February 28th

In the Congo, MSF (Doctors Without Borders) report that there have been mass rapes in South Kivu, with 200 men, women and children having been raped since January. Normally violence is not centralized to one area as it has been in this case. Victims state that those responsible are members of the Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération de Rwanda (FDLR), which is made up of former persons responsible for the Rwandan Genocide. Amid the continuing unrest, states, international organization, and NGOs are preparing for the predicted global food shortage which is bound to effect those persons already in crisis due to violence and poverty. This crisis is currently impinging on Libya. France said that humanitarian aid must be the priority rather than military action to oust Muammar Gaddafi, one day after the United States said it was moving warships and air forces closer to Libya.

Food Shortage in Libya:
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/east-libya-could-face-food-shortages-soon-source/
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/france-urges-aid-not-military-action-for-libya/
The Congo:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=92062
On the global food shortage:
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/oxfam-calls-for-radical-shake-up-of-food-aid/
Britain threatens to leave UN Food Agency due to ineffectiveness:
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/britain-threatens-to-quit-un-food-agency/

Feburary 15th

In the wake of various international incidents in Sudan and Egypt, the ongoing chaos in the Ivory Coast has been forgotten. However the conflict continues. Gbagbo's lawyers are now filing to have election results declaring Ouattara president overturned by a Nigerian court. They are seeking to sue ECOWAS, the Nigerian court of law, to achieve this ends. ECOWAS has been vocal in its condemnation of Gbagbo. Meanwhile two international banks have suspended operations in the Ivory Coast, one of which cites security concerns. Gbagbo is also seeking legal action against these banks, specifically the BNP Paribas, which a spokesperson for Gbagbo stated: "has illustrated in the recent past a willingness to stifle the Ivorian economy". In my opinion this is simply a tactic to shift blame for the current economic conditions away from the conflict on Gbagbo's part. The two leaders have yet to meet face to face since the November 28th elections.

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/ivory-coasts-gbagbo-threatens-legal-action-on-banks/
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/ivory-coasts-gbagbo-seeks-to-sue-ecowas-over-polls/
Http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=91924

A report on the roles of the US and France:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=91921

Why Certification of Conflict Minerals is Important...

"The mass rape of over 300 women in Walikale this past summer was a shocking reminder of the humanitarian implications of the unregulated minerals trade in Congo and the failure of the state to protect its citizens," Enough Co-Founder John Prendergast

http://www.enoughproject.org/publications/view-north-kivu?link=1
http://enoughproject.org/files/view_from_kivu.pdf