CIVIC Annual Report 2023

The policy, which is the very first of its kind, reflects numerous civil society recommendations provided by CIVIC and the Protection of Civilians Working Group In 2023, we witnessed the emergence of new conflicts and the deepening of existing ones, each leaving its own trail of human suffering and destruction. [...] In Niger, the month after the coup saw a 42 percent increase in violence, mainly due to continued AOG activity, organized banditry in the Maradi region, and inter-communal violence in the Tillabéri region, as soldiers stripped their positions in these areas to join Niamey at the call of the new military leaders. [...] Through dialogue with Burkinabe military leaders, the CSOs addressed issues related to the protection of civilians, resulting notably in the creation of the Brigade of Volunteers to Defend the Fatherland (BVDP) in June 2022. [...] CIVIC also forged new and expanded research partnerships including with the Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network, a diverse coalition of expert researchers, the Rift Valley Institute and a network of local researchers in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and through an Applied Research Program with the Geneva Graduate Institute on “Protecting Civilians When Disaster and Co. [...] CIVIC continued to advocate for the adoption and implementation of US laws and policies to protect civilians in US operations and address the risk of civilian harm in US security cooperation activities.