News to Know
This week’s must-read news stories
Mass Rape Attack on Congo Villagers
June 24, 2011 REUTERS, Jonny Hogg
As many as 170 women were the victims of mass rape in eastern Congo June 11 – 12, according to the United Nations Refugee agency, marking the largest reported attack since 2010. Full Story Here…
Dodd-Frank Metals Rule Pits SEC Against African Warlords
June 23, 2011 BLOOMBERG, Lizzy O’Leary
With major components of the Dodd-Frank Act going into effect soon, questions abound. Bloomberg looks at the broad range of reactions to the upcoming regulations, sharing the views of big business, governments and even a high school student. Full Story Here…
Voter Registration Increases in DRC’s North Kivu Province, Says UN Official
June 23, 2011 VOICE OF AMERICA, Peter Clottey
Citing increased stability, UN officials believe that 80 percent of the population in North Kivu province have registered ahead of critical national elections this fall. Full Story Here….
News to Know
This week’s must-read news stories
India’s Withdrawal of Helicopters from Congo Points to Wider Trend
June 14, 2011 WASHINGTON POST, Colum Lynch
The UN’s job of protecting civilians in Congo just got a whole lot harder. India announced it will withdraw its four attack helicopters, weakening the ability of the UN to respond to violence and provide humanitarian assistance in Congo’s sprawling eastern provinces. The move leaves the UN scrambling for more support as some nations call for it to increase its role in Congo. Full Story Here…
Gold Mining Group Proposes Conflict-Free Standards
June 17, 2011 REUTERS
In an encouraging move, the largest gold mining industry group proposed new standards aimed at cutting funding to armed groups in Congo. The new standards call not only for conflict free mines, but also attempt to ensure that transportation to refineries does not benefit armed groups. Full Story Here…
Troubles in the Integration of Armed Groups
June, 14 2011 CONGO-SIASA, Jason Stearns
Disarming and integrating armed groups into the Congolese national army is a critical part of the peace-building process. But in an move suggesting it is losing its patience, the government has set a deadline for armed groups to have the option to integrate. This new decision comes amid some high profile defections from the integration process in recent weeks. Full Story Here….
Guest Blog: 40 day fast for Special Envoy Now!
Today is Day 23 of my hunger strike. This week came so quickly, I still feel so strong. And I have decided to extend my fast to 40 Days. I will continue on the water, water with lemon and honey, mulberry tea, roasted dandelion tea, and vegetable broth plan until my hunger strike concludes on June 29th. For my Sisters in Congo, who go without physical safety and justice, my gesture is one of solidarity.
Blessings are always balanced with complications and tragedies. Certainly, burying the man I loved at 25 was a kind of suffering I would never wish on anyone. Holding our then two year old daughter’s hand and embarking on a life I had never imagined was scary. Knowing our dreams of having three or four children were over stung in a way I still cannot articulate. Creating new dreams wasn’t easy, but the combination of our faith and family made the difference, and I wake up every day feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. I also feel a responsibility to give back. To do something that might ease the suffering of others.
The women of Congo know real suffering. Horror. Indescribable violence. Rape. Rape again and again and again. Slavery in the tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold and copper mines. Auto-cannibalism. Fistula. Unspeakable traumas. Malnutrition. Preventable diseases. They live, mostly, without justice. But not without grace and hope. Survivors from Congo, from Sudan or other war torn and poverty stricken nations have an inner poise that inspires me to action.
My hunger strike is for them. Going without food for 40 days seems a small price to pay to bring awareness to these women and their children. To what end? So more people will know about the suffering? No.
To urge President Barack Obama to appoint a Special Envoy to Congo, and the Great Lakes region, that will be empowered to foster a change on the ground. To partner with the international community, MONUSCO and other reliable actors to bring about positive change. To provide whatever diplomatic guidance is necessary in advance of the November 2011 elections. The ongoing bloodshed, violence and rampant corruption, plus the toxic and genocidal influence of Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army, has taken millions of lives. It remains the bloodiest, most deadly conflict since World War II.
Realism dictates we understand that even with elections, reforms and the will of the Congolese people pushing for change, violence will not magically cease. But every day President Obama waits, every day the international community, and interested parties look away from the horror, it will continue unabated. Every day that passes, 1152 women and girls between the ages of 15-49 will be raped. Over the course of my 40 day hunger strike, that translates to 46,080 women and girls will have been brutally raped.
The magnitude of this crisis requires action, not strongly worded statements. Whatever comes next, justice must be on the table.
Elizabeth Blackney
News to Know
This week’s must-read news stories
New Laws Have Little Impact on Sexual Violence in DRC
June 7, 2011 IRIN
Sexual violence in Congo continues at a staggering rate five years after the government revised sexual and gender based violence laws. Coming on the heels of newly released rape statistics in Congo, IRIN looks at the current laws, the lack of prosecutions, and how judicial reform is key to ending violence against Congolese women and children. Full Story Here…
Is the UN Mission in Congo Conceding Too Much to the Government?
June 9, 2011 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, Jason Stearns
What’s at stake in the upcoming election in Congo? Everything. But Jason Stearns worries that the UN niceties toward the government could harm the election process. Full Story Here….
Fighting Continues in Congo’s Endless War
June 9, 2011 VOICE OF AMERICA, Heather Murdock
Africa’s World War. King Leopold II. Rwanda. Genocide. Conflict Minerals. Local Militias. Local Politics. Ethnic Tensions. Congo’s violence has deep roots in a dizzying array of factors. Heather Murdock looks at some factors that continue to fuel war in Congo. Full Story Here…
News to Know
This week’s must-read news stories
Media Lizzy on Her Hunger Strike
June 1, 2011 THE DAILY CALLER, Matt Lewis
For A Thousand Sisters’ Elizabeth Blackney showing up for Congo comes at a cost: 21 days without food. Media Lizzy, as she is known, talks with Matt Lewis of The Daily Caller about Congo’s sexual violence and her passion for holding government accountable. Full Story Here…
Congo Rape Victims See Glimmer of Justice
June 1, 2011 WASHINGTON TIMES, Heather Murdock
Has the tide turned in favor of rape victims in Congo? Some on the ground in Congo are beginning to say it is. The Washington Times looks into the impact the arrests and trials of rapists in Congo is beginning to have on the culture of impunity that exists in Congo. Full Story Here…
Girls Forced to Be Soldiers
May 30, 2011 GLOBAL POST, Heather Murdock
A gaunt pre-adolescent boy carrying a rifle half his size is the quintessential image of a child soldier. Unfortunately, it is an incomplete image. Heather Murdock reports on the often untold story of female child soldiers and their difficult road back to reintegration. Full Story Here…
News to Know
This week’s must-read news stories
Le Roy Discusses U.N. Peacekeeping Operations
May 24, 2011 NPR, Michelle Norris and Robert Siegel
The head of the world’s largest UN Peacekeeping mission, MONUC in Congo, talked with NPR this week about helicopters, training an army for civilian protection and why he wants more female police officers. Listen Here…
Do We Have the Congo Rape Crisis All Wrong?
May 24, 2011 THE ATLANTIC, Laura Seay
The new rape stats in Congo—co-authored by Amber Peterman—sparked critical debate around the world on the need for such studies. The discussion continues this week in The Atlantic with Laura Seay arguing that in light of the new study, a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to solving Congo’s crisis is necessary. Full Story Here…
DR Congo Says Mineral Exports Hit by Tracing Rules
May 21, 2011 REUTERS, Jonny Hogg
New traceability standards in Congo, agreed to most notably by Apple and Hewlett-Packard, are beginning to work. The good news: armed groups are leaving mines in the east. The bad: exports have nearly ground to a halt. Full Story Here…
Gynecologist, Dr. Denis Mukwege, Wins This Year’s King Baudouin International Development Prize
May 25, 2011 ALL AFRICA
Few Congo heroes come larger than Dr. Denis Mukwege, the founder of the highly regarded Panzi hospital. He was recognized this week for his work in restoring the health and dignity of victims of sexual violence; his dedication serves as an important reminder of the power one person can have when you choose to simply show up. Full Story Here…
Redefining Activism
For me, “activist” is a loaded word. It carries the weight of a stereotype: loud, opinionated, in-your-face kind of people who shout in front of buildings, hold big signs, and occasionally pull off stunts like living in a tree or standing in front of a bulldozer. People love them, hate them, criticism them. I’ve always admired such nerve, but never identified with the approach. Donate to causes, vote on the issues, sure. But activist? No, not me.
Then I found myself in my sister’s kitchen on the first night of Special Envoy Now trying to summon the courage to speak. Lisa had asked me to ask my family to post photos, and I said I would, yet despite a deep pain for the brutal rapes Congolese women endure, I really didn’t want to. It wasn’t a big protest, but still, I was a behind-the-scenes girl, doing my part in quiet, non-public ways (in this case, writing web text for ATS and helping garner publicity for the new rape stats). There are actors and stagehands, I reasoned, and both make the world go round. This is valid, but it was also an excuse. The truth was that I was scared to put myself out there, even to my family. What if they said no? What if they judged me?
I wasn’t the only nervous sister. Suzanna Blahna hesitated when a co-worker asked her about her new Facebook profile photo, which included the sign “Great Lakes Special Envoy Now.” Should she talk about this at work? Would her colleague respond negatively?
Our fears were understandable; taking a position is a risk. It opens you up to rejection and criticism. It makes you vulnerable. But there is power in action, so that night in my sister’s kitchen—as my mom chopped vegetables, my nephew did homework, and my younger sister walked her one-year-old daughter around in circles—I wrote out envoy signs, took a deep breath, and launched into a monologue on rape stats, billion dollars in aid, asking the president to help, and then the kicker: does anyone want to participate?
“Sure,” my sister replied.
“A billion dollars?” my 16-year-old nephew said with indignation and got out of his chair.
We took photos on the stairs and the dad of the one-year-old joined us too.
At the office, Suzanna told her co-worker that more than 400,000 rapes occurred in one year. Her colleague said, wow, but when asked to post a photo, opted out. Her efforts weren’t in vain; one more person now knows about Congo.
Lisa has talked of her own fears and nerves and moments of feeling silly running down the halls of Congress not fully sure of what she was doing, yet finding that each and every time she and others have shown up for Congo, it matters. Yes, exactly. Another person knows about Congo. A few more voices have whispered “special envoy” in President Obama’s ear. And I have realized that activism isn’t just big signs and media-grabbing stunts (important and effective though they may be). It’s also a few women simply finding the courage to speak.
Michelle Hamilton
News to Know
This weeks must-read news stories
77 Human Rights Groups Sign Letter Calling for U.S. Envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes
May 17, 2011 ENOUGH PROJECT
ATS’s Lisa Shannon, along with Enough and policy expert Jason Stearns, spearheaded a letter to the U.S. State Department calling for a Great Lakes Special Envoy and other key policy solutions. The letter was signed by 55 Congolese and 22 U.S. and international NGOs and delivered just before last week’s Virtual March on Washington.
In the wake of the jaw-dropping statistics from the new study of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Enough Project and 76 other NGOs have written to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to urge much greater engagement with the crisis in Congo, beginning with the appointment of a special envoy for the Great Lakes region. Full Story Here…
Academic Spat Erupts Over Rape in Democratic Republic of Congo
May 20, 2011 THE STAR, Debra Black
Last week’s release of new rape statistics for Congo produced a great deal of attention and discussion worldwide. The Star details some of the challenges to the study and the authors’ responses.
A recent study on the number of women being raped in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has triggered an academic spat between its authors and two researchers from the Nordic Africa Institute. Full Story Here…
Congo Military Withdraws from Mine
May 18, 2011 ASSOCIATED PRESS, Carley Petesch
Report on the implications of the Congolese military’s recent withdrawal from the country’s largest tin-ore mine in North Kivu.
A rights group says there are now opportunities for conflict-free mining in recently demilitarized mines in volatile eastern Congo, where trade has fueled conflict. Full Story Here…
Is the Focus on Conflict Minerals Justified?
May 16, 2011 CONGO-SIASA, Jason Stearns
A Thousand Sisters’ policy adviser and Congo expert Jason Stearns presents a strong case on why conflict minerals are only part of the solution. Hint: correcting one area isn’t going to solve a complicated, multi-faceted conflict.
My article in Foreign Policy received several helpful comments from friends who objected to the emphasis on conflict minerals by some advocacy groups in the United States and elsewhere. There is a growing number of people – including friends and colleageus from Laura Seay (of Texas in Africa fame), Nicholas Garrett (of Resource Consulting Services), Mvemba Dizolele and Friends of the Congo – who are skeptical of this approach. Full Story Here…
Special Envoy: Why We Need One NOW!
You’ve read the recent news stories: 400,000 women a year; 1,152 women raped a day, a rate that’s 26 times higher than previous U.N. estimate. The numbers are hard to digest, but they send a critical message: Special Envoy Now! Appointing an envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes region is the first key step in bringing stability to the region. Join the week-long march—Special Envoy Now!—and read on to learn more about the crucial role envoys can play in conflict resolution.
What is a special envoy?
An envoy is a government representative who is sent to carry out a specific mission (rather than an ambassador who maintains full-time diplomatic relations). An envoy helps the President tackle complicated issues needing high level attention, such as nuclear nonproliferation, climate change, and conflict resolution. Organizations also use envoys; Bill Clinton, for example, is the U.N.’s Special Envoy to Haiti.
How would a special envoy help Congo?
Currently, there is no coherent U.S. policy on Congo, despite the fact that the United States spends about a billion dollars a year on U.N. peacekeeping and development, humanitarian, and security assistance in Congo. A special envoy to the Great Lakes Region would be tasked with developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy for the entire region, including countries such as Uganda and Rwanda, who have been deeply involved with the conflict. An envoy would also ensure that aid is conditional and includes robust support for demobilization and reintegration programs for armed groups in Congo.
The Congolese Government has continually failed to protect its own citizens from mass atrocity; many former warlords are found within the government, judicial system, police, and military. This has led to a breakdown of the rule of law and created a culture of impunity. An envoy would help intensify efforts to protect civilians and support efforts to hold perpetrators accountable. How? By assisting the Congolese Government in creating security and judicial reform programs with clear, measurable milestones.
The envoy would also have the opportunity to work with the Congolese Government to implement free, fair, and credible elections this November.
The State Department has made it clear that it does not want an envoy in the region because it feels ambassadors can do the job. This isn’t the right solution; learn why here. More can and should be done.
Members of both parties in the House and Senate have written to President Obama asking for an envoy, demonstrating that an appointment has bi-partisan support. A Thousand Sisters, along with a coalition of 77 other organizations, sent a letter to Secretary Clinton last week recommending policy for Congo and emphasizing that an envoy would be invaluable in implementing these recommendations. Now, it’s your turn to ask Obama for an envoy. Join the march! Special Envoy Now! A Virtual March on Congo
News to Know
This week’s must-read news stories
SPECIAL EDITION: Last week, the American Journal of Public Health released a study that found that incidents of rape in Congo are a mind-numbing 26 times higher than previous U.N. estimates. A Thousand Sisters teamed with the study’s three authors – including fellow sister Amber Peterman – to get the word out about this important new study. And out it went! The New York Times, Associated Press, Reuters, ABC News, The Daily Beast, PRI’s The World, CBC (Canadian radio with NPR affiliates), BBC and Australian news agency, among others, all ran stories. A small sampling below.
New Study Sets Estimates for Rape Much Higher
May 11, 2011 NEW YORK TIMES, Jeffery Gettleman
A new study in The American Journal of Public Health, expected to be published Thursday online, estimates that nearly two million women have been raped in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with women victimized at a rate of nearly one every minute. Full Story Here…
48 women raped every hour in Congo, study finds
May 11, 2011 ASSOCIATED PRESS, Rukmini Callimachi
The African nation of Congo has been called the worst place on earth to be a woman. A new study released Wednesday shows that it’s even worse than previously thought: 1,152 women are raped every day, a rate equal to 48 per hour. Full story here…
Congo Rape Crisis: Study Reveals Shocking New Numbers
May 11, 2011 THE DAILY BEAST, Danielle Shapiro
Sometimes the attacks happen on their way to and from the market or their cassava fields. Sometimes they happen deep into the night, when the women are shaken from sleep with violence. Sometimes their attacker is a soldier, a rebel, a neighbor; sometimes it’s their husband. The rapes are so common, they’ve become a sickening part of everyday life in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. Full Story Here…
Nearly Every Minute a Women is Raped in the Congo
May 11, 2011 ABC NEWS, Carrie Halperin and Mandana Mofidi
By the time you finish reading this article five women in the Congo will have been raped. In what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls “the worst example of man’s inhumanity towards women,” a study reveals a violent war against women happening within the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Full Story Here…
Rape Skyrocketing in Congo
May 11, 2011 PRI’S THE WORLD, Marco Werman
A Thousand Sister’s founder, Lisa Shannon, is interviewed by The World’s Marco Werman.
A new study in the American Journal of Public Health shows rates of rapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo are skyrocketing. Lisa Shannon, Congo activist and author of “A Thousand Sisters” tells anchor Marco Werman that the study points to the need for Washington to leverage its aid to Congo with an eye toward accountability and protecting women. Listen Here…
Other Stories…
Senators Join Effort to Urge Obama to Appoint Special Envoy
May 12, 2011 ENOUGH PROJECT, Talia Samuelson
Enough Project’s Talia Samuelson reports the efforts by16 U.S. senators to pressure President Obama to appoint a special representative to Africa’s Great Lakes Region.
Sixteen U.S. senators sent a letter to President Obama this week urging him to appoint a special representative, to “make an important statement that [violence in eastern Congo and ongoing LRA atrocities] are a high priority for your Administration.” Full Story Here…
Rediscovering Congo
May 12, 2011 FOREIGN POLICY, Jason Stearns
Congo expert and A Thousand Sisters policy adviser Jason Stearns details the renewed energy of Congo advocacy efforts, its effectiveness and the challenges of real world reform in a place as complicated as Congo.
These are strange, exhilarating times to be working on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For the first time since full-fledged war broke out in the central African country in 1996, the American public seems to be waking up to the brutality of the conflict there. Over the past year, there has been a flurry of activity inside and outside the Beltway — in congressional hearings, Oprah shows, and Broadway theater. The country’s ongoing rape epidemic is finally getting front-page treatment. Congress passed a bill specifically on the Congo, and lawmakers and corporate boards in California, Pittsburgh, and universities around the country may soon follow suit. Full Story Here…