The use of rape warfare fades from headlines, but not the battlefields

First it was the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, then Rwanda…Sudan and the Congo, which seemed to bring this unfathomable crime against humanity to light and then most recently it was Libya that brought the use of rape as weapon of war into the headlines. However while the headlines bringing such atrocities to light seem [...]

UN allows for sanctions in Somalia against violators of children

In a press statement issued, on Tuesday, 2 August 2011, United Nations Special Representative for the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy stated that she welcomed the decision by the UN Security Council made earlier that week, which allowed for sanctions against Somalia earlier that week. “Starting today, in Somalia, if you kill, [...]

The DRC’s up-hill battle to fight gender-based violence

The continued use of sexual violence to terrorize women and girls in many countries across the globe, has continued despite many efforts in recent years to bring light to these horrendous gender-based crimes. Therefore women and girls remain trapped living in daily fear, as the numbers of rape victims continuously rises, becoming a common feature [...]

Friday Roundup

Just a whole lotta stories clogging my internet tabs: Both First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have Africa trips pending in the next few days. This is great, and both trips have clear policy implications. You know what would be even better? If we started to get some sense of a [...]

If Mugabe, then why not Museveni?

Are Museveni’s sins less despicable than Mugabe’s or Kaddafi’s? Yoweri Museveni’s violent response to mass protests in Uganda – sparked by rising food and fuel prices –-is just one of many such traits found in most dictators in the world (if not in Africa). Media reports suggest that Museveni will stop at nothing but a [...]