Blog

The rumble over the roles of advocacy and aid in responding to Darfur continues. The blogosphere provides a great platform for this debate, which engages with some of the core dilemmas at the heart of human rights work. The discussion has brought together a series of interconnected, but very distinct, communities that care about war zones, but often have a tendency to talk past each other. Within their own communities, activists, academics, and aid workers are all fairly mindful of the vexing ethical dilemmas involved in their work. If you talk with almost anyone in this line of work over ...

A recent statement from Doctors Without Borders, known by their French acronym MSF, deplores the failure of MONUC, the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Congo, to protect civilians from the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA. Commented Marc Poncin, MSF’s operational manager for Congo: “The conclusion we’ve reached day in and day out on the ground, is that the LRA is continuing its unspeakable violence against civilians…U.N. Security Council Resolution 1856, from this past December 22, makes protection of civilians the priority for the United Nations peacekeepers in (Congo). The MONUC must therefore take up its responsibilities and can no ...

A recent post from the brilliant IntLawGrrls blog directed me to Newsweek’s Anna Quindlen making the case for placing women’s well-being as a core tenet of a revitalized U.S. foreign policy: …according to the Global Fund for Women, two thirds of the world's uneducated children are girls, and, naturally, two thirds of the world's poorest people are female. Not coincidentally, women make up only about 16 percent of parliament members worldwide. Simple mathematics dictates that if we are interested in promoting prosperity, education and good government, the United States must focus on the welfare of women. One study shows that ...

Not everyone rushes to read the periodic reports of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to the Security Council, but they do represent important statements of policy and everyone from rebels to world leaders carefully parse their meaning. All the more disappointing then that the Secretary General’s latest report on Sudan gets the facts badly wrong in talking about the Lord’s Resistance Army. The report claims, “Increased insecurity in Southern Sudan related to the faltering LRA peace process is a further concern.” Faltering peace process? The LRA peace process is undeniably dead, and as John Norris noted on Enough Said recently, the ...

The U.N. Secretary General’s latest report on Sudan gets it exactly wrong on the key issue of justice and Darfur. According to Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon: The International Criminal Court’s actions have a major impact on Sudanese political dynamics and have diverted much attention at a time when outstanding issues related to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement require the parties’ cooperation and renewed commitment. While I am encouraged by the assurances of continued support by the Government, I am also concerned about remarks by some of its officials that the Government may redefine its relationship with UNMIS should an arrest warrant be ...

I recently discovered a new website called Kakuma News Reflector or KANERA. KANERA is an online newsletter written by refugees in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya about encampment and human rights. Kakuma refugee camp was established in 1992 for Sudanese refugees. However, over the years, it has been expanded to house refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Uganda, and Rwanda and has a population of just under 50,000 people. This website was established by concerned journalists who “hold that a free press is one of the most effective means of human rights awareness,” and that this ...

On Wednesday, John Prendergast was joined by Benji and Joel Madden from the band Good Charlotte at American University as they discussed the issue of conflict minerals in eastern Congo. Armed groups rake in more than $100 million each year in the illicit trade in conflict minerals. The event also featured Candice Knezevic who highlighted our RAISE Hope for Congo campaign. Sign up today to receive more information on how you can help end the conflict. WATCH an interview with Joel Madden and John Prendergast ...

Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady and John Prendergast of the Enough Project have co-authored an ESPN op-ed about their journey to eastern Chad. During this trip, Tracy and John, along with Enough adviser Omer Ismail, listened to the harrowing stories of Darfuri refugee children caught in the conflict. Upon his return, Tracy made a commitment to provide Darfuri children with quality education. He and several other NBA players will soon announce the launch of the Darfur Dream Team’s Sister Schools Program. The program will connect middle schools, high schools, and universities with schools in Darfuri refugee camps. Tracy is actively ...

Rob Crilly reports that the Somali pirates who seized the Ukrainian freighter, MV Faina, and its cargo of Russian tanks have been paid $3.5 million ransom after holding its crew hostage for more than four months. The crew, save the Captain who had a stroke shortly after the attack, should be released shortly (knock on wood). Now what about those 33 T-72 tanks that were evidently destined for the Government of South Sudan? ...

As Zimbabwe continues forming a unity government, most recently through the parliament’s passage of a constitutional amendment, the leaders of the world must carefully consider their response. While the opportunity to accept the African Union and South Africa’s invitation to applaud Zimbabwe’s leaders for a seemingly giant leap forward is tempting, there are too many lives at stake and too long a history of Mugabe’s broken promises for self-congratulation. One report from Thursday cites optimism among members of the Movement for Democratic Change, or MDC, about “the beginning of the end of Mr. Mugabe’s 29-year rule.” However, others note that ...