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	On Peace Day, The Elders call for a truce in Blue Nile and South Kordofan, Sudan by The Elders   20 September 2012   “A day to realise the noblest dream there is: peace; an end to violence everywhere, within our homes, on our streets and between our societies, for the safety and dignity of all.” Desmond Tutu.   This year, to mark the International Day of Peace, The Elders have joined other organisations in a Global Truce coalition. They urge the parties to the conflicts in Blue Nile and South Kordofan, Sudan, to implement a humanitarian truce in order to allow vital aid to reach those affected by the violence.   The Elders have joined a coalition of organisations marking the International Day of Peace, a UN day “dedicated to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples” taking place every 21 September.   Brought together by Peace One Day and Interpeace, this coalition has been convened around the theme of a ‘Global Truce 2012’. It calls for the largest ever reduction of violence on one day and to unite on an unprecedented scale in support of organisations that work for peace, as well as those that need peace to carry out life-saving work in conflict-affected places.   Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chair of The Elders, said:   “This is a day to realise the noblest dream there is: peace; an end to violence everywhere, within our homes, on our streets and between our societies, for the safety and dignity of all. This dream must always stay with us, even in the midst of so much tragedy.”   A day of peace in Blue Nile and South Kordofan   The Elders wish to particularly highlight the plight of those children, women and men caught in the on-going fighting that broke out again in June 2011 between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), in the border areas of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, in Sudan.   According to the UN, around 700,000 people have been displaced or severely affected by the fighting in these two states, including about 200,000 refugees who have fled to camps in South Sudan and Ethiopia. After more than a year of fighting, humanitarian access is still to be granted to civilians affected by the conflict.   The Elders welcome the signing, on 4 and 5 August, of the Tripartite (African Union, Arab League and United Nations) Memorandum of Understandings by the Government of Sudan and the SPLM-N to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance to war-affected civilians in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. During their visit to Khartoum on 27 May, Lakhdar Brahimi and Jimmy Carter had urged President al-Bashir of Sudan to facilitate humanitarian access to those regions.   But signing agreements is not enough. In the spirit of Peace Day, they call for a truce to allow humanitarian access to those in need. They also urge the speedy and full implementation of these agreements to ensure safe, unhindered and impartial aid to all those affected by conflict, recalling the responsibility of the Government of Sudan towards all its citizens.   The Elders also call on the leaders of both Sudan and South Sudan to put the needs of their people first and work to find a long-term peaceful resolution to conflicts, both between and within their countries.   http://www.theelders.org/article/peace-day-elders-call-truce-blue-nile-and-south-kordofan-sudan http://www.unocha.org/top-stories/all-stories/sudan-people-eating-%E2%80%9Croots-and-leaves%E2%80%9D-humanitarian-aid-blocked Visit the related web page
	Keep Soldiers Out of Schools and Universities by Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack   Nov 2012   Military Use of Schools and Other Education Institutions during Conflict, risks Students Lives, Safety, Education.   The use of schools and other education institutions for military purposes by armed forces and non-state armed groups during wartime endangers students and their education around the world, said the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack in a new study released today.   The 77-page study, “Lessons In War: Military Use of Schools and Other Education Institutions during Conflict”, examines the use of schools and other education institutions for military purposes by government armed forces and opposition or pro-government armed groups during times of armed conflict or insecurity. Schools are used for barracks, logistics bases, operational headquarters, weapons and ammunition caches, detention and interrogation centers, firing and observation positions, and recruitment grounds.   “The moment troops establish a base inside a school, they can turn it into a target for attack,” said Diya Nijhowne, director of the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack. “When soldiers use schools and universities they are often putting their own convenience over the safety and education of students.”   Countries around the world should adopt policies and laws to restrict military forces and armed groups from using schools and other education institutions during times of armed conflict, the coalition said.   Between January 2005 and October 2012, the study found, armed forces and armed groups used education institutions in at least 24 countries, a substantial majority of the countries with armed conflicts during this period. The list included countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. (Access the report via link below   http://reliefweb.int/report/world/lessons-war-military-use-schools-and-other-education-institutions-during-conflict   Sep 2012   Yemen: Troops used Schools, Endangering Children. (Human Rights Watch)   Government forces and other armed groups deployed in schools in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, during the 2011-2012 uprising, putting students at risk and undermining education.   Yemen should explicitly prohibit both government forces and non-state armed groups from occupying schools for military purposes when it endangers students, teachers, or the children’s education, Human Rights Watch said.   The 46-page report, “Classrooms in the Crosshairs: Military Use of Schools in Yemen’s Capital,” details the occupation of schools by government security forces, militias, and opposition armed groups, risking the lives and education of tens of thousands of students.   Forces on both sides used schools as barracks, bases, surveillance posts, and firing positions. Combatants also stored weapons and ammunition, detained prisoners, and in some cases tortured or otherwise abused detainees on school grounds or in school buildings.   Yemen already has the lowest rates of literacy in the Middle East and some of the lowest rates of school enrollment in the world. Until the Yemeni government prohibits the deployment of armed forces and groups in schools where it violates international law, the lives of students, teachers, and school administrators will remain at unnecessary risk in conflict areas throughout the country.   “Young people suffered greatly during the conflict,” said Priyanka Motaparthy, children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch and a co-author of the report. “When soldiers and rebels deploy in schools, children and their education get put in harm’s way.”   In March 2012, Human Rights Watch visited 19 schools in Sanaa that government or opposition forces had occupied, including seven schools in which they continued to live or operate. Some forces had taken over schools completely, but in most of the cases investigated, they had occupied only part of the schools, while teachers and students tried to continue their classes alongside the armed men.   Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 75 students, teachers, principals, school administrators, and parents from these schools. Human Rights Watch also raised the issue of school occupation in meetings with government officials, and members of both pro-Saleh and opposition armed groups. A return visit in July 2012 found that armed forces had left all but one of the schools. In mid-August, armed men finally cleared the Asma’a School, a girls’ secondary school near Change Square, a sprawling protestor’s camp.   International humanitarian law, also known as the laws of war, obligates all parties to an armed conflict to take all feasible measures to minimize harm to civilians. Schools and other civilian structures cannot be attacked unless they are being used for military purposes.   Deploying forces in a functioning school places students and other civilians at unnecessary risk of attack. An extended deployment without providing alternative educational facilities can deny students their right to education under international human rights law.   According to UNICEF, the United Nations children’s agency, armed forces and armed groups had conducted attacks on at least 82 schools in Sanaa and occupied at least 54 as of November 2011, just before former President Saleh signed an agreement brokered by the Gulf Coordination Council (GCC) to leave office. Huthi rebels in northern Sa’da also have used schools as bases.   http://www.hrw.org/features/schools-as-battlegrounds   http://www.protectingeducation.org Visit the related web page
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