Nobel Peace Prize 2018 as it happened: Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad win award for combating sexual violence
Pair win for ‘efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon’
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Your support makes all the difference.Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Yazidi campaigner Nadia Murad have won the 2018 Nobel peace prize.
Doctor Mukwege is a gynaecologist who has treated victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ms Murad is a survivor of sexual slavery by Isis in Iraq.
The selection by the Nobel committee saw the pair beat favourite nominees including North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US president Donald Trump.
Read our rolling coverage in the blog below
According to Alfred Nobel’s will, the Peace Prize is awarded to the person who in the preceding year “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee says that Denis Mukwege is “the foremost, most unifying symbol, both nationally and internationally, of the struggle to end sexual violence in war and armed conflicts.”
Mukwege and his team have treated thousands of patients who have been raped or sexually abused in Congo's long civil war.
“The importance of Dr Mukwege's enduring, dedicated and selfless efforts in this field cannot be overstated. He has repeatedly condemned impunity for mass rape and criticised the Congolese government and other countries for not doing enough to stop the use of sexual violence against women as a strategy and weapon of war,” the committee said in its citation on Friday.
Donald Tusk, president of the European Council has congratulated the winners. The European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012.
Last year’s winners, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), has congratulated Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, saying “both laureates thoroughly deserve this honour through their incredible work to address sexual violence in conflict”.
In a statement on their website, the organisation said:
“ICAN wishes to congratulate the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Nadia Murad and Dr Denis Mukwege. Both laureates thoroughly deserve this honour through their incredible work to address sexual violence in conflict, and we look forward to working with them as Nobel laureates dedicated to a peaceful world safe from both the threats of nuclear weapons and the use of sexual violence in war, both fundamental violations of international law.
“The Nobel Committee has rightly chosen to highlight the role of women this year in giving the award to Nadia and Denis, and it is great to see women like Nadia leading on this issue just as they do in the disarmament movement.
“Dr Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad have been given a great platform by recognising the importance of preventing sexual violence against women, as ICAN found the year since winning the Nobel to be a watershed one for nuclear disarmament thanks to the doors the Nobel Peace Prize opened and the focus it gave to our important issue. We found that when we act together in shared humanity, the human race is an unstoppable force for good and we look forward to being part of that journey with Denis and Nadia.”
When Barack Obama won the prize in 2009 - just one year into his first presidential term, he said: “This is not how I expected to wake up this morning.”
This is how The Independent reported it at the time:
The Norwegian Refugee Council secretary general Jan Egeland has congratulated the winners and said the award would be a boost for survivors of sexual violence.
He said: “The Nobel Committee finally shines the spotlight on sexual violence today, first and foremost towards women and children in war.
“I first suggested Dennis Mukwege for the Peace Prize in 2008 after several visits to the Panzi Hospital, which he created for raped women in Eastern Congo. With great danger to his own life, he has since been a tireless advocate for the most forgotten and vulnerable survivors of war.
“It is fitting that he shares the award with Nadia Murad, a brave woman who has survived sexual violence, and taken up the fight for other women so they do not have to endure similar horrors.
“Today’s award will boost our work for survivors of sexual violence, crimes which are much more prevalent in conflict than most people realise. We must strengthen international efforts to prevent theses assaults, and ensure that those who commit what are pure war crimes are held accountable.”
Youngest ever winner of the prize, Malala Yousafzai, who was 17 when she won alongside Kailash Satyarthi in 2014, has tweeted her congratulations to Nadia Murad and Dennis Mukwege.
Dan Smith, Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said: "Rape in war has been a crime for centuries. But it was a crime in the shadows. The two laureates have both shone a light on it.
“Their achievements are really extraordinary in bringing international attention to the crime,” he said.
The UN has said the awarding of the prize to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad is a "fantastic announcement".
UN spokeswoman Alessandra Velluci told reporters in Geneva: "This is a cause that is very close to the United Nations and as you know we have a special representative who is also working towards this, and I'm sure that this Nobel peace prize will help advance the cause of ending sexual violence as a weapon of conflict."
Ms Murad is the UN's goodwill ambassador for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking.
The Democratic Republic of Congo's government has congratulated Dr Mukwege while acknowledging relations have been strained over the years.
Spokesman Lambert Mende said Dr Mukwege has done "remarkable work" treating victims of sexual violence during years of conflict in the country's east.
Dr Mukwege has in the past criticised the Congolese government and accused its troops of having a culture of sexual violence.
A government spokesman said "we have not always been in agreement" and added Dr Mukwege has had a tendency to "politicise" his humanitarian work but added "we salute that a compatriot is recognised".
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