Issues Briefs

Displacement, land & reconciliation in Northern Uganda

By Andrea Gilbert

Long after conflict ends, the effects of war live on and create a risk of renewed conflict. In Uganda, which has suffered for over twenty years terrifying civil conflict, many challenges exist beyond those that make international headlines.

In the context of Uganda, the LRA conflict moved outside of its borders around five years ago, which have enabled the processes of resettlement, rebuilding and recovery to begin. However, as displaced populations have begun to return to their communities of origin, a distinct set of challenges has emerged that threaten...

Northern Uganda: A humanitarian tragedy that remained unseen by the world

By George Kibala Bauer

For over 25 years, northern Uganda has suffered through one of the most devastating civil conflicts on the continent. Largely remaining out of the eye of the general public due in part to lack of US and European involvement, the under-reported LRA conflict gained international notoriety in March 2012 when ‘Invisible Children’ produced a video as part its Kony 2012 campaign which aimed to highlight its devastating impacts, including the abduction of over 20,000 children, the death of up to 70,000 people and the displacement of another 1,7 million people....

Another military coup in Africa?

By George Kibala Bauer

On the 21st of March the world was confronted with an all too familiar image: African leaders dressed in military uniforms rather than the tie-wearing garb of civil servants. The Western world came to the same conclusion yet again, namely that here was yet another African nation denouncing the Western values of democracy and freedom. However, while many may write-off the military coup in Mali as just another example of unstable African democracy, such an interpretation lacks a comprehensive understanding of this significant incident and its surrounding...

Kony: the Tip of the Iceberg

When Kony 2012 launched on March 5th, 2012, the 30-minute video denouncing Ugandan guerrilla leader Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) - viewed over 100 million timessince its release - sparked a lot of controversy in the weeks that followed.

Kony 2012 was the latest in a series of professionally-made videos produced by Invisible Children' in its campaign to stop Kony. It calls upon university students and youth-...

Kony 2012 and the Problem with Viral Activism

By Alana Jesse

On Monday, March 5th, the non-profit organization Invisible Children shocked the world with the release of their Kony 2012 video campaign. The intended purpose of this video was to raise awareness about Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army and a convicted war criminal. Kony was convicted in 2005 by the ICC for charges including but not limited to murder, rape, and the use of child soldiers. In the time since the LRA has been active, the number of children who have been abducted and forced to kill has been estimated to be as high has 104,000. Jason...

spotlight on northern uganda

Over the next few weeks, Peace Geeks will post a number of pieces on Northern Uganda. While the controversy around Kony 2012 - which has since died down - was the original impetus for this series, we are looking to work with an organization in the region in the coming months, and in light of this, want to highlight some of the debates, issues, people and organizations relevant to the promotion of regional peace and security.

This series will be broken down into three sections. Section 1 sets the context, by discussing the opportunities and limitations of social media activism, the...

Corruption Perceptions Index

The year 2011, without a doubt, was the year of the protestor. The Arab Spring swept the Middle East, with oppressed peoples refusing to be denied their basic rights and freedoms any longer. In Russia, protestors filled the streets; indignant at the liberties United Russia was taking with their democratic system. In Burma, activist Aung San Suu Kyi was freed, as the government caved to international and internal pressures to replace the reigning military junta with a democracy. These examples are but a few of the forces for freedom and justice that challenged autocratic powers worldwide...

The social acceptability of sexual harassment in Egypt

The issue of sexual harassment in Egypt has long posed a key challenge affecting women’s effective and equal participation in society, however it is only
in the last several years that the issue has become recognized, making public debate on relevant issues possible.

In 2008, the Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights conducted a study revealing some startling statistics on the social acceptability of sexual harassment in Egypt. First, they found that 83% of Egyptian women and 98% of foreign women visiting Egypt reported having experienced some form of harassment while in Egypt....