California State Senate Committee Passes Conflict Minerals Bill
A committee of the California State Senate passed a bill Tuesday that will curb the use of conflict minerals from the Congo. The unanimous, bi-partisan vote in the Governmental Organization Committee is an important first step to making California the first conflict-free state ...
Congress Urges Obama to Appoint Envoy for Congo
Amidst bitter political fighting on the U.S. budget, a bi-partisan Congressional coalition came together today to unite on a solution to the crisis in eastern Congo. Thirty-five members of Congress from both parties, led by Don Payne (D-NJ) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), wrote to President Obama today to urge the administration to appoint a Special Envoy for Congo and the Great Lakes region. This letter comes just at the right time. Having just returned from Congo, I saw that the need for an envoy is greater than ever. Just four days ago, Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson stated that ...
The Generation for Change
I recently attended the Clinton Global Initiative University meeting at UC San Diego where nearly 1,200 students, teachers, activists, celebrities, and all-round inspiring people gathered to discuss solutions to the world’s most pressing issues. In advance of the meeting, participants had to develop a commitment to action, or a specific plan that addresses challenges to education, the environment, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation, or public health. The commitments represented solutions at the campus, community, and global level, and behind each one was a passionate participant who believes in his or her ability to make a positive change and invest ...
In Rwanda, History Weighs Heavy on Anniversary of Genocide
Under the glaring lights of the Amahoro ‘Peace’ Stadium, Emmanuel* hummed along with the genocide song. “You know this one?” I asked. “Not really. We heard it already this morning, remember?” he replied. “It’s a good one, good message. I think it will be famous and we will hear it again next year,” he said. Rwandans marked the anniversary of the genocide on Thursday, April 7, with commemoration events, a day off from work, and some chilly April rain that seemed appropriate for the somber mood ...
Sign the Petition: Africa’s Great Lakes Needs a Special Envoy
The Enough Project, along with our partners Africa Faith & Justice Network, A Thousand Sisters, Falling Whistles, Free the Slaves, Friends of the Congo, Jewish World Watch, and STAND, has started a petition asking President Obama and Secretary Clinton to appoint a special envoy to the Great Lakes region ...
5 Stories You Might Have Missed This Week
A weekly round-up of must-read stories, posted every Friday (or on occasion, on Saturday) ...
Congo Government, U.N. Underestimate LRA Threat
Enough recently wrote about the upsurge in violence committed by the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, against civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which had raised the concern of the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, and severalNGOs. In early March, UNHCR expressed alarm about the 52 LRA raids that had occurred this year in Orientale Province in northeastern Congo and resulted in 35 deaths, 104 abductions, and the displacement of 17,000 people ...
Derailing Doha
The Justice and Equality Movement, or JEM, suspended its participation in the Darfur peace talks in Doha this week to protest the ruling National Congress Party, or NCP, plans to hold a referendum on the administrative status of Darfur. The referendum, which would determine whether Darfur stays divided as three separate states or is unified into one region, appears to be the NCP’s latest attempt to look conciliatory while pursuing its own interests. This most recent development comes on the heels of president Omer al-Bashir’s announcement last week that he had signed a presidential decree, unilaterally paving the way for ...
For Many Sudanese, Future Uncertain with Citizenship Unsettled
Of the many issues left to be worked out between North and South Sudan before secession, the question of citizenship is one of the most personal and, among those with strong links to both North and South, urgent. The northern and southern governments are currently locked in discussions over a host of issues that will face the two countries and their citizens, and, given the high stakes, the talks have transpired largely out of the public eye. Absent public reassurances from the NCP or the SPLM, many Sudanese remain in the dark about their legal status and rights after the ...
Report: Expert Douglas Johnson on “Sudan’s West Bank”
With less than 100 days left before South Sudan’s independence, the situation in the border region of Abyei has only become more combustible. In the last month, Abyei residents witnessed violence that led over 20,000 people to flee their homes, while in recent weeks, satellite imagery and statements from the U.S. and U.N. confirm the escalation of military activity in and around the volatile area. With time running out for the two parties to reach agreement on a political solution to Abyei, Sudan expert Douglas Johnson provides the new report, "Abyei: Sudan's West Bank," outlining one possible path forward ...
