International Crisis Group

We look back on the success of Crisis Group's “Life on the Edge” photo exhibition, kindly hosted by the European External Action Service (EEAS) that opened 18 September and ran until 23 October in Brussels, Belgium. The “Life on the Edge” exhibition was created to mark Crisis Group’s 30th anniversary and showcased photographs taken by staff while conducting field research in conflict-affected regions around the world. The consequences of conflict endure, whether violence has subsided or continues. War reshapes lives and landscapes, displacing families, dividing communities, and straining the fragile routines of daily life. The EEAS, together with the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments at the European Commission, have been working very closely with Crisis Group for the past ten years. Jean Baptiste Valmary, Deputy Head of Division for Peace, Security and Defence Partnerships at the EEAS, opened the exhibition. Also speaking at the event was Richard Atwood, Crisis Group Executive Vice President. Read our photo essay to find out more about how this work helps us to better understand the roots of violence and the possibilities for peace. https://lnkd.in/e5Ti7a3p

A very helpful update on a terrible situation in El Fasher, North Darfur "In this update episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group’s Sudan expert Shewit Woldemichael and Horn director Alan Boswell about the paramilitary RSF capturing North Dafur’s capital El Fasher, the reports of horrific violence in the city and the implications for the trajectory of Sudan’s war. They discuss how the RSF managed to take control of the city after a siege of more than a year and the situation in El Fasher now amid a worsening humanitarian crisis and reports of mass killings of civilians. They discuss the de facto partition of Sudan with the RSF now controlling most of western Sudan and the army holding the capital Khartoum and the east. They also explore whether the capture of El Fasher may derail U.S.-led efforts to broker a ceasefire." https://lnkd.in/e7_3uTGZ

NEW STATEMENT | The results of Cameroon’s presidential election have set off a wave of demonstrations by the opposition, which sees the official tally as rigged. Urgent talks are needed to stave off further unrest. Protests swept through major cities and towns across Cameroon on 27 October after electoral authorities declared that incumbent Paul Biya, who has been president for the past 43 years, had won re-election. The opposition is in an uproar over what it sees as a rigged election. Tally sheets posted from polling stations by civil society groups and opposition parties appear to show Biya’s main opponent, Tchiroma Bakary, prevailing by a convincing margin. Thousands have taken to the streets, demanding recognition of the opposition’s apparent victory. With neither side willing to back down, the risks of worsening unrest are high. It is a perilous moment for Cameroon, and the coming decisions over the next few days will be critical. Authorities should urgently try to temper the conflict that is brewing. Our latest statement explores how Cameroon’s politicians, with the support of foreign states and bodies, should act swiftly and decisively to resolve the dispute before it plunges the whole country into political mayhem: https://lnkd.in/edZCeSA5

While the horrific testimonies of the survivors from El Fasher I met in may still haunt me, I cannot imagine the fate that awaits the approximately 200 000 civilians still trapped in the besieged city. Videos of RSF fighters torturing civilians or hunting down girls and women who are fleeing are already circulating on social media. https://lnkd.in/e5p9Kgya

🗞️ This Week in Conflict | Gaza’s Ceasefire is Vital, but Only a Start Gaza’s ceasefire has largely held, despite continued bouts of violence. Yet the deal has deliberately postponed the hardest questions: how Hamas will be disarmed, when Israeli troops will fully withdraw, who will govern and secure Gaza, and who will lead its reconstruction - and how. In our latest statement, we explain why these issues remain as intractable as ever, and why they will only become more difficult if the external pressure that produced the ceasefire begins to fade. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s sabre-rattling in the Caribbean is growing louder. What began as an operation to curb drug trafficking to U.S. shores increasingly looks like an effort to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his allies. Reports suggest Caracas is taking the threat seriously. Our new statement examines why Washington should beware the lure of regime change. Finally, don’t miss our latest briefing, which explores how the U.S. and Europe can work with UN envoys to revive negotiations on one of North Africa’s longest-running conflicts.

Our International Crisis Group statement on why the Trump administration should not try to force regime change in Venezuela. https://lnkd.in/erw5PKYR

It was a pleasure to talk to the Economist's James Bennet (aka Lexington) about the Trump administration's Caribbean campaign, why it is so far beyond the pale, and why -- against all political odds -- we have to keep looking to Congress to rein it in. This is the best short primer you'll read on this subject. https://lnkd.in/eXK9ihsv