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United States Institute of Peace

Elizabeth Murray

Senior Advisor, Peacebuilding and Inclusion

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Please submit all media inquiries to interviews@usip.org or call 202.429.3869.

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Elizabeth Murray is a senior advisor on peacebuilding and inclusion at the U.S. Institute of Peace. She leads the Institute’s efforts on disability-inclusive peacebuilding and advises on programming and research in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.

Murray first joined USIP in 2008 to work on the Institute’s grantmaking in Colombia. She has led USIP’s grantmaking in several countries and has managed programs and research in Sudan and Central African Republic. In addition to the inclusion of people with disabilities in peacebuilding, her thematic interests include national dialogues, political transitions and migration.

Prior to joining USIP, Murray managed educational programs at the Kennedy Center and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international politics and Latin American studies from Georgetown University, a master’s degree in conflict analysis and resolution from George Mason University, and a graduate certificate in international migration studies from Georgetown University.

Publications By Elizabeth

To Address Sexual Violence in Conflict, Don’t Overlook People with Disabilities

To Address Sexual Violence in Conflict, Don’t Overlook People with Disabilities

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

By: Sydney Johnson;  Elizabeth Murray

Sexual violence is a heinous crime that can affect anyone in conflict zones around the world. However, those with disabilities are often at greater risk of sexual violence than their counterparts without disabilities. Despite this, programs and policies for addressing conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) rarely focus on how people with disabilities are uniquely affected, yet alone the best ways to prevent such violence, support survivors and seek justice.

Type: Analysis

Gender;  Human Rights

Can the DRC Hold Free and Fair Elections Amid Mass Displacement?

Can the DRC Hold Free and Fair Elections Amid Mass Displacement?

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

By: Wapoenje T. Dacruz Evora;  Elizabeth Murray

On December 20, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is holding its first elections since the peaceful — but contested — transfer of power in 2019 from former President Joseph Kabila to current President Felix Tshisekedi. The elections come amid a climate of instability throughout the country, underpinned by conflict in the eastern regions, economic and social crises, and mistrust between the government and opposition. USIP’s Wapoenje Dacruz Evora and Elizabeth Murray examine the major candidates and the issues most important to voters, the risk for violence during the electoral process, and whether free and fair elections are possible given the mass displacement of civilians in the eastern DRC.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance

What to Know About Gabon’s Coup

What to Know About Gabon’s Coup

Thursday, August 31, 2023

By: Archibald S. Henry;  Elizabeth Murray

On August 30, just hours after Gabon’s election commission announced that President Ali Bongo Ondimba had been elected to a third term, a group of Gabonese military officers from the elite presidential guard unit seized power and placed the president under arrest at his palace. Later that day, the officers declared General Brice Oligui Nguema as chairman of the transition. While the election itself had been marred by reports of irregularities, the officers’ coup marks the latest in a long line of recent military takeovers across the African continent that have jeopardized regional stability and security.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance

The Role of Accessibility and Funding in Disability-Inclusive Peacebuilding

The Role of Accessibility and Funding in Disability-Inclusive Peacebuilding

Friday, July 29, 2022

By: Elizabeth Murray;  Rashad Nimr

Persons with disabilities are often left out of peace processes despite comprising an estimated 15 percent of the world’s population. Among those most acutely affected by violence and armed conflict, persons with disabilities who are living in — or attempting to leave — conflict zones face numerous threats to their physical and mental wellbeing, which can aggravate pre-existing disability or lead to secondary disability. Armed conflict and violence also increase the number of newly acquired disabilities, and many of those individuals face the same barriers and challenges as persons with existing disabilities — but without the previous lived experience.

Type: Analysis

Human Rights;  Peace Processes

La Transition Retardée du Tchad Frustre ses Citoyens

La Transition Retardée du Tchad Frustre ses Citoyens

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

By: Yamingué Betinbaye;  Elizabeth Murray

On May 14, demonstrations against France’s influence in Chad turned violent, injuring several policemen and leading to damage at several French-owned gasoline stations in Chad’s capital city of N'Djamena. Wakit Tamaa, the civil society and opposition coalition that called for the demonstrations, had organized the event for participants to express their disapproval of French military influence in the country — including perceived French support for the Transitional Military Council (CMT) that has ruled the country since April 2021.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance;  Peace Processes

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