As President Obama sets off on his new four-year term, the Enough Project delivered an open letter to the president outlining critical steps that the U.S. government should take to address the conflicts in the Sudans, between Sudan and South Sudan, in eastern Congo, and in areas impacted by the Lord's Resistance Army. The full letter is available on this page, and here's an overview of what Enough Co-founder John Prendergast and Executive Director John C. Bradshaw wrote.
Peace talks between the Congolese government and M23 rebel group continue in Kampala but demonstrate the clear need for a broadened peace process. The 11+1 peace framework proposed by the United Nations looks promising, but impartial facilitation and participation representative of the various actors in the region, including women and local civil society leaders, are necessary for any process to succeed. In particular, Enough asked President Obama to:
"...work to ensure that there is a United Nations-facilitated regional peace initiative building on the 11+1 framework that addresses the political, economic and security issues fueling the ongoing war in Congo."
"...sanction documented minerals smugglers, organize a responsible investment initiative for a conflict-free minerals trade in the Great Lakes, and support regional actors to implement existing mineral monitoring and certification processes."
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