GI-NET's blog

General Laurent Nkunda and his militias have been responsible for much of the recent resurgence of violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Nkunda is leader of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) rebel group in Congo that has pitted itself against the Congolese Government and other militia groups.

The Wall Street Journal Online recently published an article by Academy-award winning actor George Clooney, human-rights lawyer David Pressman, and ENOUGH Project co-founder John Prendergast urging President-elect Obama to make action in Darfur, Sudan and Eastern Congo a top priority of his new administration.

In a move criticized by the United States, the Sudanese government announced that it had purchased 12 MiG-29 fighter jets from Russia.

The MiG-29 is one of the world's leading air superiority fighters, developed to counter the U.S. Air Force F-15 and F-16 fighters.

In February 2007, the International Court of Justice decided that while Serbia had violated international law by not stopping the 1995 massacre at Srebrenica, the state was not directly responsible for genocide during the Bosnian war. Serbia may have been reprieved from Bosnian allegations, however on Tuesday the ICJ voted in favor of the court's jurisdiction to proceed with hearings regarding similar allegations by Croatia.

The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, presented evidence today in what will be the third case in Darfur. Although the names of the individuals accused have not been made public, Ocampo announced that the case involves rebel leaders implicated in the September 29, 2007 attack on African Union peacekeepers at the Haskanita camp in North Darfur.

In a recent article, The Washington Independent elucidates the potential foreign policy shift toward bolder action against mass atrocities under an Obama administration. The article contextualizes the current role of Susan Rice, head of Obama's Foreign Policy Transition Team, who in April 2007 testified in favor of military action as a last resort in response to genocide in Sudan. She further concluded that a Chapter 7 UN Resolution ought to be invoked should robust financial sanctions and an implemented no-fly zone fail to cease government fueled atrocities.

On November 12, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announced an immediate, unilateral ceasefire in Darfur. Unfortunately, two days later, rebels reported Sudanese government air attacks in North Darfur.

The Second Congo War, which began in the 1990s, has often been called "Africa's World War". The war lasted from 1998 to 2003 and it is estimated the 5.4 million people died during the war and its aftermath in a study conducted between 1998 and 2008-making it the highest death toll since the end of World War II.

To help protect civilians in eastern Burma, GI-NET is working to create an early warning system together with our partner on the ground, the Free Burma Rangers (FBR). The system will use a radio network to ensure that villagers living in ethnic minority areas receive enough warning prior to Burmese Army attacks to escape.

The message of Sudan activists all over the United States is clear: Don’t try to contain the damage from the war in Darfur—end the war. Don’t just declare that genocide is taking place—end the genocide. Don’t just try to manage the consequences of crisis after crisis in Sudan—end these crises.