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.
In an op-ed published by The New York Times, Kofi Annan addresses Africa’s resource curse looking ahead into the next decade, which will include the flow of billions of dollars into African countries. He states that the only solution to this problem that has historically plagued the continent will be through global cooperation among private sector leaders in the extractive industries, and African leaders in government and civil society.
Kamal Elsadig, editor in chief of Radio Dabanga, interviewed Dane Smith, U.S. Special Envoy for Darfur, who expressed disappointment with the degree of implementation of the Doha agreements and concerns about Darfur’s deteriorating security situation.
The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan are set to meet on Sunday, September 23, in Addis Ababa to conclude agreements on outstanding issues between their two countries. Ahead of the summit meeting, Ulf Laessing of Reuters offers a brief breakdown of the main negotiation sticking points, and reports on the skepticism among diplomats that a comprehensive deal will be resolved.
AllAfrica.com posted the full testimony of Congo expert Jason Stearns from a U.S. House Subcommittee hearing on September 19 that examined Rwanda’s involvement in the recent M23 rebellion. Stearns attributed the current crisis to the failure of the Congolese peace process to deal with the root causes of conflict in the region. He wrote:
A potent mix of ethnic tensions, state weakness, and Rwandan involvement—located at local, national and regional levels—lie at the heart of the violence.
On his Foreign Intrigue blog this week, Representative Ed Royce (R-CA) responds to an investigative report earlier this month by Jeffrey Gettleman about an epic elephant slaughter taking place in Africa that has made ivory the latest conflict resource for armed groups. Rep. Royce asserts that the U.S. could apply lessons learned from going after other illicit trade networks to help target armed groups banking off of the booming ivory trade.