Here at Enough, we often swap emails with interesting articles and feature stories that we come across in our favorite publications and on our favorite websites. We wanted to share some of these stories with you as part of our effort to keep you up to date on what you need to know in the world of anti-genocide and crimes against humanity work.
An even less talked about humanitarian crisis brewing as a result of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (this time not in the east) comes to life in this BBC slideshow. Fighting in the northwest corner of Congo beginning last October has forced an estimated 100,000 people across the river into the Republic of Congo in just a few short months.
Stunning photographs make this post on the International Rescue Committee’s Voices from the Field a standout of the week. A film crew captured footage among urban refugee communities in Kenya’s capital for an upcoming short film, and this glimpse suggests that it will be visually spectacular film and challenge typical notions of what it means to be a ‘refugee.’
The IRC’s blog also highlighted the benefits of a community-centered program, Tuungane (Swahili for “let’s unite”), in communities in eastern Congo that allocates money to villages according to the projects the villagers themselves decide they want to pursue. Peter Biro’s photos help illustrate the stories of some of the individuals impacted by the program.
In the upcoming print edition of Newsweek, Joshua Kurlantzick of the Council on Foreign Relations offers a dismal overview of governments’ lack of interest in human rights these days: “Obama’s waffling [on human rights issues] was hardly unique. Across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, many democracies have abandoned global human-rights advocacy, trotting it out only for occasional speeches or events like International Human Rights Day.” Kurlantzick suggests some (equally depressing but interesting) reasons why the case may be.
An investigative piece by Colum Lynch of the newly launched Turtle Bay blog at Foreign Policy reveals some quiet lobbying on behalf of the notorious military junta leader of Guinea, who stands accused of orchestrating the mass atrocities that took place in the Guinean capital during a peaceful protest last September. The legal advice came from a surprising source.