Central African Republic Resumes Diamond Exports Despite Concerns
In June, the government of the Central African Republic (CAR) announced that it would resume diamond exports after a three-year ban implemented in 2013 as a result of the adoption of the Kimberley Process. The ban was put in place to prevent the sale of diamonds financing armed group violence, which broke out in CAR […]
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Community Defection Committees
At Invisible Children, we’re committed to ensuring community leadership is at the heart of all of our programs working to protect civilians from violence. A perfect illustration of this can be found in our Community Defection Committees (CDCs), which function alongside our Early Warning Network. Through locally-led workshops and an innovative Mobile Cinema program, LRA-affected […]
What You Need To Know About Elections In DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is scheduled to hold elections at the end of the year to elect a new president. However, over the past several months, the Congolese government has pointed toward many challenges to holding timely elections. While the international community has emphasized the importance of a fair and democratic election process in […]
HOW WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING AFFECTS COMMUNITIES
Illegal poaching and ivory trafficking by armed groups like the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) affect more than just elephants. In places like central Africa, wildlife poaching and trafficking also place local communities in immediate danger, and serves as a revenue stream for armed groups that ultimately perpetuates more violence and exploitation. Communities in and […]
Papa Joseph || Father of Invisible Children CAR
This Father’s Day, we want to introduce you to the incomparable Papa Joseph, Invisible Children’s Early Warning Network Project Assistant in Obo, Central African Republic (CAR). Papa Joseph hails from Zemio, CAR, a small town near the DR Congo (DRC) border and not far from Obo, where our Invisible Children CAR office is located. In […]
Ugandan Government Announces Plans to Abandon Mission to Stop Kony
June 14th, 2016 at 3:00pm EST Last week, the Ugandan military announced plans to withdraw its troops from the Central African Republic (CAR), where they have been the primary contributing force to the African Union mission to apprehend Joseph Kony and end the violence of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). They announced that this withdrawal […]
This Day in History || The Lukodi Massacre
Today marks the 12th anniversary of one of the most brutal attacks committed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda. On May 19th, 2004, more than sixty people lost their lives at the hands of Joseph Kony’s army in what has since been called the Lukodi Massacre. Last month, our Invisible Children team […]
Who runs the world? Moms like Melanie.
This Mother’s Day, we’re celebrating one of the best moms we know. Meet Melanie Zawadi, Invisible Children’s Head of Office in DR Congo. Back in 2010, when Invisible Children first started working with communities in DR Congo (DRC) targeted by LRA violence, Melanie was one of the first community leaders we met. We were introduced […]
Behind the Scenes || 2016 Regional Summit
Last month, the Invisible Children US team headed to central Africa for our 2016 Regional Summit. This Summit is a time for us to meet in person with our staff and partners who do the day-to-day work of ending LRA violence and helping communities recover. It’s an important opportunity to listen to the voices of […]
THREE KILLED AND TWO WOUNDED BY ELEPHANT POACHERS IN GARAMBA NATIONAL PARK, DRC
Our Invisible Children team grieves the loss of three park rangers in Garamba National Park who were killed this weekend in clash with armed poachers. Our hearts go out to the families of these fallen rangers, and to our colleagues at African Parks who continue to courageously protect some of our world’s most endangered and […]