Silent Night

Bad things have a tendency to happen in faraway parts of the world during the holiday season, when policymakers head home and the 24hour news cycle momentarily slows down. Last year the LRA killed nearly a thousand people during the Christmas massacres following the botched Operation Lightning Thunder. At the same time on the other side of the continent, the military junta commanded by Moussa Dadis Camara took power in Guinea, precipitating the crisis that has pushed that country to the brink. In 2007, violence ripped through Kenya following elections that were held on December 27, with some 1,500 people killed. And back in 2006 there was the disastrous Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, which took place on Christmas Eve.

This is no coincidence. Rebels and politicians alike know that they can get away with a lot when no one is paying attention. This is why Enough sounded the alarm about new threats by the LRA in northeast Congo, and we hope that the reinforcements deployed by the UN to that region can help protect civilians. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a quiet holiday this year?  

• Sudan and South Sudan
• Eastern Congo
• Lord's Resistance Army