Blog

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who serves as chairman of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, might have prided himself on brokering a truce between heads of state in Africa’s Great Lakes region. But it seems the move may have in fact helped the rebels gather steam since mid-August ...

In Somalia, a year-long military offensive by Kenyan and Somali forces has succeeded in capturing the strategic seaport of Kismayo from the jihadi group al-Shabaab. The liberation of Kismayo is a major setback for al-Shabaab, but is also a big test for the African peacekeeping force—the African Union Mission in Somalia, or AMISOM—and the new post-transition Somali government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. If the Kenyan forces win the war but lose the peace—by mishandling how the liberated city is administered by local authorities—it could create new clan conflicts, drive disaffected clans into tactical alliances with al-Shaabab, and undermine the ...

Worldwide, 61 million children are not in school, and over 40 percent of those children live in poor, conflict-affected countries, according to new research slated for release in a new report by UNESCO on October 16. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is therefore using the power of his office and the United Nations to make education for all children and youth a priority ...

As the Raise Hope for Congo campaign manager, I have traveled from Los Angeles, to Athens, OH, to New York City, and to Durham, NC to engage with students as they fight for human rights on their campuses. Last month I returned to my hometown and to my alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison ...

A weekly round-up of must-read stories, posted every Friday ...

“Gateway to the North,” a new report issued today by the Satellite Sentinel Project, or SSP, documents the bombardment and destruction of a village in the Nuba Mountains region of war-torn South Kordofan, Sudan and shows the recent fortification of a new infantry garrison for the Sudan Armed Forces, or SAF ...

Sudan and South Sudan signed a deal today that will resume oil flow and create a demilitarized zone between the two countries. However, a resolution on Abyei and border disputes was not included in the deal ...

On August 22, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, voted to adopt conflict minerals regulations that require companies to publicly disclose whether any of the minerals they use originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or an adjoining country. If so, what steps they are taking to avoid sourcing from armed groups? The decision marked a major victory in the fight to end the trade in conflict minerals from eastern Congo—one that would not have happened without activist pressure on the SEC and the electronics industry. Our new guide for activists to the SEC’s ruling on conflict ...

While significant progress has been made toward increasing enrollment in primary education globally, the number of children out of school in sub-Saharan Africa has risen over the past three years. Education inequality is particularly high among populations who have suffered from conflict and humanitarian crises, such as those living in refugee camps—the communities we are targeting through the activities of the Darfur Dream Team Sister Schools Program ...

On August 22nd, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, voted to adopt conflict minerals regulations in accordance with the Dodd-Frank Act that require companies to publicly disclose whether any of the minerals they use originated in Congo. This easy-to-understand guide is a tool to help activists understand the ruling and its provisions ...