• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
The Hague Peace Projects
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Our Projects
    • The Hague X Beirut
    • The Hague Hacks
    • Freedom Book Fair
    • Bangladesh
    • Great Lakes Region
    • Morocco
    • Somalia
    • Sudan
    • Syria
    • Nicaragua: Nicas en Exilio
    • Turkish and Kurdish Dialogue
  • Events
  • Support Us
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Menu
  • The 2018 General Elections in the DRC – What next?

29-9 African Diaspora, Youth and Education in The Netherlands

18th September 2017/0 Comments/in Great Lakes Region /by Vinay

This event is organised by the Great Lakes Region group of The Hague Peace Projects. Every month we organise an event with a topic related to peace and social change, here in the Netherlands as well as our countries of origin. The topic of this meeting will be the youthful Dutch citizens of African migrant […]

Read more
https://thehaguepeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/mcf_youth_think_tank_uganda_rwanda_2016_2791-2.jpg 1577 2362 Vinay https://thehaguepeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/logo-kleur-groot1-300x186.png Vinay2017-09-18 22:38:442017-09-18 22:38:4429-9 African Diaspora, Youth and Education in The Netherlands

Blog: Great Lakes King of dictators

2nd August 2017/0 Comments/in Great Lakes Region /by Vinay

Wanna know more about dictatorships in the Great Lakes Region? Join us during the ‘Night of the Dictatorship‘. This article, written by Ugandan blogger and activist Moses, gives you some insight of the situation in the Great Lakes Region and life under dictatorship. A dictator is a political leader who wields absolute power and equally a state ruled […]

Read more
https://thehaguepeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/palenga_idp_camp_northern_uganda1.jpg 228 448 Vinay https://thehaguepeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/logo-kleur-groot1-300x186.png Vinay2017-08-02 13:20:012017-08-02 13:20:01Blog: Great Lakes King of dictators

Film screening ‘Virunga’ – Environmental Sustainability and Peace in DRC

6th July 2017/0 Comments/in Great Lakes Region /by Vinay

During this meeting we’re gonna watch the awards winning documentary “Virunga”, named after a National Partk in eastern Congo. The movie focuses on the conservation work of park rangers during the rise of the violent M23 Rebellion in 2012 and investigates the activity of the British oil company Soco International within the UNESCO World Heritage […]

Read more
https://thehaguepeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/virunga.jpg 683 1024 Vinay https://thehaguepeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/logo-kleur-groot1-300x186.png Vinay2017-07-06 19:40:072017-07-06 19:40:07Film screening 'Virunga' - Environmental Sustainability and Peace in DRC
Page 3 of 8‹12345›»

Great Lakes Region

Congo

Despite his term ending in December 2016 and even in the face of rampant opposition and disapproval from the international community, President Joseph Kabila managed to keep his grip of power in Congo and persist as ruler beyond the constitutionally mandated limit of two terms. Thereafter, since 2016, political violence and governmental oppression consistently exasperated in the country with the authorities and security forces consistently imposing restrictions, repressions and intimidation on the opposition groups demanding free and credible election process. Furthermore, they banned demonstrations, fired bullets and teargas at protestors, closed down media and curbed the free movement of oppositional leaders and conducted arbitrary arrests thereof. As a matter of fact, there are many armed groups that are active in the eastern part of the country, which are responsible for ethnic cleansing, civilian killings, pillages and war crimes in general. Ultimately, in 2016 the Minister of Communications put forward a law that imposed rigid restrictions on foreign radio and TV stations to conduct their activities in Congo (Human Rights Watch 2016).

Burundi

Recently, the human rights crisis that took a hold of Burundi has exasperated to unprecedented levels – the state forces and security authorities have chased down opponents of the government inflicting unscrupulous violence. Intelligence services in close cooperation with the youth league ruling party members – Imbonerakure, have engaged in indiscriminate killings, enforced disappearances, rape, ruthless torture and abductions. In addition to that, opposition groups that obtained significant amount of weaponry have conducted violent attacks and massacred members of the ruling party (Human Rights Watch 2016).

Uganda

Since 2016 human rights violations in Uganda, such as freedom of expression, assembly and association have been prevailing and particularly exerted by the Ugandan security officials who systematically attempted to thwart the oppositional movements during the 2016 election campaigns and in the aftermath thereof. The police have taken it upon themselves to arrest, detain and imprison people without a legitimate reason, and curb the free movement of oppositional leaders. They also attacked and injured many journalists, with instances occurring even during live broadcasts. What is more, the security forces of Uganda persistently employ excessive and violent force in their following through with legal enforcement procedures and policing demonstrations. In fact, in Uganda, same-sex conduct is strictly criminalized under its colonial law, that is still in place and forbids ‘carnal knowledge’ between same-sex people. In that regard, a newly established Non-Governmental Organizations law points to the pressing issue of criminalization of legitimate advocacy pertaining to LGBTQI people’s rights and well-being (Human Rights Watch 2016).

Rwanda

Similar to the situation in other Great Lakes Region countries in Africa, Rwanda has experienced an excessive tightening of freedom of expression during political demonstrations and election rallies. That was the case for the referendum held in 2015 and aimed at putting in place amendments in the constitution that would permit the then-ruling President Paul Kegame to qualify for a third term through 2017 and get a grip of power over the following ten years with allowed additional two terms. There were few people that managed to raise their voices against such a move as the government meticulously suppressed any opposition. The state of Rwanda persistently restricts the free, independent and unhindered operations of international human rights organizations, civil society groups and media outlets, and prohibits critical voices thereof against governmental policies, the recording and reporting on human rights records and state practices. As a matter of fact, the civil society sector in the country is not particularly strong and has gradually grown weaker specifically as a result of governmental interferences and intimidations. Moreover, many journalists are pushed to apply restrictions on their freedom of expression, thereby engaging in self-censorship (Human Rights Watch 2016).

Kenya

Fundamental human rights such as the right to free expression, association and assembly have been significantly undermined over the past few years in the state of Kenya. The authorities have persistently failed to secure an adequate degree of human rights protection and have obstructed efforts to investigate the scope of various human rights abuses underpinning the situation in the country. In fact, human rights organizations and activists are presented with growing obstacles and endure consistent harassment and hindrances to their work. These organizations continuously point at the military and police in Kenya as the primary actors holding the responsibility for forced disappearances and indiscriminate killings of people ostensibly related to terrorist organizations such as Al-Shabab. Furthermore, NGOs active in the country have faced constant hostility on part of public officials and the authorities and have been subjected to immense administrative restriction and attempts at curbing and obstructing their work via the introduction of repressive amendments in the law concerning the conduct of NGO work in Kenya (Human Rights Watch 2016).

Sophie Kwizera

Sophie Kwizera

Project Officer
The Hague Peace Projects

Click here to add your own text

Click here to add your own text

ANBI Status

As a non-profit organization, the Hague Peace Projects (HPP) has been assigned the ANBI status by the Dutch Tax Agency. With this status, donations can be deducted from your taxable income. If you are interested in supporting us, please donate here.

Contact:

PAVILJOENSGRACHT 20
2512 BP THE HAGUE
THE NETHERLANDS 

INFO@THEHAGUEPEACE.ORG

 

Social Media

  • View TheHaguePeace’s profile on Facebook
  • View @peacehague’s profile on Twitter
  • View thehaguepeaceprojects’s profile on Instagram
  • View UC56Yu8LXkOOG0ZDDHG_uvng’s profile on YouTube
© Copyright - The Hague Peace Projects - design by DMVY
Scroll to top