As the war in Ukraine drags on, we continue to witness abuses against civilians and entire cities being razed to the ground. Elsewhere too, civilians are being slaughtered and starved with complete impunity such as in northern Ethiopia,or killed during security operations in Mali.Today, one-quarter of the world’s population lives in a conflict zone as…
Following newly public allegations that British SAS forces executed unarmed Afghan civilians during a 2011 raid of a compound believed to be housing Taliban militants, the historian Andrew Roberts opined in The Sunday Times that UK military forces fighting terrorist groups should not be bound by the Geneva Conventions – which form the core of…
This is the third year that civil society, Member States, and the UN Secretariat, have joined together to highlight the importance of protection of civilians (POC). The week features a number of side-events focused on thematic and geographic priorities within POC. Last year, CIVIC had the honor of addressing the Security Council during POC week…
By Federico Borello Following a week of reduced violence, with as much as an 80 percent drop in major attacks, fighting quickly resumed in Afghanistan. Having recently been in Kabul, I observed the countless ways that years of fighting have impacted the lives of individuals who want peace. Resumed violence so soon after the U.S. and the Taliban signed…
On May 22, 2019, CIVIC’s Executive Director, Federico Borello, spoke with Laurie Laird of Crosby-Volmer for Arise TV about the conflict in Nigeria and the country’s proposed policy on Protection of Civilians and Civilian Harm Mitigation: The conflict has already claimed more than 38,000 lives and increased activity by armed opposition groups –…
By: Federico Borello In most conflict zones around the world, the majority of those killed were civilians. Those who survived suffered myriad physical, emotional, and economic hardships. In the Middle East, three permanent members of the UN Security Council – the body charged with maintaining global peace and security – conducted or supported military campaigns…
When I talk to people about armed conflict today, I usually get one of two responses: “The fighting is so far away and has lasted so long that nothing can be done about it,” or “If only there were stronger military responses, all terrorist groups, like Boko Haram, ISIS, and Al-Qaida, would be defeated.” Our experience talking with civilians, security forces, and other stakeholders in conflict zones around the world shows that reality is far more nuanced. Since its founding in 2003, CIVIC has witnessed modern conflict’s increasingly devastating –…
