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Climate and Conflict in the Sahel
May 14, 2012 | Mark Yarnell | Tagged as: 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.

Countering Climate Extremes Really Does Take a Village
May 11, 2012 | Alice Thomas | Tagged as: Climate Displacement, Americas, Asia

Newtok is a small Native American village on the northwestern coast of Alaska. Indigenous populations have inhabited Newtok for at least 2,000 years. But over the past two decades, unprecedented changes have taken place that threaten Newtok’s very existence.

Accelerated coastal erosion – exacerbated by thawing permafrost, declining sea ice protection, and warmer temperatures  – along with increased storm surges and salt water inundation of fresh water supplies, are making life here untenable. So the Newtok community has decided to move.

Displacement in the DRC: A Desperate Situation Getting Worse
May 04, 2012 | Dara McLeod | Tagged as: 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 | Tagged as: 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 | Tagged as: 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.