The Lubanga Case: Wrapping up the ICC’s First Trial
The prosecution and defense teams presented their final statements last week in the International Criminal Court’s first case to go to trial, The Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, representing a landmark for this unprecedented institution of international justice ...
Sudan: Irrefutable and Nearly Immediate Proof of War Crimes
The wall of impunity that has long protected war criminals is crumbling. And that process is now accelerating through the use of technology. Atrocities committed during military actions or in campaigns of ethnic cleansing used to be routinely denied, disputed, and covered up for years. With the advent of the International Criminal Court a decade ago, investigations and charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide began to come more quickly and the accused perpetrators have been put under a harsh spotlight while the court's process moved forward ...
U.S. to Fund Livelihoods Project Worth $20 Million in Eastern Congo
Following calls to action from advocates from many corners, USAID has just announced a $20 million livelihoods project in eastern Congo. It is a request for proposals for a four-year program in the Kivus and Orientale provinces, focused on people affected by sexual violence and the conflict minerals trade. Because grassroots communities bear the brunt of the violence in eastern Congo, Enough has called repeatedly for such a project, and we applaud USAID for this initiative ...
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 ...
U.S. Statement Credits Sudan Government for Non-existent Ceasefire
In a statement issued yesterday on the ongoing conflict in South Kordofan, the U.S. State Department revealed itself to be behind the curve on developments on the ground in Sudan. The press statement praised Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s ceasefire announcement on Tuesday as a “positive initial step” and urged the opposing Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, or SPLM-N, “to show the same leadership and declare a two-week ceasefire as well.” The statement appears to be either uninformed or intentionally dismissive of the fact that the government has continued to bomb areas in the Nuba Mountains since the declaration ...
5 Stories You Might Have Missed This Week
A weekly round-up of must-read stories, posted every Friday ...
Bashir and South Kordofan: Moving Toward Stabilization or More Unimplemented Promises?
Several recent developments in Sudan regarding the conflict in South Kordofan, where over 200,000 individuals have been killed, injured, or forcibly displaced according to UN reports, highlight the volatility that currently exists in the Sudanese political arena. President Omar Hassan al-Bashir recently declared a ceasefire in South Kordofan, but reports of continued fighting and aerial bombardment by the Sudan Armed Forces, or SAF, indicate that this truce has already been broken ...
Sparkling Support for Conflict Minerals Legislation
Despite opposition from Washington industry lobbyists, some companies have shown public support for conflict minerals legislation. Last week, the jewelry company Brilliant Earth posted on its Facebook page in strong support of the Dodd-Frank bill. The San Francisco-based jewelry retailer stated that “The new law doesn’t ban the export of Congo’s minerals to the United States; it simply requires more transparency.” Therefore it is up to industries that are involved in mineral sourcing from the Congo, mainly electronics and jewelry companies, to become socially responsible and commit to conflict-free regulations instead of simply moving their business elsewhere ...
Enough Project Condemns Sudan Government Breaking Ceasefire in South Kordofan
The Enough Project condemned the Government of Sudan for breaking its own ceasefire in the troubled Nuba Mountain region of South Kordofan State ...
New Evidence Confirms Mass Graves in South Kordofan
Evidence of mass graves and systematic mass killing of civilians in South Kordofan, Sudan has been mounting. The latest report by Satellite Sentinel Project released today confirms with visual evidence and new eyewitness reports the collection and burial of human remains in and around Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan. The report presents evidence of two additional mass graves in the area—bringing the total number of alleged mass graves to eight thus far ...
