the notion that women should and must be included as stakeholders—not “afterthoughts,” in the words of one Forum panelist—in efforts to avert violence and resolve conflict. Too often, in ...

In case you missed it: The Enough Project, in partnership with the Save Darfur Coalition and the Genocide Intervention Network, yesterday released the second installment in a series of letters to President Barack Obama spelling out a practical roadmap to end the crisis in Sudan. The first letter called on then President-elect Obama to lead a concerted international “peace surge” for Sudan. The second letter, President Obama’s Immediate Sudan Challenge, focuses on the urgent United States policy imperatives in Sudan. Co-authored by Enough’s John Prendergast and John Norris and the Save Darfur Coalition’s Jerry Fowler, the letter outlines several key ...

Associated Press is reporting General Laurent Nkunda, leader of the strongest rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, has been arrested. According to various reports, the feared Congolese rebel leader was apprehended Friday by a joint force of Rwandan and Congolese army troops in Rwanda. The BBC reported Nkunda crossed the border after resisting a joint Rwandan-Congolese operation to arrest him. His arrest removes one obstacle to peace but other rebel groups remain active. In recent weeks Nkunda’s once loyal troops had begun to splinter away from the flamboyant, but tyrannical leader. AP reported around 4,000 Rwandan troops ...

Today marks Day Three of Barack Obama’s presidency. Enough is partnering with the Save Darfur Coalition, Genocide Intervention Network, and STAND for a new campaign to ensure that President Obama makes Darfur a top priority in his first days and weeks of office. In the midst of a financial crisis and wars on multiple fronts, it is more important than ever that we, as activists, make our voices heard on this issue – keeping the new administration’s feet to the fire to bring peace to Sudan, by immediately appointing a special envoy and launching a “peace surge.” A new day ...

We are pleased to announce that we have just delivered a petition to President Barack Obama – signed by more than 39,000 concerned Americans – asking him to take action on Congo. This is the largest ever call to action in the United States on Congo and underscores the growing strength of the Congo activist movement. You can read the press release here. This tremendous effort would not be possible without our friends and allies, including Oxfam America, Amnesty International, Bureau pour le Volontariat au Service de l’Enfance et de la Santé (BVES), Campus Progress at the Center for American ...

When I first met dissident General Laurent Nkunda, Chairman of the National Congress for the Defense of People, or CNDP, in February 2008, I was also introduced to his Chief of Staff, Bosco Ntaganda. Large and tall with searing hazel eyes and wearing a red beret, Ntaganda talked to me for several minutes. He asked me about my nationality, my religious background and my age. I answered his questions while nodding and smiling, but my stomach was churning and my brain was racing. At that time, Bosco Ntaganda had a sealed International Criminal Court arrest warrant for war crimes he ...

This is the second installment in a series of letters to President Obama spelling out a practical roadmap to end the crisis in Sudan ...