January 26

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the worst place in the world for females to live: "Statistics reveal that an average of 40 women are raped every day in just two provinces. Of these, 13 per cent are under 14 years of age, 3 per cent die as a result of rape and 10-12 per cent contract HIV and AIDS"(http://www.worldvision.ca/Education-and-Justice/Policy-and-Analysis/Pages/Rape-in-the-Congo.aspx). In a recently released report, UN officials found that the number of Congolese women raped New Years eve in an organized attack is exponentially larger then previously thought. One of the senior army commanders who coordinated the attack has been arrested, 10 other soldiers are in detention. 200,000 women are reported to have been raped in the Congo over the past 12 years of conflict. Those committing the attacks are not just Congolese, but members of the Rwandan Hutu militia have also previously been arrested. It is for this reason that extreme measures must be taken to end the conflict in the Congo. As I have written before, conflict minerals, such as coltan, fuel and fund this conflict and many others across Africa (Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi), and for that reason alone it may be time to pay more for our electronics, so minerals can be monitored and measures can be put in place to ensure they are arriving from a legitimate source.

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/un-finds-many-more-congolese-new-year-rape-victims/
http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/content/why/why-congo

Pray for an end to violence

Violence worsens in Cote D'ivoire. Gbagbo (incumbent president) supporters are killing, raping and causing the disappearances of Ouattara supporters. Persons who look to be of an ethic group which typically supports Ouattara (immigrants from other parts of West Africa and Muslims)are routinely the targets. Last week a report was released which stated Cote d'Ivoire media could be brought up for crimes against humanity by the ICC because of the hatred and violence the air waves were inciting.

Quote from Ouattara's UN ambassador:
"Unfortunately, as things stand, the worst is yet to come," Bamba said, adding that "all member states of the United Nations collectively, and the regional powers in Africa ... should act immediately to put an end to that shame."

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/ivory-coasts-gbagbo-forces-kill-torture-watchdog/

In a situation such as this, is intervention the right solution? Would the North deciding a victor in this conflict bring stability? Or would those people inciting violence find some other cause for doing so, further destabilising the country?

Civil society in Cote d'Ivoire: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=91733

January 23

Impartiality lets you off the hook. Not believing one thing or the other makes inaction acceptable. In myself, I call this cowardly behavior. If I refuse to make up my mind on a subject and thus am inactive, and allow potentially harmful things to happen as a result, I am guilty by omission. It is a refusal to take responsibility for the lives of anyone but yourself. Which is selfish. To a point, tolerance is another word for impartiality. As a side note, in a meeting held this past week, Canada MP David Sweet confirmed that in an effort to balance the budget Canada is cutting its funding to the Millennium Development Goals.

January 19th

The Kenyan President has reported that the African Unions mediation talks in the Ivory Coast have failed and that sanctions and force must now be used to end the conflict. There are now about 30,000 displaced persons in Liberia, 75 percent of which are women and children, and another 18,000 displaced internally in the Ivory coast. Aid agencies worry about the thousands of displaced children, many of which are separated from their parents, are in danger of sexual exploitation and recruitment into the violent conflict. Continue to pray for peace.

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/displaced-ivory-coast-children-at-risk-of-sexual-exploitation/

January 18

Kenyan Prime Minister and mediator Prime Minister Raila Odinga hints that there may soon may be direct talks between the two leaders in Cote d`Ivoire. However a representative for recognized president Ouattara stated that: "If we're ready to talk face to face, that means Gbagbo must have said he's ready to step down," an act which has yet to occur. This however could be a positive step towards peace.

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/ivory-coast-mediator-hints-at-talks/

January 16

Between 400 and 600 people are crossing the border of Cote dÌvoire into Liberia a day, fleeing from the two waring regimes. One is the democratically elected, UN recognized leader of the nation, Ouattara, the other is opposition leader Gbagbo, who has declared himself president. Approximately 25,000 people are now living in refugee camps in Liberia. Many males are being recruited on route to the refugee camps on behalf of both sides. Meanwhile Liberian ex-fighters are expected to engage in the conflict presently. Slowly social system such as education are breaking down as teachers refuse to work for political reasons. Another reminder that there are no innocent sides in armed conflict and it is always civilians who will pay the price. I will continue to update this alarming situation, in hope.

http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=91636
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=91635

Sign a petition advocating for the coco producers in Cote d`Ivoire not to support war:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/ivory_coast_chocolate/?vl

Because sticking up for the little guy is worth it

Members of the Presidents Office,

As a student and employee of McMaster University, I wish to express my
support for the demands of the hospitality workers on campus.
According to McMaster Universities mission and vision statements, the
university "value[s] integrity, quality, inclusiveness and teamwork in
everything we do... We serve the social, cultural, and economic needs
of our community and our society". These are simply empty words if
you choose to replace the full-time staff members with casual workers.
Having chosen to locate the university in a city with such differing
socio-economic backgrounds, which includes a large percentage of new
immigrants to the country, it is important take into account not
only the elite persons who are able to attend and teach at the
institution, but also the needs of the community at large. If the
university has the capacity to employ community members and improve
their livelihood, as well as continue to preform research whose said
goal is to improve the lives of society as a whole, then it is
preforming it's function and has not become, as some claim it to be,
an ivory town, removed from reality.
Please keep this in mind as you go back to the bargaining table.

Thank you,

Members of the presidents office:
presdnt@mcmaster.ca,
mcupido@mcmaster.ca,
marnold@mcmaster.ca,

January 13th

Continued fighting in Cote D`Ivoire as Gbagbo refuses to give up his illegitimate power. Elected leader, Ouattara, continues to operate out of a sealed hotel. Since the election 200 civilians have been killed in the fighting, and Gbagbo has ordered UN forces out of the country. UN forces have refuses and instead have requested 2000 more troops. Gbagbo`s supporters in retaliation have attacked UN vehicles and troops. I find it encouraging that the UN mission continues to refuse to leave the country. However, I doubt matters are cut and dry in terms of the assumed absolute innocence on the part of Ouattara`s supporters. It is my hope that the fact that the world is watching will stop mass violence on the part of the two parties from occurring.

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/ivory-coast-army-seals-off-pro-ouattara-area/

January 12th

Formed in Northern Uganda in the late 1980s, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), head by mad-man Joseph Kony, who believes he is the re-incarnation of the messiah, has kidnapped children as recruits and killed civilians for over two decades. The movements of the LRA have since spread to Southern Sudan, Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, three nations with already existing internal problems without the military capacity to stop the destruction of the LRA. A new report by American President Barack Obama does not even offer peace-talks as an option for stopping the movements of the LRA. It suggests that disarming the military group and capturing it's leaders (wanted by the international criminal court) is the only option. But over such a vast expanse of terrain with limited personnel, and with the need to peacefully disarm the many children who part of this army, it will prove difficult.

http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=91612
(New plan by Obama to disarm the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda)

January 11

Haiti one year after the quake is still destitute, lacking infrastructure and basic items necessary for subsistence. At least a million people still live in tent cities, and violence such as looting and rape continue. Meanwhile cholera is still ravaging the country. Desperate people are bound to commit desperate acts.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/01/reporters-notebook-memories-from-haiti.html#

January 10.5

They walked out of their dark cozy home.
The old man held the hand of the tiny girl with wide, bright eyes.
The first beams of light started to peek from beyond the warm grassy hill, lighting their path, the sun stretching itself towards them as if also newly awakened.
They lift their faces to the sky, and raising their arms, greet the day.
The nearby plant life trembles in an unseen wind, as if returning the greeting.
The girl lets out a laugh, sounding like bubbling water flowing over a creek bed.
The sun now bursts forth, revealing itself entirely.
The land is washed in light.
The old man and little girl share a knowing smile.
The old man kneels down.
Eye level, he smiles again and warmly says to her, "close your eyes. What do you see?"
Again she lifts her face to the sun, eyes closed, she tilts her head to the side as if listening.
"I see them all here."
She opens her eyes and excitedly looks back at the old man.
He looks at her kindly and says, "And what would you like to do?"
"Let's go find them!" She replies eagerly, pulling the old man forward.
He laughs and together, hand in hand, they move forward.

January 10th

Rape as a weapon of war destroys communities through the demoralization and immobilization of its (for the most part) women. According to the report below, 15,000 women are raped a year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). I believe it is one of the most cruel devices of war, which keeps civilians trapped in a state of fear. They are thus controllable and less likely to oppose their attackers. The war in the DRC is continuous in large part because it is funded through the sale of electronics which contain items found in the mineral rich country. These minerals are fought over by gorilla groups, government militia,warlords, as well as armed forces hired by Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi, who siphon the minerals through their countries and on to Australia, where they are mix and become untraceable from other minerals.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/gunmen-carry-out-new-year-gang-rape-in-congo-msf

Want to know what your favorite electronic companies are doing to combat the use of conflict minerals in their products (computers, ipods, dvd players, cell phones, ect.)?
Read the below company ratings:
http://www.enoughproject.org/publications/getting-conflict-free?elq=9fa1e70026d847cb87d7e1d4cec6fc99

Make sure that the regulation of conflict minerals is strong, sign the petition to aid in ending violence in the Congo!
http://www2.americanprogress.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=113

January 8

Never Again. This is what world leaders continue to say about genocide. They said it about the Holocaust, they said it about Rwanda, they said it about Bosnia. Darfur is on-going, forgotten. Before the Sudanese government signed a peace agreement, the Janjaweed (a government backed armed group) killed as many non-Arab Sudanese as possible. They then signed the peace deal to pacify the international community. The eradication of non-Arab Sudanese has been called "the final solution". The same term used by Hitler for the eradication of the Jews. The conflict began in 2003.

I understand what people mean when they talk about the North interfering in Africa as colonial and why they would say such a solution lacks sustainability. I understand that the West has in the past destroyed culture and altered facts, in order to achieve its own ends.

If it were my family being killed and raped, I wouldn't care who intervened, or why.

Indifference is not an option. Apathy inhuman. Ignorance self-destructive.
I am sick of a lack of action being coated in the guise of enlightenment, as committees of the educated and privileged discuss; the screams of the dying are muffled by the shuffling of paper. We must stop destroying ourselves.

http://www.sudanreeves.org/

January 7

Reminiscent of Rwanda and Darfur...
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/gbagbo-tied-forces-back-icoast-ethnic-killings-un/

It's terrifying that such actions are still permitted in a world which has experienced atrocities such as the Holocaust, the genocides in Yugoslavia, Rwanda and the ongoing killings in Darfur, not to mention the over 500 million who have been killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo over resources and ethic conflict, the greatest number killed in war since World War 2. At least UN troops are insisting on staying in the Cote d'Ivoire, despite Laurent Gbagbo, the man who has declared himself president after elections did not go in his favour, insisting they leave. Let us hope that this is not history repeating itself as UN troops stayed in Rwanda until ten Belgium peace keepers were killed, leaving the country, and the Tutsi people to their fate. The most concerning part, to me, is the sanctioning of ethic killings by would-be-government forces. With the UN unwilling to intervene in the sovereignty of another state, except in an instance of genocide, and with the UN being unwilling to label any war as 'genocide', what is to be done?
The only answer I know of is public awareness, which increases media attention, which in turn puts pressure on international governments, which hopefully pressures the offending government(Gbagbo of Cote d'Ivoire) to reform. The only problem in this case is that the offending government is illegitimate. Perhaps Gbagbo's need for power will be satisfied by the international attention...