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Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains
The current humanitarian crisis in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan has prompted UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos to issue an urgent statement (PDF; external link) highlighting growing concerns for the safety and wellbeing of citizens in the region. The area, which spans parts of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states, has seen intermittent violence between Sudanese government forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North, a rebel group comprised of soldiers who had previously fought against the Sudanese government in the North-South civil war.
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- humanitarian update
- sudan
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Statement on Violence in Syria
WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum today expressed its grave concern for the safety and security of civilians in Syria, and warned of the potential for genocidal acts if nations do not take prompt actions to uphold their responsibility to protect groups and individuals targeted by the Syrian regime.
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- humanitarian update
- syria
Identifying Genocide and Related Forms of Mass Atrocity
In a recent paper, Scott Straus, a 2011 Museum Fellow with the Committee on Conscience, explains why it is important for those concerned about preventing genocide to understand what genocide is and what it is not, how we can recognize it in its early stages, and what distinguishes genocide from other forms of mass atrocity. This conceptual analysis, he argues, will provide a framework for decision making about when and how to engage in specific cases.
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Crimes Against Humanity in Syria
We know from history that genocide and related crimes against humanity do not just arise spontaneously. They often take place in the context of civil war, when leaders commit such crimes to advance their goals of eliminating opposition or perceived enemies. In the civil conflict now raging in Syria, reporting by independent journalists and the United Nations leaves little doubt that conditions are being laid for a dramatic escalation of violence against civilians, possibly based on their membership in religious sects. Right now the majority Sunni population, perceived by the Alawite-dominated regime to be leading the opposition, are the primary victims, but if conditions deteriorate, other groups—including Druze, Christians, and Alawites themselves—could also be targeted.
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Besieged in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains
New York Times op-ed columnist Nicholas D. Kristof, on his latest reporting mission to Sudan this week, presents a stark reminder of an overlooked conflict where thousands of lives have already been lost and hundreds of thousands more remain at risk.
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- humanitarian update
- sudan
The Start of Voting in Congo
This blog post is the first in a series by several leading analysts on Congo who the Museum has invited to contribute their thoughts, news, and observations regarding potential threats to civilians during Congo's elections and the potentially tumultuous period following the vote. The views expressed are the authors'.
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- humanitarian update
- dr congo
Death Toll Mounts in Syria as Government Expands Campaign of Violence
Civilians in Syria remain at grave risk of mass violence amidst ongoing human rights violations as the Syrian government continues its violent crackdown on protestors calling for democratic political reform and the end of the Assad regime. The government does not appear to be targeting people based on their group identity, but rather their political positions.
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- humanitarian update
- responses
Threat of Mass Violence Against Civilians in Syria
Today, Syria is a country whose civilians are at risk of violence, with an estimated 1,000 people killed since mid-March, and countless others detained or missing. It is also a country whose regime allows little international access by foreign journalists, human rights groups, and aid groups and that offers few response options for those interested in stemming the potential for mass atrocities. As such, it provides a serious challenge for thinking about the limits and needs of a developing international civilian protection paradigm.
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Kyrgyzstan’s Racial Violence Could Have Been Prevented
In a column for GlobalPost, Bridget Conley-Zilkic, director of research and projects with the Museum's genocide prevention program, writes about how the world might have foreseen the recent outbreak of violence in Kyrgyzstan. For more information about how the U.S. can strengthen its capacity to prevent genocide and mass atrocities, view the Genocide Prevention Task Force.
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- humanitarian update
- prevention
Accelerating the Path to Peace in Sudan
As Sudan moves closer to making significant political choices in the near future (national elections in April 2010 and a referendum on southern independence in 2011), international efforts to establish firm peace agreements in Darfur and southern Sudan have accelerated.
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