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Christmas Market brings hope to South Sudan Refugees

By
John Oryang
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South Sudan Refugees have created a Christmas market near their settlement in Uganda, to reach out to local residents.

Nearly 2.5million people have fled South Sudan, and will be struggling this Christmas. UNHCR organizers of a market in Kampala district, northern Uganda, hope selling hand-made crafts will help generate revenue for refugees and bridge divides with local residents.

“When the war broke out at home, my sister was killed,” said refugee Banza Biligo. “This forced me to flee with my children into Uganda. It is here that I started working with beads, I needed to support my family.”

Refugee Betty Doro said income is very hard to obtain and that she hoped the market would help.

“I’ll buy some things for Christmas,” she said. “I’ll be also able to buy meat, for my kids.”

Ugandan shopper Rosette Komugisha said she was glad the market was established.

“Our neighbors are coming in across our borders because they find some kind of shelter and sustenance – I mean they are here to survive,” she said. “So I am glad that our policy encourages that support.”

Another shopper, Pamela Abonyo, said the personal connection with the sellers helps raise awareness.

“The thing I like most is that each tent is identified by a camp,” she said. “So you can have conversations with people and actually talk to them about their experiences.”

“[Becoming a refugee] can happen to anyone – I don’t think anyone wants to leave their home. The best – the one thing – we can do as Ugandans is to welcome them.”

“Ugandans are very welcoming,” said UNHCR Senior External Relations Officer Joyce Munyao Mbithi. “They have an open policy – they say ‘these are our brothers and sisters, they are welcome’.”

The Making of Mandela

By
Peace News Staff
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Editor’s note: This story is the first of a series of profiles on peacebuilders throughout history.

Nelson was born “Rolihlahla” Mandela, which means “troublemaker” in Xhosa. His parents were illiterate, and he herded cattle. When he was 12 his father died, leaving him feeling “cut adrift”, but Mandela inherited his father’s “proud rebelliousness” and he grew up listening to stories of ancestors’ valor during wars of resistance.

He studied law, became an activist for equal rights and fought against the apartheid government in South Africa. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, and his cell on the infamous Robben Island was only 7ft by 8ft.

Twenty-seven years later he was released, but rather than seek revenge, he chose reconciliation. He negotiated an end to apartheid and organized a multiracial election, going on to become South Africa’s first black president.

He was called the “Father of the Nation”, and was renowned for his mischievous sense of humor, as well as his stubbornness and loyalty. Throughout his presidency he emphasized peacebuilding, even using the 1995 Rugby World Cup to mend divisions.

Springbok Captain François Pienaar, famously said of the opening match that “…when the final whistle blew this country changed forever”.

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” – Nelson Mandela

Marathon for Peace (Baghdad)

By
Mustafa Nader
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Earlier this year, Baghdad residents participated in the second Baghdad Marathon for Peace. Peace News photographer, Mustafa Nader, was there to capture the event.

Part of the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative’s program, Sports against Violence, the organizers said they hoped to spread values of non-violence to young people. The idea was launched by a group of Iraqi activists using sport against violence as a tool for community- and peace-building.

More than 1100 people ran together in the streets of Baghdad, nearly 300 of which were women, to say that another Iraq is possible. Local authorities assisted with security clearances and logistical support in preparing for the event. The marathon included three jogging paths; a 3km course for people with limited fitness and the elderly, a 9km track for moderate fitness levels, and a 21km athlete’s course.

Marathon coordinators said the concept is to find a common dialogue between participants, unify the efforts of civil society, and plant the seeds of peace in youth culture in Baghdad.

The Rohingya: Can Reconciliation Be Achieved in Myanmar?

By
Peace News Staff
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Over 600,000 Rohingya have been driven out of the Rakhine State in Myanmar since August 25th, in response to Rohingya militants attacking police posts. Now a new deal may allow Rohingya to return, with observers such as Pope Francis calling for ethnic reconciliation, but experts warn repatriation cannot be rushed.

Ronan Lee, a Myanmar expert at Deakin University, told us from Yangon that the divisions within Myanmar have been building for years.

“The Rohingya are an ethnic minority – they’re overwhelmingly Muslim – and described as the Rohingya Muslims, and Myanmar is an overwhelmingly Buddhist country, and the Rohingya have found themselves considered by the authorities of Myanmar to be a group that – despite their centuries of heritage in Myanmar – considered not to be entitled to citizenship.”

At Anjumanpara border crossing in Bagladesh, UNHCR officials are providing care for the thousands of refugees who have fled.

“When they started to set our villages on fire, they told us to leave,” said Rohingya refugee Abdul Hakim. “We were told if we stayed, they would kill us.”

“Here it is very crowded but at least we can sleep in peace,” said Said Amin, a Rohingya refugee. “Back home, there was space, but we were not safe.”

The UN’s High Commissioner of Human Rights has described the situation as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” and a 2015 report by the International State Crime Initiative warned of the de-humanizing of the Rohingya population.

“Prior to the current crisis – which people would have seen harrowing images [of] on television – what had occurred was that the Rohingya rights to – that they vote, their right to move between one village and another without official permission, their ability to access education, or healthcare, or get a job – these basic human rights were severely curtailed or restricted by the authorities,” said Mr Lee.

So is there hope for reconciliation?

Under international pressure, Myanmar has agreed to repatriate Rohingya refugees, but reconciliation will not be an easy road.

Previously, the Rohingya lived alongside the ethnic majority, the Rakhine, in Myanmar.

“I was there doing research in 2015,” said Mr Lee, “and I was amazed at that time, how willing the Rohingya in particular were, to co-operate.”

“I was surprised too at how many ordinary Rakhine – not elite politicians – but how many ordinary Rakhine were prepared to express a similar view. They both said they understood that they were both better off when there was co-operation between the two communities – when they could trade together, when they could basically have friendly relations with each other.”

“It is critical that returns do not take place precipitously or prematurely, without the informed consent of refugees or the basic elements of lasting solutions in place,” said Adrian Edwards, from UNHCR.

“The future of Myanmar must be peace,” Pope Francis said during his recent visit to Nay Pyi Taw, “a peace based on respect for the dignity and rights of each member of society, respect for each ethnic group and its identity.”

Cover Photo: Courtesy of UNHCR

DRC’s future: Youth must be engaged in non-violent movements

By
Christian Cito
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Op-ed: Christian Cito Cirhigiri is a peace journalist from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and founder of the Peacemaker 360 campaign.

The risks of violent protests, and the emergence of a civil war, are imminent in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) if President Kabila holds on to power beyond December 2017. Among many efforts to prevent further escalation of violence and deterioration of democracy, Catholic church leaders through CENCO, a network of Catholic bishops in Congo, have been instrumental in leading top-down efforts aimed at diffusing tensions among parties supporting president Kabila, opposition parties, and social movements ready for a political change. However, in order to be more effective, Catholic Church leaders’ advocacy efforts for peace needs to be supplemented by a bottom-up youth-led movement against violence.

A non-violent youth movement would act as a mechanism to credibly channel frustrations against the government. While protesting is a useful tool to manifest anger, youth run the risk of being killed – government forces have violently repressed all forms of civil disobedience. Supporting an ecumenical non-violent youth movement, the Catholic Church would expand its base to include half of the Congolese population, which belongs to other faith traditions. Together, the church would be able to foster non-violent spaces where young people from all faith backgrounds critically explore alternatives to pressure the current regime, from a united front. Such work would require that religious leaders put aside their differences in order to intensify an inter-faith dialogue aimed at defining common advocacy approaches for a swift and peaceful democratic transition in Congo.

As a united inter-religious front, a youth movement would help revive Congo’s already weakened civil resistance by forging national cohesion for the immediate organizing of elections, in the short term, to the strengthening of democratic institutions, in the long term. According to one study between 1900 and 2006, campaigns of non-violent resistance were more than twice as effective as their violent counterparts (Maria Stephan & Erica Chenoweth, 2012). These movements have resulted in successful transitions of power despite complex political situations such as in Iran, the Palestinian territories, the Philippines, and Burma. Similarly, a youth movement would result in strategic organizing and training of youth in civic education in order to better articulate its agenda for a peaceful and democratic transition, within legal boundaries.

In August 2017, young faith leaders from various religious backgrounds launched Jeunes Croyants Congolais en Action (JCCA), a non-violent and apolitical movement of young faith leaders who meet once a month to pray together, critically examine their roles in promoting peace, democracy, and sustainable development, in their communities. JCCA is active in Kinshasa, Kasai Oriental, Haut Kasai, and Goma, and continues to spread to other provinces. The motto of the movement is “Together let’s pray for Congo. Together let’s non-violently act for Congo’s peace and stability. Together, let´s save our future”. With more than 400 members from diverse faith backgrounds holding monthly prayers and vigils for the DRC, JCCA is one existing group that – if scaled up into a larger ecumenical youth movement and supported by inter-religious leaders – could shape the church´s political leadership. Young faith leaders face many risks in their non-violent resistance but are a burgeoning hope of positive inter-religious opposition to the current political impasse. Among other parallel efforts, Catholic Church leaders through CENCO can stimulate growth of such grassroots movements as part of their current contributions for a positive democratic transition in the DRC.

Photo: JCCA members, supplied by Christian Cito

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