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.
If you weren’t following Secretary Clinton’s every move during her 11-day, 7-country trip to Africa, the Christian Science Monitor put together this valuable map and narration of the messages the secretary delivered at each stop, complete with colorful icons to represent each of the primary nine themes she emphasized. (HT to Michael Wilkerson at FP Passport)
A series of photographs from photojournalist Stuart Price offers an insider’s look at Darfur from the perspective of a peacekeeper. Price spent 13 months embedded with UNAMID troops, capturing some remarkable shots from the frontline.
A distressing report about the conditions for Chinese-employed workers in Congo appeared this week on McClatchy, emphasizing the difficult position that many laborers find themselves in when they have to choose between working in abdominal conditions or having a job at all. “The weakness of our government, for the Chinese, represents a business opportunity," said Jean-Pierre Okemba of the Congolese watchdog group Action Against Impunity for Human Rights, who was quoted in the article. The Chinese ambassador to Congo unwittingly validated these concerns: “The Chinese government’s position is very clear: Every Chinese company working overseas must strictly follow the laws of the country it works in. I have confidence in the Congolese authorities to regulate their activities."
The New York Times published an insightful article today about former fighters in Burundi who are making their way to eastern Congo to fight alongside their Hutu brethren in the FDLR. Even though the fighters agreed to disarm under a program targeting former Burundian rebels in the aftermath of the civil war there that ended in 2005, many are finding compelling reasons to travel to Congo to take up arms in the bush again. A key quote:
But for his disarmament package, [the former Burundian rebel] said he was given $41 and a frying pan, while the Hutu rebels in Congo dangle promises of up to $500 cash. “With money like that,” he said, “it’s easy for them to find people."
An excellent video posted on The Hub back in May (but which we discovered and circulated in the office this week… which sort of counts) features the stories of four Zimbabwean women who were targeted for their political affiliation and abducted by state-sanctioned groups, ending up in secret torture centers where they were raped. They have bravely come forward to share their experiences and demand justice for the more than 2,000 women and girls believed to have fallen victim to these tactics.
The Enough Team contributed to this post.