Archive: December, 2010
Guatemala added – and a happy Christmas from Insight on Conflict!
We’re really pleased to add that we have just added Guatemala to Insight on Conflict. We’ve started off with a selection of 11 peacebuilding organisations there, and will be adding more in the new year. Our many thanks to Soluciones Comunitarias, who have done a fantastic job in gathering the information on these groups. Read more >>>
Can lessons from Burundi combat London street violence?
BBC news has a story about the recent visit by Landry Ninteretse, from the Amahoro Youth Club in Burundi, London where he met with the young people from Truce 20/20. Landry came to share his experiences of building peace in Burundi, and what lessons can be passed on the young people in Newham. Read more >>>
From the field Ajith Kumarasiri: A musician confronting war with music
Can one man make a change in the war torn context of Sri Lanka through music? Ajith Kumarasiri believes he can, and is showing that he can make a difference through his work. Ajith is a musician who travels with his guitar in the war affected areas of the country, singing freely for humanity. He traces his activism to 1980’s. This decade witnessed two of the most appalling humanitarian crimes in Sri Lanka: Black July in 1983 in which there was mass killing of Tamils and the 1989 insurgency, where a significant number of young people were arrested and killed after the attempted Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna rebellion against the state. Ajith lost many of his friends – both Tamil and Sinhala – in both these events. As Ajith says, this was the ‘turning point’ for him, veering him towards making a statement for peace through his life and career, using his one passion: his music. Read more >>>
Commentary When will we have justice in DR Congo?
The whole of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and in particular the Eastern provinces, lives in a constant state of fear and emergency, due to impunity at a high level. Local people – particularly women, who are subject to widespread human rights abuses – do not know which authorities to rely on. The world may aspire to peace and stability, but we ask ourselves how peace can become a reality if there is not equal justice for all. Marginalisation and exclusion can not promote a lasting peace. Read more >>>
Iraqi Peacebuilders on Insight on Conflict
Today we have expanded the regions covered on Insight on Conflict with the addition of the Iraq section. Despite numerous challenges facing the country after the US invasion and subsequent insurgency, there is hope for Iraq’s burgeoning civil society, with many encouraged by the country’s recent NGO law. Read more >>>
From the field Local Dialogue for Peace in DR Congo
PSVS are a peacebuilding organisation in DR Congo. On 28 October 2010, they brought together 28 members from the army (FARDC), FRF militia, Mai Mai militia and demobilised ex-combatants to engage in a day of dialogue and discussion. The army and the militia groups have been in violent conflict with each other throughout the Second Congo War, and despite the official end of the war, fighting continues to this day, in what is one of the world’s deadliest conflicts. PSVS are a peacebuilding organisation in DR Congo. On 28 October 2010, they brought together 28 members from the army (FARDC), FRF militia, Mai Mai militia and demobilised ex-combatants to engage in a day of dialogue and discussion. The army and the militia groups have been in violent conflict with each other throughout the Second Congo War, and despite the official end of the war, fighting continues to this day, in what is >one of the world’s deadliest conflicts. Read more >>>
Interview Interview with the Women’s Leadership Institute
Since its beginnings in 2005, the Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI) has grown into one of the leading voices of the women’s movement in Iraq. Local Correspondent for Iraq, Benoite Martin, has interviewed a representative of the WLI, and in the audio below we hear of the origins of WLI, the situation for women in Iraq, and an appeal for help. Read more >>>
From the field Sports for Peace in Swat
Swat Youth Front (SYF) is a non-profit youth organisation which has worked in for peace in the Malakand Region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, since 1997. SYF was established by a group of highly motivated and civic minded young people. Mainly, the work of SYF has focused on sustaining peace in the post-conflict valley of Swat, which was home to militancy and violence from 2007 to 2009. SYF aims to bring, with the help of the locals, changes in policy that can lead them towards a prosperous and peaceful society, particularly by promoting volunteerism among young people. Because of the uniqueness of the work of SYF, and their relevance to the situation in Swat Valley, I arranged an exclusive interview of Amjad Ali, Program Manager of SYF to find out more. Read more >>>
From the field The Plight of Religious Minorities in Pakistan
In South Asia, and particularly in Pakistan, the case of religious violence is not new but in present times violence in the name of religion has developed its deeper roots. In 2008, during my trip to Nepal, I met hundreds of asylum seekers belonging to the Ahmadiya community of Pakistan. At that point, I couldn’t completely understand their plight of living with no identity in Nepal while facing numerous hardships. But when, in May 2010, a couple of Ahmadiya mosques were attacked by terrorists in Lahore (Pakistan) then I realized that the country is increasingly becoming insecure for religious minorities. This has become a huge push factor for Ahmadiyas to migrate to other countries, such as Nepal, Canada, UK, USA, Germany and so on. Read more >>>
Insight on Conflict Newsletter November 2010
Lessons in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding; What the Women Say: Participation and UNSCR 1325; Civil Society and the US Government in Conflict-Affected Regions; Local Views on Mining Reform in Eastern Congo; Yemen and Somalia: Terrorism, Shadow Networks and the Limitations of State-building; The Impact of Local Perceptions on Policy in Afghanistan Read more >>>
