Issue

Conflict and Peace Building

Nearly 30 years after the Rwandan genocide, thousands of maimed amputees remind us of the war that took 500,000 lives in 100 days. War leaves marks that cannot be erased—not only in Rwanda, but on every continent.

Reporting from Conflict and Peacebuilding examines the roots of conflict, whether it be religious hatred, sectarian rivalry, a security vacuum, the struggle for natural resources, or the desperation that results from poverty.

Pulitzer Center journalists also cover war’s aftermath: the transitional governments that result in chaos, diplomacy that goes awry, peace talks that never end, and the people who suffer the consequences, young and old. We see the children who go hungry, lose their homes, leave school, become combatants, or join the jihad.

Often the end to conflict leaves turmoil in its wake while the road to peace seems circuitous: In South Sudan, rebel-commanders-turned politicians plunge the country into civil war. In the U.S., troops return home from one war only to be re-deployed to another. But everywhere, in every conflict, there are also voices crying out for peace, determined to heal the divide.

 

Conflict and Peace Building

Declining Violence in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

A multimedia project about the psychology of violence. The project follows Diego, a former gang member, on his personal journey of reconciliation and redemption in Ciudad Juarez.

The Assad Files

A secretive team of war crimes investigators smuggled hundreds of thousands of documents out of abandoned government buildings in Syria. Then they built a case against Assad. Will a court take it?

How Al Shabaab Keeps Kenya in Its Crosshairs

A rare, detailed look at one of the world’s most important battles against terrorism. PBS NewsHour goes on the front lines as Al Shabaab tries to terrorize and recruit inside of Kenya.

The Healing

One of the under-reported stories of Syria's Civil War is the deliberate targeting of hospitals by bombers, and the efforts of Syrian-American doctors to help their devastated homeland.

Niger: Baho's Last Fight

Poverty and unemployment have driven some youth in southern Niger to form violent gangs known as palais—attractive recruitment targets for Boko Haram. But one man is fighting back.