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

Built To Last

A BuzzFeed News investigation based on thousands of satellite images reveals a vast, growing infrastructure for long-term detention and incarceration of Muslim minorities.

The Danab Brigade: Somalia’s Elite, US-Sponsored Special Ops Force

In 2013, Somalia’s federal government wanted to create a counter-terrorism combat force to take on Islamist militants al-Shabab, which seeks to overthrow the government. After negotiations with the United States, an elite special forces unit was created in 2014: the Danab (“Lightning”) Brigade.

Scars and Resilience in South Sudan

In South Sudan, the trauma of the war and the use of child soldiers is transmitted from one generation to another. But people are also finding ways to keep hope.

Colombia: After the Peace Deal

After the deal, the hard work: an investigation looking at the successes and failures of Colombia’s peace agreement with the FARC guerrilla group.

The Good Friday Agreement 20 Years On: 'Women's Work'

Twenty years on from the Good Friday Agreement, women are once again holding Northern Irish society together through community and outreach programs, all while continuing to deal with lack of sufficient funding to prevent a backslide into the conflict and sectarianism of The Troubles.

The Ballymurphy Precedent

In The Ballymurphy Precedent, Collum Macrae probes the killings of 10 unarmed Catholics, including a priest and a mother of eight, in the West Belfast housing estate of Ballymurphy in August, 1971.

The Only Way Out in El Salvador

In El Salvador, brutal gangs like MS-13 and 18th Street do not allow members to quit without penalty of death, perpetuating an endless cycle of violence. There's only one exception: joining an evangelical church.

Meet the Journalist: Dominic Bracco

Photojournalist Dominic Bracco II's reporting follows Diego, a former gang member on his personal journey for reconciliation and redemption. In this video Bracco gives a behind-the-scenes look at the history of violence in Juarez.

Making a Movement

Students will (1) discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using social media and other forms of communication to bolster a movement and (2) create and present a text that promotes an issue.