Archive: November, 2009

Commentary Religious cooperation and peace

In many conflicts around the world, groups are divided along religious lines – Catholic and Protestants in Northern Ireland, Muslims, Animists and Christians in Sudan, Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox Christians in Bosnia-Herzegovina. But have these conflicts been motivated by religion, or have other divides happened to fall along religious lines? What has been the role of religious beliefs? And how can religious groups work together for peace? Read more >>>

From the field Berlin 1961-1989, Belfast 1969-????

Following on from the discussion paper ‘A Process for Removing Interface Barriers’ by Tony Macaulay last year, a group of youth workers working in interface communities in Belfast have been meeting together to discuss the issue of Peace Walls, and to explore how to ensure that children and young people are fully involved in any process. The meetings have been co-ordinated by Youth Link NI, the inter-church youth work training organisation. Read more >>>

From the field Beacons & Bonfire Management

Groundwork Northern Ireland has been delivering on Belfast City Council’s Bonfire Management Programme for the past five years. Thirty communities across Belfast are now engaged in minimising the negative environmental impact of their bonfires, promoting family friendly festivals and engaging in discussions around cultural traditions & the impact of bonfires on Nationalist and minority ethnic communities. Read more >>>

From the field Native Administrations and Conflict Resolution

Locally based systems of administration can play an important role in the mediation of conflicts. In this interview, our local coresspondent for Sudan talks with Mak Al Fatih Yousif about his work for tribes in the Blue Nile State in Sudan, a region much affected by fighting between the government and SPLM. Read more >>>

From the field IDP camps to be opened

News from Sri Lanka: The Sri Lanka government has announced that 130,000 people in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Sri Lanka will be given the freedom to go in and out of the camps next month, by order of the President, Mahinda Rajapakse. Read more >>>

From the field Land Conflict Solved in Swima

Swima is a beautiful village on the coast of Lake Tanganyika in the territory of Fizi. It is also a land of conflict where violence and disputes can easily destabilise the whole village for days. This article focuses on a land conflict which arose in Swima between two groups of people after the war and the return of refugees from the refugee camps of Nyarugusu in Tanzania. Read more >>>

From the field The Magic River Between Two Tribes

The war that started in DR Congo in 1996 has planted hatred in the hearts of people across the country and caused long hidden conflicts between people, tribes and communities to resurface. Conflicts are started for lots of reasons: economic inequalities, power-grabbing, cultural differences and land disputes – no corner of the country, whether large city or small rural village, has been left untouched. This report focuses on a serious, deadly conflict over a shared river between the two provinces of South Kivu and Maniema, in the territory of Fizi, and how an organisation working with all the people involved succeeded in finding a peaceful solution. Read more >>>

World Peace Festival

I’d like to let everyone know about this unprecedented 3-day event to take place August 27-29 2010 in Berlin. Local peace builders are invited to present their work. See www.worldpeacefestival.org Read more >>>

From the field Visit of Melanne Verveer

Along with other women journalists in New Delhi today, I had the chance to speak with Melanne Verveer, the Ambassador-at-Large of the US State Department for Global Women’s Issues. She spoke of how the Obama Administration is ‘mainstreaming’ the women’s agenda and ensuring that it be included within defence, diplomacy and strategic planning. I asked her about her office’s role in interacting with NATO in Afghanistan and addressing violence aginst women in armed conflicts. It was a very interesting discussion, and I will soon be writing up a report on this for Insight on Conflict. Read more >>>

Visit of peacebuilder from Mozambique

Next week (from November 9th 2009) Peace Direct has arranged for the visit to the UK of Albino Forquilha of the peacebuilding organisation FOMICRES from Mozambique. FOMICRES have had some remarkable successes in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of combatants. Albino will be speaking at a number of events, including at SOAS and for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict Issues. Read more >>>