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Climate and Conflict in the Sahel
May 14, 2012 Mark Yarnell Africa, Climate Displacement, Cote d'Ivoire, Libya, Humanitarian Response, Protection & Security

The Sahel region of West Africa is facing a major food crisis for the third time in seven years. The region has suffered from poverty and vulnerability for generations, but now drought, poor harvests, high food prices, environmental degradation, and decreased remittances from Libya and Cote d’Ivoire are putting millions at risk.

Displacement in the DRC: A Desperate Situation Getting Worse
May 04, 2012 Dara McLeod Africa, DR Congo, Humanitarian Response, Protection & Security

Human beings have a remarkable capacity to endure suffering. And perhaps nowhere in the world is this capacity more thoroughly tested than in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

There is news today that more than 20,000 people have fled their homes in eastern Congo during the past few weeks. Last month, Congolese President Joseph Kabila announced he would try to arrest one of his generals, Bosco Ntaganda. Ntaganda is a former rebel commander who has been accused by the International Criminal Court of committing war crimes.

A Frustrated Council Puts Pressure on Sudans
May 03, 2012 Michelle Brown Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Protection & Security, Statelessness

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Wednesday demanding that Sudan and South Sudan immediately stop fighting and conclude negotiations within three months on the issues of citizenship, oil revenue sharing, borders, and the status of Abyei. 

Sudan Clashes Have Huge Costs Beyond Battlefield
May 02, 2012 Sarnata Reynolds Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Humanitarian Response, Protection & Security, Statelessness

The recent conflict between Sudan and South Sudan has seen civilians in border areas subjected to brutal attacks by both sides. However, as I found while in South Sudan last week, the impact of this conflict goes far beyond the disputed areas of Heglig or Abyei, threatening many more lives.

Prior to the most recent round of fighting, millions of Sudanese on both sides of the border were already displaced and vulnerable - from the restive Sudanese states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan, to South Sudanese villages emptied by tribal conflicts.

Bureaucratic Mess in Juba Puts Millions on Path to Statelessness
April 26, 2012 Sarnata Reynolds Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Statelessness

The ongoing conflict between the Sudans affects daily life for everyone here, whether through fuel shortages or price inflation. But beyond the conflict zone itself, few have been more affected than the hundreds of thousands of southern Sudanese returning from the north.

RI to Congress: Political Pressure Can Help Somalis
March 28, 2012 Michael Boyce Africa, Congress, Ethiopia - Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Humanitarian Response, Protection & Security

Mark Yarnell, RI's advocate for the Horn of Africa, appeared on Capitol Hill following his recent mission to Kenya and Ethiopia. He told members of Congress that political leverage (not just aid money) is needed to ensure Somali refugees get the help they need.

As Mark told members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. House of Representatives, "where we do have control, and where we do have access, it is our responsibility to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable are being met."

In DRC, Host Families on the Front Line
March 22, 2012 Peter Orr Africa, DR Congo, Humanitarian Response, Women & Children

Last week, my colleague Erin Weir and I travelled to Kalehe territory in South Kivu. In the village of Kambali, we spoke to host families and displaced people who fled fighting in January between two armed groups: the Raia Mutomboki and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

A Life in the DRC – Madeleine’s Story
March 19, 2012 Dara McLeod Africa, DR Congo, Humanitarian Response, Protection & Security, Women & Children

This post originally appeared on The Hill's Congress Blog.

Driving from Rwanda to the Democratic Republic of Congo, I prepare myself for certain things. I know I will be confronted with extreme poverty. I know I will meet people who are facing hardships that would be unendurable to many. But what I wasn’t prepared for was the incredible beauty of the country.

In DRC, Lessons of the Past Are Ignored
March 12, 2012 Erin Weir Africa, DR Congo, Protection & Security

Senior Advocate Peter Orr and I are in North Kivu Province, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. This is my fifth visit to the area since I began working for Refugees International in 2007, and in that time there have been a lot of changes.

There have been shifting conflict dynamics and alliances amongst armed groups and the government, new aid efforts to respond better to humanitarian needs, and innovations in the way UN peacekeepers interact with communities to keep people safe.

Somalia: Forced Return Unacceptable, Voluntary Return Unrealistic
February 29, 2012 Mark Yarnell Africa, Kenya, Somalia, Humanitarian Response, Protection & Security

At last week's London Conference on Somalia, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki called for a “firm and durable” solution to the refugee crisis. This includes the return of Somali refugees from the camps in Kenya’s northeast back over the border into Somalia.

Humanitarian Aid and Security In Somalia: Separate, But Still Unequal?
February 23, 2012 Melanie Teff Africa, Ethiopia - Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Humanitarian Response, Protection & Security

This post originally appeared at African Arguments, the blog of the Royal African Society.

Attacks Bring New Risks for Kenya's Urban Somalis
February 17, 2012 Melanie Teff Africa, Kenya, Somalia, Humanitarian Response

Tens of thousands of Somali refugees live in Kenya’s cities, but they are often forgotten amid the region’s myriad refugee problems. So on our recent visit to Kenya, we asked how these people have been affected by the (presumed) Al Shabab attacks on Kenyan refugee camps further afield.

Insecurity in Dadaab: A Camp Forever Changed
February 16, 2012 Mark Yarnell Africa, Somalia, Humanitarian Response

My colleague, Melanie Teff, and I are just back from the main staff complex of the Dadaab refugee camp in northeastern Kenya. Our RI colleagues last visited the camp and met with refugees in October 2011, amid a major influx of Somalis seeking refuge from famine and conflict.

Combating "Compassion Fatigue" and Other Reporting Challenges
February 06, 2012 Michael Boyce Africa, Humanitarian Response

Today, we're pleased to bring you a special guest post by acclaimed journalist Brooke Gladstone. This post originally appeared on the Impatient Optimists blog at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

Khartoum's Deadly Game
February 03, 2012 Peter Orr Africa, South Sudan, Sudan

This blog post originally appeared at ThinkProgress Security as a guest post.

AMISOM: Changing the Mission to Reflect Somalia’s New Reality
January 23, 2012 Erin Weir Africa, Kenya, Somalia, Protection & Security
It was six months ago that famine was declared in Somalia. The steady flow of refugees already fleeing conflict was joined by a torrent of new asylum seekers – people fleeing because of hunger and looking for a more hopeful place in which to re-build their lives.  During the past six months, hundreds of thousands of people made their way to neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia, and aid organizations scrambled to ramp up their operations in order to serve these new arrivals.
Amazingly, a Dysfunctional Congress Delivers
January 18, 2012 Marc Hanson Africa, Burma, Colombia, Congress, DR Congo, South Sudan, Americas, Asia, Middle East, Protection & Security

This week, the Washington Post published a poll showing that the U.S. Congress has set a new record for disapproval. A whopping 84 percent of Americans do not approve of the way Congress is doing its job. Media coverage of the House and Senate highlights the brinksmanship and polarized politicking that seems to surround every piece of legislation – and now, even routine nominations and confirmations.

Gaining a Nation, Losing a Nationality
January 17, 2012 Sarnata Reynolds Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Statelessness

Just as the Republic of South Sudan (RoSS) officially gained nationhood six months ago, hundreds of thousands of southern Sudanese were losing their nationality. 

While independence was being celebrated in Juba, the government in Khartoum was busy declaring that anyone with family ties to the new country would no longer be Sudanese. They would be stripped of the only nationality they had ever held.

Stemming Ethnic Violence in South Sudan
January 09, 2012 Peter Orr Africa, South Sudan

This blog post originally appeared at UN Dispatch as a special guest post.

Building on the Success of 2011
January 03, 2012 Michael Boyce Afghanistan, Africa, Colombia, DR Congo, Iraq, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Americas, Asia, Middle East, About RI

Happy New Year, from all of us at Refugees International! Before we start tackling the challenges of 2012 – and there will be many – we bring you a brief wrap-up of all things RI from the year gone by.

First, "RI in 2011: By the Numbers":