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Our Mission
The International Crisis Group is an independent organisation working to prevent wars and shape policies that will build a more peaceful world.
Crisis Group sounds the alarm to prevent deadly conflict. We build support for the good governance and inclusive politics that enable societies to flourish. We engage directly with a range of conflict actors to seek and share information, and to encourage intelligent action for peace.
Our work is urgently needed as the world is confronted with a dramatic rise in the number of conflicts, with devastating humanitarian, social and economic costs. Efforts to resolve conflicts are complicated by the profound shift in geopolitics, as well as the increasing prominence of non-state actors ranging from religious militants to criminal gangs.
In this more polarised, fragmented and dangerous world, Crisis Group’s work points a way forward. War is not inevitable; it is a man-made disaster. We must mobilise political leaders to heed early warnings and take early action to avoid looming conflicts. And we must build more creative and flexible frameworks for international diplomacy.
The consequences of inaction are too great:
- Over 65 million people are now displaced due to conflict and persecution - more than ever recorded.
- The majority of the world’s refugees come from three countriesdevastated by war: Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia.
- At least 70 conflicts involve non-state actors, a historic high.
- An estimated 126,059 people were killed in conflicts in 2014, the largest annual number of fatalities since the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
- The past five years have seen worsening trends across conflict indicators: more wars, more people killed and civilians increasingly targeted.
Strategic Framework
Crisis Group aspires to be the preeminent organisation providing independent analysis and advice on how to prevent, resolve or better manage deadly conflict. We combine expert field research, analysis and engagement with policymakers across the world in order to effect change in the crisis situations on which we work. We endeavour to talk to all sides and in doing so to build on our role as a trusted source of field-centred information, fresh perspectives and advice for conflict parties and external actors.
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Resources
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5A Broken Canopy: Preventing Deforestation and Conflict in Colombia
In the five years following its historic 2016 peace accord, Colombia has seen a surge of forest razing and land clearance amid continuing unrest in the countryside. The rate of tree loss, which greatly lowers the country’s chances of meeting its zerodeforestation goal by 2030, is tied to conflict and violence. These ties are complex. Deforestation began to rise soon after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which had operated mostly from rural areas, declared a ceasefire in December 2014. It then gathered steam after the 2016 accord was signed.
Violence in Nigeria’s North West: Rolling Back the Mayhem
Nigeria’s arid North West is beset by violence between herders and farmers, which has been compounded by an explosion in criminal activity and infiltration by jihadist groups into the region. The last decade has seen thousands of people killed and hundreds of thousands displaced, with many fleeing into Niger Republic next door. State-level peace efforts with several armed factions have had some success, but these will not prove durable unless more actors lay down their weapons.
Violence in Nigeria’s North West: Rolling Back the Mayhem
Nigeria’s arid North West is beset by violence between herders and farmers, which has been compounded by an explosion in criminal activity and infiltration by jihadist groups into the region. The last decade has seen thousands of people killed and hundreds of thousands displaced, with many fleeing into Niger Republic next door. Statelevel peace efforts with several armed factions have had some success, but these will not prove durable unless more actors lay down their weapons.
Herders against Farmers: Nigeria’s Expanding Deadly Conflict
Violent conflicts between nomadic herders from northern Nigeria and sedentary agrarian communities in the central and southern zones have escalated in recent years and are spreading southward, threatening the country’s security and stability. With an estimated death toll of approximately 2,500 people in 2016, these clashes are becoming as potentially dangerous as the Boko Haram insurgency in the north east. Yet to date, response to the crisis at both the federal and state levels has been poor.
Blood and soil: land, politics and conflict prevention in Zimbabwe and South Africa
This report offers a detailed analysis of the different challenges of land reform in both Zimbabwe and South Africa. The report looks at the history of land ownership and policy in both countries.For Zimbabwe, it offers practical policy suggestions for ways forward by identifying the contours of a post-Mugabe land approach.