Under this pillar, IRRI works to prevent, mitigate or minimise the root causes of displacement by addressing conflict triggers like exclusion and human rights violations. This we do by providing urgent solidarity and early warning actions, and supporting advocacy and engagement for concerted action towards protection of rights and resolving the situation before it results in egregious rights violations and mass displacement. It includes our country specific work, and our work on analysing the tools available for conflict prevention such as the peacekeeping arrangements, peace agreements, sanctions, and the reinforcing of international commitments. IRRI also sits on the Steering Committee of the International Committee on the Responsibility to Protect (ICR2P).
Imagine you are born in a country, to parents who were also born in that country, and all your life you believed you were a citizen of that country – with all the rights that go along with it. Then, one day when you apply for a standard identification document, you are told you are…
Members of the AU Peace and Security Council African Union Headquarters P.O. Box 3243 Roosevelt Street Old Airport Area W21K19 Addis Ababa Ethiopia Cc: Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson, AU Commission Ambassador Smaïl Chergui, Commissioner, Peace and Security H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, Chairperson, AU Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan Your Excellencies, RE: PUBLICATION OF THE…
Dear Special Envoy Ambassador Booth, In the run up to your visit to Sudan at the end of July, we, the undersigned Sudanese, African and international non-governmental organisations, are writing to brief you on some of our key concerns in regards to the human rights and humanitarian situation in Sudan. While we welcome your visit…
While Europe squabbles over the acceptance of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers arriving over the Mediterranean, over the past year 154,134 refugees of South Sudanese origin alone have been assisted in Uganda, with Adjumani District receiving around 87 new arrivals every day. Despite the fact that Adjumani is itself recovering from decades of conflict,…
As previously reported by the International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI), Burundian President Nkurunziza’s decision in late April to run for a third term triggered protests and violence in Bujumbura and set the stage for an attempted coup (see Suicidal for the nation’: An interview with a Burundian politician in hiding; Burundi: No business as usual;…
4,000 former refugees from Rwanda offered local integration in Zambia following the cessation of their refugee status in 2013 should not be forced to register with the Rwandan government in order to enjoy rights to freedom of movement in Zambia. Reports that former Rwandan refugees in Zambia’s Meheba settlement will be required to register with…
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…
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,…
(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…
Excellency, On behalf of the undersigned civil society organizations, we are writing to you to request your government’s active participation at the open debate of the UN Security Council on “Small Arms: The Human Cost of Illicit Transfer, Destabilizing Accumulation and Misuse of Small Arms and Light Weapons” on 13 May 2015. The debate will…
The following blog was originally posted on the IntLawGrrls website. 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…
(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…
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…
The ongoing conflict in Sudan’s Southern Kordofan (SK) and Blue Nile (BN) states, while massively underreported, has had devastating consequences. Widespread aerial bombardment of rebel held civilian areas by the government of Sudan (GoS) are a hallmark of the conflict, and more than 3,000 bombs – on average three a day – have fallen since…
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Excellencies, Representatives of the AU Peace and Security Council Member States, H.E. Chairperson Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, African Union Commission, H.E. President Thabo Mbeki, Chair of the AU High-Level Implementation Panel, Your Excellencies, We, the undersigned Sudanese and African civil society organizations, write with deep concern about the decision of the African…
(19 December 2014) Open Letter concerning the arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detentions of Dr Amin Mekki Medani, Mr Farouq Abu Eissa, and Dr Farah Ibrahim Mohamed Alagar by the Government of Sudan.