The student-led movement to end mass atrocities.

Author Archives: Sonia Sen

One Million Bones: Let’s Get Ready for June 8th!

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By Leigh Durham, Field Organizer for One Million Bones

On June 8th, 2013, thousands of participants dressed in white will lay down one million bones on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. These bones, handcrafted by thousands in all 50 states and 30 countries, will serve as a visible petition and symbolic mass grave to shed light on continuing genocide and mass atrocities in Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burma and Somalia. The project, called One Million Bones, uses hands-on art making, education, and public installations to approach these conflicts in classrooms, congregations, art studios and community centers. Dozens of STAND chapters across the country have participated in this project over the past three years, using the power of art as a way to profoundly connect to these issues, raise awareness on campus and provide a space for discussion.

One Million Bones began as a vision: artist Naomi Natale imagined a way to bring an issue that often feels so far away close to home. To place one million bones in the most public and sacred space in our nation would force the public, and our government, to face reality and to see the bones for what they represent. The bones made honor those who’ve been killed and affected by ongoing conflict, represent an individual voice in a larger movement and most importantly, symbolize our common humanity and responsibility to protect one another. In this spirit, the Students Rebuild challenge has generated $1 per bone towards CARE‘s community development and relief work on the ground in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The three-day event, June 8-10th,  will include international speakers and performers: Neema Namadamu, John Dau, Carl Wilkens, John Prendergast, Elikeh and more to be announced soon! The program will also offer educational workshops and an interfaith candlelight vigil on Sunday, June 9th, as well as the opportunity to Act Against Atrocities during an advocacy day on Capitol Hill led by the Enough Project on Monday, June 10th.

Take a moment to watch a short video of the 50,000 bones preview installation organized in Albuquerque, NM that produces a good visual description of the experience.

One Million Bones is still seeking volunteers for the National Mall installation. Click here for more information and to register!

STAND: More than just a tagline

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Blog by Hannah Finnie, STAND’s Student Director.

I was recently asked how STAND has changed my life. I was pretty taken aback at the question, but I think when you’re forced to not think and just speak, that’s often when you say how you really feel. I responded that through STAND, I’ve learned just how interconnected our world is, which makes me feel like we each have some degree of moral responsibility to do what we can.

Before STAND, I can’t say I was very knowledgeable about the world around me. In ninth grade, I saw a girl in my world history class with a shirt that said “Save Darfur” on it and wondered what Darfur was and why it needed saving. In tenth grade, I joined STAND. And the rest, as they so often say, is history.

When the announcement that I was going to be next year’s Student Director went live, an outpouring of support soon followed. I received emails from countless STAND alum who are all pursuing amazing, diverse things post-STAND (not that you can ever really escape STAND). I got texts, I got Facebook messages, and yes, I got tweets. I had never met most of these people, but I still felt like I knew them.

It’s sometimes hard to describe what STAND is and what we do, so I usually just fall back on our tagline. But STAND is much more than “the student-led movement to end mass atrocities.” STAND connects people. And when you realize that you’re in some way connected to everyone else around the world, you know that you’re in it together– and that you want to do what you can to make our world a better place.

I could not be more excited to serve as STAND’s Student Director and to see what we can accomplish together.

To: MC Seniors! With love, STAND

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Beginning this weekend, six of our STAND Managing Committee members will be graduating from college and, B.A.’s in hand, embarking on their non-student lives. These six individuals are some of the most hardworking, passionate, and intelligent leaders to have come through the STAND MC.

Mickey, DSol, Mac, Matt, Ryan, and Jess: You’ve shaped STAND’s past, present, and future, and we are all so lucky to know and be known by you! On behalf of all STAND students and the entire anti-genocide movement, we want to say thank you!

Mickey Jackson, Student Director

I don’t really know where to begin talking about Mickey and his investment in STAND- what I do know is that without Mickey as Student Director this past year, STAND really, truly would not be what it is now. Mickey is the epitome of a leader- he is strong when times are tough, he is kind and supportive, and he is as humble as he is hard working (and he’s probably the hardest worker I’ve ever met!). During a year when major transitions could have broken even the strongest spirits, Mickey stayed optimistic and led. After being part of STAND and this movement for 8 years, Mickey is still able to inspire and energize all of those around him- and more than that, he is still able to be inspired to act tirelessly by the events happening from Syria to Sudan, and by the actions of fellow student advocates. I am incredibly lucky to have worked with Mickey, and STAND is incredibly lucky to have had Mickey as Student Director! That waiter at Dirty Martini has is right- you are the hardest worker in DC, and I wouldn’t have wanted to go through the ups and downs of this past year with anyone but you!

– Kathleen Fallon, STAND Senior Manager

I don’t think there’s a better way to describe Mickey than, “Oh Mickey, you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind.” Mickey has been the life-force of STAND this year and the world’s most amazing Student Director: I could not imagine a better, more “mind blowing” Student Director than Mickey. The amount of time and dedication that Mickey has put into the MC is simply mind-blogging – he led the MC with such passion, drive, and his work was always impeccably and amazingly thought out! This year was definitely a year with a lot of STAND transitions, and without Mickey leading the way, STAND would not be in the place where it is now. Not only is Mickey the world’s most amazing Student Director, but I could not imagine a better person and role model than Mickey: he is kind, considerate of all other’s and their opinions, welcoming, and such a warm person. From STAND chats, to random group dance parties, to the most impeccable and well thought out weekly emails, to awkward silences on MC calls, Mickey, I will miss you more than you can imagine next year – you better keep in touch!

– Ashley Jowell, West Coast Regional Organizer

Daniel Solomon, Advocacy Coordinator

I wish I could explain Daniel in a paragraph, but I’m sure I would need an entire dissertation (with Anne Marie-slaughter as the advisor of course) to do that. When I first met him, I was floored that a student could possibly be so knowledgeable about EVERY subject. I mean, the only feeling I felt was complete intimidation. Some things you might think upon meeting Daniel:

“I don’t understand half the words this guy is saying, just keep smiling and nodding so he thinks you’re smart.” “How is he tweeting about mass atrocities while having a conversation with me, literally.” “Why does he keep saying ‘tweeps,’ and what the hell are ‘tweeps.’”

But if you’re so lucky to really know Daniel, he is infinitely more. He is someone that will rap to Childish Gambino lyrics with you at 3 in the morning. He is someone that will never hold a grudge. He is someone who despite his unfathomable intelligence never minimizes the thoughts and ideas that every individual has to offer. He is someone who will make more Community, Parks and Rec, and Friday Night Lights references than you can possibly pick up on. He is someone that will, without second thought, offer you a couch to live on when you’re homeless in your first month in D.C. He is someone that has given everything he possibly could to STAND, without ever expecting anything in return. Daniel is someone that you want to know not only because he’ll probably be covertly running our government’s foreign affairs one day, but also because people like Daniel are not easy to come across. You want to know Daniel because he will make you believe in the best in yourself and the best in others.

– Shomya Tripathy, STAND Community Manager

When I first met DSol at STAND Camp 2011, I couldn’t help but wonder, “How can someone be so well-versed, hilarious, wonky, and sweet?” all at the same time!?! He was a mystery. Luckily, I had the pleasure of getting to know him better this year on the MC – Daniel never ceases to amaze me, whether its due to his brilliant blog posts, incredibly well thought out emails, hilarious sense of humor, or delicious pictures of food! His passion and dedication over the years to STAND (whether as National Burma Education Coordinator, Student Director, or Advocacy Coordinator) is simply unbelievable, and I cannot imagine STAND without him! What’s equally impressive to DSol’s foreign policy brilliance is his kindness and ability to make me (and everyone) laugh. Without him, STAND would for sure not be in the place it is today, for he has truly led the students in our movement to having a greater understanding of the policy of the conflicts we focus on. His passion is clear, and I have learned so much from him this year (from mass atrocities policy to 3am heart to hearts). I love you DSol so much, and thank you for being such an incredible person, friend, and role model!

– Ashley Jowell, West Coast Regional Organizer

Mac Hamilton, Education Coordinator

If there’s anyone I have met in the last year that I want to just sit and listen to for hours on end, it is certainly Mac Hamilton. Her perspectives are always brilliant and the things she has done amount to some incredibly fascinating stories. She makes me jealous. But she has also taught me so many important lessons that the words here cannot explain. I know Mac will continue to grow and fascinate and teach valuable lessons about privilege and about mass atrocities, but I also know Mac will continue to stick it to the man until… until, well, she is the man.

– Jack Spicer, Midwest Regional Organizer

Before joining the MC, I didn’t know Mac. However, I had heard her name many times before- it seemed as though everyone (yes, everyone) both knew Mac and loved her. When I asked what it was, exactly, that they loved about her, I was never given a concrete answer but simply told that upon meeting her, I’d understand. They were right: soon after getting to know Mac, I understood. I understood why everyone loved her as well as the inability to describe in words her awesomeness, but I’ll try here anyway. First and foremost, she’s kind; but she’s also hilarious, thoughtful, and intelligent. Basically, you want her as your friend. I was lucky enough to nab her as my roommate at STAND Camp in 2012 and still like to think of her as my roommate to this day. From serving on the MC as Education Coordinator to being heavily involved with Smith’s student government to always “being there” for so many people, Mac has impacted many lives and I’m sure she’ll continue to do so after graduating from STAND. I can’t wait to see what she does next. #MacandHannahFoLyfe

– Hannah Finnie, Southeast Regional Organizer

Matt Heck, Online Communications Coordinator

Who is Matthew Heck? Can all of what the supposed Matthew Heck does really be done by one individual? No, I didn’t think so. So that’s why I am writing about the entity we’ve associated with Matthew Heck for the past year instead, and calling for all of those people that make up Matthew Heck to come forward once and for all. I’m kidding, but syriasly, Matt has one heck of a work ethic and I’ve learned that the knowledge and passion driving it are beyond admirable. His insight is simply unmatched. I can remember times when I would read Matt’s responses to email threads and immediately text him something super duper passionate like “your response to that thread is amazing.” He has accomplished so many things already and I am sure that his list of accomplishments will continue to grow at breakneck speeds and impress people so much that they might even make a youtube video about him or something. Oh wait, that’s already happened. Cheers, buddy.

– Jack Spicer, Midwest Regional Organizer

I first “met” Matt virtually: when he found out I would be on the MC (he had been interning with STAND in DC) he sent me the most friendly and hilarious message introducing himself, saying hello, and talking about how excited he was to meet me. This kind and funny message is emblematic of our relationship: he is one of the sweetest (and also most hilarious) individuals that I know and he adds so much humor and warmth to the MC and my life. This year would not have been the same without his gchats, snapchats, and just having Matt as a friend- besides being a great friend, Matt is also an unbelievable MC member. The amount of work he has dedicated to transforming the STAND website is mind-boggling, and it is without a doubt worth it (for the new website once released will be incredible!) The website will certainly be around for many more years to come, so that will definitely be one part of Matt’s STAND everlasting legacy; yet another equally important part is the kindness and hilariousness he has instilled in all he’s interacted with. I’ll miss you Matt, and you better keep snapchatting, g-chatting, and stay in touch next year!

– Ashley Jowell, West Coast Regional Organizer

Ryan Brenner, Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizer

One of my proudest accomplishments from the past year was creating the nickname Ryguy for our very own Ryan Brenner. Though she resisted at first (and Ryan’s power of resisting is quite strong), I think she eventually came around to it. Or maybe she still hates it. Either way, the nickname stuck. I haven’t known Ryan very long, but she’s quickly become one of my favorite STAND people. Her passion for STAND is evident, especially with regard to working with diaspora. She forged STAND’s relationship with Voices for Sudan and has used her extensive contacts with diaspora members to make sure they have a voice in our movement. Aside from being involved in STAND national and her STAND chapter at GWU, Ryan is also incredibly involved in Banaa, which is a scholarship program for students from Sudan to come to the US for college. Ryan’s dedication to Banaa resulted in giving Jacob, an amazing student from Sudan, a four-year scholarship to attend GW starting next year. In her spare time (what spare time? Ryan’s always busy!), Ryan also works at the State Department, and won a pretty cool award from them. She also tweets hilarious things and sends ridiculous texts. My latest text from Ryan says: “Get on da call I don’t want mjacks to cry.” And that’s why I love her. Good luck out there, Ryguy!

– Hannah Finnie, Southeast Regional Organizer

I’ve known Ryan since she was a sophomore and I was a senior at GWU. Even then, I knew that she was not just going to be a STAND leader, but one of those STAND leaders and one of those people- the ones who never lose their energy, passion, and drive because they actively feel this work. This is what I admire most about Ryan: even after four years of being a STAND and genocide prevention leader, she still feels every story and every news article. Some of the most shining and sincere praise I’ve heard about Ryan has come from leaders within the Sudanese diaspora community. Not only does she have an extraordinary ability to empathize, but she also inspires others to similarly turn their empathy into action. From protesting the ongoing atrocities in Syria, to working tirelessly to bring Sudanese scholars to the U.S. through Banaa, to making students feel that caring about genocide is cool, Ryan is the epitome of a passionate and effective activist. I guarantee that this girl is going to do big things.

– Kathleen Fallon, STAND Senior Manager

Jess Pham, Media Coordinator

I’ll admit it: I’m somewhat addicted to Facebook. But Jess is partly to blame. Over the course of a few months this past year, I’d often be looking at my newsfeed when I would stumble across a nonchalantly-worded post from Jess announcing the addition of a world-famous speaker to the agenda for the SAID Conference (Stanford Association for International Development) like Alejandro Toledo, the former President of Peru. This year, Jess managed to organize this amazing conference while maintaining her role as STAND’s Communications Coordinator and getting a decent amount of sleep. I’m not really sure how she was able to do all three (and more!), but my only guess is that she was able to get her hands on a time turner (a la Hermione Granger). Jess’s dedication to causes she cares about has been a stalwart inspiration for me over the past year that I’ve had a chance to work with her, and I’m sure she’ll continue to be a source of inspiration after she graduates from Stanford and the MC! Congrats Jess!

– Hannah Finnie, Southeast Regional Organizer

I first met Jess when we were both interning in D.C. two summers ago. From the moment I met her, I knew she was someone to keep around. Her heartwarming, humble, and incredibly genuine personality is not something to take for granted in a person as intelligent and accomplished as her. And when I say accomplished, I really mean it. It is rare that you meet someone who is just willing to rise up to any and all challenges, and Jess does so humbly. Whether it be her position on the MC, her role as conference coordinator, or studying abroad and being away from her home at Stanford semester after semester, she seizes the challenges and opportunities that come her way and takes them on gracefully. But in spite of all the advice and inspiration she has to offer, she is still a down-to-earth girl that you can happy hour with anytime. Jess, you’re one of a kind!

– Shomya Tripathy, STAND Community Manager

An Eventful Semester for The White Rose Society

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By Clay Kitchura, member of The White Rose Society at the University of Texas Austin.

The White Rose Society had quite a successful semester. First we had our annual 10,000 Roses, which is held in remembrance of all the innocent people whose lives were taken during the Holocaust, in the hope that such tragedies will never again repeat themselves. The event was a great success, as we had a room packed full of volunteers who had generously given their time to help de-thorn the roses and prepare for the event. The following day many of the volunteers returned to help pass out the roses all around the UT campus, which were distributed to the equivalent of a fifth of UT’s entire student population.

This led up to our Human Rights Symposium the following week, which also proved to be a success. We held two panel discussions, first with students and then with professors the following day. These covered issues like garnering more student activism on campus, transcending local initiatives into government policy, and funding transparency within NGO’s. Finally we hosted a keynote speech by Virginia Raymond, J.D, practicing attorney and founder of Texas After Violence Project, an organization that examines those affected by the death penalty in Texas through oral history. She gave a powerful speech about the normalization of human rights abuses in American society, which often go overlooked until people speak out. Together these two events proved to be great opportunities to spread awareness of human rights atrocities, through remembrance of past tragedies and fostering discussion on current problems the world faces.

Adding Nuance to the Peace vs. Justice Debate

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This piece, written by Danny Hirschel-Burns, from Swarthmore College STAND, originally appeared on his blog The Widening Lens.

 

The peace versus justice debate is unavoidable when it comes to the International Criminal Court (ICC).  The conversation goes something like: Team Peace argues that the immediate cessation of violent conflict has to take precedence over everything else, while Team Justice argues that ending impunity for human rights violations is crucial for deterrence against human rights violations in the future.  While this summary totally simplifies a complicated and multipolar conversation, these two camps shape the basic nature of the debate.  Though both have solid points, a messy, subjective truth lies somewhere in the middle and the effects of justice are heavily dependent on the specific situation.

While the division between peace and justice is not rock-solid, there are indeed real problems with pursuing justice over peace (a theme I’ve written about before).  A perfect example is Sudan.  The ICC’s arrest warrant against President Omar al-Bashir increases his need to stay in a position of power (though he says he will step down in 2015 this is probably more of a result of internal NCP politics and he certainly has no intention of handing himself over to the ICC), and has decreased his ability to participate in negotiations.  This fact decreases the possible avenues of engagement for the international community (to varying degrees depending on the actor) to bargain with Bashir, ultimately hampering the opportunities for an international tempering influence, which his is especially unfortunate given Bashir’s current position of weakness.

Another example of unintended ICC consequences is in Kenya, where ICC-charged duo Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto were essentially brought together as a political unitbecause of their respective warrants that date back to the election violence in 2007-2008.  Ruto and Kenyatta were able to use their confrontation with the ICC as a symbol of their resistance against foreign influence, consequently gaining them votes.  Their ticket eventually won the Kenyan elections (though there seems to also be evidence that the ICC helped convince Kenyatta and Ruto to call for calm before and after the election), and Kenyatta is now the second head of state to have been summoned by the ICC.  Unlike Bashir however, Kenyatta has cooperated with The Hague thus far.

So while there are real downsides to justice over peace, there are also plenty of benefits from a justice-centered approach.  As Erik Voeten points out in his Monkey Cage post, the ICC is very effective in deterring human rights abuses in countries where “mid-level” human rights abuses take place.  Also, the ICC is quite good at influencing mid-level individuals.  While Bashir, as Sudan’s leader, is out of the ICC’s reach, mid-level individuals in security forces and rebel groups worldwide are much more expendable, and they know that if a higher-up decides they’re a liability because of the atrocities they’ve committed, they’ll be on the next plane to The Hague.  The threat of ICC prosecution, for example, had a positive effect in Colombia, and the institution is quite effective at deterring torture.

Unfortunately though, the existence of the ICC does little to deter the most egregious human rights violations.  Individuals like Assad, Bashir, and Gaddafi have never been cowed by threats of eventual justice.  Keeping power outweighs any potential risks.  Conversely though, the existence of the ICC does not encourage human rights violations as James Fearson argued.  While it is supposed to, the ICC does not really close off all escape routes (they’ve never been in short supply anyway) for human rights violators, but these escape routes, in the end, have little effect on the level of human rights violations committed.  It is not as if Assad is being encouraged to kill as many people as possible before escaping to the ICC; leaders like Assad and Gaddafi never had any intention of pulling the escape cord when it looked like they have a credible chance of losing.  While the ICC can do little to prevent leaders bent on maintaining power through any means necessary from doing so, it can at least provide a just conclusion to some of these cases (Bosco Ntaganda is a good example), an outcome which shouldn’t be trivialized.

Justice and peace and not mutual exclusive phenomena, and while one can sometimes endanger the other, the specific context of each situation must always be taken into account before making a policy recommendation.  Ultimately, this is a debate that the ICC will have to enter to an increasing degree in coming years.  While it has made some progress, it must to do more to address the problems that come with an inflexible, justice-centered approach.  Luckily, it does have the tools to do that.  Article 53 of the Rome Statute, the founding document of the ICC, allows for the Chief Prosecutor to offer amnesty to a perpetrator in the interests of the victims.  This precedent should not be applied in every situation, but does potentially allow the ICC to take a more critical approach to its activities.  The ICC has certainly been a milestone achievement in the fight to end international impunity for large-scale human rights violations, but it is not without its problems.

News Brief 5/9/2013

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Syria

The UN has distanced itself from a statement by a UN investigator claiming that the rebels were responsible for chemical weapons attacks in Syria, stating that it “has not reached conclusive findings as to the use of chemical weapons in Syria by any parties to the conflict.” White House officials also expressed doubtthat the rebels were capable of launching a chemical weapons attack. Last Thursday, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Erdogan stated, “[it’s] clear that the Assad regime is using [chemical weapons]”. The same day, however, British and US officials announced that they could no longer prove whether chemical weapons were used because samples and evidence have degraded over time. British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond announced that in order to determine whether or not chemical weapons were used they would need to collect evidence after another incident, and stated that the primary diplomatic effort was now focused on convincing Russia to end its support for the Assad administration.

Last Saturday, Israel confirmed that it had carried out an air strike against Syria targeting a shipment of advanced missiles en route to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. In response, President Assad said Tuesday that Israel is supporting terrorists and that Syria is “capable of facing Israel’s ventures,” but did not specify any retaliatory action. Prime Minister Erdogan condemned the airstrikes as “state terrorism” as well as a “violation of airspace” that is “completely against international law.”

Secretary of State John Kerry plans to announce that the US will supply an additional $100 million in humanitarian aid to address the Syrian crisis. The bulk of the money will go to Syria’s neighbors Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, with $16 million going to help those still inside Syria. On Wednesday, Russia and the UD pledged to convene an international conference aiming to end the civil war in Syria. Secretary Kerry stated that conference would be held “as soon as practical” and hopes for it to occur by the end of the month.

After a widespread outage that lasted 19 hours, internet access was restored in Syriayesterday. On Tuesday, the Syrian army captured a strategic town, Khirbet Ghazaleh, located in the southern Hauran Plain on the highway to Jordan after a two-month bombardment. The town fell after a Jordanian-backed military council failed to supply the rebel groups there with weaponry. Last Thursday, violence broke out on the northern border with Turkey, resulting in the death of a police officer and at least 10 other people. The violence erupted when a group of Syrians attempting to cross into Turkey opened fire on Turkish guards after Turkish authorities issued warnings to the group. There have been conflicting reports on the identity of the Syrians.

Burma

Communal violence erupted last week that left at least one dead, nine injured, two mosques destroyed, and 157 Muslim homes and businesses burnt to the ground. According to BBC, the violence began in the town of Oakkan when a Muslim girl on a bike bumped into a Buddhist monk. The girl is now reported to be held at one of Burma’s largest prisons, Insein Prison. The town of Oakkan is only 50 miles from Burma’s largest city, Yangon (Rangoon), making it the closest clash yet to the city. These clashes follow recent violence between Muslims and Buddhists in Meikhtila in central Burma last month that killed over 40 people and displaced at least 12,000.

On Monday, Myanmar President Thein Sein called for the protection of the rights of Muslims in a state television broadcast. He urged peaceful coexistence among people of different faiths and said his administration will work to deter illegal immigration and address citizenship-related issues. The Rohingya, a Muslim nationality in Burma’s west, have been denied citizenship by the Myanmar government for decades and are considered to be illegal migrants from Bangladesh, a country that also denies them citizenship. President Sein also said he would implement recommendations made by an all-Buddhist government commission appointed to investigate violence between the Muslim Rohingya and Buddhist Rakhine late last year.

In other news, Ford announced it is planning to open its first showroom in Yangon later this year. The announcement comes just over a year after the US eased sanctions against Burma to encourage the country’s democratic reforms.

Sudan

Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) approved a proposal on Tuesday aimed at amending its statute and extending the term of president Omer al-Bashir from four to five years.

Sudan’s National Assembly has decided to suspend its sessions next week in order to enable lawmakers to head to their constituencies and lead a mobilisation campaign in support of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in its ongoing battle with rebel groups which have stepped up their military activities in recent months.

South Sudan

South Sudan Democratic Army (SSDA) rebels in South Sudan’s Jonglei state claimed on Monday that they had captured the strategic town of Boma in Pibor County from South Sudan’s military, the Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA). The spokesman of the SPLA, Philip Aguer, has denied that the rebels have captured any part of the town. However, a series of interviews on Tuesday with people in Jonglei’s capital Bor, who had established satellite phone contacts with their relatives in Boma, confirmed that Boma has fallen to the SSDA.

Tribal leader Kuol Adol of the Ngok Dinka in Abyei, died on Saturday when a convoy he was travelling in with the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA) was ambushed by armed members of the nomadic Arab Misseriya tribe on as they returned to Abyei town after a visit further north.

Kuol was part of a joint delegation from Juba and Khartoum that visited the area to hold talks on how the two sides could move forward with consultations to end the deadlock on the formation of a temporary administration in the strife-torn border zone.  A new chief was recently chosen to take Kuol’s place.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The UNHCR has designated June 30 as the worldwide cessation of refugee status for Rwandese nationals who fled Rwanda between 1959 and 1998. The cessation clause requires refugees to choose between voluntary repatriation and residency in their host country. They can apply for a continuation of refugee status on an individual basis. The Congolese government opposes the cessation clause, reiterating the stance of Rwandan diaspora at the International Conference on Rwandan Refugees, which took place on April 19 and 20 in Brussels. “We cannot expect refugees to return home when the reasons they went into exile have not been addressed,” said Gervais Condo, former chief of staff of the Rwandan army who is living in exile in South Africa. Refugees remain concerned that the situation of freedom of expression and association in Rwanda has not changed, noting the arrest and trial of Victoire Ingabire, an opposition candidate in the 2010 presidential elections who has been sentenced to eight years in prison for “conspiracy against the country.”

Eight Congolese senators arrived in Rwanda on Monday for a visit to promote parliamentary diplomacy and regional peace. These senators with their Rwandan counterparts discussed the causes of armed conflicts in the region, steps already taken to address the problems, their effectiveness, and the role that can be played through parliamentary diplomacy in promoting peace and security in the Great Lakes and especially DRC.

Jean-Marie Runiga, former head of the M23, has said that M23 refugees in Rwanda have abandoned military activities, but will continue to work to address political issues in the DRC.

A recent investigation by London-based Global Witness revealed high-level military involvement in the region’s minerals trade. The key findings from the report are:

  • Congolese gold benefits rebels and high-ranking members of the Congolese and Burundian state armies. The gold is laundered through Burundi and exported to Dubai.
  • Neither local buyers in the Great Lakes nor international traders conduct adequate checks on purchased gold to ensure that it has not funded conflict in the DRC.
  • Efforts to establish conflict-free supply chains for tin and tantalum trade and progressing, with the first project launched in October 2012.
  • Much of the tin, tantalum, and tungsten produced in the Kivus benefit rebels and state army members. These minerals are smuggled into Rwanda and Burundi for export, are laundered through Rwanda, and exported as ‘clean’ Rwandan material.

Gilbert Makelele, founder of The Kivu Cooperative of Coffee Planters and Traders, is working to encourage young men to earn money through growing coffee, rather than joining militias. Challenges to those entering the industry include expensive land deeds, volatile prices, and a less reliable market for coffee than for food crops. Supporters argue that there is an increasing global demand for coffee, and that climate change may lead to the spread of disease in coffee plants, leading to higher prices in the future. While coffee may be one way to earn money without joining a militia, it is important that coffee growers also have financial security, which is unlikely to be provided for by the state, and that the region avoid a one-resource economy.

Let’s Rein in Our Exported War

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This post was written by Natasha Bell, from George Washington University STAND. For more about cartel violence in the context of mass atrocities, check out our blog post from September 2012. 

An estimated 60,000 Mexicans that have lost their lives due to drug violence in the past 6 years.  Another 26,000 people have been reported missing and 140,000 have been displaced from their homes. The deaths, disappearances, and displacements are only the surface of the entrenched problems that plague our neighbor to the south.  The conflict in Mexico has corrupted the entire country.  It has seized control of the country out of the hands of the government and put it into the hands of criminals.  This inextinguishable conflict has come to dominate Mexico. The drug cartels are powerful enough to control the entire country of Mexico because they are the heads of a multi-billion dollar industry.  U.S. consumers funnel between 19 to 29 billion dollars into the hands of Mexican cartels to fill our demand for illicit drugs.  It is estimated that 95% of cocaine travels through Mexico into the United States and 40-67% of marijuana in the US comes from Mexico.  The U.S. demand for illegal drugs makes drug trafficking a profitable business in Mexico.  Consequently, it is U.S. dollars that fund the conflict. U.S. responsibility for this conflict does not end there.  The weapons that enact the violence also have strong American ties. Huge supplies of guns are arriving in Mexico both through legal and illegal means.  Mexico is now the largest recipient of weapons through “direct commercial sales.”  This is a U.S. government policy that sells weapons to the Mexican military.  Many of these weapons are being diverting into the hands of the cartels.  Additionally due to lax border control, guns purchased in the U.S. are easily smuggled into Mexico. Around 70-90% of the weapons confiscated from Mexico originate in the U.S.

Americans are filling the hands of cartel members with both money and weapons: all the necessary ingredients to perpetrate mass violence on innocent Mexican civilians.  There is no denying the close ties the U.S. has as both a funder and facilitator of the violence that is destroying the lives of an entire nation. Currently two of the hottest debates in the U.S. are about the legalization of marijuana and gun control.  But is the crucial connection to Mexico a loud voice in the dialogue? When we talk about legalization of drugs we talk about things like medical marijuana, the cost of incarcerating harmless drug users, and the potential tax revenue.  I want to know why we don’t talk about the fact that our black market demand for drugs feeds the violent drug wars in Mexico.  After the historic legalization of recreational use in Colorado and Washington in 2012, talk and support for legalization are at all time highs.  Let’s make Mexico a part of this conversation!  Let’s pump up marijuana users to promote peace while promoting drug legalization! Shouldn’t be a hard sell, right? Similarly, when we talk about gun control policy Mexico is not considered.  The media focuses on mental health and second amendment rights but very rarely does anyone point out how our gun policies are enabling the killing of thousands of innocent people in Mexico.  The horrors of isolated events like the Aurora or Newtown shootings shock and capture the attention of our nation and spark national debate about safety and regulation.  Unfortunately, violence is a pervasive reality of the everyday lives of Mexicans, and this too is enabled by American gun policy. We as Americans have a direct responsibility for what is going on in Mexico.  The drug wars in Mexico are an exported American conflict that would not exist without the U.S.  As a nation we are having policy debates right now that have the potential to greatly improve the future of Mexico.  Our ties and responsibility to this conflict are inescapable.  Fortunately, we have the power to limit the vitality of the conflict as well.  Let’s not let Mexico be forgotten.