Genocide Monitor: Dec. 22, 2009.

• DARFUR: The conflict continues in North Darfur, including clashes between the Sudanese government and rebels as well as attacks on UNAMID peacekeepers.
• DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: As of September 2009, more than 1,400 civilians had been killed by members of the FDLR or FARDC in the eastern DR Congo since the beginning of 2009.
• EASTERN BURMA: More than 470,000 civilians remain displaced in eastern Burma at the end of 2009.
• AFGHANISTAN: Civilian casualties of the war in Afghanistan declined between September and October, but more than 1,900 civilians have been killed in the country in 2009.

Help Us Meet Our $150,000 Challenge!

We have nearly reached our goal of raising $150,000 this month through a challenge made by a very generous friend of GI-NET. Please consider making a year-end gift today - help make "Never Again" a commitment we keep.

Make A Gift to GI-NET

Spotlighted Conflict: Darfur/Sudan

Situation on the Ground

The Sudanese Armed Forces clashed with SLA rebels near the towns of al-Harra and Jabel Eissa in North Darfur on November 26. Six thousand people were reportedly displaced by the fighting, with ten casualties among the belligerents.1 A day later, Sudanese Armed Forces killed seven civilians in North Darfur's Delij IDP camp after a dispute over election registration.2

UNAMID peacekeepers have come under fatal attack twice in the course of two days in early December. In both incidents, Rwandan peacekeepers were attacked by bandits while distributing water to local residents in North Darfur. Five peacekeepers were killed in the two attacks.3

New Joint Special Representative for UNAMID

Veteran diplomat Ibrahim Gambari will reportedly succeed Rodolphe Adada as the permanent chief of the UNAMID mission on January 1, 2010. Gambari comes to the UNAMID mission from a recent posting as the UN Special Envoy to Myanmar (Burma).4

LRA Threat to South Sudan

Lord's Resistance Army rebels remain a threat across central Africa as they continue to attack civilians in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Two LRA raids have been carried out in South Sudan's Western Equatoria state, resulting in seven deaths and twenty abductions among the local population.5

Area of Concern: Democratic Republic of Congo

Conflict Continues in Eastern DR Congo

Fighting between the FDLR and the FARDC continues in both North and South Kivu. Recent battles between the groups have been reported in the Walikale region of North Kivu 6 and the Kalehe area of South Kiuv.7

According to Human Rights Watch, these two groups have killed more than 1,400 civilians in the eastern DR Congo between January and September 2009. The FDLR have reportedly killed 701 civilians, while the FARDC and its allies have killed 732 civilians throughout eastern DR Congo.8

Click here to read the full Human Rights Watch report, "You Will Be Punished." 

UN Group of Experts Report

The most recent UN Group of Experts report was published in late November. The report claims that MONUC failed to neutralize the FDLR during its recent operations against rebels in North and South Kivu. 

The report also alleges that the FDLR continues to have commercial links with businesses in Europe, Africa and North American. The group also reportedly has the ability to replenish its forces through continue recruitment of Congolese and Rwandan citizens.9

To read the full UN Group of Experts Report, click here. 

FDLR Leader Arrested

Ignace Murwanashyaka, the alleged political leader of the FDLR, was arrested in Karlsruhe, Germany in November.10 Murwanashyaka has reportedly been in regular communication with FDLR troops in eastern DR Congo, but analysts warned that his arrest does not necessarily mean the dissolution of the FDLR in eastern DR Congo.

In concert with Muwanashyaka's arrest, the UN stated that the FDLR has been neutralized by "at least 25%" since the beginning of the year.11

Justice for Congolese Civilians

The International Criminal Court trials of Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity began on November 24 in The Hague, Netherlands.12

Area of Concern: Burma

Increased Opium Sales in Shan State

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), ethnic groups in northeastern Burma have reportedly increased their sales of drugs in order to purchase more weapons. Opium production in Burma has increased by 11% this year, representing the third consecutive annual increase.13

Update on Refugees and Displaced Persons

According to the Thai Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), more than 470,000 Burmese civilians were internally displaced at the end of October 2009, primarily along the country's border with Thailand.14

Area of Concern: Afghanistan

Civilian Casualties Down in October

According to the UN Mission in Afghanistan, 159 civilians were killed in the country during October, representing a decrease in civilian deaths since September. Insurgent activities were responsible for 116 of these casualties.15

Since January, more than 1,900 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan, with insurgents responsible for nearly 70% of all deaths.

Oxfam International recently conducted a survey of Afghan attitudes, in which 70% of Afghans stated that they see poverty and unemployment as the main driver of conflict in the country.16

Troop increase in Afghanistan

President Obama will send 30,000 more combat troops to Afghanistan over the next year. Non-U.S. members of NATO are also set to contribute more than 5,000 additional troops.17