The Friday Brief by Girl Friday
The Friday Brief is a news podcast by Girl Friday, a boutique global affairs firm in Washington, D.C. We believe awareness impels action for a world of good.
The Friday Brief by Girl Friday
Did wars in the 90s actually end?
In this episode, we're looking at the present-day impacts of wars in the 1990s. From Jared Kushner's Serbia real estate deal (gone wrong) to repatriation to Rwanda, we're still talking about genocides, civil conflicts, and grave humanitarian issues that occurred in the 1990s. What can we do today to ensure our near future is more peaceful? We've got some advice, courtesy of every child's favorite online educator, Ms. Rachel.
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Welcome to The Friday Brief, a news podcast by Girl Friday. I’m Phoenix Ricks, the CEO of Girl Friday and your host. This is your brief for May 20, 2025.
Early this morning, CNN reported that Donald Trump's call yesterday with Russia's Vladimir Putin didn't result in anything concrete on Ukraine. This raised new questions about the U.S.'s role in brokering a ceasefire. CNN says the "toothless peace effort" is even more ambiguous now, with both Trump and Vance asserting that the U.S. might back out of its role in helping Ukraine secure a ceasefire. Vance had previously asserted the U.S. could exit if there was no progress. On Monday, Donald Trump echoed that sentiment, telling reporters, “I tell you, big egos involved, but I think something’s going to happen. And if it doesn’t, I just back away and they’re going to have to keep going." Is this a bluff to force one side's hand into acting faster, or is the U.S. really threatening to abandon our ally, Ukraine?
Now, looking at news from Africa. NPR reported that hundreds of Rwandan refugees were repatriated on Saturday. They had been living in Congo since fleeing Rwanda after the 1994 genocide, which targeted Tutsis and anyone supporting them, including politically moderate Hutus. Most of the returning refugees this past weekend were women and children. They represent just a handful of the hundreds of thousands of Hutus who fled to Congo. One of the returning refugees was born in 1996 and said, "I never thought this day would come. I'm finally going back to the land of my ancestors." The returning refugees were escorted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Save the Children. A Rwandan politician greeted them at the border: "We are happy to welcome our compatriots. They are a valuable workforce for the country's development.”
Why do conflicts keep occurring in this country? Congo has extremely valuable minerals, and far too many armed groups are vying for control of those resources. On top of that, they have to deal with the ethnic conflicts that spilled over their border in the 1990s. For instance, one of the militias in Congo is called M23. They are comprised of Tutsis and are supported by Rwanda. And then, in addition to those issues, there’s foreign pressure for mineral deals. On May 1st, Reuters reported that “the U.S. is pushing Congo and Rwanda to sign a peace accord at the White House in about two months, accompanied by bilateral mineral deals that would bring billions of dollars of Western investment to the region.” A few days later, the AP reported the following: “Some analysts have warned that the U.S. could become involved in, or worsen, the militia violence, corruption, exploitation, and rights abuses surrounding the mining of eastern Congo’s riches.”
Congo isn't the only country still dealing with repercussions from violence in the 1990s. Did you see what transpired in Serbia over the past week? The Trump family’s Serbian real estate ambitions may prove to be politically costly for Serbia’s president. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is at the helm of a historic real estate deal, which has been chaotic from the beginning. You may recall Reuters reporting in March of this year that thousands of Serbians were in the streets in remembrance of the 1999 NATO bombing, while also protesting against Jared Kushner’s proposed luxury complex. But why would these two things - remembrance of a bombing and a new luxury complex - be connected? Well, when Jared Kushner’s real estate team scanned Serbia to find the perfect location for a posh European hotel and residential facility, they picked the former site of Serbia’s Ministry of Defense. The building was bombed in 1999 during NATO’s Operation Allied Force, which the United States participated in.
Back in 1999, when this was all happening, Serbia was part of a larger country called Yugoslavia, which was in the midst of the Kosovo War. At the time, there were allegations of war crimes, ethnic cleansing, civil rights abuses, and other grave humanitarian issues. All of those reports prompted NATO’s intervention. I could spend the next five hours talking about that war and the present-day relationship between the countries formerly known together as Yugoslavia, but, as you can imagine, no matter which side people were on in that horrific conflict, there were losses and grief. So, it makes sense that Serbians might be upset to learn that this site, where perhaps they lost loved ones, might become a luxury complex owned by an American political family.
Given the history, you might be wondering if a location like this would be protected from development. The answer is yes. So, this situation actually gets worse. Four days ago, here’s what RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty reported: “Serbian prosecutors on May 14 announced that the cultural official in charge of the site's historic designation had forged a key document and had been arrested. Goran Vasic, the acting director of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, admitted he had fabricated an expert's opinion.” An architect who is part of a preservation group told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that “It's too early to celebrate. I believe this is the result of strong public pressure. There's a broad front fighting to preserve the [building]." Kushner's company told The New York Times that they would need to "assess the situation and determine next steps.”
So, will this arrest and forgery permanently stop the deal? Well, it's important to note that the President of Serbia, Aleksandr Vucic, has hosted Donald Jr. twice in recent months, so he seems to be pretty invested in maintaining strong relationships with the Trump family. Three days ago, he indicated to Bloomberg News that the deal was not off. He even went so far as to contradict his prosecutors. This is a politically tricky move for him, and we’ll watch to see how this plays out in the coming months.
As I think about how violence from the 1990s still has serious impacts today, especially in places like Congo, I can't help but wonder how crises today will impact the near future. I'm going read an excerpt of something Ms. Rachel (the popular YouTube host for children) posted on Instagram on May 19th. She posted a photo of a starving baby in Gaza and directed world leaders to think about children. She wrote, in part, "They need us to be brave. They need you to see them as children, so stop looking away and see them." I believe she's right. For Gaza. For Ukraine. For Yemen. For Sudan. For South Sudan. For Myanmar.
We need world leaders to protect children, prioritize peace, and end all forms of violence. Imagine what might be different today in Congo had that been the guiding principle in Rwanda in 1994.
Thank you for listening to The Friday Brief. Make sure you and your friends don’t miss an episode! Check out our new website, thefridaybrief.com, and follow The Friday Brief on Instagram and TikTok. Until next time, I’m Phoenix Ricks signing off from Washington, D.C. Let’s work together for a world of good.
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