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Joint statement to the AU

Published: 10 Jun 2015

1 10 June 2015 To HE Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Chairperson of the African Union Dear Madam, Open letter to the African Union on the resurgence of xenophobic violence in South Africa presented on the occasion of the AU Summit in Sandton, Johannesburg, June 2015 We, the undersigned organisations, write to you as concerned organisations…

#R2P10: The Burundi crisis and the risk of regionalisation

Published: 4 Jun 2015

The following blog was originally posted on the ICRtoP website. Much hope was pinned to the summit of East African Community (EAC) heads of state on 31 May in Dar es Salaam to discuss the situation in Burundi that has evolved since President Nkurunziza announced his intention to stand for a third term. The potential…

Refugee economies: misplaced extrapolation?

Published: 2 Jun 2015

It is always good when research undermines the image of refugees as victims. However, there is a fine line between promoting a positive image of refugees and underestimating the levels of hardship that many face. A report released in June 2014 by the Humanitarian Innovation Project, University of Oxford, “Refugee Economies: Rethinking Popular Assumptions”, (Alexander…

New amnesty precedent set by the Kweyelo case: what does it mean for Ongwen?

Published: 29 May 2015

On 8 April 2015, the Supreme Court of Uganda decided the matter of Uganda vs. Kweyelo and set a new precedent that narrowed the application of Uganda’s Amnesty Act, clarifying that not all crimes are eligible for amnesty – only those that are political crimes, or those that are directly linked to the rebel group’s political…

Burundi: no business as usual

Published: 19 May 2015

If ever evidence was needed to show that the transition from conflict to sustainable peace is a long, hard road, recent events in Burundi have demonstrated it. The announcement on 23 April 2015 by President Nkurunziza that he would run for a third term sparked fierce opposition. Although Burundi’s constitution contains a two term limit,…

“Suicidal for the nation”: an interview with a Burundian politician in hiding

Published: 12 May 2015

(This blog first appeared on African Arguments: read original blog here.) Recent events in Burundi have brought the small nation to international attention, even if action remains wanting. The announcement on 23 April by President Nkurunziza that he would run for a third term has sparked fierce opposition. Although Burundi’s constitution contains a two term…

Anyone who thinks refugee camps are a good idea has never lived on one: The importance of recognizing refugees’ right to freedom of movement.

Published: 1 May 2015

Freedom of movement is a critically important refugee right, and nearly all others are contingent upon it. Without freedom of movement, rights to employment, education, legal access, identity papers, travel documents, naturalisation, and many other fundamental entitlements are severely curtailed, if not completely blocked. This right is repeatedly articulated in international law, reiterated in domestic…

Congolese ‘Refugees’ and ‘Freedom of Movement’ in the Kampala Urban Space

Published: 1 May 2015

This blog, originally published on 16 April 2015, has been authored by David Kigozi, Great Lakes Programme Officer at the International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI). It appears here in full. “My heart is crying that during the prime of life when I and my family should be enjoying life; eating well, dressing well, living well……

OPEN LETTER TO THE AFRICAN COMMISSION REGARDING THE XENOPHOBIC ATTACKS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Published: 23 Apr 2015

23 April, 2015 Dear Chair and Commissioners of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, We, the undersigned civil society organisations, write to you as concerned organisations and citizens of the African continent to raise concern about the xenophobic attacks currently occurring, mainly against African foreign nationals, in the Republic of South Africa. We…

The government of Sudan, the bombing of civilians, and the silence of the international community

Published: 21 Apr 2015

(This blog first appeared on OpenDemocracy https://www.opendemocracy.net/arab-awakening/lucy-hovil/silence-over-sudan%E2%80%99s-bombing-of-civilians) The recent elections in Sudan call into question the legitimacy of the government soon to be re-elected. Even if the elections had been free and fair (which they have not), the government’s legitimacy would be challenged unequivocally by the fact that the very same government currently being re-elected into…

Your silence is a shame to humanity: press release on new report Southern Kordofan

Published: 21 Apr 2015

  A new report launched today by the International Refugee Rights Initiative and the National Human Rights Monitoring Organisation brings the voices of civilians living through the conflict in Sudan’s Southern Kordofan State to the international community. Focusing on the devastating impact of the conflict on every aspect of people’s lives, the report highlights the…

Congolese “Refugees” and Freedom of Movement in the Kampala Urban Space

Published: 16 Apr 2015

“My heart is crying that during the prime of life when I and my family should be enjoying life; eating well, dressing well, living well… this is the time we are refugees, wasting our lives and it hurts so much. No job, no money, difficult life …seven years…” – Congolese refugee in Kampala.[1] Despite the…

Anyone who thinks refugee camps are a good idea has never lived in one: The importance of recognising refugees’ right to freedom of movement

Published: 25 Mar 2015

Freedom of movement is a critically important refugee right, and nearly all others are contingent upon it. Without freedom of movement, rights to employment, education, legal access, identity papers, travel documents, naturalisation, and many other fundamental entitlements are severely curtailed, if not completely blocked. This right is repeatedly articulated in international law, reiterated in domestic…

IRRI and other rights groups call on Egypt to end arbitrary detention of refugees

Published: 16 Mar 2015

(16 March 2015) Since February 9, 2015 a group of at least 30 Syrian, Palestinian-Syrian and Somali refugees detained at Karmooz police station in Alexandria – Egypt, began an open hunger strike to protest against their arbitrary detention. The refugees have been kept in continuous detention after receiving a deportation order by Egypt’s Homeland Security…

Release Human Rights Defender Christopher Ngoyi Mutamba

Published: 3 Mar 2015

The International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI) was concerned to learn of the arrest, on the 21 January 2014, of Christopher Ngoyi Mutamba by part of the presidential guard while with fellow activists in an outdoor bar in Kinshasa. Mr. Ngoyi, a well-known and well respected human rights defender and the president of the NGO Synergie…

Ongwen and the ICC: talking justice in Uganda

Published: 10 Feb 2015

This blog first appeared on the African Arguments website. The relationship between the International Criminal Court (ICC) and African civil society is certainly an interesting one. On the one hand, the proliferation of conflict on the continent has led to an ever increasing deficit in justice, and the ICC is seen by some as a…