June, 2009

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the National Congress Party’s dictatorial leadership of Sudan. For two decades under the rule of President Omar al-Bashir, the regime’s coercive divide-and-rule tactics have enabled it to manipulate and repress – instead of effectively govern and support – Sudan’s people. The results of the NCP’s brutal policies have been deadly; a powerful op-ed in the Guardian today tallied the results:

In the past two decades, President Bashir has waged two civil wars, taking the lives of more than 2.6 million people, and displaced a further 6.5 million; he has funded murderous rebel armies in Chad and Uganda; and most recently he has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for five counts of crimes against humanity and two counts of war crimes.

There is no shortage of evidence of the regime’s ability to sow chaos and manage multiple crises throughout Sudan’s expansive territory with the ultimate aim of maintaining its grip on power at all costs. The NCP has also repeatedly proven that its leaders can skillfully manipulate the international community with false promises, clever excuses, and halfhearted and ultimately inadequate solutions to Sudan's enduring crises.

The bottom line is this: The NCP has a well-documented history of orchestrating campaigns of genocide and mass atrocities against its people. Under Bashir’s leadership, the NCP has proven time and again its ability to manipulate the international community’s efforts to negotiate peace in Sudan. The NCP relishes the "revolving door" nature of Western diplomacy, which has allowed the regime to utilize its tried and true tactics on optimistic diplomats who arrive in Khartoum hopeful about the regime's intentions. But after 20 years in power, there is no evidence that the NCP's behavior will change; indeed, its policies have been remarkably consistent over the past two decades.

In the wake of last week's CPA conference in Washington and in the run-up to the pivotal decision by Permanent Court of Arbitration in coming weeks on the boundaries of the contested Abyei province, it is essential that no one forgets the fundamental characteristics of the NCP, and the horrific degrees of repression and manipulation of which it is capable.

Technorati Tags: Darfur and Southern Sudan Genocide International Criminal Court Omar al-Bashir Violence Against Women War Crimes

Operation Broken Silence, or OBS, an organization committed to expanding the global anti-genocide movement, just released its “Emergency Church Action Plan Concerning Genocide,” which focuses on maximizing the effects and impact of American Christian efforts in combating genocide, particularly in Darfur.

The Action Plan guides churches through seven steps to effectively respond to genocide. The steps include actions such as corporate and private prayer, giving money to an aid organization working in the area of concern, sending congregation members on mission trips, and informing the network of churches about the genocide. The plan draws on the obligation of churches to demand responsibility from the American government to take action in the face of genocide by encouraging congregations to write to their representatives, contact the White House, and host local events like fundraisers, guest lectures, and screenings of genocide films. The Action Plan also highlights the usefulness of a pre-existing network of churches to spread the word about the ongoing genocide. Lastly, the plan calls on churches to keep up the pressure as the call for action spreads, especially in light of the fact that the genocide in Darfur could continue for many years.

OBS, founded by Mark Christopher Hackett, asserts that the American Christian church is in a unique position to become a strong voice against the ongoing genocide in Darfur. In its attempt to awaken the Christian call to conscience, OBS believes there is a “Biblical Anti-Genocide Mandate” to take an uncompromising stand against genocide:

Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this.” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done? Proverbs 24:11-12

To read the full Emergency Church Action Plan and discover ways that your church can take action to combat the genocide in Darfur, visit the Operation Broken Silence website. The “Call to the American Church” is another useful resource found there, which highlights the great potential of the Christian church’s leadership to demand action from the U.S. government to supply relief efforts to people affected by ongoing violence.

Enough’s Darfur Christian Action initiative also provides a collection of resources for church members who are interested in joining the anti-genocide movement, including the Christian Companion for the book Not On Our Watch by John Prendergast and actor Don Cheadle.

Technorati Tags: Advocacy Darfur and Southern Sudan Genocide

When women in Congo asked playwright Lynn Nottage to share their stories of surviving violent rape, Nottage said she worried that she was “just” a storyteller and hoped she’d be able to find an audience with the ability to affect change in Congo.

But these powerful stories found an impressive audience recently when the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay were in the audience at the Manhattan Theater Club to see Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama ‘RUINED.’ Secretary-General Moon reacted to the play, saying:

This drama will give a very powerful message. This is a very compelling story which everybody should know (…) There are so many people who need our hands, our helping hands.

The play tells the fictional story of a Mama Nadi, who operates a brothel in war-ravaged eastern Congo. At once, she provides for and exploits the three young women in her charge – both shielding them from the daily hardships playing out in the surrounding jungle, and forcing them to use their bodies as commodities in the mounting chaos. As the war heats up, Mama Nadi’s attempts to keep the brothel neutral and safe become increasingly futile.

The play also focuses on the dramatic and corruptive struggle over natural resources in Congo and highlights the link between the minerals trade and rampant sexual violence in the region, which the growing activist and consumer movement to halt the trade in conflict minerals seeks to address. In an interview at the theater the night of Secretary-General Moon’s attendance, Nottage indicated that she hopes audience members will look for ways to be involved in ending the violence after connecting with the characters on stage.

I hope people, when they read the newspaper, actually engage with [stories from Congo] in a more profound and complicated way, and that when they’re reading about women in Congo they think of them in three dimensions and not just merely as statistics, and I ultimately hope that they will be compelled to act…

Nottage made impressive inroads toward that goal with the visit by Secretary-General Moon and High Commissioner Pillay. Watch how they reacted in this video by Broadway Magazine.

One doesn’t have to be a high-ranking advocate to make a positive impact on the grave situation in Congo. Join the movement that is doing just what Nottage suggested: Empowering individuals to translate their alarm about rape in Congo into meaningful action.

Photo: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and playwright Lynn Nottage at a performance of RUINED. Credit: Joseph Marzullo/MTC

Technorati Tags: Advocacy Eastern Congo Protection Punishment Sexual Violence United Nations Violence Against Women War Crimes

We’ve gotten wind of another event related to the Genocide Prevention Task Force, which will be taking place tomorrow evening at the Boston Public Library. A panel of experts will discuss the group’s detailed set of recommendations, titled Preventing Genocide: A Blueprint for U.S. Policymakers, which was published at the end of last year. The task force, co-chaired by Madeleine Albright and William Cohen, was a joint initiative of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the United States Institute of Peace, and the American Academy of Diplomacy. The task force’s findings highlight how genocide and mass atrocities threaten core American values and interests, and offer recommendations for how the U.S. government can help prevent these crimes worldwide.

Tomorrow night’s program will begin at 7p.m. and will feature:

Ambassador Swanee Hunt
President
Hunt Alternatives Fund

Meghan O'Sullivan
Lecturer in Public Policy
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Harvard Kennedy School of Government

John Heffernan
Director, Genocide Prevention Initiative
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Lawrence Woocher
Senior Program Officer
Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention

For additional information and to RSVP, see this event posting from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Technorati Tags: Advocacy Genocide Peace Prevention Protection

Hollywood’s young stars turned out last night to speak out to their generation against a war raging a world away but one that we as conscientious consumers have the power to help stop. As the guests at a Hollywood event hosted by actor Ken Baumann learned, the victims of Congo’s conflict are women and girls, who face the highest prevalence of sexual violence in the world.

The event featured Enough’s RAISE Hope for Congo, a campaign working to raise awareness about the crisis in eastern Congo and the use of rape as a weapon of war. RAISE Hope is building a movement of activists to advocate for effective change, and last night’s event seemed to find a receptive audience of new recruits.

The program featured host Ken Baumann, star of ABC Family’s “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” Enough’s John Prendergast, and spoken word artist Omékongo. The presenters described what compelled them to each get involved with Congo advocacy and called on guests to find creative ways to raise awareness. Guests lined up to record public service announcements about Congo’s deadly conflict, specifically focusing on the links between horrifying prevalence of sexual violence and the conflict minerals trade that produces essential minerals for our cell phones. A kiosk was set up so that guests could sign the Conflict Minerals Pledge right on the spot. The pledge calls on electronics companies to ensure that their mineral supply chain does not fund militias that are responsible for mass atrocities in Congo.

From L.A., Enough’s Director of Special Media Projects Robert Padavick was enthusiastic about the response:

It was a great event for the campaign in that it really brought together a young Hollywood crowd that is influential among their peers. We had the cell phone generation there en masse last night, and by all accounts they were riveted by the issue.

Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be rolling out the public service announcements from the Hollywood celebrities in attendance last night, so watch this space. More shots from the red carpet coming soon.  

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As cataclysmic reports continue to emerge from Somalia, where the Transitional Federal Government, or TFG, is battling to survive an onslaught by the militant group al-Shabaab, the United States has admitted to more overt involvement in trying to stabilize the flagging government.

Speaking to reporters last week, a senior State department official acknowledged that the U.S. government is providing arms and military training to help Somalia’s government beat back the Shabaab, a group the U.S. alleges has ties to al-Qaeda. The senior official explained the concern:

A government run by al-Shabaab would be a government that would likely generate greater instability in the country, carrying out more of the atrocities and human rights violations, and would probably contribute to the continued instability and concerns that we have about providing a safe haven for global terrorists like Fazul Harun and Ali Nabhan, who were responsible for the 2002 bombings [of an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, Kenya].

Shabaab quickly reacted by saying that the move would “only escalate violence in Somalia” and vowing to seize the weapons.

To address the threat of Shabaab, the U.S. government would do “as much as we can” to support the TFG, the African Union forces in Somalia, and the countries of the region, the official said, though he made clear that no U.S. military forces were operating in Somalia or in the region in support of this effort.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee on terrorism, indicated to the Associated Press that the U.S. options for engaging in Somalia are limited.

Job one would be trying to bring some semblance of order to Somalia, and if that is your objective, there is only one game in town — and that is the government that is there.

However, Rep. Smith’s comment overlooks the fact that the TFG might not still be standing were it not for the presence of African Union troops defending the capital.

The U.S. move raises questions about both the short- and long-term effect that sending shipments of small arms will have on a country that in recent years has been the scene of the most grotesque human rights violations. Since the Shabaab offensive began in early May, an estimated 160,000 have fled intense fighting in Mogadishu alone, according to the United Nations. During a particularly violent two-week period, at least 200 were killed in the capital.

U.S. government officials continue to put forth a holistic view of what needs to be done to ward off the threat of Somalia becoming a terrorist hotbed:

We do not want to see Somalia become a safe haven for foreign terrorists, and we believe that one of the best ways to prevent that is to help the TFG establish itself as a strong, legitimate government capable of enforcing its laws, protecting its borders, and arresting individuals who are working against them as well as against us and others in the international community.

However, in light of this most recent description of U.S. efforts, the best strategy for supporting a stable Somalia in the long-run seems to still elude the Obama administration. It is difficult to see how these aspirations for Somalia, as described above, will be achieved by sending arms to the current fragile government.

Photo: Anti-government fighter in Mogadishu

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Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai recently wrapped up a three-week fundraising tour, during which he touted the successes of the unity government in an effort to drum up support from the United States and Europe. At the same time, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Irene Khan toured Zimbabwe, exposing the continued "woefully slow" progress by the unity government to improve the horrible human rights situation there.

Though Tsvangirai vowed that he would promote respect for human rights when he took office, the results thus far have been disheartening.  Human rights activists, journalists and lawyers continue to be harassed, intimidated, threatened, and arrested. Prosecutions against political activists who were abducted last year are ongoing, and there are still cases pending against a number of parliamentarians. The government continues to take excessive measures to silence people’s voices and opinions, which was illustrated when women activists were beaten and arrested during a peaceful march in commemoration of International Refugee Day. But worst of all, Khan remarked, was that “there seems to be no sense of real urgency to bring about human rights changes on the part of some government leaders.” This has allowed the culture of intimidation and impunity that existed before the unity government was formed to persist, resulting in an environment where the perpetrators believe they can act freely without fear of prosecution or punishment.

In a meeting with Tsvangirai in London, Khan expressed her concern about the fragility of the human rights situation and insisted that the government needed to move quickly to reform the police and the army to address the impunity that currently exists. Tsvangirai expressed his distress over Ms. Khan’s revelations, stating:

We will not countenance a situation where Zimbabweans continue to abuse each other. We have agreed that there should be no politically motivated arrests, people should be able to express themselves without harassment and abuse.

Though Tsvangirai admitted that the government faces serious challenges in implementing those key reforms, he was quick to recommit himself to improving the human rights situation, stating that widespread impunity “should be a thing of the past.”

The common refrain repeated by potential donors during Tvangirai’s recent travels was that more aid money and support for the unity government would be contingent upon visible improvements in several key areas, including human rights and the rule of law. Ms. Khan indicated that Amnesty International would be closely monitoring the situation in hopes of seeing “Prime Minister Tsvangirai’s words translated into action.” The rest of the world, it seems, is also watching and waiting.

Photo: Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in Germany during his recent trip to the United States and Europe. AP

Technorati Tags: Peace Prevention Zimbabwe

As the coordinator for Darfur Dream Team Sister Schools program, I recently traveled to eastern Chad with Enough senior advisor Omer Ismail  to conduct a rapid assessment in Djabal and Goz Amer, twin refugee camps located near the town of Goz Beida in eastern Chad. We spoke to Darfuri refugee populations, including sheiks, elders, parents, and youth, about the life and conditions in the camps.  We also had in-depth discussions about the humanitarian emergency needs in the refugee camps with U.N. officials and various non-governmental organizations such as INTERSOS, Jesuit Refugee Service, or JRS, Oxfam Intermon, and HAIS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.

All the humanitarian organizations are actively collaborating to fulfill the dire humanitarian needs in the camps; however, the humanitarian-development gap continues to grow. Although UNCHR and its partners initially envisioned their humanitarian response to the crisis in Darfur to be a short-term endeavor, the Darfuris have now lived in the refugee camps for the past six years and require more than just short-term humanitarian assistance. The Darfuri refugees are in desperate need of access to educational and income-generating opportunities.

Health and education continue to be two of the most ill-funded sectors by donors. A UNHCR nutrition survey conducted in January 2009 found that 12.3 percent of  refugees were severely malnourished. The education sector in the Darfuri refugee is facing a similar uphill battle. For example, in Djabal and Goz Amer, the ratio of students per class is 85:1 and 93:1, respectively. The school infrastructure is dilapidated and in need of repair. Furthermore, although school enrollment is high, the dropout rate is increasing each year, especially for girls. From our discussions with the refugees and humanitarian organizations alike, we have aggregated a top five list of reasons for the continued rise in the primary school dropout rates:

Top five reasons for the rise in the high school dropout rate

1. Young Darfuri girls are required to assist their families at home with chores such as cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the elderly. Darfuri girls also get married at a young age so girls disappear more quickly  than boys from the school system in the refugee camps.
2. Recruitment and conscription of young boys by rebel groups and the army. Rebel groups move freely within the camps and weapons are readily available. Oure Cassoni Camp located near the Sudan border has the highest boys drop-out rates because of the large Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) presence in the area.
3. Lack of accesses to secondary education causes young Darfuris to become disillusioned with the education system. The Darfuri refugees only have access to distance learning offered by the Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS). The Darfuris that complete the JRS program receive a certificate that is only accepted by handful of Arabic universities in Sudan.
4. The incentive to make money and gain respect in the community.  Like other teenagers around the world, young Darfuris want to earn a little pocket money for personal expenses.
5. The caliber of education in the camps is presently fairly low. Some Darfuri refugee parents do not see value-added from the type of education provided in the primary schools. Students are also not motivated to attend the primary schools because the certificates they receive are not accepted by all school systems in Chad and Sudan.

Check out a slideshow of photos from the camps here.

Technorati Tags: Advocacy Darfur and Southern Sudan Protection

There’s less than a week left to submit your video to the Come Clean 4 Congo video contest with YouTube. Over the past month we’ve received some creative, smart, and – every now and then – rather bizarre videos that show the links between our cell phones and the staggering prevalence of violent rape in eastern Congo. If you’re familiar with blood diamonds, then you’re on the right track to understanding how conflict minerals work: The very same rebel groups who operate many of the tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold mines – minerals that are essential components in our electronics devices – throughout eastern Congo are perpetrators of the brutal sexual violence that has made Congo the most dangerous place in the world to be a woman or girl. But as consumers, we have the power to stop this deadly cycle. In this powerful new video, actresses Julianne Moore, Julianna Margulies, and Brooke Smith tell you how.

Technorati Tags: Advocacy Eastern Congo Peace Prevention Protection Sexual Violence Violence Against Women War Crimes

On Capitol Hill last night, Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ross-Lehtinen offered House Concurrent Resolution 159 to mark the fifth anniversary of America’s declaration of genocide in Darfur and emphasize the veracity of using the distinction in Darfur. An impressive bipartisan group has already signed onto the resolution, including California Democrat and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Howard Berman, North Carolina Republican John Boozman, and Representative Chris Smith, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health.

The resolution offers a series of brief summaries of Sudan’s crises, taking pains to highlight the necessity of implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended the country’s 22-year-long civil war between the North and the South, and the need for a comprehensive peace process for Darfur. Importantly, it also states that the “historic” genocide determination was:

“made in response to irrefutable evidence of a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing launched by the Sudanese regime, characterized by the manipulation of ethnic and tribal tension, the arming of proxy forces, aerial bombardment of civilians, destruction of irrigation systems, poisoning of wells, razing of villages, forced displacements, mass murders, abduction, looting, torture, and rape.”

H.Con.Res. 159 is a powerful symbol that key legislators on the Hill stand with President Obama in calling the situation currently burning in Darfur a genocide. The timing of the resolution is particularly important given that U.S. Special Envoy J. Scott Gration has publically waffled on the genocide issue recently, despite the views of both President Obama and U.N. Ambassador Rice, who both unequivocally deem the situation genocide.

Contact your senators and representatives to tell them to support and cosponsor the resolution. We’ll show you how here.

Photo: Women and children in Intifdada IDP camp, Sudan. Courtesy of Doug Mercado

Genocide Anniversary Res.pdf

Technorati Tags: Advocacy Darfur and Southern Sudan Genocide Peace

This week, the Fund for Peace released its annual Failed States Index. A useful resource, this index identifies those countries they believe to be failed states as well as those fragile states on a perilous path towards failure.

Enough’s countries of focus sit literally at the top of the Index. (No huge surprise there, given the nature of our work…) Somalia had the highest score, with Zimbabwe, Sudan, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo following closely behind. This unfortunate reality highlights the necessity of international attention to these crises, many of which routinely get lost on the world stage.

The index uses a complex and comprehensive process to arrive at their figures. The authors identified twelve indicators divided into three baskets – political, economic, and social – they believe demonstrate state failure. Indicators include: steep economic decline, external intervention, and human rights abuses. Each of these indicators is assigned a score based on software that searches myriad news databases and makes sure to identify any nuances that might color countries’ status quo. The authors rightly note that state failure is a critical risk factor for violence. Therefore, identification of failed and failing states could lead to effective engagement that strengthens the rule of law and prevents violence.

The index and its accompanying analysis is not explicitly prescriptive, but purports to create debate and put forth the idea that state failure is a useful lens through which the international community can identify countries with which to engage. Importantly, however, the authors acknowledge the difficulty inherent in such decisions and are aware that they are wading into murky and complicated territory. The Fund for Peace is therefore open to the opinions of other experts, many of whom offer alternative visions of the best approach to country identification. Addendums to this year’s index take pains to highlight the tensions and confounding factors inside the Index’s results. Functioning regions in those states deemed “failed” are highlighted, and authorities from those countries at the top of the list are given a chance to plead their case. An essay by Harvard professor Robert Rotberg voices some of the primary points of contention noted by critiques of the Fund’s approach. In particular, Rotberg asks that the international community unpack the term “failed state” noting,

Rather than lumping countries together qualitatively, the title of failed state should surgically distinguish countries at risk. The term should tell us that the country in question demonstrates certain characteristics, rather than merely evoking an amorphous sense of dysfunction.

The value in the Index is emphasized by the fact that, despite the criticisms, Rotberg and others are quick to note the need for such products. Much more work must be done to effectively triage and categorize states currently in crisis and at risk of failure, but the Failed States Index continues to highlight those most acute crises that continue to burn without effective intervention from key players who could very well make a difference.

Photo: Makeshift village in Somalia

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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.

The Washington Post’s “Fresh Nightmares in Congo’s Drive Against Rwandans” provides a glimpse into the horrors left in the wake of an ongoing U.N.-backed offensive to weed out the FDLR rebel group from eastern Congo. (The title is rather misleading in its use of “Rwandans,” but the content of the article is very good.) The FDLR, a Hutu rebel group whose leadership is accused of carrying out the 1994 Rwandan genocide, have long terrorized the Kivus region of eastern Congo, but as this article explains, the military operation to dislodge them is fraught with challenges and poor planning, the most egregious of which was its far-from-adequate measures to protect civilians. As new reports come in of retaliatory massacres by the FDLR and atrocities committed by the Congolese army, the human cost of the operation rises and the benefit seems ever more negligible.

Five days after the Somali government pleaded with neighboring countries to send reinforcement – to no avail – the Economist ran this very bleak report about the prospects of an intervention by concerned neighbors. Recent assassinations of key Somali officials and the fragile government’s unabashed plea for support from the international community have emboldened the primary rebel group, al-Shabaab.

The U.N. Security Council will today host an open debate, during which members can voice their grievances on a broad range of topics. In a letter this week, Human Rights Watch urged the Security Council to spend that time reviewing its policy for protecting civilians in armed conflict. HRW also offers up four examples in which the conditions on the ground are particularly dire. It is telling and troubling to see these shortcomings lined up back to back. Hopefully the U.N. will agree, and will dedicate some time to the topic today.

A new report, also from Human Rights Watch, provides extensive documentation of the plight of internally displaced people in eastern Chad who, after years of living in IDP camps, are now attempting to go home. Many have found that their land has been seized. Paramilitary groups continue to operate freely in the region, creating dangerous conditions for populations who have already endured years of hardships in IDP camps. The 47-page report – The Risk of Return: Repatriating the Displaced in the Context of Conflict in Eastern Chad – is worth checking out.

The Independent published an article about the apparent breakdown of the Kimberley Process, the certification system used to monitor and prevent the trade of “blood diamonds.” It is an interesting albeit disheartening description of the concerns about the reliability of the certification, concerns that prompted the lead author of the Kimberley Process to resign from his position as one of the top monitors. He lambasted governments for becoming lax about which sources they certify, warning in particular that Zimbabwe’s gems, though they have been certified, “are blood diamonds, they have blood all over them.” The story is a sobering reminder of the challenges that are inherent in initiatives to promote corporate social responsibility – which is important to keep in mind as we gear up for the long haul in the campaign to end the trade of conflict minerals. The changes certainly won’t come quickly. And despite its deficiencies, the Kimberley Process has blazed a trail that just might make our battle a little easier.

The Enough Team contributed to this post.

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Yesterday morning, John Prendergast spoke about U.S. policy and ending the war in eastern Congo at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.  Drawing on experiences from his recent trip to Congo, Prendergast spoke about the realities on the ground in Congo and offered some policy recommendations for U.S. and international actors.

Prendergast began by discussing the “severe indiscipline” and internal divisions within the Congolese army that have been exacerbated by the recent attempted integration of militia groups into the army. With war criminals wanted by the International Criminal Court serving in leadership positions within the Congolese army and some rebel units still effectively intact, Prendergast asked, “How can you stop impunity?”

Prendergast also spoke at length about one of the most brutal rebel groups operating in Congo, the FDLR, whose leadership was responsible for carrying out the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Prendergast emphasized that, until recently, the Congolese army had been supporting the FDLR, and since not all army officers have severed ties with the rebels, the FDLR is routinely warned of impending government attacks. These cozy relations, coupled with rebels’ involvement in the highly profitable trade in conflict minerals and external support from FDLR leaders in the diaspora, has allowed the rebels to intensify their attacks against civilians in eastern Congo.

The reason behind these increased FDLR attacks is the MONUC offensive currently being waged by joint U.N. and Congolese forces, as Prendergast explained. The offensive takes what Prendergast called a “whack-a-mole” approach to weeding out the FDLR, killing as many individual rebels as possible using a purely military strategy.  Prendergast denounced this offensive as inadequate, and instead offered a more comprehensive approach for addressing the FDLR and broader challenges in eastern Congo.

To defeat the FDLR, Prendergast said, the international community needs to enhance pressure on the military to go after rebels, target and prosecute war criminals living abroad, strengthen exit opportunities for militia members, improve civilian protection, and secure and legalize former FDLR mining operations. For the region as a whole, Prendergast proposed a “3P” approach: protection of people, punishment of war criminals, and peacemaking by promoting transparency of supply chains for conflict minerals and improved Rwanda-Congo relations. For conflicts like those in Iraq and Afghanistan, such comprehensive approaches are undertaken as a rule. In contrast, international actors simply “fling one thing at Africa and hope [the problems] will go away.”

Indeed, convincing the international community – and even our own U.S. government – to rethink this approach is a challenging feat, but deep-seated conflicts like Congo’s demand this shift if its interconnected causes are ever to be dealt with conclusively.

Check back soon for the video of the event. We'll bring it to you as soon as it is available.

Technorati Tags: Advocacy Eastern Congo Peace Prevention Protection Punishment Sexual Violence United Nations Violence Against Women War Crimes

Recent events have catapulted Sudan back into the headlines, and the international community is beginning to take notice of the deteriorating humanitarian and political situation throughout the country. Many of the key components of Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement, or CPA, which ended a 22-year civil war, have not been implemented. This is particularly troubling in light of the short amount of time before national elections next February and the South’s self-determination referendum in 2011.

Now is the time to keep the pressure on the White House to help put a stop to the ongoing genocide in Darfur and ensure that the United States takes the lead in establishing a comprehensive peace strategy for Sudan as a whole.

Join Enough Co-founder John Prendergast and Executive Director John Norris today at 2:00p.m. EST for a Sudan Activist Conference Call to discuss recent developments, including the U.S.-hosted conference this week that aimed to re-engage signatories and key guarantors to the CPA.

Call in toll-free: (877) 637.2077
Conference ID: 16454039

UPDATE: John and John, along with John Bagwell from Enough's advocacy team, fielded some interesting questions during this afternoon's activist call. Have a listen to the full call in this recording.

CPR_CenterforAmericanProgress_062509_2p.mp3

Technorati Tags: Advocacy Darfur and Southern Sudan Genocide Peace Protection Violence Against Women War Crimes

President Obama’s Special Envoy to Sudan created a public relations firestorm last week when he insisted that the situation in Darfur today reflected “remnants of genocide” rather than an ongoing genocide as had been suggested by President Obama and Ambassador Rice.

Gration’s initial comments triggered a spate of press stories about divisions within the administration on Sudan policy as well as a gleeful reaction from the Bashir regime which felt the special envoy was exonerating them from any involvement in genocide. After heated internal discussions that delayed the noon State Department briefing for over an hour, the State Department spokesman issued a clarification, saying, “I think there is no question that genocide has taken place in Darfur. We continue to characterize the circumstances in Darfur as genocide.”

One would have hoped that would have been the end of the story, but Gration was back at it again yesterday, publicly declaring in an interview with NPR’s Diane Rehm: “What I’m seeing personally on the ground is that those conditions [genocide] are not taking place right now.”

It is incredibly unfortunate that the administration, particularly the special envoy, can’t seem to answer this basic question consistently and without creating the damaging impression that administration policy on this issue is badly in disarray. The administration’s public back and forth on the genocide question only serves to embolden Khartoum, alienate the activist community, and distract the administration from leading an international coalition to address the myriad challenges in Sudan that loom from any number of key challenges that need to urgently be addressed. 

So, in an effort to help the administration delineate its two options, we offer these audio clips. Here is Special Envoy Scott Gration yesterday, followed by President Obama at a recent press conference in Germany:

Who’s the boss?

Is_Genocide_Occuring.mp3

Technorati Tags: Advocacy Darfur and Southern Sudan Genocide

Tune in this morning to a conversation between Enough’s John Prendergast and Howard Wolpe, director of the Africa program at the Woodrow Wilson Center and former U.S. envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes region. As our readers might know, John returned last week from a trip to North and South Kivu in eastern Congo, where he was accompanied by a film crew from 60 Minutes. Today, John will discuss U.S. foreign policy toward the region, focusing on the role that the trade in conflict minerals plays in fueling violence in eastern Congo. As public awareness about conflict minerals grows, John’s talk will provide useful background about the links between the minerals trade, brutal sexual violence perpetrated by rebel groups in the region, and the global electronics industry – which we all support through our cell phone and laptop purchases. While the situation on the ground is grim, there are meaningful actions that U.S. leaders and concerned citizens can take to help end this violence and ensure that the Congolese citizens – not rebel groups – receive the benefits of their country’s resources. (Want a hint? Check out our Come Clean 4 Congo initiative.)

Click here to watch the live video feed of the event beginning at 10:30 EST.

Check back for a readout of the event later today.

Technorati Tags: Advocacy Peace Prevention Protection Sexual Violence Violence Against Women

Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA) has been a leader in the House when it comes to Congo’s conflict minerals—he’s even made a video to support Enough’s Come Clean 4 Congo video contest. Today he pushed forward for greater transparency with an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill that would require the U.S. government to develop a map of armed groups and mineral-rich areas of eastern Congo. The McDermott Amendment to HR 2647 would require the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to publish a map delineating mineral-rich areas and armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mines in areas under the control of armed groups would be designated as ‘conflict zone mines,’ and the map would be periodically updated to reflect changing realities on the ground.

For companies to ensure that they do not purchase minerals that fund conflict, they need more accurate and up-to-date information about what is going on in Congo. The United States government has the resources to help. The McDermott Amendment is a small but crucial component of the comprehensive approach to Congo’s conflict minerals that the Enough Project supports. Much more action is needed, and the “Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009,” which is steadily picking up co-sponsors in the Senate, goes much further. We hope to see even stronger enforcement provisions when the House introduces companion legislation in the near future.

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In an event described as “epic” and “amazingggg” on Twitter, an estimated 1,700 activists gathered in Washington this week to advocate for an end to the more than 20-year terror of the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, in Central Africa. The two-day event consisted of a conference and a day of lobbying on Capitol Hill.

The “How It Ends” conference opened with a line-up of high-profile activists and officials, beginning with the co-founders of Invisible Children and Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court. In his address, Ocampo emphasized that justice takes time and called on activists to keep the pressure on, even if the results – such as the arrests of the LRA’s leaders – aren’t immediate.

Enough’s John Prendergast participated in a keynote panel with Michael Poffenberger, from the advocacy organization Resolve Uganda, and Ugandan Minister of Defense Crispus Kiyonga. Prendergast discussed the steps that can now be taken to end Africa’s longest running war. He emphasized that Joseph Kony, the ruthless leader of the LRA, has had numerous opportunities to take part in peace talks, and that Kony’s refusal to participate indicates that a peaceful resolution to the LRA crisis is unrealistic. The LRA has become a predatory mafia that sustains itself through acts of looting and abducting children to become soldiers and sex slaves.

Prendergast called for Kony’s arrest, in accordance with warrants issued by the International Criminal Court, and said that military intervention could help to end the war in northern Uganda. Citing examples of similar interventions in the past, he noted that successful efforts were made in both Sierra Leone and Angola to bring perpetrators to justice. The international community cannot allow one man to say no to peace, he said. Prendergast finished his speech by driving home the main point of the How It Ends event – that it is time for the knockout blow to be dealt to Joseph Kony (Check out Prendergast’s recent op-ed on Huffington Post that elaborates on this theme.)

The lobby event continued into the afternoon with a series of break out sessions.  The first of these highlighted different avenues that activists could take in their advocacy. The next break out session focused on the future of development, bringing together a number of key individuals to discuss approaches to recovery and aid efforts.  Film director Tom Shadyac led the final session, which discussed the role culture plays in addressing conflicts like the one caused by the LRA.

With the words of Prendergast, Poffenberger, Kiyonga, Moreno-Ocampo, and others to inspire them, over a thousand activists assembled yesterday at the Capitol to lobby for the newly-introduced LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act.  After opening remarks from Senator Russell Feingold and Representative Jim McGovern– two of the original co-sponsors of the bill– the activists, who came from every state in the country, met with senators and representatives from their home districts and states. Their purpose was to encourage members of Congress to co-sponsor the LRA bill and to raise the profile of the plight of the victims of Joseph Kony’s 23-year reign of terror.

Despite the fact that many participants were operating on virtually no sleep, having had traveled overnight from different corners of the country, and despite scheduling delays and hot summer temperatures on Tuesday, the mood of the “How It Ends” event was, from start to finish, high-energy and full of hope.  Dressed in “How It Ends” shirts and bandanas and armed with the passion of the cause, the activists showed remarkable energy throughout the two-day event, giving each speaker on Monday a standing ovation and frequently breaking out into cheers and applause as they left their lobbying meetings on Tuesday.

Enough’s Advocacy Director Jenny Russell expressed enthusiasm about the accomplishments of activists at the event:

The “How it Ends” conference was an inspiring and gigantic step forward towards ending Africa's longest running conflict. Over a thousand activists met with Congressional members and succeeded in convincing an additional 40 members to sign on to the legislation. This is a huge number of co-sponsors to add in one day, and we expect to see even more in the coming days. This great showing will send a strong message to the Obama administration that Americans expect our leaders to help stop Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army and reach out to the communities traumatized by the LRA’s brutal acts in Central Africa.

Technorati Tags: Advocacy Eastern Congo Northern Uganda Peace Prevention Protection Punishment Sexual Violence Violence Against Women War Crimes

In case you missed last weekend's commemoration of World Refugee Day, the video conferences that were streamed live from around the world on June 20 are now posted on YouTube. There were many memorable moments during the full 12 hours of exchanges that crisscrossed the world, and here are a couple of highlights.  

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