Chasing bullets in the DRC

An investigator with the NGO, Conflict Armaments Research, sifts through bullets left behind at an armed group's base, after the DRC national army over ran the position in the Virunga National Park. photo: guy oliver/IRIN©
 
(IRIN) VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, May 13, 2014 - Her job is to track and trace small arms and ammunition in Africa’s conflict zones.

Drug policy shift no panacea for victims of the war

Mexican woman points gun in light of showing no fear in order to protect herself in the midst of the drug war in her region.  photo: nacho betancourt©
 
(IRIN) NEW YORK, May 9, 2014 - Easing up on drug prohibition will not solve the plight of the thousands of people displaced by the drug wars in Colombia, Mexico and other countries.

New US Farm Bill provides hope for food aid reform

Men unload sacks of rice to store in the World Food Program warehouse in Gao, Mali. The rice is used to respond to emergency food and nutritional needs in conflict-affected areas, such as Gao in northern Mali, which fell under occupation of armed groups in 2012.
tanya bindra/IRIN©

(IRIN) NEW YORK, April 14, 2014 - Efforts to improve the way the US government distributes roughly US$2 billion in international food aid each year achieved some successes in the recently enacted Agriculture Act of 2014 - commonly referred to as the Farm Bill - but the food aid mechanism used by the world’s largest donor continues to prioritize the needs of US commercial interests.