Embargoed: 00:01 Central Africa Time (GMT+2) 9 July 2012 Thousands ‘choose peace’ on anniversary of South Sudanese independence Warring parties urged to pull back from the brink as UN resolution deadline looms Citizens from South Sudan and Sudan have today been joined by human rights activists, civil society organisations and faith leaders from around the…
On June 19 2012, IRRI, along with Accueil Aide et Assistance aux Réfugiés (AAAR) and Action pour les Droits Humains et l’Amitié (ADHA), organised a demonstration in Dakar to celebrate World Refugee Day. Representatives from about ten refugee communities living in Senegal participated in the celebration, including Gambians, Guineans, Ivoirians, Mauritanians, Chadians, Sudanese, Congolese, Rwandans,…
Today is International Refugee day. It’s a day when officials visit refugee camps and refugees are made to sing and dance and look happy. It’s a day when they are supposed to express their gratitude to those who give them assistance. But refugees don’t want help or handouts. They want justice, they want fairness. They…
(Regional Director, Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa) On April 22 a young woman in Sudan, Intisar Sharif Abdalla, was sentenced to death by stoning, accused of Zina (adultery). She is married and mother to three small children. Intisar was accused of having a relationship and getting pregnant by a man who wasn’t…
With somewhat predictable familiarity, we witness another round of violence and another round of displacement in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province. Make no mistake: what is happening in North Kivu has nothing to do with “tribalism”, or the idea that somehow Congo and the Congolese people are intrinsically violent – a racist…
Tomorrow, June 15, Madam Fatou Bensouda will be sworn in as the new prosecutor for the ICC taking over from Luis Moreno Ocampo whose term has ended. Mme Bensouda takes up this high profile position at a time when much controversy surrounds the ICC. Mr. Ocampo has had numerous run-ins with a number of governments…
Since the ICC Chief Prosecutor identified Uganda as a situation of concern in 2003, Uganda has become internationally recognised as a country in transition from conflict to peace. And the showpiece of that transition has been the issuing of arrest warrants against Joseph Kony and his senior commanders. The consequent flurry of activity by international…
(May 31, 2012) On the margins of the 51st ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights which opened at the Kairaba Beach Hotel on 18 April, a group of human rights organizations (African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre (DRDC), International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI),…
(May 31, 2012) On the margins of the 51st ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights which opened at the Kairaba Beach Hotel on 18 April, a group of human rights organizations (African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre (DRDC), International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI),…
Transitional justice mechanisms, including trials, truth commissions and reparations are often employed in the same countries which have also experienced mass displacement. The connection is clear: transitional justice mechanisms are designed to address the consequences of the same large scale violations of human rights and violent conflict that are the cause of mass displacement. Yet,…
CITIZENSHIP AND DISPLACEMENT IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION WORKING PAPER 7 MAY 2012 Darfurians in South Sudan: Negotiating belonging in two Sudans Background to the Paper This paper was drafted by Dr. Lucy Hovil of the International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI), with additional drafting by Deirdre Clancy of IRRI. The field research team was led…
H.E. Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 United States of America 1 May 2012 Your Excellency, Re: Appeal of 150 African and Middle East civil society organisations for joint action by the governments of China and the United States of America to address…
On the margins of the 51st ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights which opened at the Kairaba Beach Hotel on 18 April, a group of human rights organizations (African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre (DRDC), International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI), East and Horn…
The run up to the International Criminal Court (ICC) verdict in Ituri was marked by fear and anticipation, highlighted by rumors that the judgment would be favorable to Thomas Lubanga. Since the announcement of the verdict last week, there have been no major security incidents, but the mood remains tense and a serious national debate…
On 14 March 2012, the International Criminal Court (ICC) will hand down its first verdict in the case of former rebel leader Thomas Lubanga of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As Iturians anxiously await the verdict, it is an opportune moment to reflect on the impact that the investigation and trial, alongside other activities…
The introductory note to the series lays out the key questions that will be considered by the series. It will reflect local perspectives on international justice as it is being experienced in Africa. It aims to deepen the debate around a series of key questions and controversies facing the realisation of international justice, anchored in…
This paper reflects on the ICC’s engagement in Uganda through the lens of the author’s experience working with one of the largest national civil society organisations in Uganda at the time when the investigations was first announced and the first arrest warrants were issued.
The International Refugee Rights Initiative today launched a primer “Using the Great Lakes Conference to Combat Sexual Violence: A Primer.” The launch coincides with the closure of the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in Kampala on the theme “United to Prevent, End…
As the trial of Jean-Pierre Bemba started in The Hague on November 22, Kinshasa was abuzz with the news. Newspapers carried the story as front page news. “Bemba Giving Up His Ex” cried the full page cover of Le Soft, while La Prosperite read “Bemba Faces the Judges.” Congolese television broadcast the opening statements in…
Published Criminal Law Reform and Transitional Justice Human Rights Perspectives for Sudan, Ashgate, November 2011.
