Areas of Concern

  • Central African Republic

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    • In response to rebel movements in the north, the government of the Central African Republic launched a series of counterinsurgency offensives that terrorized the civilian population of the country.
    • Systematic violence against civilians includes extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary arrest committed by armed actors throughout the country.
    • Since mid-2005, more than 10,000 homes have been burned and more than 200,000 people have been displaced.
    • The relative scale of the conflict and the chronic nature of the violence caused us to include the Central African Republic as an Area of Concern beginning in 2008. We are currently engaged in efforts to raise the profile of this conflict among the general public.

    Read more about the conflict in Central African Republic.

  • Darfur

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    • The government of Sudan and its Janjaweed proxy militias continue their campaign to systematically destroy the livelihoods of Darfurians. They still bomb and burn villages, loot economic resources and commit crimes against humanity including the murder, rape and torture of innocent civilians.
    • Millions of innocent Darfurians are affected by ongoing genocide launched by the Sudanese government more than four years ago.
    • Hundreds of thousands have been killed and nearly 3 million have been displaced. Over 200,000 people were displaced since January of 2008.
    • The scale and targeted nature of ongoing violence caused us to include Darfur as an Area of Concern starting in 2008 and we presently engage in political advocacy and civilian protection projects to lessen suffering in the region.

    Read more about the conflict in Darfur.

  • Democratic Republic of Congo

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    • Government troops, rebel armies and local militias are responsible for violence against civilians in the eastern DR Congo.
    • Over 1.5 million people are displaced throughout the country, with 250,000 displaced since August 2008.
    • GI-NET estimates that more than 1600 civilians have been killed by direct violence in 2008 and that over 10,000 rapes have taken place in North and South Kivu. The primary perpetrators of these attacks have been the CNDP, the LRA and the Congolese Army.
    • GI-NET has included the DR Congo as an Area of Concern due to the deliberate targeting of civilians, the ten year duration of the fighting and the brutality of the atrocities committed against civilians. We currently engage in advocacy efforts to alleviate the situation in the DR Congo in partnership with the ENOUGH Project.

    Read more about the conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo.

  • Eastern Burma

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    • The Burmese regime, which has ruled the country since 1962, continued major counter-insurgency campaigns which have led to widespread mass atrocities against ethnic minority civilians.
    • More than 530,000 people have been internally displaced and 3,500 villages burned.
    • Violence in Burma is highly systematic and targeted. 99% of all fatalities have been among civilians and caused by the government or its proxies.
    • Due to the fact that the situation is unlikely to change if nothing is done and we are taking steps to alleviate the conflict in eastern Burma. We currently engage in advocacy, education and civilian protection programs related to eastern Burma and in June 2008, we developed a project that will help to protect civilians against attacks by the Burmese Army.

    Read more about the conflict in Eastern Burma.

  • Eastern Chad

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    • Civilians have been the victims of arbitrary killings, extrajudicial execution, and banditry committed by government forces, rebel groups and other armed actors.
    • Civilians are trapped between violence in Darfur on the east and clashes between Chadian militias and rebel groups from the west.
    • Over the last six months, security in eastern Chad has deteriorated putting humanitarian aid delivery and the hundreds of thousands of lives who depend on it at risk.
    • These widespread atrocities against civilians led GI-NET to incorporate eastern Chad as an Area of Concern for 2008 and we will continue to monitor the situation in the beginning of 2009.

    Read more about the conflict in Eastern Chad.

  • Iraq

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    • Despite an improving security situation, bombings and indiscriminate killings of civilians continue on a daily basis, resulting in the deaths of almost 100,000 civilians since the 2003 US invasion.
    • More than 4.5 million Iraqis remain displaced due to violence, including over 2 million refugees.
    • In addition to Sunni and Shi'a civilians, members of smaller religious and ethnic minority communities, including the Mandaeans, Yazidis and Chaldean Catholics (Catholic Assyrians) are particular targets for intimidation and violence.
    • The continued, widespread and systematic violence in Iraq led us to incorporate it an an Area of Concern for 2008 and we will monitor ongoing developments, particularly in light of the new agreement governing US forces and the possibility of an eventual US withdrawal in 2010 and 2011.

    Read more about the conflict in Iraq.

  • Somalia

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    • Since January 2007, violence has devastated Somalia, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions of innocent, non-combatant civilians.
    • Somali insurgents, the transitional government's armed forces, and criminal gangs have targeted civilians throughout the country, with the capital of Mogadishu particularly hard hit.
    • Ongoing violence has displaced more than 1.3 million people in Somalia and driven more than 300,000 out of the country.

    Read more about the conflict in Somalia.

  • Sri Lanka

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    • In May 2009, the Sri Lankan government declared the end of the civil war, but nearly 280,000 IDPs are living in camps where humanitarian aid, media coverage and access are severely restricted.
    • Fighting between the LTTE and the government killed an estimated 6,500 civilians since January 2009.
    • Over 1,100 "disappearances" since the beginning of 2006, many caused by the government, or the associated Karuna group paramilitaries.
    • GI-NET considers Sri Lanka an Area of Concern due to the large scale of atrocities against civilians committed by all sides.

    Read more about the conflict in Sri Lanka.

  • Summary of 2008 Accomplishments

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    For more detail about each Area of Concern, read GI-NET's summary review of our 2008 Areas of Concern in PDF form.

     

     

    Download the End of 2008 Summary.

    Read more about the conflict in Summary of 2008 Accomplishments.