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According to local sources, the territories around Fizi and Uvira in South Kivu, DR Congo, are in a grave situation with potential conflict looming. Regional Mai Mai chiefs have travelled to the mountains and are now prepared to fight. 16,000 people have already fled their homes. The whole population of the region, over 350,000, remain at risk.

Mai Mai chiefs are preparing for conflict as they believe DRC President Joseph Kabila Kabange cooperating with Rwandan President Paul Kagame to organise wide-scale election fraud.

On October 2-9 you can meet local Congolese peacebuilder Henri Ladyi – ‘Africa’s Schindler’ according to the Independent newspaper. Henri is a hugely successful local peacebuilder and brings with him a wealth of human stories, hard hitting accounts and detailed grassroots information. You can discuss narratives, news developments, acquire local leads and even develop ideas for stories and trips in the wake of upcoming Congolese elections.

Henri is the Director of local peacebuilding organisation the Centre Résolution Conflits (CRC). He works tirelessly to rescue child soldiers from the bush, disarm rebel militias, negotiate hostage situations, often involving entire villages, and reintegrate vulnerable members of society.

In addition, Henri runs a local network of over 70 Radio Clubs across an entire region, connecting communities and giving them an independent way to boost trade and initiate development. Local UN organisation, MONUSCO, has recognised Henri’s extraordinary talent and collaborated with the CRC on multiple occasions.

Henri is coming to London to meet with key figures at DFID and young members of our East London peacebuilding partners, Truce 20/20. He is highly regarded by the Independent newspaper and by Channel 4’s Unreported World, which featured an entire episode on his work with child soldiers.

Journalists and film-makers are invited to book appointments to meet with Henri. To do so please contact Marina Aung on marina@peacedirect.org. Hide

Burundi saw a massacre this weekend of 36 people in a bar in Gatumba, according to our local correspondent, which included young pupils and children. Peace Direct can offer you valuable access to a local correspondent on the ground in Bujumbura, Burundi.

According to the NY Times, recent months have seen a spread of mysterious killings, which human rights groups blame on the Burundian government and a campaign to eliminate opposition supporters.

According to our local resources, the police have already called on the leader of the opposition and chairperson of human rights organisation, APRODH for investigations relating to the attack.

If you would like direct access to the frontline knowledge and contacts of our local correspondent for this impending story, please get in touch with Marina Aung on marina@peacedirect.org.

For more information on Peace Direct’s work in Burundi see here. Hide

George N’Goha, coordinator of peacebuilding organisation the Collaborative for Peace, is coming to London the last week of November. The Collaborative is the only network of local peace organisations that spans both North and South Sudan, with George coordinating programmes across the South.

George brings with him inside and in-depth knowledge of the issues that face communities in and around the Sudanese border regions. He is also working to focus the ‘Resource Based Conflict Mitigation’ programme on tensions related to resource extraction, most significantly oil, across Sudan.

George is coming to London to share his experiences of violence, conflict and its resolution with young Londoners in the East End, who face conflict every day in the streets and schools of Newham, Britain’s most diverse borough. The event is being organised with Truce 20/20, Peace Direct’s UK peacebuilding partner.

Coverage opportunities include the main Truce 20/20 conference where George is the main speaker, but individual interview opportunities are also available.

For details please contact Marina Aung on marina@peacedirect.org. Hide

In London’s most diverse borough, Newham, where 40% of the population is under 25, a pioneering youth project has been teaching young people how to handle conflict situations in their homes, streets and schools. As riots erupted across the area last week, members of the Truce 20/20 project used social media in an effort to defuse tensions among their peers and prevent further rioting.

Peace Direct is giving you the opportunity to meet with these remarkable young people from east London to discover what they believe and how they act. Truce 20/20 has been working with youth in this borough since 2007, addressing the tensions that exist amongst them, teaching them skills to handle daily friction and prevent violence.

The youth who take part in the Truce 20/20 project have also produced an interactive online video that launched last week. You can see it at www.truce2020.org/listenuplistenhard. It was created by the Newham youth for young people all over the country, to identify tensions and learn how to respond to conflict.

For details and availability on setting up an interview contact Marina Aung on marina@peacedirect.org. Hide

In a war-torn country without roads, electricity and most basic infrastructure, how do you make a difference to people who are trying to better their villages? One group in eastern DRC are taking their future into their own hands by setting up Radio Clubs.

The Centre Résolution Conflits (CRC), a local peacebuilding organisation working in North Kivu to appease armed militias and rescue child soldiers, has taken inspiration and set up a broad system of local Radio Clubs. So far, they have founded a growing network of 73 Radio Clubs reaching 3000 people. By giving each community a battery-powered radio, a mobile phone and recordable cassette tapes to keep in touch with the CRC’s main radio broadcast centre, they have created a self-sufficient way for communities to remain in real-time contact with each other.

The benefits are immense. Broadcasts are used to spread messages of peace to remote villages and invite militia members out of the bush. Mobile phones and recordable cassettes let communities spread their own messages of peace, development, commerce and local news. These include everything from organising animal husbandry and giving farming advice to electrifying their villages. Two communities even banded together to build their own 8-bed women’s clinic.

These developments follow a global trend for mobile communications in conflict mapping and development, such as the Ushahidi network mapping the 2007 Kenyan election events. What makes these special is that this modern technique was set-up and is being disseminated by villages without even the most basic development.

For more information on this upcoming story contact Marina Aung on marina@peacedirect.orgmarina@peacedirect.org. Hide

This week South Sudan is the world’s newest nation. Hoping to solve decades of conflict, the creation of the new border is also provoking fresh disputes.

The Collaborative for Peace is the only grassroots NGO situated on both sides of the newly formed border, with reaches from Khartoum to the Nuba Mountains. As such it is well placed to provide access to frontline stories and individuals at this historic moment with an inside view of issues spanning the North and South.

Possible suggestions include:

Fair sheikhs in Dilling. Whilst the governments and their armies are readying for combat, local leaders and civil society are proving that they prefer peace. The Peace Committee in Dilling has activated the Native Administration, a network of village chiefs, to limit armed violence. Local sheikhs are responsible for maintaining order in their districts. With powers to ban militants from entering and remove unauthorised arms, they are demanding evidence for any detentions made, protecting refugees from torture and ensuring that trials are done fairly. Is this representative of the disparity between government and civil society?

Avoiding the curse of oil. Oil is set to be the South’s main revenue source, but how do you avoid a Niger Delta scenario? The Sudanese Oil and Human Security Initiative (SOHSI) is bringing together local communities, provincial governments and international oil corporations to avoid conflict arising from oil development.

Natives into foreigners. There are 1-2 million Southern Sudanese living in Khartoum alone. Will the secession bring about a backlash against these populations? The Collaborative is working to counter the possible violence, with help from local imams in Khartoum. But what will happen to people and identities with the creation of the new border?

What happens when the borders of Africa start to shift? South Sudan may be Africa’s first successful secession and a solution to Africa’s longest running civil war. What will the new border look like on the ground, how will communities react – and will it bring more peace or less?

For more information on these or any other stories, contact me on marina@peacedirect.org Hide

On July 9, the world’s newest nation will emerge in Africa. A new border will create South Sudan – and with it a whole new set of issues. Peace Direct is well placed to provide access to frontline stories and individuals at this historic moment, thanks to our field partner the Collaborative for Peace – a network of local NGOs uniquely positioned on both sides of the new border, with an inside view of issues spanning the North and South. Possible stories include:

• Avoiding the curse of oil. Oil is set to be the South’s main revenue source, but how do you avoid a Niger Delta scenario? New economies based on oil often create huge land and water conflict, national economic disparities, soaring inflation and a lack of alternative economic development. The Collaborative’s Sudanese Oil and Human Security Initiative (SOHSI) is bringing together local communities, provincial governments and international oil corporations to avoid conflict arising from oil development.
• What happens when the borders of Africa start to shift? Since independence, African leaders have regarded their inherited borders as untouchable. South Sudan may be Africa’s first successful secession and a solution to Africa’s longest running civil war. What will this new border look like on the ground, how will communities react – and will it bring more peace or less?

For a rare in-depth local perspective on this crucial event and its repercussions on the ground, Peace Direct can offer interview opportunities with the people driving these projects and with communities affected by the upcoming changes. We can provide:

• Direct access to the frontline experiences and stories of our peacebuilders
• Information relating to oil dealings on the ground
• Access to local inhabitants affected by the problems of secession
• Pre-interview briefings
• Information on peacebuilding organisations across Sudan
• Comment and opinion on peacebuilding initiatives in the news

For more details on the Collaborate click here. For more information regarding media opportunities in Sudan please contact Marina Aung on marina@peacedirect.org. Hide

In a packed room at New York’s prestigious Yale Club, supporters of Peace Direct in the USA heard Tony award winning actor, Mark Rylance, telling the dramatic life story of peacebuilder Henri Ladyi. The sold-out event, hosted on Monday 16 May, marked the launch of Peace Direct in the US. We are extending across the pond in order to impact on the U.N. and to raise funds. Rylance spoke of his deep and long lasting concern for peace, which led him to become an active supporter of Peace Direct from its very beginning in 2004. You will be able to see footage of the performance on the Peace Direct in the USA website by the end of this week. Hide

As the world’s newest nation emerges on July 9, you can get access to first-hand information and contacts at the grassroots level of the momentous upcoming event. Peace Direct peacebuilders, Rasha Fangry and George N’Goha, in soon to be North and South Sudan, are preparing for the herculean task of maintaining order and peace during the imminent separation of the state. They will be on the ground as it happens and available for comment and insider perspectives. For details contact Jonathan Lorie at jonathan@peacedirect.org Hide

Sri Lanka may have ended a two-decade long civil war, but there is still much work that needs to be done to pull together different parts of the broken society. This is what the Centre for Peacebuilding and Reconciliation’s (CPBR) is working towards. Following the success of the CPBR’s Religious Tolerance workshop in March, the Young Visionaries (YV) team decided to host another. A highly successful national workshop was organised, directed at younger children from across Sri Lanka’s ethnic and religious divides. The YVs hosted the Children’s Aesthetics Camp for 200 children of ages 12-16 years for three days from April 29 to May 1 held in Anuradapura. The children took part in artistic activities such as drama, music and painting, working together in an inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-regional manner. The aim of the event was to promote religious tolerance amongst the youth of Sri Lanka. It also worked to lessen the trauma of the recent flood experiences. Religious clergy from across the divides were strong supporters of the national workshop, helping to organise and promote the event from the start. For more information or to cover such events, contact Jonathan Lorie at jonathan@peacedirect.org Hide

Last week, Pakistani peacebuilder Gulalai Ismael attended a series of successful events and workshops in London that was covered widely by the journalists looking for frontline perspectives. Gulalai has been working fearlessly for 8 years in the northern Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province to battle the rise of extremism and improve attitudes towards women. Peace Direct can give direct access to the stories and experiences of Gululai and other frontline peacebuilders. Gulalai attended workshops and fundraisers, meeting with the youth of Newham, a diaspora of women from East London to a group of Peace Direct supporters in Chelsea. With both women and children Gulalai shared her experiences of violence and conflict as well as her work to resolve that conflict in the increasingly extremist and dangerous region of northern Pakistan. You can see coverage of the youth workshop done by BBC Radio 4′s Today Programme here at around 43:00 minutes. The Telegraph also covered the event, watch the online video report here. The Guardian and Observer also covered Gulalai’s impressive story. See Madeline Bunting’s article on Gulalai and her work on the Guardian website. The Observer are publishing a feature later this month. If you would like to cover any of our peacebuilders or upcoming events, contact Jonathan Lorie at jonathan@peacedirect.org Hide

The Centre for Peacebuilding and Reconciliation (CPBR) in Sri Lanka held a highly successful workshop at the beginning of March, gathering religious leaders and youth from different religious backgrounds. The goal of the gathering was to create an awareness of different religions amongst these parties. The programme worked with Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Muslims. The participants explored beliefs and the roots of traditions they did not know, about others faiths as well as their own. They examined the meaning of ‘religious tolerance,’ compared religious conflict in their local regions and how they could effect change. After the workshop, the youth and the clergy all expressed a new understanding of religion and what it meant. All also expressed a much more open attitude towards other faiths.

“On the day of the flood we were displaced and had to move to a nearby school. There were many people and children there, and we didn’t have food or drinking water. No one came to our help, not even the Government officials. As a desperate attempt I called Firthous Mowlawi, a friend I met through CPBR program. He told me not to worry, only to tell him how many of us were there, and he will make arrangements to send food as soon as possible. Many times he contacted me over the phone till the food reached us, even checking if there were any special preparations to be done when cooking food for Hindus. I feel this helped to break the barrier between our two communities. I am ashamed to say that when Kathankudy and Kalladi Muslims of the border village faced the same situation during the year 1990, our people robbed them instead of helping them. Without keeping that against us, Firthouse Naleemi and his community helped us. - Sivapalan Iyar, Batticolao Religious member

At the end of April, the CPBR’s youth division, the Young Visionaries, will take their activities nationwide with their first ‘National Activity,’ bringing together 200 young people aged 12-16 from across Sri Lanka. The Young Visionaries and religious clerical groups have planned this event together. The event will promote religious tolerance and try to lessen the trauma of the youths’ recent experiences by organising artistic activities. The youth will collaborate on these activities in nationally inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-regional setting. For information on the CPBR’s future plans contact jonathan@peacedirect.org Hide

On May 9-12 you can meet Gululai Ismail, a young peacebuilder working in the Swat valley, the epicentre of Pakistani militancy. This amazing woman, only 23 years old, has been working and risking her life since she was 16. She set up the Aware Girls organisation which works to prevent young people in her community being recruited into Islamic militant groups. Gululai is coming to London to share her experience of conflict resolution with young Londoners in the East End, who face conflict every day in the streets and schools of Newham, Britain’s most diverse borough. The event is being organised with Truce 20/20, Peace Direct’s UK peacebuilding partner. Coverage opportunities include our main event on Wed 11. It will be the launch of an interactive video that Truce 20/20 graduates have created sharing their experiences of conflict resolution. Gululai will be the main speaker. We are also staging an event in the House of Commons with Gululai for MPs and Lords interested in hearing her story. Get more information on Gululai here, and Truce 20/20 here. To meet Gululai please email jonathan@peacedirect.org Hide

Episode 2 of Unreported World focused on Congolese peacebuilder Henri Ladyi. Congo: The Children Who Came Back from the Dead offers a vivid glimpse of Henri liberating child soldiers from rebel forces. Henri has been working tirelessly to rescue child soldiers and reintegrate ex-combatants in North Kivu. The Unreported World team travelled to Eastern Congo to document Henri’s work, his methods, difficulties and successes. He was the focus of an entire episode, which was aired on 1 April. The cameras followed Henri into the forests and villages, to witness the freeing of child soldiers and the inherent traumas of ex-combatant reintegration. What is crucial to Henri’s success is that he is an insider, working within his own community, where he has high levels of credibility and knowledge, as opposed to an outsider from the international community. You can watch the episode here. If you want more information on what happens to the children after they’ve been rescued click here. Hide

• In eastern DRC the security situation is worsening with the possibility of upcoming elections. There have been reports of attacks on villages at night by men in FARDC uniform, thought this may be the work of militia. Local peacebuilder Henri Ladyi has negotiated with ADF-NALU (a militia based near the Rwenzori mountains) the demobilisation of 150 rebels. He mediated this between the ADF militants, MONUSCO (the UN agency) and his charity Centre Resolution Conflicts.
• Henri is also preparing to avert conflict that might arise when refugees return from Rwanda. Host communities are currently resistant and have even been demolishing houses, schools and hospitals built by NGOs, as they are signs of returning refugee families.
• Another activity Henri has in mind will require an armed escort from MONUSCO. He has received unsubstantiated reports of a stash of 800-1,000 AK47s that he would like to bring in, but it is in a dangerous area and could not be done without protection. Henri plans to find out more…

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• On International Women’s Day, Peace Direct launched an online campaign to support women working to unite communities and end violence in war zones worldwide. These incredible peacebuilders train other women to support themselves, heal the trauma of rape and loss, and bring people from all sides of conflict together. You can see the campaign here.
• In modern conflict the nature of war has changed – the village has become the battleground, splitting communities along racial, religious or ethnic lines. Ninety per cent of the people who die in modern conflicts are not soldiers, but civilians, and many of those casualties are women and children. Fear of attack or kidnap prevents women from leaving their homes, and rape has increasingly become a weapon of war. In DR Congo, an estimated 200,000 women and girls have been raped. Yet women have a unique ability to build bridges and overcome difference between opposing communities.

“Women are not only victims of conflict, they are drivers of peace. Women’s voices must be heard if peace is to last.” – Gulalai Ismail, Peacebuilder

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February 9, 2011:  On May 2, health, wellbeing and cycling enthusiast Jane Thurnell Read, 63, is undertaking a 1017 mile sponsored bike ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End this May. She hopes to raise at least £3150, £50 for every year of her life, and will donate all funds raised to international charity Peace Direct. For most of her life, Jane did not know how to ride a bicycle. At the age of 46, she met and fell in love with triathlete and avid cyclist John Payne, and decided to try the sport that made him tick. Much to Jane’s own surprise, she loved it. Jane and John are now married and the rest is history. Jane will be doing this ride on her own and unsupported, so carrying all her things with her and staying in B&B’s. The journey should hopefully take16 days, averaging 63 miles a day. When asked if she was worried at all about the ride, Jane replies “Oh yes! Desperately!” Jane loves to cycle, but apparently the mechanics of cycling leave much to be desired. Her first time changing a bike tyre took “two hours and a bottle of wine.” But being ever determined she carried on, and her second time took only “two hours and a glass of wine!” Jane feels very strongly that the older people get, they tend to be less and less active, and as a result their world gets much smaller. “I want to keep pushing my boundaries, getting out of my comfort zone, grabbing life by the throat as it were!” Jane is a great believer in natural remedies and maintaining mental and physical wellbeing. She has written many books on natural health, especially on Kinesiology, and owns online health store Healthandgoodness.com. Jane is donating the money raised to Peace Direct, an international NGO that supports and promotes locally led peacebuilding in conflict zones around the world. Jane lived in Botswana from 1969-71 teaching English as a volunteer. There she came to a realisation, that without the existence of peace in a region, it is very hard to proceed meaningfully with other developments. “I know it’s difficult, a more intangible concept, but really if you don’t have peace you can’t deliver sustainable services like education, health and infrastructure.” Jane also admires Peace Direct’s approach of “strengthening local talent to promote peace rather than implementing strategies made in Europe.” Jane will be starting her ride on May 2. You can donate to her cause at http://www.justgiving.com/Jane-Thurnell-Read. You can also follow her journey on her blog, http://janesjoggle.blogspot.com, which she will be updating daily. For the Peace Direct Media Centre please visit http://www.peacedirect.org/about/media-centre. Contact: Marina Aung (marina@peacedirect.org), +44 (0)20 7549 0285 or +44 (0)755 233 2273 Hide

Two million southerners live as migrant workers in North Sudan, mainly in Khartoum and Omdurman. If partition happens, what will happen to them? Dispossession, deportation, discrimination – or worse? President Bashir has said that if partition happens he will make sharia the only law, Islam the only religion and Arabic the only language – an alarming message to Christian southerners living in the North. Already thousands have left their homes, returning to the South in fear of the future, and this exodus is likely to grow with partition. Khartoum-based peacebuilders The Collaborative for Peace is working in Khartoum and Omdurman to prevent ethnic violence in the run-up to the referendum and afterwards. They are targeting the places where people gather. In a reversal of the ‘hate speech’ that typically fuels ethnic tensions, they have enlisted the cities’ many mosque imams to preach against violence in their sermons. They also have volunteers visiting the cities’ marketplaces, to lecture the crowds on tolerance. The latter is called ‘drawing a line’ because a speaker is allowed to take up a position in a marketplace, draw a line in the sand in front of them, and then speak publicly. The Collaborative can provide human stories for the referendum and its real cost. To contact the Collaborative, email jonathan@peacedirect.org. Hide

If  Sudan is partitioned, what will happen to the oil riches of the South – the country’s main source of revenue? Is it facing a Niger Delta-type scenario, with conflict between multinational oil companies and a marginalised local community? Will it trigger internal conflict in the South between different interest groups? Juba-based peacebuilder George Ngoha is working in the oil-rich and volatile states of Jonglei, Unity and South Kordofan, with communities at risk of oil-related conflicts and cross-border issues. In collaboration with oil companies and the local authorities, his organisation SOHSI is attempting to map and manage the environmental and social impact of oil exploitation; unite local communities in their reaction to oil exploitation; and mobilise local people to vote and act peacefully in the referendum. He has involved the UN and international investors, and can provide a grassroots view of the political implications of oil. To contact George, email jonathan@peacedirect.org. Hide

South Sudan has suspended talks with the North over unresolved issues ahead of separation. The South believe they have uncovered a plot, led by Northern President Omar al-Bashir, to overthrow the ruling SPLM party. The SPLM have accused the NCP of planning ‘genocide’ in the South by backing rebel militias. As well as suspending talks, the SPLM say they will look for ways to export oil that bypasses the North. The NCP have called the accusations ‘ridiculous’, and said that they will still recognise an independent South when it declares independence – currently scheduled for 9 July. There has been heavy fighting in South Sudan between the Southern Army (SPLA) and rebel militias. Fighting in Upper Nile continued throughout the week between the SPLA and forces led by Oliny – a former SPLA soldier who the SPLA say is backed by the North. On Saturday, Oliny launched a dawn raid on Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile state – over 45 people were killed. In Jonglei, there were clashes between the SPLA and rebel General Athor. Athor has claimed that over 130 SPLA soldiers defected to him last week, this is denied by the SPLA. Athor also announced an alliance between his forces and those of Oliny. Documents seen by the Associated Press reportedly show that the SPLA has ordered UN peacekeepers to stay out of the regions affected by the fighting. Nine political parties have pulled out of the constitutional review in South Sudan. They say the SPLM is using its dominance of South Sudan to push through its agenda. In Abyei, the Satellite Sentinel Project has released images that they claim show a military build-up within the region, with forces taking up new positions ahead of what could be a new escalation in violence. There have been a number of protests in the North last week. However, these protests were generally small and quickly broken up. On Wednesday, a demonstration organised by opposition parties was reportedly met with500 riot police, beatings and arrests. On Tuesday, 40 women were arrested after beginning a demonstration against the alleged rape of a female activist by security services last month. About 200 people in South  Kordofan protested over the lack of jobs. Khartoum has outlined plans to create two new states in Darfur, in addition to the three that currently exist. Rebels have called it a ‘divide and rule’ strategy. But the government say the people will have the choice to accept or reject the plan in a referendum which will also ask whether they want a single, unified administrative region for Darfur. The rebel Justice and Equality Movement said they are suspending their involvement in peace talks over the plan. 17 people died in heavy fighting between the government forces and SLA-Abdelwahid rebels, according to the army. Hide

International aid agencies are challenged today by a survey of over 1,000 of their developing-world partners, who want more control over solving their own countries’ problems. The ground-breaking survey measures aid agencies’ performance according to the views of organisations they fund in the global South. Its major finding is that these local organisations reject the current model of international aid programmes, in which they typically feature as sub-contractors implementing plans devised by the international community. Instead they want to lead their own programmes, with support but not control from outsiders. Top agency in the survey was British NGO Peace Direct, which supports local organisations that lead their own conflict resolution programmes in war zones worldwide. This is a radical approach that is exemplified in Peace Direct’s field programmes. Read full report. Hide

As NATO and its allies prepare for handing over security to local forces in Afghanistan, aid agencies working in the area have warned that greater protection will be needed for civilians, including an end to NATO’s policy of arming unstable local militias. A joint agency report, ‘Nowhere to Turn’, notes that civilian casualties are up by 31 per cent in the last six months and outlines measures to protect the populace and improve local security forces. The report is signed by 29 aid agencies including Peace Direct, and is available from louise.hancock@oxfamnovib.nl, who can also arrange interviews in the field. Hide

In Pakistan’s epicentre of Islamic extremism, young people are growing up vulnerable to radicalisation and recruitment. Against this, the Swat Youth Front is running a ‘sport for peace’ programme, aiming to unite the fragmented community, help conflict survivors overcome trauma, and channel young people into non-destructive activities. Read case study. Hide

Uganda is gearing up for general elections in early 2011, but in 48 years of independence it has never achieved a peaceful democratic transfer of power. In Kampala, President Museveni – once the international community’s favourite – has abolished presidential term limits. In the north, a savage war with the Lord’s Resistance Army has seen 65,000 people killed and 22,000 children abducted since the 1980s. Catch a podcast on the country’s hopes and fears from our Uganda correspondent, Stephen Oola. Hide

We have an exclusive interview with the Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI), an Iraqi group that supports women who hold leadership positions within government and civil society there. WLI also campaigns to secure women’s rights and raise awareness of violence against women and trafficking of women. Listen to interview and access contacts. Hide

Inspired by anti-government protests in Tunisia and Egypt, demonstrators took to the streets in Khartoum last Sunday, 30 Jan. According to media and local sources, protestors’ grievances include official corruption, increased food and commodity prices, dissatisfaction at the likely secession of Southern Sudan, and violence in Darfur. The “trigger” protest in downtown Khartoum was quickly suppressed by police. But demonstrations rapidly spread, reaching Omdurman in a matter of hours. In the northern state of Dongola, security personnel roamed the town in police vehicles, brandishing automatic weapons and threatening people against protesting in the streets. In Gezira, university students organised a public address session in the town market, but police attacked and dispersed those who gathered. As a result, a heavy police presence is now felt in Khartoum. A wide range of arrests began on Monday, 31 Jan, morning, detaining anyone not in support of the NCP. In addition, lawyers and human rights activists who were geared up to give legal and medical assistance to those in need have also been arrested. Phone and internet access is also being reduced. There is speculation that the government is planning to restrict access to these communications entirely, as websites such as Facebook are being used to publicise and coordinate the protests and websites denouncing the NCP are proliferating. Issues of the al-Hurriyah newspaper have also been confiscated for publishing news on the youth demos. But, according to local sources, the NCP are now speaking in conciliatory terms about employment and seem to be listening to the people. It seems they are trying to appease the situations, using language never used before, allowing people to cross roadblocks for the first time. The population remains sceptical and the opposition parties are supporting the demonstrators. People are calling for another demonstration on Thursday, 3 Feb. Hide

The international diamond trade regulatory body, Kimberley Process (KP), has controversially cleared the way for President Robert Mugabe to raise millions of pounds from the export of vast quantities of diamonds from mines discovered in Zimbabwe in 2006. Sales from the 150,000 acre Chiadzwa fields in eastern Zimbabwe, entirely under the control of Mugabe’s party ZANU-PF, have now been legalised by the KP. This offers Zanu immense revenues, particularly due to the current global shortage and high price of diamonds. The KP has also made the process simpler for mine owners by removing the need for KP monitors to supervise shipments and allowing future exports to be made from the new mines. Human rights workers fear this new wealth may complicate the political situation. Amnesty International claims that soldiers meant to guard mines have begun to use forced labour to mine the diamonds, and further reports allege that illegal miners have been killed. For details see http://www.kimberleyprocess.com/download/getfile/1117 Hide

Wi’am, a Palestinian peace building organisation in Bethlehem, is giving local Palestinians hope. Using an ancient form of conflict resolution, existing in Arabic custom before the advent of Islam, organiser of Wi’am, Zoughbi Zoughbi, tries to stem hopelessness and violence before the feelings spread.

Sulha (peaceful reconciliation) deals with each conflict as individual. We first humanise the people involved and make it clear that it’s the system which is at fault and the person who is good. This creates the environment for people to talk without feeling judged, so they will be ready to move forward and find closure.

Since opening their doors in 1995, Wi’am has dealt with problems from every walk of Palestinian society. They have built up a fantastic reputation for success in the community, have been donated a building in which to work for 10 yeas, even the local police direct disputes to them. Though the Israel-Palestinian conflict is important to Zoughbi, he believes the solution for that will from the top when combined with popular desire for peace. So he keeps his focus on the local community:

It is more important for me to recognise our lives in this big prison and solve the problems here than to cast my eyes outside the prison window and try and solve the problems beyond. Someone else is doing that and of course I wish they find the answer soon. But this is my people here, my family, my community and the community matters to the Palestinians.

Wi’am website http://www.alaslah.org Hide