Leo Weakland

April 15, 2024 marked the one-year anniversary of the start of the civil war in Sudan, which shows no signs of stopping despite the dire humanitarian situation on the ground. The war itself is driven largely by the ambitions of two Sudanese generals, who worked together to end a democratic transition before fighting each other […]

Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly summary of events in global peacebuilding.  This week, we discuss ongoing efforts to end the civil war in Sudan, Armenia’s determination to find peace with Azerbaijan, the small but vocal Russian opposition putting themselves at risk to end the war on Ukraine, and a noticeable shift […]

The city of Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is once again threatened by M23 rebels, who are attempting to overrun the city and surrounding region. There are currently almost 7 million displaced people in the region, making it one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The most recent bout […]

This Week in Peace #18: January 26, 2024 Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly summary of events in global peacebuilding.  As the first month of 2024 draws to a close, we bring you updates on the state of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine and Gaza, and progress towards a peace […]

While the world is largely focused on conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, a civil war in Sudan has caused a humanitarian crisis, with thousands killed and millions displaced. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are fighting for control of the country, driven by a rivalry between the group’s respective […]

Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly summary of events in global peacebuilding.  This week, we continue to cover peace negotiations aiming to implement a ceasefire in Gaza. Russia continues to reject a negotiated peace in Ukraine, and Venezuela and the US exchanged prisoners as part of an agreement to reduce tensions and […]

Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly summary of events in global peacebuilding.  This week, international pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza continues to grow. The conflict continues to threaten peace throughout the entire region, as the peace process in Yemen grows increasingly strained. Armenia and Azerbaijan took positive steps towards a peace […]

Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly summary of events in global peacebuilding.  This week, we cover continued efforts to find a peaceful solution to the war in Gaza, as Palestinian civilians face continued threats amid the ongoing Israeli ground operation. In Bosnia, a Serb leader is put on trial, which threatens the […]

Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly summary of events in global peacebuilding.  This week, we cover a continued pause in fighting in Gaza, successful negotiations with an armed group in India, the start of peace talks in the Philippines, and a peace deal under threat in Mali.  In case you missed it, […]

Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly roundup of global peacebuilding.  This brief weekend edition covers a significant deal to stop the fighting in Gaza and release some hostages held there, the collapse of peace talks between Ethiopia and Oromo rebels, and the slim chances for a peace deal in Yemen.  Israel-Palestine This […]

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has dominated news since the October 7th Hamas attacks and Israeli air and ground campaigns in the Gaza Strip that followed. Around the world, islamophobia and antisemitism have skyrocketed, as the conflict divides societies and has led to mass protests. The media, especially in the West, has found […]

Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly series covering global peacebuilding.  This week, we discuss “panda diplomacy”, Russian peace activists who remain steadfast despite facing , a rare instance of a military deployment building peace in South Sudan, and continued international efforts to negotiate a ceasefire or “humanitarian pause” in Gaza.  The US […]

Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly summary of global peacebuilding.  This week, we continue our coverage of attempts to find a peaceful solution to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and developments in Ethiopia. Peace talks between opposing factions in Sudan failed to find a resolution, but did find some […]

Welcome back to This Week in Peace, where we cover recent events in global peacebuilding.  This week, there were several positive developments,  but many setbacks. Ethiopia marked the one-year anniversary of a crucial peace treaty, even as an end to violence remains elusive. Formal peace between Serbia and Kosovo remains elusive, despite attempts by the […]

Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly roundup of global peacebuilding.  This week, we continue to cover events in Israel and Palestine, and the very real need for peace in the region as the danger of escalation remains. We also discuss the passing of Martti Ahtisaari, a former President of Finland and a […]

On October 6, 2023, Narges Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Mohammadi is a longtime advocate for the rights of women in Iran. She is currently imprisoned with many other political prisoners in Tehran’s Evin prison, which is notorious for its poor treatment of detainees. Originally an engineer, Mohammadi has advocated for the human […]

Colombia experienced civil conflict for over 50 years, but there has been significant progress towards peace since the 2016 peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).  After some setbacks, the peace process received a boost following the election of Gustavo Petro in 2022, who proposed “total peace” as a […]

Welcome to the newest installment of This Week in Peace, where we highlight breaking news in global peacebuilding each week.  This week, we cover a number of events around the world, including the imminent announcement of the winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. We also discuss developments involving Armenia, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Cyprus, and Ethiopia.  […]

Welcome to the newest installment of This Week in Peace, where we highlight breaking news in global peacebuilding each week.  This week, we cover the continued crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, developments in Sudan and Ethiopia, and the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.  Ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh  The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh continues to develop, with fears […]

Azerbaijan recently captured  the semi-autonomous Nagorno-Karabakh region following a military operation on September 20, 2023, in what appears to be the final chapter in a long-running conflict over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The dispute has a significant ethnic dimension – Nagorno-Karabakh had a majority Armenian population despite being located within Azerbaijan. The modern-day conflict began […]

Welcome to the first installment of our new series: This Week in Peace, where we will highlight developments in global peacebuilding each week.  This week, we cover the end of a brief conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, continued progress towards “total peace” in Colombia, and Saudi Arabia’s involvement in three different peace initiatives.  Ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh  A […]

September 17th, 2023, was the 45 anniversary of the signing of the Camp David Accords, between U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. The agreement led to peace between Israel and Egypt, the return of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, and the normalization of political and economic relations […]