Areas of Conflict
STAND chapters join together to build a permanent anti-genocide constituency of students, we provide this page to keep you updated on other conflicts around the globe. Although STAND’s current efforts are focused on the ongoing genocide in Darfur, there are many other countries on the UN’s “genocide watch list”.
Because STAND believes that genocide must be prevented instead of just stopped, we encourage you to stay educated on the conflicts occurring in the countries below. Staying aware and updated on these issues is the only way we can ensure that “Never Again” truly means “Never Again”.
Chechnya and the Northern Caucuses
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Burma
“It is only the absence of television cameras that has prevented the true horror of what is taking place from being known.” - British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Ethnic minorities in Burma began demanding autonomy even before the nation gained independence from Britain in 1949. Frustrated by the way in which their interests were overlooked, these groups joined a resistance movement that has continued through a series of military governments. The dispute over the nation's name signifies the ongoing internal struggle; although the rebellion and a number of other nations still refer to the country as Burma, the government that came to power in 1988 changed the name to Myanmar. This government has been particularly repressive, frequently targeting civilians in an attempt to wipe out resistance. Its attacks have included the use of internationally-outlawed tactics such as the restriction of humanitarian access, forced labor, and destruction or relocation of entire villages.
As of 2004, at least 240 villages had been destroyed. Approximately 650,000 Burmese were forcibly displaced within Burma, and 2 million were forced to flee to Thailand.
Useful links
- Further Information on the Burma Conflict
- US Campaign for Burma
- National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma and the Members of Parliament Union
- The Free Burma Coalition
- FreeBurma.org
Chechnya and the Northern Caucuses
“Forced disappearances are so widespread and systematic that they constitute 
crimes against humanity.” -Human Rights Watch
Although Chechnya declared independence from Russia in 1991, Russia has made several attempts to restore its authority over the region. In doing so, it has committed gross human rights abuses against the general population. Reports of rape are widespread, and Russian security forces have responded to attacks by Chechen separatists with systematic raids in which large numbers of Chechen men “disappear.”
Useful links
Côte d'Ivoire/Ivory Coast
"When hate media in a Rwandan style asks for attacks against defenseless civilians, for minorities being chopped up and for international humanitarian organizations to be attacked, people should be brought to justice." –Jan Egeland, UN Emergency Coordinator
A three year-old civil war between rebel and government forces has taken a heavy toll on civilians. Violence committed by both police and rebel forces is compounded by ethnic tensions and a deep-seated intolerance of immigrants. The perpetrators of this violence are using the press to target political opponents and minorities in broadcasts that UN Emergency Coordinator Jan Egeland has called “hate media in a Rwandan style.”
Since 2002, as many as 700,000 Ivorians have been displaced.
Useful links
“I believe I am right in saying that peace here would not just stop the killing, but begin to give hope and stability to all of Africa.” –Angelina Jolie
The continued presence of rebel groups in the eastern part of the DRC has led to continued attacks against civilians, perpetrated both by the rebels and by the government forces attempting to regain the area. Sexual violence is often used as a weapon of war; tens of thousands of women and girls have been raped or mutilated, often in coordination with the destruction of their villages. The war has been particularly devastating in the Ituri region of the DRC, where a local dispute between the Hema and Lendu was aggravated by national and regional conflicts, resulting in systematic, ethnically-motivated killings.
In the last five years, approximately 4 million have been killed, making the war in the DRC more deadly to civilians than any other since World War II.
Useful links
Uganda
The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has fought the forces of the Ugandan army for nearly twenty years, claiming to represent the interests of the marginalized Acholi people. However, the LRA has made these same people the target of a campaign that has included widespread killing, rape, and the abduction of thousands of children whom are forced to serve in the army. In order to escape such a fate, approximately 30,000 Ugandan children leave their homes each night for the relative safety of urban areas or internally displaced persons’ camps.
Approximately 25,000 children have been abducted during the course of the war, and almost two million people have been displaced. As of February 2006, at least 131 Ugandans were dying every day.
Useful links