I last visited Mwenga in February 2009. At the time, we went there to see how people would be impacted if the Rwandan and Congolese militaries expanded their operations against the FDLR rebel group into South Kivu.    

In February, people in Mwenga told us that they were very scared about these joint operations. There is a large presence of FDLR in Mwenga territory and people said that any operations against the rebel group would certainly jeopardize their own security. People were also scared of the Rwandan army returning to the area given its history of past abuses against the local population there. They told us, “if we flee, we don’t know where we’d go, because in the forest is the FDLR who have threatened to attack us, and in town will be the Rwandan military who have targeted us in the past.”

Almost a decade ago, Ken Bacon picked up the Refugees International reins from me.  My objective, drawing on RI's experience with Indochinese refugees, had been to take our early warning voice  worldwide.

But it was under Ken's leadership, that RI's voice in the media and via the RI website resounded, becoming the leading voice for displaced people around the world.  And it was Ken who built RI into a  wider-stanced, more durable organization.

In the midst of searching for a glimpse of a moose or awaiting the awe-inspiring sight of the Old Faithful geyser erupting, it might prove hard to keep the plight of millions of refugees on the forefront of a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  But as the board members, special guest speakers and supporters of Refugees International gathered for our 6th annual Jackson Hole Circle Event, it was clear that there would be no shortage of thoughtful interchange.