Such a privilege sharing the stage with some incredibly talented journalists for the panel at American University on conflict journalism. Thanks for those who came and asked questions. You can check out the video here: https://pulitzercenter.org/blog/egalitarian-perspective-women-conflict-journalism

It was just before dark, and Charles was pulling weeds with his father in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria state when roughly a dozen armed rebels appeared, demanding he join their ranks. Charles was terrified. His father tried to intervene, but he was outnumbered. That night, Charles, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, was separated from his father and forced to become a soldier. He was just 13 years old.

Full story for NEWSWEEK: http://www.newsweek.com/2017/03/31/south-sudan-civil-war-child-soldiers-572025.html

Am immensely grateful to the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, which gave me a grant to cover the crisis in South Sudan. Grants like these are absolutely critical for today's freelancers [and staff journalists, too!]. Count myself lucky to be in the Pulitzer Center family. You can find the whole project here: http://pulitzercenter.org/projects/close-look-inside-south-sudans-bitter-war

Cedric Herrou, a farmer from a French-Italian border village, organized a small network of underground smugglers to help migrants pass into France. He’s now facing jail time.

Had fun working with Keir Simmons on this piece for NBC's "TODAY SHOW."

For five months, Nyabany and her five children had avoided the gunfire. But they were dying all the same. The “constant” firefights near Nyabany’s village brought on by South Sudan’s civil war drove her family into nearby swamps, where they hid partially submerged in water and ate water lilies to survive until the fighting died down. But by November, even the flowers became impossible to find, and starvation soon set in. “Hunger was worse than the shooting,” Nyabany said.

Full story on VICE NEWS: https://news.vice.com/story/south-sudans-civil-war-pushes-the-country-toward-famine

South Sudan’s president has outmaneuvered his opponents politically. Now he has carte blanche to crush them militarily.

Full story for Foreign Policy: http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/01/02/the-revenge-of-salva-kiir-south-sudan-genocide-ethnic-cleansing/

Iraqis emerging from ISIS-held villages shared stories of life under the militants' rule. Emotional scenes played out as families reunited after years apart.

Iraqi forces drove Islamic State group out of Qayyarah in the run-up to the Mosul offensive — and the retreating militants have left a toxic legacy behind. Coughs are heard throughout the town and doctors are fearful of longterm health consequences.