Areas of Concern

  • Central African Republic

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    • In response to rebel insurgencies from the marginalized north, the government of the Central African Republic launched a series of counterinsurgency offensives that have terrorized the civilian population of the country.
    • Human Rights Watch reports that atrocities committed by government's security forces have affected the lives of more than 1 million of the country's 4 million citizens.
    • Since mid-2005, more than 10,000 homes were burned and more than 200,000 people are displaced, seeking refuge from the violent conflicts devastating the Central African Republic.

    Read more about the conflict in Central African Republic.

  • Darfur

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    • Millions of innocent Darfurians are affected by ongoing genocide launched by the Sudanese government more than four years ago.
    • Hundreds of thousands have been killed and more than 2.5 million have been displaced. 250,000 were displaced in 2007 alone.
    • The government of Sudan and its Janjaweed proxy militias systematically destroy the livelihoods of Darfurians through bombing and burning villages, looting economic resources, and committing crimes against humanity, such as the murder, rape, and torture of innocent civilians.

    Read more about the conflict in Darfur.

  • Democratic Republic of Congo

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    • Since late August 2007, civilians have been targeted by widespread mass atrocities by a number of groups who have triggered a resurgence of violence in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
    • More than 500,000 people have been newly displaced since 2007, bringing IDP totals to at least 860,000 people. A recent report by the International Rescue Committee states that war, disease and malnutrition kill nearly 45,000 Congolese per month.
    • Despite a ceasefire signed in January,  sporadic fighting has continued throughout the year, causing an excess of 200 civilian fatalities since the peace deal with signed. 

    Read more about the conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo.

  • Eastern Burma

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    • The Burmese military regime, which has ruled the country since 1962, has been launching major counter-insurgency campaigns that have led to widespread mass atrocities against civilians of ethnic minorities.
    • More than 650,000 people have been displaced and 3,500 villages burned.
    • Government troops have been abusing civilians who have been holding large-scale pro-democracy protests led by Burmese monks.

    Read more about the conflict in Eastern Burma.

  • Eastern Chad

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    • The Chadian government has launched indiscriminate counterinsurgency operations against Chadian rebel groups, significantly impacting the lives of civilians in eastern Chad.
    • Innocent civilians have been killed, with some reports indicating tens of thousands of casualties. Hundreds of thousands of Chadians have been displaced since 2007.
    • Civilians are trapped between violence in Darfur on the east and clashes between Chadian militias and rebel groups from the west.
    • Violence is beginning to parallel similar events in Darfur.

    Read more about the conflict in Eastern Chad.

  • Iraq

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    • With bombings and indiscriminate killings still continuing on a day-to-day basis, various tensions between different ethno-religious sects have been clashing, resulting in the deaths of up to 100,000 civilians since the 2003 US invasion.
    • A lull in the violence began around September 2007. However, dozens of civilians continue to be killed on a daily basis, and widespread mass atrocities are still ongoing throughout the country.
    • More than 2 million Iraqis have been displaced within the country as a result of the violence with yet another 2.2 million having fled to neighboring countries.

    Read more about the conflict in Iraq.

  • Somalia

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    • Since January 2007, a resurgence of deadly violence has been devastating Somalia, killing up to tens of thousands and displacing millions of innocent, non-combatant civilians.
    • Somali insurgents, the transitional government's armed forces, and Ethiopian intervening troops have all been destroying the lives of civilians throughout the country, particularly in Mogadishu, with indiscriminate bombings and egregious crimes against humanity.
    • The United Nations called the current situation in Somalia the "world's worst humanitarian disaster."
    • More than 1 million displaced people and more than 2 million requiring food aid.

    Read more about the conflict in Somalia.

  • Sri Lanka

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    • Violence is on the rise in Sri Lanka since the Sri Lankan government decided to pull out of a ceasefire with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on Jan. 2, 2008.
    • Since mid-2006, thousands of non-combatant civilians have died and at least 460,000 have been displaced.
    • Over 1,100 "disappearances" since the beginning of 2006, many caused by the government or associated paramilitaries.

    Read more about the conflict in Sri Lanka.