Archive: February, 2010

Commentary ‘Extreme Risk of Terrorism’ in Thailand

In a worrying indication of the severity of the conflict in South Thailand, Maplecroft have just released their latest Terrorism Risk Index, and Thailand has entered the category of countries with an ‘extreme risk of terrorism’. Maplecroft have included 9 countries in this category, the others being: Iraq (1), Afghanistan (2), Pakistan (3), Somalia (4), Lebanon (5), India (6), Algeria (7), and Colombia (8). Read more >>>

Commentary Sharing Stories of Building Peace

Our Kashmir Local Correspondent Ashima Kaul this week attended a Peace Exchange in Nairobi, Kenya, organised by Peace Direct. Here she offers a personal reflection on the experience. Read more >>>

Commentary Measuring the work of peacebuilders

Bringing people together into dialogue, running capacity-building programmes, developing youth/empowerment empowerment and leadership, facilitating the DDR process are part of the work of peacebuilders in every conflict or post-conflict context. Read more >>>

Commentary Colombia: 200 years of solitude?

In Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ a defining characteristic of the town of Macondo is its isolation; from generation to generation, the isolation of its inhabitants results in all sorts of feelings and reactions. The theme is one very familiar for Colombians, for whom the absence of the state has been a long-running concern, an absence which has contributed to the forming of numerous illegal armed groups. On a regional level, Colombia’s political isolation is well-known, particularly tensions with Venezuela and Ecuador. Read more >>>

Commentary ICG Report on Burundi Elections

The International Crisis Group (ICG) have just released a report on the upcoming elections in Burundi. The report deals with many of the same issues that have been touched upon by our Burundi Local Correspondent, Landry Ninteretse. In particular, the report warns of the dangers of youth groups being mobilized for intimidation and politics purposes, which Landry has identified as a real problem in northern Burundi. Read more >>>

Commentary ‘Little’ bits of work that can make a big difference

In every conflict or post-conflict context there are people who, despite all kinds of difficulties, are struggling to restore dialogue, trust, harmony and peace for a better life for everyone. Those people are unknown for the most part – they appear rarely in media, and struggle to get funds to support their work, even while local peacebuilding initiatives are more and more recognized for their postive impacts. Read more >>>

From the field Supporting Peaceful Resistance in Colombia

Hasan Dodwell from the International Peace Observatory (IPO) writes about his experiences with human rights accompaniment work in Colombia. 26 February, 2010. Read more >>>

Commentary Robin Hood Campaign

This is not really related to conflict directly, but worth giving a plug here to the Robin Hood Campaign that has launched today in the UK. It’s a campaign for a small tax on bankers that could generate billions for international development. A wide coalition of charities has lined up behind the campaign, and already it’s gathering a lot of support. Certainly at a time when international development budgets are being squeezed, this would be very welcome indeed. Read more >>>

From the field ‘Women for Peace’ Initiative in Bow, Sudan

Like other towns in the Blue Nile, Bow suffered a great deal during the Civil War in Sudan. The effects of the conflict can still be felt in the town, where the local population share the very limited provision of services with a large number of formerly Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The town has in fact almost been forgotten by outsiders, and when I visited for the Collaborative for Peace in Sudan, I was told that it the first visit that the community had received from a local NGO wanting to implement a project. Almost the entire burden of suffering in Bow is exacted upon the women of the community, who contribute heavily to livelihoods of residents and also take responsibility for ensuring their children receive an education. Despite their dynamic role in the economy, many of the women in Bow find themselves marginalised for cultural reasons. Most inhabitants of the town are from the tribes of Ingasanah, Fallatah and Ambararu. Read more >>>

From the field The Native Administration and Peace Committees in Kurmuk

Kurmuk is one of the largest towns in the Blue Nile State of Sudan, and has greatly suffered from the Civil War. Control over the area changed hands many times in the course of the war, finally ending up in the hands of the rebel army of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLM). After the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the area was deemed a ‘liberated area’ and was almost inaccessible for all excluding relief agencies. The town still suffers from the effects of the war as returnees join those who stayed during the fighting. Resources are meagre for all. Read more >>>