Protecting Civilians against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Eastern Chad
Chad has consistently ranked near the bottom of the Human Development Index. Over the past decade it has experienced the effects of domestic disputes, political instability and growing rebel activity, spillover from the Darfur crisis and the proxy war between government of Sudan and Chad, and widespread violence in the northern Central African Republic (CAR). The consequences have included an influx of refugees from Darfur and CAR seeking protection in neighboring Chad and an increase in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Although fighting has diminished in recent years, the high number of refugees and IDPs as well as banditry groups and the proliferation of arms continue to pose great security risks. This report focuses on the protection of civilians, especially in terms of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), the Chadian police/gendarme force Détachment Intégré de Securité (DIS), the potential for early recovery and the prospects of protection provided by the government of Chad after the withdrawal of MINURCAT. Dealing with SGBV involves improving security and is an important element in the humanitarian imperative to protect civilians under the auspices of international humanitarian law and international human rights. In June 2008, the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) unanimously adopted Resolution 1820. The resolution aims at ending sexual violence in conflict, and states: ‘rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide’. It is the result of a much broader agenda to mainstream gender perspectives at all levels of the UN peacekeeping and peace building operations and peace negations since the adoption of UNSC Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, of which resolution 1820 is a strengthened prolongation.
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Peacekeeping and Counter-insurgency - Two of a Kind?
This article demonstrates that there are more similarities between peacekeeping and counter-insurgency than often recognized. In today's ‘war among the people’, the counter-insurgent cannot succeed with offensive military capabilities alone and must seek to apply also non-kinetic and defensive methods; whereas the peacekeeper often is forced to apply ‘robust’ and kinetic means to implement a mandate. As a result, the two concepts seem to be converging and share some commonalities. The article compares the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations ‘capstone doctrine’ and the US Army Counterinsurgency Field Manual to argue that the two doctrines share similarities in six areas: (1) a focus on civilian solutions; (2) a need for protection of civilians; (3) international coherence; (4) host-nation ownership; (5) use of intelligence in support of operations; (6) limitations on the use of force. The article suggests areas where the two doctrines could mesh with each other.
Bolivars uekte sønner: det nye Sør-Amerika mellom Chávez og Lula
Det første tiåret av det 21. århundre har vært en nesten ekstatisk opplevelse for den latin-amerikanske venstresida. I ruinene av tradisjonelle politiske institusjoner og partier har 14 av 19 land i Latin-Amerika, med 2/3 av folketallet, vært styrt av ulike former for venstreregjeringer. Latin-Amerika-kjenner Vegard Bye (forfatteren av Dette er Cuba - Alt annet er løgn!) forteller her om den politiske utviklingen i fem land og de spektakulære Askeladd-historiene som har ført radikale personer til makten: Chavez i Venezuela, Lula i Brasil, Morales i Bolivia, Correa i Ecuador og Lugo i Paraguay.