South Sudan’s Militias


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South Sudan’s Militias
PUBLICATION: Enough Project DATE: 2011.03.04 INFORMATION:http://www.enoughproject.org/files/SouthSudanReport.pdf South Sudan’s remarkably peaceful referendum momentarily assuaged concerns about violence in the region, but outbreaks of intense fighting in Jonglei on February 9 and 10 that left hundreds dead, and in the flashpoint town of Malakal on February 4, provide stark reminders of the tensions that remain. This report, based on extensive interviews conducted in Upper Nile state in January and February 2011, provides an overview of the state of play among South Sudan’s militias, which continue to be a critical challenge to securing a peaceful separation between North and South Sudan, and to the formation of a stable new state. One reason why the referendum took place relatively peacefully in flashpoint regions was the concerted effort on the part of the South Sudanese government to reconcile with breakaway militia leaders beforehand. The olive branch that was offered appeared to be accepted by a number of key militia leaders. But just weeks after the announcement of the South’s overwhelming preference for secession, intense fighting broke out once more, amid allegations of support from Khartoum for the dissidents. Significant hurdles remain before peace in South Sudan can be assured for the long-term. Any future peace agreements between the South Sudanese government and dissident elements will face serious challenges in their implementation and remain vulnerable to security threats from spoilers—both from Khartoum and from splintering within the militias themselves. Operationally, integrating militia members into the SPLA is complex and will come at a long-term cost for a government that must eventually reduce the size of its military and disarm its civilian population…

Remedies and Repartition in the DRC


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Remedies and Reparations for Victims of Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo
PUBLICATION: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights DATE: 2011.03.03 INFORMATION:http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/ZR/DRC_Reparations_Report_en.pdf A United Nations report unveiled today highlights the deprivations endured by thousands of victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including poverty, denial of justice and lack of access to medical and psychological treatment, and recommends the establishment of a reparations fund. “Remedies and Reparations for Victims of Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” prepared by a special high-level panel appointed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, reveals that the survivors of sexual violence have no recourse to compensation and other forms of remedies or reparations. During the panel’s visit to DRC from 27 September to 13 October 2010, its members heard from 61 survivors of sexual violence, ranging from a girl raped when she was three years old to a 61-year-old grandmother, about what they perceived their actual needs to be. The panel met with some individuals and groups, the report says, “including victims who had contracted HIV/AIDS as a result of rape, victims who had become pregnant and had children as a result of rape, victims whose husbands had rejected them following their rape, child victims of rape, victims of rape who had taken their cases to court seeking justice, and victims of rape by civilian perpetrators…

CSDS Speaker Series: The Struggle Against Impunity in Kenya


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Centre for Security and Defence Studies (CSDS) Speaker Series: The Struggle Against Impunity in Kenya: Transitional Justice without the Transition – or the Justice
DATE: 2011.03.10, 12:30pm to 2:00pm LOCATION/LIEU: Senate Room, 608 Robertson Hall, 1125 Colonel By, Carleton University INFORMATION: Email csdsevents@carleton.ca to register by March 7. For more information, call 613.520.2600 ext 6671, or visit http://carleton.ca/csds. In this talk, Stephen Brown will analyze the various accountability mechanisms for the mass atrocities committed in Kenya after the December 2007 elections. These include the International Criminal Court’s ongoing investigations, the proposals for a special national or hybrid tribunal, and the activities of Kenya’s Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission. He argues that as long as high-level perpetrators and their allies remain in government, there are few reasons to believe that more than a handful of individuals will be held accountable. Though even a few convictions would be a remarkable break from Kenya’s record of total impunity, it is unrealistic to expect the country’s transitional justice mechanisms to serve as an effective deterrent against future electoral violence. The CSDS Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. A light lunch will be provided. For a map of Carleton, please go to: http://www2.carleton.ca/campus/

Héritiers de la Justice


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The Genocide Prevention Group will hold a small meeting with Maurice Namwira on June 18, 2010 from 9:00am to 10:00am in room 112-N, Center Block. Maurice Namwira is the Executive Secretary of a Congolese organization called Héritiers de la Justice (HJ).  HJ strives to promote and protect human rights in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. It was created in 1991 and is mandated to provide training to local leaders, disseminate information about human rights, promote co-existence and intercommunity dialogue, and teach human rights and peacebuilding in local schools. HJ is often the key source of information for Human Rights Watch reports regarding the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the organization has benefited from financial and administrative support from KAIROS Canada. Please confirm your attendance with Mallory at prev-gen@parl.gc.ca before Wednesday June 16, 2010. Thank you!

Round table discussion with Dr. Deng


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Please find the attached notes from the meeting with Dr. Frances Deng on May 4, 2010 The All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity (Genocide Prevention Group) is hosting a round table discussion with Dr. Francis Deng, the United Nation’s Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide. The event will be held on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 from 8:30-10:15am in room 505, Victoria Building, at 140 Wellington St., Ottawa. The Special Adviser is mandated by the UN Security Council to act as a catalyst to raise awareness of the causes and dynamics of genocide, to alert relevant actors where there is a risk of genocide and to advocate and mobilize for appropriate action. Dr. Deng will share his insights into the causes and dynamics of genocide, speak about his unique approach to this ever challenging mandate and provide ideas on how Canada can further contribute to preventing this atrocity. The Genocide Prevention Group is an informal group of parliamentarians from all political parties and from both legislative chambers. It is mandated to improve Canada’s efforts to prevent genocide and crimes against humanity, to increase the flow of information available to Parliamentarians on these and related matters, and to communicate and collaborate with like-minded organizations both domestically and internationally. Please confirm your presence with Mallory at prev-gen@parl.gc.ca by Monday, May 3rd, 2010 at noon.
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April 27th Panel discussion: The Evolution of Peacekeeping


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Please find the attached notes from this event The All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity will be hosting a panel discussion, entitled “The Evolution of Peacekeeping: renewing Canada’s leadership for the 21st century.” The event will be on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 from 8:30-10:00am in room 208, West Block. Panelists include: Carolyn McAskie, the United Nation’s Assistant Secretary General for Peacebuilding and former Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of the UN Peacekeeping Operation in Burundi; Michael C. Pryce, Founder and President of COA Consultants and COA Non-Profit and Former Director of the Mass Atrocity Response Operations Project; and Sophie Toupin, Gender Advisor for the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre. Both parliamentarians and their offices are invited to attend the discussion. Light refreshments will be served. Please confirm your attendance with Mallory at prev-gen@parl.gc.ca. See you there, Paul Dewar Member of Parliament Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity

“Human Rights Hotspots” with Alex Neve


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This event was a panel discussion about current ‘hot spots’ for massive human rights violations and areas of the world that should be of concern to Canadian parliamentarians.The objective of the event was to inform parliamentarians about regions of the world that are at risk for human rights violations, mass atrocities, persecution of minorities, and other crimes against humanity.Mr. Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International, provided a ‘tour of the world’ for unstable regions and specifically discussed areas of the world that do not receive adequate media attention.

Workshop for Journalists


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The event aimed to increase interest and involvement of the local media in international crimes against humanity and  included presentations from various experts in the field. The themes and expert panels guiding the workshop were as follows:
  • Introduction – Member of Parliament Mr. Paul Dewar
  • “Conflict, Genocide and Contemporary African Politics”- Professor Rita Abrahamsen
  • “Recognizing widespread tribal and cultural differences”- Ms. Alice Musabende
  • “Reporting on international human rights from Ottawa”- Ms. Marie-Jo Proulx
The panellists were: Introduction – Member of Parliament Mr. Paul Dewar Mr. Paul Dewar is the Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Centre, the New Democratic Party’s Foreign Affairs Critic and the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity. Since his first election in 2006, he has dedicated himself to raising awareness about violations of human rights both in Canada and abroad. Mr. Dewar is an advocate for Canadian action in places like Darfur and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has been a strong voice for peacebuilding.  Mr. Dewar He has travelled to Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Lebanon. “Conflict, Genocide and Contemporary African Politics”- Professor Rita Abrahamsen Dr. Rita Abrahamsen is Associate Professor in the School of International Development and Global Studies and in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.  She is joint-editor of African Affairs, the highest ranked journal in African studies.  Prior to joining the University of Ottawa, she was in the Department of International Politics at the University of Aberystwyth. “Recognizing widespread tribal and cultural differences”- Ms. Alice Musabende Alice Musabende is a journalist based in Ottawa and currently works as a television producer for CPAC.  Born in Kigali, Rwanda, Alice has worked as an international development worker for USAID, as well as a media fixer and freelance journalist in Rwanda.  With a Bachelor of Journalism from the National University of Rwanda and a Master’s of Journalism from Carleton University, in Ottawa, Alice has worked as a reporter for CBC Radio in Quebec city, in Ottawa and for TFO (The Ontario French Television). Alice has also worked with the Genocide Intervention Network in Minneapolis on some of their Darfur/Sudan projects. “Reporting on international human rights from Ottawa”- Ms. Marie-Jo Proulx Marie-Jo Proulx is a fully bilingual Canadian with extensive experience in a wide range of locations, media environments, and communication roles. MJ has worked as a media trainer and workshop facilitator in Sierra Leone; senior writer, asylum case interpreter, and project manager in Chicago; reporter and technical writer in Ottawa; and course coordinator and French language instructor in Manchester, U.K. MJ’s freelance work has appeared in the Montreal Gazette, Winnipeg Free Press, Embassy Newspaper, Trente Magazine, and Z Magazine, among others.

Economics of Conflict


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The Genocide Prevention Group hosted a panel discussion on how the current economic recession may potentially impact human rights and crimes against humanity. The themes and expert panel guiding the discussion were as follows: 1. “Recession Breeds Repression” Dr. David Gillies and his colleague, Mr. Abraham Sewonet Abatneh from the North-South Institute, discussed how the current economic recession is a stressor and catalyst for conflict. The recession may breed repression by reducing commodity export revenues, remittances and foreign exchange and increasing unemployment levels and food prices. In countries with no or “frayed” social safety nets, this can lead to repression, conflict and crimes against humanity. Mr. Abatneh illustrated this with case studies of Southern Sudan, Haiti and Ghana. 2. The Economic Recession and Canadian Foreign Policy Dr. Manfred A. Bienefeld from the School of Public Administration at Carleton University discussed the longer-term issues that breed recession and governments that are not responsive to their citizens. He argued that the situation in Somalia is an example of what could occur if we do not build a degree of cohesion. He further contended that Canada is not immune to difficulties arising from the economic recession and that we need to focus on the broader structures that cause these problems.