March has a seen a higher number of incidents compared to February, from deaths caused by outbreaks of violence to the prevention of a major terrorist attack. These incidents occurred in areas where violence has been previously reported. March witnessed a number of explosions which has raised...
March saw more flare-ups of violence and attacks directed toward the Rohingya. On March 10, 113 homes in Maungdaw Township were burned down, leaving over 300 people homeless. Though this has happened in the past, villagers reported that these fires were different. They spread more quickly than in...
Among the most notable developments from Burma in March was news that Nobel-Prize winning Doctors Without Borders, commonly known by its French moniker Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF), was removed from Burma. After media backlash, MSF was allowed to operate in Burma but not in Rakhine state, the...
Will Una Hakika be a viable tool in combating violence in in Tana Delta? The best way to answer this question is to analyze the impact of technology in Kenya in the security or peace sector. The use of technology in Kenya has been used to both perpetrate and prevent crime because Kenya is a nation...
Earlier this week, we released the first version of our downloadable, open source rumour management software, WikiRumours. An instance of this software, called Una Hakika? (“Are your sure?”), is currently being configured to support our efforts in Kenya’s Tana Delta. WikiRumours...
February was in some ways a quieter month on average with fewer incidents than previous months. This betrays the reality of a slowly spreading ethnic and economic conflict in more regions along the coast and a deepening of hostility between Muslims and government in Mombasa. In addition, in the...
During February there were no outbreaks of mass violence against the Rohingya. However, this should not be considered a sign that Burma is becoming a more welcoming environment. Though there may not be as many attacks, the government has started imposing practices that make it much harder for the...
We’ve been talking and writing a lot lately about Una Hakika but haven’t really taken the time yet to fully describe what it is. After all, what does it mean in practice to prevent atrocities in a remote part of eastern Kenya by using mobile phones to counter misinformation? This is a unique and...
Timothy Quinn recently became The Sentinel Project’s Director of Technology. Tim is a hands-on technology leader with 15 years experience deploying software for web, mobile and social media. He’s taught at both New York University and the City University of New York, developed The...
In this interview Drew Boyd, the Sentinel Project’s Kenya Situation of Concern Team Lead, weighs in on rumour-spreading in the Tana Delta, emerging trends in our field research and aspirations for the future of Una Hakika. What were your expectations for the Una Hakika project in the Tana Delta?...
Setting goals is one of the keys to success in any venture, which is one of the main reasons that 2013 was such a great year for the Sentinel Project. In fact, I’m writing this blog post from the road as our team drives through the Tana Delta in the midst of our first major fieldwork to directly...
January has seen a campaign of violence carried out by groups affiliated with or connected to Somalia’s al-Shabaab movement. Nightclub bombings, attempts to strike key infrastructure or transport sites and attacks on police appear to maintain their momentum. Additionally, outbreaks of...
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