Sudanese man heads home with a mission

Sudanese man heads home with a mission
He hopes to help rebuild a village
By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff December 29, 2006
Answering a challenge from village elders to help rebuild his native village in southern Sudan, Machar Nai will leave Boston on Sunday and travel to his homeland, bringing with him several thousand dollars and fresh ideas.
"I will go to the elders . . . they will decide where to best use the money," Nai said in an interview.
The funds could go toward equipment and supplies for the local medical clinic or school, said Nai, who became a US citizen in the fall and who lives in Somerville.
About $2,500 was raised by nurses and other staff at Brigham and Women's Hospital, where Nai, now in his 20s, works as a patient care assistant . Nurses learned that Nai was one of about 3,600 boys, known as the Lost Boys of Sudan, brought to the United States in 2001 after enduring hardships caused by a 1987 civil war.
Mary Lou Moore , a nurse administrator at the hospital, hired Nai in 2002. "In the interview, he sort of took me back gradually to what he had gone through, and I was amazed, enough to know that he has incredible courage and passion. We can teach skills, but can't give them hearts, and Machar has a very caring heart."
Five days a week, Nai works from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. as a bus driver in Woburn and then from 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at the hospital. He says he has postponed his educational aspirations.
This way, he said, he can serve as a pipeline of income for his family and his village. Last year, he pooled his money with other Lost Boys to buy the village a grain-grinding machine.
It will take Nai almost five days to travel to Kolnyang , the small dusty village where he was born, and which he fled with hundreds of other male youths almost 19 years ago.
The hopes of the village, if not much of the southern region of the country, rests on the shoulders of men like Nai.
The civil war dispersed about 20,000 children from their villages. As refugees, Nai and the other children endured hunger, disease, and predatory animals on a 1,000-mile walk that ended at a UN camp in Kenya. Nai does not know his age, but believes he was about 8 when he fled.
When Nai returned in 2004 he reunited with his family, and saw the scars left on his village by the strife. He visited the hospital clinic and saw it had no electricity or basic supplies and that patients were jammed into small rooms.
The school lacked supplies and equipment. Nai said those images, along with the challenge from the elders, compelled him to return.
"It's a very big responsibility and I feel the pressure," said Nai, who will spend 11 weeks in Sudan, mostly in his village.
"Being here, I'm able to help my family, but what about all the other families that are there who don't have someone in my situation?" Nai said.
"Because of that, because I have the opportunity to make a difference, I will do it," he added.

Darfur SLM leader says hybrid force deployment not enough

Darfur SLM leader says hybrid force deployment not enough

Dec 25, 2006 (LONDON) — A Darfur rebel leader criticized deployment of AU-Un force in support of the existing African Unions forces. He said this step could be considered as “complaisance towards genocide in Darfur”.
Abdelwahid al-Nur the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement, said that the deployment joint AU-UN force under the command pf the African Union is not a sufficient measure to re-establish security and to protect civilians in Darfur.
Al-Nur told Sudan Tribune by telephone that the current mandate of the AU force would not allow the protection of the civilians in Darfur. He added that their demand for international forces in Darfur is justified by the fact that UN resolution 1706 clearly stipulated the protection of Darfur people.
“We want a clear disposition stipulating the protection of the civilians and particularly women and children and internally displaced persons as it provided in article 9 of the UN Security Council resolution 1706.”
“Under Addis Ababa agreement the hybrid force’s mandate is toothless” Al Nur said.
The rebel leader expressed fears that Sudanese government would not implement the 16 and 30 November agreements on the hybrid force. He further urged the world to maintain pressure on Khartoum.
“The international community should be aware to Khartoum manipulations “There are more that 10 resolutions on Darfur but all of them are not implemented.” He also said that that Khartoum while manoeuvring with the international community continues to attack civilians.
He accused Sudanese government of carrying out more than 50 attacks against civilians this month. In deference to Khartoum’s opposition, the United Nations scaled back its plans — adopted in UN 1706 — to replace the African Union force of 7,000 troops in Darfur with the 20,000 U.N. force and, since early November, has been pushing to reinforce the existing AU force with smaller numbers of U.N. personnel as well as technical and financial assistance.
The strength of the peacekeeping force should be 17,000 and 3,000 police. However, the GoS representative indicated that he would need to consult with his government on this figure. A meeting would be held Tuesday 26 to discuss the number of the hybrid force.
Earlier in December, Natsios said Sudan could not "cherry-pick" the plan — accepting some elements but rejecting others — because nations would only contribute troops if Khartoum agreed to a contingent large enough to ensure their own self-protection.
Al-Nur renewed his call to the international community to support the reunification of the SLM. “Serious efforts are going on to achieve the full unity of the movement; and we need political, diplomatic and material support of the international community;” he stressed.
“We work seriously to realize the unity of the Darfurians and the Sudanese generally under the basis of citizenship and secular state;” he added.
Al Nur wished a Merry Christmas, and thanked the international community, the ONGs and the civil society organizations for their efforts for peace and the protection of Darfur people.
He also expressed a Marry Christmas to all the Sudanese Christians saying “we wish that 2007 would be a year of peace in Sudan.”



Statement from the Military Spokesman of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army.

To: The International Community and the Stakeholders of Darfur.

Confirming to the Statement issued by the General Commander of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army,Abdulgadir Abdurrahman Ibrahim (Gadora) on 11th of December
2006 that the Movement is united under the leadership of the chairman Abdul Wahid Mohamed Ahmed Elnour,hereby I would like to send special thanks and appreciation to the tireless efforts exerted so far by the following leaders, and off course all the leaders of SLM/A Secors,whose names I can not mention to unite the Movement.
The SLM/A General Commander of the Army (Gadora), The SLM/A deputy General commander of the Army Mohamed Adam Abdulsalaam (Tarrada),The General Secretary of the Movement Jarelnabi Abdulkarim Younis,The commander of the north sector Suleiman Ibrahim Maragan,The Commander of Eian Siro Sector Ali Haroun (Doud), the Commander of Jebel Moon Sector Ibrahim Mohammed Nasir The Commander of the western Sector Yousif Ahmed Yousif (Karrjakola). Their Thuraya phones are: - +8821621515486,+8821621206687,+8821621525586,+8821621197451,+8821633328844,+8821633351771,+8821655581052.Respectively.
Accordingly, we kindly appeal to the International Community and the entire Stakeholders in Darfur to give us the Political, Moral and material Support to foster SLM/A unity, under the leadership of his Historical chairman. Ours is a real people’s revolution, of all the people and always it will be.

Unity, Struggle, Victory.

Nimir Mohamed Abdulrahman(Jara).
The Military Spokesman of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army.

Sudan Liberation Movement

Sudan Liberation Movement
UK and N. Ireland Office

From the basic principle and goals of the Sudan liberation Movement under the founder and Chairman, Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nor. In darfur, and all the decent commanders
Sudan Liberation movement in the UK and N. Ireland announced its executive Office members whom are following.

1) Chairman Ibrahim Sidig Ismail
2) Deputy Chairman Abaker yunees
3) General secretary Alrabae Ezaldeen
4) Deputy secretary Adam hussain
5) Financial secretary Ismail Mohammed
6) Deputy Financial secretary Mussa Bahreldin
7) Media secretary Yahia Elbashir
8) Deputy Media secretary Anwar Bakar
9) Political secretary Nour eldin Zakria
10)Deputy Political Kalid Abuker
11)Organizing secretary Moutasem Bableir
12)Deputy Organizing Amir Adam
13)Social secretary Abdulazem Ahmed
14)Deputy Social Omer Adam Beki
15)Coulter secretary Mohamed Yagoub
16)Deputy Coulter Samir Adam
17)Woman and Chaild Hoda Ishag


The foundation of the Office in the UK and N. Ireland come under quality process to ensure again to the all people of SlM in the world. Who the Chairman of SLM Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nour with legal sprit to carry on the principle of Darfur and Sudan people under united democratic Sudan for all people of Sudan with full rights, and equality in justice and responsibilities.
Call all people of SLM members in all over the world to stand beside the founder and Chairman of the SLM and close the doors to the opportunistic, personal interested whom painting grey arid. Long live struggle our people in IDPs and refugee camps,


Greeting to our resistance heroes,

Yahia Elbashir

Media office and Spokesman of Sudan Liberation Movement in UK N.
Ireland

Issued in London
26 / 12 / 2006

Tel : 00447961608397

Email : Webmaster sudanslm.net

Ethiopia launched offensive against Somalia Islamists

Ethiopia launched offensive against Somalia Islamists

Dec 24, 2006 (MOGADISHU) — Ethiopia launched an attack Sunday on Somalia’s powerful Islamic movement, sending fighter jets across the border and bombarding several towns in a sharp escalation in the violence that threatens to engulf the volatile Horn of Africa in widespread violence.
Ethiopia confirmed the attacks, the first time it has acknowledged that its troops were fighting in Somalia, though witnesses have reported their presence for weeks.
The airstrikes hit the strategic town of Belet Weyne on the Ethiopian border and surrounding villages up to 12 miles away, said Sheik Mohamoud Ibrahim Suley, an official with Somalia’s Council of Islamic Courts. A resident of Belet Weyne - Ayanle Husein Abdi - said the strikes hit a strategic road and a recruiting center.
Ethiopia said it was acting to defend itself.
"After too much patience, the Ethiopian government has taken a self-defensive measure and has begun counterattacking the aggressive extremist forces," said Solomon Abebe, Ethiopia’s foreign affairs spokesman.
Abdi said that the planes hit an Islamic center where the Islamic officials in the region enrolled volunteers who wanted to join the war. Another witness, Said Abukar Sahal, said the strikes were targeting the roads and defenses of the Islamic militia.
The Council of Islamic Courts has vowed to drive out troops from neighboring Ethiopia, a largely Christian nation that is providing military support to Somalia’s U.N.-backed government.
Somalia has not had an effective government since warlords overthrew longtime dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, plunging the country into chaos. The Islamic courts have steadily gained power since June, raising concerns about an emerging Taliban-style regime. The U.S. accuses the group of having ties to al-Qaida, which it denies.
Somalia’s government spokesman, Abdirahman Dinari, said from Baidoa that his forces have "inflicted massive casualties," although the claim could not be independently confirmed.
Last week, officials from the Somali government and the Islamic union said days of fighting killed hundreds of people.
The Ethiopian airstrikes on Sunday were the first against Somalia’s Islamic movement. Ethiopia and Somalia have fought two wars over their disputed border in the last 45 years. Islamic court leaders have repeatedly said they want to incorporate ethnic Somalis living in eastern Ethiopia, northeastern Kenya and Djibouti into a Greater Somalia.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said his government has a legal and moral obligation to support and defend Somalia’s internationally recognized government. He has repeatedly accused the Islamic courts of backing ethnic Somali rebels fighting for independence from Ethiopia and has called such support an act of war.
As Sunday’s fighting wore on, the Islamic leadership in the capital, Mogadishu, began broadcasting patriotic songs about Somalia’s 1977 war with Ethiopia. Although the two countries view each other as enemies, Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf is a longtime ally of Ethiopia.
The militants, who want to govern Somalia according to Islamic law, invited foreign Muslims on Saturday to join their holy war against Ethiopian troops. Many fear the fighting could escalate into a regional battle.
"Muslims are brothers and help each other," said Sheik Yusuf Indahaadde, national security chairman for the Council of Islamic Courts. "We have a right to call our brothers and sisters to help us in this holy war."
The clashes could mean a major conflict in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia, which has one of the largest armies in the region, and its bitter rival, Eritrea, could use Somalia as the ground for a proxy war. Eritrea backs the Islamists.
In Kismayo, a strategic seaport captured by Islamic militia in September, residents saw several foreign Arab fighters disembarking from ships this week.
Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi vowed Saturday that his government will "defend the people it is responsible for and Somali sovereignty" and said the Islamic fighters should return to negotiations. Several rounds of talks, mediated by the Arab League, have failed to produce any lasting effect.
Thousands of Somalis have fled their homes as troops loyal to the two-year-old interim administration fought Islamic fighters who had advanced on Baidoa, about 140 miles northwest of Mogadishu. Islamic militiamen control Mogadishu along with most of southern Somalia.
Government officials said more than 600 Islamic fighters had been killed during four days of clashes. Islamic militiamen said they killed around 400 Ethiopians and government fighters. Neither claim could be independently confirmed.
(AP)

Darfur rebels say they shot down helicopters

Darfur rebels say they shot down helicopters

Cairo - Rebels in Sudan's western Darfur region said on Friday they had downed two helicopters and killed 13 Sudanese officers, and denied that 200 members of their movement had died in a government attack."The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and its allies categorically deny information put out by the the Sudanese army on Thursday," the rebel movement said in a statement received by AFP in Cairo.The group said that in fact "government forces and Janjaweed militiamen suffered heavy losses and fled towards the town of Kutum, leaving several dead behind them - including 13 officers of different ranks".On Thursday the Sudanese army said it had killed 200 rebels in repulsing a massive attack by rebels on Kutum in northern Darfur a day earlier, and said four of its soldiers had been killed and 20 wounded in the action.Friday's rebel statement also said the SLM/A had "shot down two military helicopters, destroyed seven military vehicles and seized 13 cars containing military equipment".The group said that in making its claims, Khartoum wanted to "disguise the series of defeats suffered recently by government forces and the Janjaweed" proxy militia.The SLM/A said that six of its members had been killed in the Kutum operation and 17 were wounded.The group belongs to the National Redemption Front (NRF), a coalition created by movements that did not sign the Abuja accord in May aimed at ending the conflict in Darfur where the United Nations says at least 200,000 people have died from the combined effect of war and famine in nearly four years.Wednesday's fighting came amid intensified efforts to reach an agreement on the deployment of UN peacekeepers in Darfur as Washington warned that Khartoum had until year's end to accept or face coercive action.The conflict erupted in February 2003 when ethnic minority rebels complaining of marginalisation launched an uprising which was fiercely repressed by government troops and its allied Janjaweed militia.A peace deal was signed in the Nigerian capital in May between the Khartoum government and the main rebel faction from the Sudan Liberation Movement, but the two other negotiating factions - including rebels who later formed the NRF - rejected the accord, which has failed to take hold.

Britain donates 40 mln pounds in Darfur aid

Britain donates 40 mln pounds in Darfur aid

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Britain will donate a further 40 million pounds to aid efforts in Darfur to help the world's largest aid operation suffering from daily attacks and government restrictions in Sudan's remote west.
Britain is the second largest donor to Darfur, where almost four years of conflict has forced 2.5 million to flee their homes and killed an estimated 200,000 in violence Washington calls genocide. Khartoum denies genocide.
"As we head towards the new year, it is of critical importance that the international community provides early and adequate finance to sustain the massive humanitarian response needed in Darfur," said Hilary Benn, the international development minister, in a statement on Thursday.
This week the United Nations launched an appeal for some $653 million (332 million pounds) in 2007 to fund emergency aid and development in Africa's largest country, torn apart by multiple civil wars.
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US finds difficulty in providing aid to Darfur
Jim Kouri

In 2003, a violent conflict in Darfur, Sudan, broke out between rebel groups and government troops and government-supported Arab militias. While few would dispute that many thousands of Darfur civilians have died, less consensus exists about the total number of deaths attributable to the crisis.
Estimates by the US Department of State and other parties report death tolls up to about 400,000 for varying populations and periods of time between February 2003 and August 2005.
The United States has been the largest donor of humanitarian aid to Darfur, obligating nearly $1 billion from October 2003 through September 2006, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Although more than 68 percent of this assistance consisted of food aid, US assistance has also supported other needs, such as water and sanitation, shelter, and health care. Since 2003, humanitarian organizations have made significant progress in increasing the number of people in Darfur receiving aid.
In addition, malnutrition and mortality rates in Darfur dropped, a trend that US and other officials attribute in part to humanitarian assistance efforts. However, the US Agency for International Development and the entities providing US humanitarian assistance have encountered several challenges that have hampered delivery of, or accountability for, humanitarian services in Darfur. These challenges include continued insecurity in Darfur; Sudanese government restrictions on access to communities in need; the timing of funding; and an incapacity to ensure monitoring of, and reporting on, US-funded programs.
The African Mission in Sudan, or AMIS, has taken several positive actions in Darfur to pursue its mandate, although some actions have been incomplete or inconsistent. For example, to monitor compliance with a 2004 cease-fire agreement — one mandate component — AMIS investigated alleged cease-fire violations and identified numerous violations; however, the resulting reports were not consistently reviewed at higher levels or made fully publicly available to identify those violating the agreement.
The US government, via private contractors, provided about $280 million from June 2004 through September 2006 to build and maintain 32 camps for AMIS forces in Darfur, according to the Department of State. Numerous challenges have been identified by African Union or US officials, among others, as negatively affecting AMIS's efforts in Darfur.
These challenges include inadequacies in AMIS's organization, management, and capacity, such as inconsistent interpretation of the AMIS mandate; its relatively small forces; limited or poorly allocated resources; and a lack of intelligence regarding, and cooperation from, the parties to the conflict.
A transition from AMIS to a UN peacekeeping operation is being considered, although the Sudanese government has rejected such a transition. A possible NATO-assisted review of AMIS operations has not been conducted. Meanwhile, insecurity and violence continue in Darfur.
Sources: US Department of State, United Nations, Government Accountability Office, US Congress
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.

UN envoy kicks off Sudan mission

UN envoy kicks off Sudan mission

Khartoum - "Ahmadou Ould Abdallah is meeting Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Ali Karti and is due to meet President Omar al-Beshir later today," spokesperson Ali al-Sadek has said.Ould Abdallah, a Mauritanian UN official appointed by outgoing Secretary General Kofi Annan to negotiate with Khartoum, arrived in the Sudanese capital early on Wednesday.The UN under secretary general is expected to coordinate a three-phase UN plan to bolster the African Union contingent, which has failed to contain relentless violence in Darfur.The first two stages consist of technical and logistical assistance. The third, which aims at turning the African contingent into a "hybrid" AU-UN force, has yet to be approved by Beshir

Darfur: Adventist Relief Aid Reaches Internally Displaced

Darfur: Adventist Relief Aid Reaches Internally Displaced Sudanese

During a time of continued tension in Sudan's troubled Darfur region, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) continues to provide relief aid to desperate Internally Displaced Persons, or IDPs, in Darfur, Sudan. More than 2 million people have fled their homes to escape violence between alleged government-backed militia--known as "Janjaweed"--and rebel armies, seeking refuge in camps set up for those who have been displaced within their own country. Widespread rape, murder and looting have escalated, threatening the lives of thousands. At least 180,000 people have been killed in the three-year conflict. Tensions continue to increase in response to the peace treaty signed Friday, May 5, between the Sudanese government and the main rebel group. Two other rebel groups rejected the treaty. Many believe that the treaty did not do enough to protect IDPs. On May 8, United States President George W. Bush urged Sudan to allow United Nations peacekeepers into Darfur, a request that has previously been denied. He has also promised to ship urgently needed emergency food to starving families and urged the American people to further donate to humanitarian agencies working in the affected region. "ADRA's work in the Darfur region is challenging and at significant risk," Mario Ochoa, executive vice president, ADRA International, says. "But the agency exists to provide aid where it's needed the most. Darfur's IDPs, barely surviving in the face of violence, fear and deprivation, urgently need our expanded assistance." Working in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other major government donors, ADRA is providing development and emergency relief aid for displaced families in Darfur and throughout war-torn Sudan. Projects include provision of emergency food aid, access to clean water, health care, and improved sanitation, as well as reaching community development goals through small enterprise development projects, agricultural initiatives, animal husbandry, women's literacy programs, and initiatives to aid in the return of displaced persons to their homes. To combat the effects of dehydration, ADRA has implemented a large water well drilling project of 21 new wells throughout Western Darfur, rehabilitated 85 damaged wells, established Community Water Committees, and conducted hygiene education/awareness training for more than 6,500 people. ADRA has also recently completed a second well drilling project, providing 19 new wells and repairing another 50. ADRA built 1,250 latrines for IDPs in Kirinding Camp, located in Western Darfur, along with an additional 2,250 in three refugee camps/towns south of Geneina, in Deleiji, Mukjar, and Um Dukum. ADRA will also commence operations in May to build 1,000 family pit latrines, and provide additional hygiene education for families. More than US$340,000 worth of supplies for IDPs, including blankets, plastic sheeting, water containers, clothing, farm tools, and seeds have supported 15,000 people stranded in a camp in Southwestern Darfur. In addition, ADRA has provided clothing for 1,200 women who are victims of gender-based violence, offering support for these and other vulnerable women to provide access to services and reporting on incidents of violence occurring within the camps where ADRA is working. ADRA has received project funding from several governmental donors, such as the Australian Government's overseas aid program (AUSAID), the European Community's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), the European Union, the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the Norwegian Development Agency (Norad), USAID, the U.S. Department of State, and the German Foreign Ministry. UNICEF, Bread for the World (Germany), Japan Platform, the International Council of Church Organizations (ICCO), and the Swedish Mission Council have also funded ADRA projects in Sudan. In addition, ADRA has been working in partnership with the International Office for Migration (IOM), UNICEF, and various other United Nations agencies. "ADRA's primary goal in Sudan is to improve living conditions of displaced explained. "The agency began work in Sudan in 1979 with a primary health care program based in Juba in Equatoria State, South Sudan. Since then, ADRA has broadened its scope to include food security, emergency relief, water resource development, and sanitation and community development. "Right now, we're appealing for donations to assist ADRA in continuing and expanding its critical work in the Darfur region. Hundreds of thousands of people are looking to agencies [such as] ADRA for relief from the crisis that threatens their lives," Ochoa said. For more information call 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or visit www.adra.org.
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A new secretary-general, a new day on Darfur

A new secretary-general, a new day on Darfur

Ban Ki-moon has no more important mission at the U.N. than stopping the slaughter in western Sudan
"The suffering of the people of Darfur is simply unacceptable."
Those were South Korea's Ban Ki-moon's words Thursday in his first news conference after being sworn in to succeed Kofi Annan as the United Nations' secretary-general come January. They're not particularly exceptional words or meaningful words -- the world generally says the suffering is unacceptable yet continues to accept the suffering there -- but they're still important and hopeful words.
Why? Well, we'd like to believe that Ban will move heaven and earth and the hell unfolding in Darfur to end the U.N.'s acceptance of what the United Nations itself says is the world's worst humanitarian disaster, and the United States says is genocide. We also find it difficult to believe he could do worse than Annan has done since the killing and dislocation began in 2003.
Ban has a staggering to-do list at the U.N. He says he's a man on a mission and that mission could be dubbed "Operation Restore Trust" -- "trust in the organization and trust between member-states and the secretariat." That will take some doing after all the malfeasance and misfeasance in the $64 billion oil-for-food program for Iraq and U.N. procurement programs. Yet, important as they are, Ban's housekeeping chores pale next to the task of actually making the "unacceptable" actually unacceptable.
Darfur is a scandal of a different order -- an epic and moral scandal not only in terms of what's happening there, but also what hasn't happened in terms of the U.N. and the world's response to the death and dislocation in Darfur. The U.N. itself estimates that some 200,000 people have died and more than 2 million have been forced to flee their homes.
The incoming U.N. secretary-general said last week he plans to "make himself directly and personally engaged" in the search for a Darfur settlement. Excellent. The more engagement the better. As Ban recognizes, there's "no military solution" to the problem. His burden will be to find some way to overcome the Sudan government's objections to allowing U.N. forces into Darfur, where rebels and government-backed militias are fighting. The troops there now from the African Union are simply not up to the job.
In the end, saving Darfur would probably do more to make Ban Ki-moon's "Operation Restore Trust" a success than any institutional reforms he might put in place at U.N. headquarters. However belatedly, it would show the United Nations can be trusted to end mass genocide and a humanitarian catastrophe.

Special Guest Blogger: Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi Posts on Darfur for Human Rights Day

Special Guest Blogger: Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi Posts on Darfur for Human Rights Day

Fifty eight years ago, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, announcing the basic rights and fundamental freedoms to which every citizen of the world is entitled, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, declaring genocide a crime under international law which the civilized world must prevent. This weekend, we mark these anniversaries with heavy hearts, reminded that we are bound to aid those who have been deprived of these very rights and protections.In the preamble to the Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations and its members pledged to achieve "the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms." Despite this pledge, we have seen an atrocity unfold before our very eyes in Darfur, yet we have taken little action to protect these sacrosanct rights. The lack of international action has allowed the Sudanese government to continue with what USAID and the United Nations have called an "ethnic cleansing," as the nightmare continues for our brothers and sisters in Darfur.Although the Declaration promises "the right to life, liberty, and security of person," hundreds of thousands of civilians have been murdered and more than 2.5 million people have been displaced into unprotected camps throughout Sudan or sent to refugee camps in neighboring Chad. The Declaration states that "no one shall be subjected to torture, or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment," yet hundreds of women are raped or sexually assaulted every week, with no force to protect them. The African Union, the only peacekeeping force in Sudan, does not have the manpower or the mandate to prevent these heinous acts from occurring. It is obvious that the Sudanese government has no intention of stopping its indiscriminate massacre of Darfuris. If we do not act, the people of Darfur will continue to suffer, without hope or end in sight.As we commemorate the 58th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Genocide Convention we must remember that with the crisis in Darfur, now is no time to celebrate. It is time to champion the rights of the Declaration not by words, but through our actions. We cannot stand idly by as the Sudanese government continues its systematic destruction of the people of Darfur. We are compelled by the conscience of the world to put an end to this humanitarian disaster and restore dignity and hope to the Darfuri. If we do not, we betray our commitment as the protector of human rights, and risk compromising the very nature of our own conscience. I join with you on this Weekend of Prayer for Darfur, and pray that our efforts will bring more attention to the worsening crises.
--Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi
Link to this post
Rocking the Hawkeye State: Des Moines for Darfur
Des Moines for Darfur is a humanitarian and human rights organization that was established to raise local awareness about the genocide in Darfur. We interviewed Des Moines for Darfur founder Katy Flynn about their activities in the politically crucial state of Iowa. While Katy is new to activism, she has managed to build up one of the strongest Communities United to Save Darfur chapters in the country.
SDC: How did Des Moines for Darfur get started and have you done anything like this in the past?I had just assumed there was already a group here in Des Moines. I was shocked when I found out that not only was there no group in Des Moines, but there were only a handful of groups in the entire Midwest. I had never participated in any kind of activist or humanitarian group before, let alone started one. But I felt so deeply impassioned about the crisis that I was determined to do something. And I just assumed that there had to be others in our community that felt the same way. Someone just had to take the initiative to get us organized. A priority for me was not only to educate but empower the community to help stop the genocide. I was sick and tired of feeling sad and sorry and helpless. I wanted to act.I created a simple flyer on Word and started hanging them up around the community. I e-mailed everyone I knew about the newly formed group, got the word out to newspapers, public radio, posted it on several websites and spoke about it to anyone that would listen. A local publication caught wind of the new group when I posted the meeting on their on-line community calendar, and they wrote an article. I received an overwhelming response from that article. Several people offered to create and host a website, while others offered up their talent or connections for any purpose we might have. Now I have over 150 people signed-up on the e-mail distribution list. There clearly was a need for the group, just as I'd thought. It was simply just a matter of putting together a very basic framework and doing a bit of P.R. SDC: You organized a rally Global Day for Darfur rally in Des Moines at the state capitol. What was that experience like?I had never been to a rally, let alone organized one, so I really learned a lot in a short time period. It was a bit stressful but incredibly rewarding. Fortunately, there were some members of the group that had connections in the community and experience in rally organizing, so they were a huge asset. We were the only rally/event in the Midwest, which was a major reason why I decided we needed to have one in the first place. The highlight of the rally was seeing about twenty Darfurian refugees arrive with their signs and pictures. For me, their presence was what the rally was all about.SDC: How have you been so successful in getting media coverage for your events and activities? Do you have recommendations for other activists looking to get media coverage?From what I have been told, the media is looking to cover Darfur but they need something to talk about specifically within their community.I guess I have been both persistent and blessed. I make sure the press is aware of what we're doing, no matter how large or small. There has to be a story, though. Often the story is simply the fact that there is a group of average citizens with no activist background whatsoever, rallying together for a humanitarian crisis thousands of miles away.It isn't easy, however, to get coverage. For example, I thought our rally was quite successful and news worthy. We had over 200 people attend on the State Capitol steps. We had a terrific, diverse group of speakers. We blasted out press releases far and wide. Yet the coverage left something to be desired. It can be really frustrating when we feel like there is a story worth telling and then the headlines are about the recent high school football game. I guess worthy news is very relative. SDC: Iowa is a politically crucial state with the presidential caucuses coming up and the recent election of two new members of Congress. What plans do you have to educate these new members and the presidential candidates about Darfur and the actions they can take to end the genocide?We will definitely plan to meet with the newly elected officials. Our organization is also part of a larger coalition, the Progressive Coalition of Central Iowa, which is like having a bunch of hands linked around you to support you. Their mission is to "facilitate networking, build mutual support, carry out and support educational activities, do advocacy, and serve as a catalyst in establishing two-way communication with elected officials, community leaders and candidates for public office." We have just joined this coalition and I'm sure they will be a great asset for us. I would recommend joining a group like this, if you already have or are thinking of starting an activist group for Darfur.
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Manhattan Graphic Designers Unite Their Profession with Their Passion for Darfur Activism
Manhattan-based graphic designers Daniel Young and Mirko Ilic were recently featured in Business Wire for their latest Darfur poster project. The poster, which features the word Darfur as an acronym for six Nazi concentration camps, was designed, produced, and funded entirely by Young and Ilic. Web addresses for six prominent Darfur advocacy organizations, including the Save Darfur Coalition, appear at the bottom of the poster.
Ilic mentioned a personal motivation for the poster’s creation stating that, “Coming from Bosnia—ex-Yugoslavia—I know what civil war can do to people.” The two have endeavored to increase public knowledge of the crisis in Darfur by placing 1,000 posters in strategic locations around Manhattan. Young said their goal is to, “make Americans aware that a horrible disaster is taking place in Darfur and encourage them to help.” While the posters will not be appearing in other cities, they are available to download. Both designers hope that through this mass distribution of the poster, “people in other locations will be inspired to carry the burden in their communities.”
This Darfur poster, along with many other grass-roots projects around the country, has offered yet another avenue for educating the public about the genocide that has been ravaging Darfur since 2003. Young and Ilic serve as an excellent example of how activists can use their unique skills to inspire and motivate the public to take action on behalf of Darfur.
For more information or posters, please contact Daniel Young at 212-697-1264 or danielyoung@megapathdsl.net.
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Featured Local Group: Chicago Coalition to Save Darfur
The Chicago Coalition to Save Darfur currently has the most registered members of any of our groups and is growing each and every day. The organization was created to bring together the many different groups in the greater Chicago area working to end the genocide in Darfur. We interviewed Niki Antonakos and Susannah Cunningham about their previous efforts and the upcoming rally they are planning in Chicago this weekend.SDC: How did you get involved in Darfur activism?Susannah: I got involved while studying abroad in Egypt and stumbling upon a Sudanese Refugee center in Cairo near my university. Feeling completely ignorant I read up on Sudan, learning about the previous Southern conflict and the current one in Darfur. From their curiosity spiraled into anger over the audacious injustice of a modern genocide - surprising even myself. I got involved with student anti-genocide work in the fall of 2004 because I wanted to use my outrage productively and help in the only way that I could - by advocating professionally and making strategic noise. I founded a Darfur student group on Northwestern University's campus, joined STAND, and started working with SDC and Genocide Intervention Network from there. My involvement has snowballed since and sometimes I wondered how it even happened to this extent. And then I remember my conversations with my Sudanese friends in Cairo - how the conflicts we read about in the news have real effects on people's lives, homes, and families and I'm filled with the hope of peace for them and Darfurians that probably drove me to do all this. Niki: A colleague of mine in the Social Studies Department at my high school, Ken Kramer, came to school one day with green wristbands and asked us if we would like to join him in raising awareness of the ongoing genocide in Darfur. His action came from a question: how can I be teaching my students about the genocides of the 20th century and the role of bystanders in allowing them to happen, while I do the same while genocide is being perpetrated in Darfur? His question launched the department into a crusade to inform our community about the genocide. We held a day-long teach-in in May 2005, and the response from students and the community at large was a sense of urgency to do whatever possible to urge governments to take action to stop the genocide. With student leadership through our newly formed Amnesty International organization, we held a Run for Darfur, a film screening, letter/postcard writing campaigns, and a public rally with a mock refugee camp in our town’s center that we called CAMP Darfur. In the winter of 2006, one of those students and I began representing our school at the Chicago Coalition meetings.SDC: How have you recruited new members for the Save Darfur Chicago Coalition?By previous collaboration on events, word-of-mouth, targeted e-mails, introductions from friends and colleagues, etc. The various groups that make up the Coalition have worked hard within their communities. Most recently, just before the Global Day for Darfur on September 17, we realized the Save Darfur site could accommodate a group site for the Coalition. That site has allowed anyone in the Chicago area who is concerned with the genocide to join the group or simply to find ways of acting. SDC: What activities has your group undertaken?Numerous speaking events, city-wide conferences, cultural events. Among other events, our member organizations have hosted forums with local professors, Brian Steidle, and John Prendergast; they have rallied in support of State Senator Jacqueline Collins’s work on the Illinois divestment law; they have gathered at the Inner-city Muslim Action Network’s Community Café; university students sponsored a training session for high school aged activists with Mark Hanis; and most recently gathered at a Refugee Advocacy Forum and the opening of a National Geographic photo exhibit. Our largest event was the May 1st “Rally to Stop the Genocide in Darfur”, a sister event to the April 30 rallies. That day a few thousand people crowded Federal Plaza to hear speakers from human rights organizations, various faith groups, student organizations and local, state and national political figures.SDC: Please tell us about the event you are planning for Michigan Avenue on October 15th. How can Chicagoland area activists can get involved?The event is aimed at creating media around Chicago's thriving action on Darfur. Media has been our biggest challenge because we haven't focused on it and the May rally was unfortunately set on the same day as the mass immigration rallies in Chicago (which were organized after we received our permit). We're making a visual to create a platform for Chicago media to cover local Darfur action. And they seem pretty pumped to do so. Show up on Sunday at NU Law. Follow the signs and blue-shirted volunteers in front of the Law library. The visual involves citizens, dressed in UN-blue t-shirts, spanning the length of the Magnificent Mile (north Michigan Avenue), a dramatic eye-catching site meant to demonstrate wide-ranging popular support for the UN peacekeeping force that was authorized by the recent UN resolution. Following our demonstration, we will gather back at NU Law for a light dinner, breaking the fast in solidarity with the Darfuris, who are in the holy month of Ramadan.For more information, you can check our site.
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Communities United to Save Darfur: 200+ groups and growing!
Lindsey Petersen is the local organizing coordinator for the Save Darfur Coalition. Her job includes reaching out to our network of Communities United to Save Darfur groups that dot the United States (and increasingly the world). These 200+ local organizations are the backbone of our grassroots education and advocacy campaigns and have been at the vanguard of the movement to end the genocide in Darfur.
SDC: What sort of activities do Communities United to Save Darfur groups undertake in their local communities?
Communities United groups participate in a wide variety of activities, including holding meetings with their elected officials, collecting letters to go to the President, and holding an event to educate their community about Darfur. Groups have organized everything from a Yogathon for Darfur to hosting a forum where academics and refugees join together to discuss the ongoing genocide.
SDC: What advice do you offer group leaders who are trying to get a new group off the ground?
I think the key is just starting small by getting support from your family, friends, co-workers or fellow congregants at your house of worship and then spreading the word to your wider community. Holding a small event such as a dinner for Darfur, or showing our DVD to your social circle, is an easy way to get people interested in Darfur and raise awareness about the genocide. In my role at the coalition, I also help groups by connecting them with people who have successfully started groups in the past and who are happy to give advice on what they found worked best.
SDC: Can you share with us specific examples of remarkable achievements of local groups and their leaders over the past year?
Katy Flynn from Des Moines for Darfur started a group from scratch and within months had been on TV news, various radio stations, and has most recently held a successful Day for Darfur rally at the grounds of the state capitol in Iowa.
Beth Reilley of the Indiana Coalition to Save Darfur started out by collecting signatures for a petition at her local church and quickly was able to reach out to Methodist churches throughout Indiana. Beth's work on behalf of the people of Darfur has been so impressive that the CBS evening interviewed her for a piece on Darfur advocacy.
Another example is the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur which successfully organized 12 busloads to our rally in NYC. This was a huge accomplishment that helped us to increase turnout for our historic rally.
It's truly amazing how much these groups are able to accomplish throughout the year. Many group leaders have no background in organizing or activism but they have been able to achieve amazing results.
SDC: If readers want to start their own local group, what should they do?
Anyone who wishes to start their own organization should register their group on the website and contact me with any initial questions or concerns. I would also encourage anyone with interest to sign up and be a part of our nationwide network of people working to end the genocide in Darfur.
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Prayers for Darfur
Due to the importance of the Global Day for Darfur and events across the country we decided to feature in our blog, prayers from religious communities around the world. These prayers were specially written for Darfur by Archbishop Desmond Tutu; the Archbishop of Canterbury; Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra, Chairman of the Interfaith Relations Committee of the Muslim Council of Britain; and the Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks of Great Britain. In their prayers, these leaders call upon people of faith to "pray for the people of Darfur who have been terrorized and forced from their homes – for those who have fled to refugee camps, and who still live in fear" and "for the children of Darfur, especially those who face a frightening world without one or both of their parents – may they be protected and comforted" (from Archbishop Tutu's prayer). They also "pray for those whose lives are lived on the margins of nations and who suffer from the wars that others fight around them…"for the warring factions, that they may see themselves under the gaze of God and under the gaze of those who suffer…for the work of peacekeepers, negotiators and the humanitarian organizations, that security may prevail" (from the Archbishop William's prayer). They ask God "to alleviate the oppression and end the atrocity and…that the killing stops, the bloodshed ends, that women and children are safe and healthy and happy…and "to give the people of Darfur back their homes, their families, their communities, their humanity, and their hope and dreams for the future" (from Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra's prayer). And finally they call upon God to "send peace to the people of Darfur…to hear the cry of the victims, the bereaved, the injured, and all those who live their days in fear…to rouse the hearts of the leaders of the world…and to put an end to the bloodshed, the violence, the rape, the starvation, and the terror, that has ravaged and endangered an entire population" (from Dr. Jonathan Sacks' prayer).
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George Clooney and Elie Wiesel Speak at the United Nations about the Worsening Situation in Darfur
Actor George Clooney and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel appeared before the United Nations Security Council on Thursday to make an impassioned plea for immediate UN intervention in Sudan's Darfur region.This morning, Mr. Clooney and Mr. Wiesel appeared on The Today Show where they discussed the situation in Darfur and the “Save Darfur Now: Voices to Stop Genocide” rally in New York City this Sunday.
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Getting Arrested for Darfur
Posted on Wednesday, 09/13/06 - 11:06 am
I had never been arrested before. There are a few traffic tickets on my record, but nothing even close to an arrest. And so it was with some anxiety that I decided last Thursday to be arrested outside of the White House to protest the world’s collective failure to respond to the genocide in Darfur. It was the next step - something I was compelled to do by my frustration with the world’s inaction. Encouraged by my colleagues at the Save Darfur Coalition, and given tacit approval by my sympathetic parents, I joined 28 fellow Darfur activists and two co-workers on Saturday in an act of civil disobedience organized by Africa Action as part of the Ten Days of Action for Darfur.
The action itself was simple by design. We walked to the fence of the White House lawn and laid down on the sidewalk, while continuing to chant and hold signs with various pleas and statements: “Bush: Please Protect the People of Darfur” and “Send in the UN, Now.” After three warnings from the police, we were hand-cuffed one-by-one and led to a waiting police van for transport to the jail.
We were arrested to emphasize the urgency of the situation in Darfur: without the immediate intervention of the international community, Darfur may very well “collapse,” as UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland warned on Tuesday. By getting arrested, we hoped to dramatize this urgency and spur the Bush administration to do everything possible to end the suffering.
Our mild inconvenience does not compare to the suffering of the people in Darfur. But until that suffering comes to an end, it is critical that people all over the world continue to demand that their leaders push for security and justice for the people of Darfur.

Probes, Pressure Failing to Stop Darfur Killings

Probes, Pressure Failing to Stop Darfur KillingsUNITED NATIONS, Dec 15 (IPS) - Though pleased with the progress made in the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation of war crimes in Darfur, Sudan, rights groups say urgent action is required to end the impunity surrounding those responsible for the killings of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. Many prominent rights groups, including the London-based Amnesty International and the New York-based Human Rights Watch, said they welcomed the ICC prosecutor's report to the U.N. Security Council Thursday, but said his success still depends on how Khartoum is dealt with by the world community. "We would like to see the prosecutor moving forward," said Richard Dicker, director of the International Justice Programme at the New York-based Human Rights Watch. "We don't expect the Sudanese government has the political will to carry out meaningful prosecution." In response to the ICC investigation, which was mandated by a Security Council resolution in March 2005, the Sudanese government is currently carrying out its own probe into the killings of civilians in Darfur. Between 200,000 and 400,000 people have died in Darfur since 2003, when rebels seeking greater autonomy took up arms against the government. Since then, millions of others have been uprooted from their traditional lands. In his report to the Security Council, chief ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he was almost ready to bring charges for some of the worst war crimes committed in Darfur during the past three years. "The evidence provides reasonable grounds to believe that the individuals identified have committed crimes against humanity and war crimes, including the crimes of persecution, torture, murder and rape," he said. In his briefing, Moreno-Ocampo, who is expected to request arrest warrants for 51 suspected perpetrators in February, criticised the probe being carried out by Sudanese authorities. Khartoum insists it is in the process of setting up courts, but the prosecutor said it does not appear to have done that. Moreno-Ocampo said his office had taken more than 100 formal witness statements and screened hundreds of potential witnesses since the start of its investigation. On Khartoum's intentions to try war criminals, Amnesty International said it was clear from the prosecutor's report there is "no full and effective cooperation by the government", and there must be "an immediate end to impunity" in Sudan to halt the deepening human rights crisis. The group demanded the government provide the prosecutor with "immediate, unrestricted, and safe access to all parts of Sudan" and prevent reprisals from against anyone assisting the prosecutor's investigations. Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have urged the ICC prosecutor to consider extending his investigation into war crimes that were started in Darfur, but were completed across the border in eastern Chad and the Central African Republic. Both Chad and the Central African Republic are parties to the treaty that established the world court in 2002 to prosecute individuals for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Considering the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region, the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council has said it is ready to start its own investigation of abuses and killings of innocent civilians in Darfur. In response to international criticism, Khartoum has consistently denied that it is backing the Janjaweed militias and insists that the scale of the crisis has been exaggerated by Western powers. Rights groups say the violence has intensified in recent months despite the presence of 7,000 African Union troops, which continue to lack adequate resources. A recent Security Council resolution allows the U.N. to deploy its own peacekeepers, but the Sudanese government refuses to allow U.N. forces in Darfur. However, it has expressed its willingness to let the U.N. provide logistical support to a bigger AU force. Sudan has also rejected warnings of tougher action by the United States and Britain if it continued to block the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers. "Threats and blockades, and no-fly zones, would not solve the problem, but would increase suffering in Darfur," said Foreign Minister Lam Akol in a recent statement. Humanitarian groups in the region like Oxfam International note that the insecurity has led to the evacuation of 250 staff members from key locations across Darfur serving some 480,000 people. Aid workers are facing unprecedented difficulties at a time when humanitarian needs are rising fast, said a group of leading international aid agencies working in the conflict-stricken region. "If the deterioration is allowed to continue, the impact on civilians could be devastating. With new displacements and attacks, the presence of aid agencies is more important than ever. Yet every day brings one huge blow after another to aid efforts," said Paul Smith-Lomas, regional director for Oxfam. The group said recent months have seen a steady deterioration in agencies' ability to reach people in need. In November, one agency was unable to properly access 19 of its 22 programme locations, affecting 175,000 people. In Kalma camp in south Darfur, which shelters 90,000 people, agencies are losing one day's work a week due to rising violence inside the camp. Meanwhile, a U.S.-based group, Africa Action, released a major new report this week entitled "Leveraging New International Action on Darfur", laying out how the U.S. can use strategic diplomacy to engage key actors on Darfur and break the deadlock over the deployment of a U.N. force. The group also sent a letter to the U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios, signed by hundreds of leaders of religious congregations and denominations from around the country, demanding that the U.S. redouble its efforts to achieve an international peacekeeping force that can stop the violence and protect civilians in Darfur. "The international community is running out of options on Darfur," said Ann-Louise Colgan, director of policy analysis at Africa Action. "It is time for a new U.S. foreign policy strategy, which leverages U.S. relationships with key actors to advance the established goal of a U.N. peacekeeping force for Darfur. The Bush administration must marshal all of its diplomatic resources now." The religious leaders' letter, also sent to the White House today, calls for a comprehensive diplomatic offensive on Darfur from the U.S. to ensure the deployment of a peacekeeping force. It says "credibility of the U.S. on Darfur will be judged by the attainment of this goal." (END/2006)

Annan: Stop the suffering in

Annan: Stop the suffering in Darfur

[oas:casperstartribune.net/news/world:Middle1]
GENEVA -- His time at the helm of the world body nearing an end, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan stepped up his efforts Tuesday to force a halt to atrocities in Darfur, demanding the U.N. Human Rights Council send an independent team of investigators to the volatile Sudanese region.Annan, whose 10-year stewardship of the United Nations ends Dec. 31, was joined by top U.N. officials and agencies increasingly frustrated in their efforts to bring relief to people suffering from nearly four years of bloodshed."It is urgent that we take action to prevent further violations, including by bringing to account those responsible for the numerous crimes that have already been committed," Annan told the 47-nation council's emergency session on Darfur. The body is expected to decide Wednesday whether to pass a resolution, which would be nonbinding, but increase political pressure.The council, which replaced the widely discredited Human Rights Commission in June, has used its six previous sessions to pass eight resolutions denouncing Israeli treatment of Arabs. No other government has been accused of rights violations.
Annan said militias were attacking defenseless civilians in Darfur and that "large numbers of women" were being raped."I urge you to lose no time in sending a team of independent and universally respected experts to investigate the latest escalation of abuses," Annan said in a recorded video address opening the meeting.Annan stopped short of singling out the Sudanese government, but said the council should send "a clear and united message to warn all concerned, on behalf of the whole world, that the current situation is simply unacceptable and will not be allowed to continue."But Louise Arbour, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, cited "credible evidence" that the Sudanese military was responsible for ground attacks and aerial bombardments of civilians.The Sudanese government also is accused of unleashing the janjaweed militia to help its forces counter ethnic African groups who rebelled in 2003. More than 200,000 people have been killed and some 2.5 million people have fled their homes, according to U.N. estimates.Annan's outspoken humanitarian chief, Jan Egeland, warned that "several hundred thousand lives will be at risk" unless they are protected from militia attacks.This may be "the last opportunity for this council, the government of Sudan, the African Union and all of us to avert a humanitarian disaster of much larger proportions," Egeland told the council Tuesday, his last day on the job.However, the deputy governor of South Darfur, Farah Mustafa, said the situation was "ill-represented and distorted," and he accused Arbour of bias."The international media and the office of the high commissioner have coordinated pressure on the government (of Sudan) so that it (will) give its consent to international troops," Farah said. The council should instead support the existing peace agreements and the African Union troops, he added.Annan's comments, which were likely to be his last to the council as secretary-general, reflected his increasingly blunt criticism of the international community's failure to stop atrocities in Darfur and his disappointment with the council, which was created at his urging this year.With unusual candor, Annan said Saturday that the United Nations was falling short of its responsibility to protect human rights in Darfur.Annan commissioned highly critical reports of the U.N. role in the 1994 Rwanda genocide and the 1995 massacre of thousands of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica, which was supposed to be a U.N.-protected enclave. Both took place when Annan headed the U.N. peacekeeping department.At a U.N. summit in 2005, world leaders agreed to a proposal by Annan that there is a collective global responsibility to protect people from genocide, war crimes and ethnic cleansing. The Security Council adopted a resolution in April reaffirming the agreement.Annan has been pushing for that global responsibility to be exercised in Darfur, with U.N. peacekeepers on the ground and political pressure for a cease-fire.In one of the latest incidents of violence, two refugees were shot and killed Sunday by AU peacekeeping troops in a riot in the west Sudanese town of El-Geneina.The riot began during a funeral for 30 refugees slain Saturday by the janjaweed militia. The killings were the first time Darfur refugees had died at the hands of peacekeepers; a spokesman for the AU mission said troops fired in self-defense.A U.N. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said a government plane bombed a North Darfur village on Monday, killing eight members of one family."What has been happening in Darfur is a disgrace," Ireland's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Paul Kavanagh, told the council. "The whole of Africa knows it, as do decent people the world over."AP writers Bradley S. Klapper, Frank Jordans and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Alfred de Montesquiou in Khartoum, Sudan, contributed to this report.

Will South Africa Speak out on Darfur Today?

Will South Africa Speak out on Darfur Today?

By Michael Clough and Loubna Freih
Published in Business Day
South Africa’s willingness to stand up for international human rights is likely to be tested today. The United Nations (UN) Commission on Human Rights is set to vote on a European Union resolution calling for a strong response to the massive human rights abuses committed by the Sudanese government and its militias, the Janjaweed, in the western region of Darfur in Sudan. Tens of thousands of Darfurians have been raped and killed, and perhaps as many as 2-million have been displaced.
South Africa could use today’s vote to restate its claim to a leading role in the international debate on human rights. Instead, it appears to have decided to follow the African group consensus and vote for a no-action resolution. At its birth, postapartheid South Africa was a beacon of hope for human rights movement and oppressed groups all around the world. The perception that South Africa was going to be a new and different kind of nation gave it a special status in the world. Today, barely a decade later, South Africa appears to be abandoning the principles that gave it power and is in danger of becoming just another ordinary, middleweight regional actor. The most obvious example of this shift is the failure of President Thabo Mbeki and his government to provide the democratic movement in Zimbabwe with the kind of support that the anti-apartheid movement received in its struggle to end white rule. In fact, Mbeki is practising the strategy (constructive engagement) that he decried when it was practised by the Reagan administration in South Africa in the 1980s. But of equal cause for concern is the possibility that the Mbeki government may join other African governments to prevent the Commission on Human Rights from taking steps to address the egregious violations of human rights that are being committed in Darfur. Despite recent actions by the U.N. Security Council, the situation in Darfur remains critical. More than 2 million people are living like prisoners in towns and camps for the internally displaced. They are unable to return to their villages, unable even to leave these camps to collect firewood or water due to the continuing attacks, rape and assault by government-backed militia members and other forces. For the past two years, Sudanese government forces and government-backed ethnic militias have committed attacks of extraordinary brutality against civilians in Darfur. In response to the international outcry, the security council appointed an international commission of inquiry. Two weeks ago, in a historic move, the security council referred the situation of Darfur to the International Criminal Court. Because South Africa is not on the security council, it was not required to vote on the referral, but it is believed to have supported, at least tacitly, the action. Now, in Geneva, when it has a chance to take a public stand against the abuses in Darfur, it does not appear to be ready to speak out. Privately, some government officials have suggested that, for regional political reasons, South Africa must keep in close step with the African group’s position on human rights. But, with countries such as Libya, Zimbabwe and Sudan playing a leading role in the group, such a policy will ensure that South Africa will usually end up voting against human rights. If South Africa gives up its leading role in the worldwide struggle for justice, it will be a great loss for the world, for Africa and for South Africa. The world will lose a voice that is able to speak out credibly against the governments of great powers such as the United States and the United Kingdom when they fail to live up to the principles they espouse. Africa will lose the leader it so desperately needs if it is to realise its hopes of a political and economic rebirth. And South Africa stands to lose its special international status in the world, and the influence that it gained from that status. Clough is the advocacy director for Africa, and Freih the Geneva director, of Human Rights Watch.

Will South Africa Speak out on Darfur Today?

Will South Africa Speak out on Darfur Today?

By Michael Clough and Loubna Freih
Published in Business Day
South Africa’s willingness to stand up for international human rights is likely to be tested today. The United Nations (UN) Commission on Human Rights is set to vote on a European Union resolution calling for a strong response to the massive human rights abuses committed by the Sudanese government and its militias, the Janjaweed, in the western region of Darfur in Sudan. Tens of thousands of Darfurians have been raped and killed, and perhaps as many as 2-million have been displaced.
South Africa could use today’s vote to restate its claim to a leading role in the international debate on human rights. Instead, it appears to have decided to follow the African group consensus and vote for a no-action resolution. At its birth, postapartheid South Africa was a beacon of hope for human rights movement and oppressed groups all around the world. The perception that South Africa was going to be a new and different kind of nation gave it a special status in the world. Today, barely a decade later, South Africa appears to be abandoning the principles that gave it power and is in danger of becoming just another ordinary, middleweight regional actor. The most obvious example of this shift is the failure of President Thabo Mbeki and his government to provide the democratic movement in Zimbabwe with the kind of support that the anti-apartheid movement received in its struggle to end white rule. In fact, Mbeki is practising the strategy (constructive engagement) that he decried when it was practised by the Reagan administration in South Africa in the 1980s. But of equal cause for concern is the possibility that the Mbeki government may join other African governments to prevent the Commission on Human Rights from taking steps to address the egregious violations of human rights that are being committed in Darfur. Despite recent actions by the U.N. Security Council, the situation in Darfur remains critical. More than 2 million people are living like prisoners in towns and camps for the internally displaced. They are unable to return to their villages, unable even to leave these camps to collect firewood or water due to the continuing attacks, rape and assault by government-backed militia members and other forces. For the past two years, Sudanese government forces and government-backed ethnic militias have committed attacks of extraordinary brutality against civilians in Darfur. In response to the international outcry, the security council appointed an international commission of inquiry. Two weeks ago, in a historic move, the security council referred the situation of Darfur to the International Criminal Court. Because South Africa is not on the security council, it was not required to vote on the referral, but it is believed to have supported, at least tacitly, the action. Now, in Geneva, when it has a chance to take a public stand against the abuses in Darfur, it does not appear to be ready to speak out. Privately, some government officials have suggested that, for regional political reasons, South Africa must keep in close step with the African group’s position on human rights. But, with countries such as Libya, Zimbabwe and Sudan playing a leading role in the group, such a policy will ensure that South Africa will usually end up voting against human rights. If South Africa gives up its leading role in the worldwide struggle for justice, it will be a great loss for the world, for Africa and for South Africa. The world will lose a voice that is able to speak out credibly against the governments of great powers such as the United States and the United Kingdom when they fail to live up to the principles they espouse. Africa will lose the leader it so desperately needs if it is to realise its hopes of a political and economic rebirth. And South Africa stands to lose its special international status in the world, and the influence that it gained from that status. Clough is the advocacy director for Africa, and Freih the Geneva director, of Human Rights Watch.

U.N. concern increase for Sudan, Chad, CARThe United States' special envoy on Sudan, Andrew Natsios, leaves Friday on another mission to Khartoum aime

U.N. concern increase for Sudan, Chad, CAR

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan "is deeply concerned about the worsening security situation in Darfur and its consequences" on the rest of the region.
The area of concern, he said in a statement issued by his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, includes Chad to the west and the Central African Republic to the southwest.
"He is alarmed by the devastating impact the violence is having ... in the region, and strongly condemns the recent attacks and destruction of dozens of villages in North Darfur," the statement said.
More than 80,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the last six weeks, 50,000 of them in Darfur and 30,000 in Chad, Dujarric said Thursday. Several hundred civilians, including women, children and elderly, have been killed and there are reports of mass rapes and other gross violations of human rights.
"The secretary-general also deplores the fact that the escalating violence is cutting off almost one million people across Darfur from desperately needed humanitarian relief," the spokesman said.
"Recent clashes between armed militias and ... elements in El Fasher have forced the relocation of U.N. and non-governmental organization staff and are threatening relief operations for more than 1.3 million people across North Darfur," he added.
The fighting has also interrupted U.N. support to the African Union Mission in Sudan, Dujarric said.
Violence in Chad is disrupting relief operations to more than 300,000 people," he said. "In both Darfur and Chad, relief workers are being attacked on a daily basis, and dozens of their vehicles have been hijacked in the last few weeks, threatening the humanitarian lifeline for a total of 4.3 million people in the region."
The violence on Sudan's western flank was separate from last weekend's outbreak in southern Sudan.

The United States' special envoy on Sudan, Andrew Natsios, leaves Friday on another mission to Khartoum aimed at overcoming obstacles to putting an expanded international peacekeeping force in Darfur. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed the issue Thursday with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

The trip will be Ambassador Natsios' second to the region since being named the Sudan envoy in September. It comes at a time of rising violence in Darfur, and continued resistance by authorities in Khartoum to the deployment of an upgraded peacekeeping force.
The U.N. Security Council voted at the end of August to replace the current 7,000-member African Union observer mission in Darfur with a full-fledged U.N. peacekeeping mission three times as large.
Sudan rejected the U.N. force as tantamount to a foreign invasion of its territory. But last month, under diplomatic pressure, it agreed in principle at an Addis Ababa conference chaired by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to accept a somewhat smaller, "hybrid" force made up of African Union and U.N. troops.
Officials here say Natsios will visit both Sudan and neighboring Chad, which has been plagued by spill-over violence from Darfur, to try to nail down Sudanese acceptance of the reconfigured force.
The U.S. envoy said late last month that the Bush administration, which has offered diplomatic incentives to Sudan if it helped end the Darfur violence, would move to an unspecified "Plan B" if Khartoum does not given final approval to an expanded force by January 1.
The issue is understood to have topped the agenda at a meeting Thursday between Secretary of State Rice and Secretary-General Amr Moussa of the Arab League, which has been trying to mediate the dispute.
The former Egyptian foreign minister told reporters after the luncheon meeting he is optimistic about progress, and that a deal on the Darfur force is already three-quarters complete:
"I believe we are moving," said Amr Moussa. "In Addis Ababa, the consensus was that we moved almost 75 per cent, more than 75 per per cent, on the paper or the offer of the Secretary-General Kofi Annan. In Abuja, there was an agreement too, on four basic points. So there is hope. Yes indeed. I believe that we can make progress, I mean definite progress on the Darfur question."
In New York Thursday, U.N. chief Annan issued a statement expressing deep concern about a worsening security situation in Darfur and its consequences for the wider region including Chad and the Central African Republic.
The secretary-general said violence in the last six weeks has killed several hundred people and displaced more than 80,000 more in Darfur and Chad.
He said there are reports of mass rapes and other gross violations of human rights and almost daily attacks in relief workers.
The Darfur conflict erupted in 2003 when local rebels took up arms against the Khartoum government, which responded by backing Arab "Janjaweed" militiamen in a scorched-earth campaign against the rebels and their perceived supporters.
A nominal Darfur peace accord reached in the Nigerian capital Abuja in May was rejected by some rebel factions and has had little effect on the violence.
U.N. officials estimate the conflict has claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people and displaced some two million more.

The Crime of Our New Century...Darfur's War Criminals: Help Us Name Names

The Crime of Our New Century...

The Sudanese Government, using Arab "Janjaweed" militias, its air force, and organized starvation, is systematically killing the black Sudanese of Darfur.
The picture of the boy killed (left) shows what is happening in Darfur. Over a million people, driven from their homes, now face death from starvation and disease as the Government and militias attempt to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching them. The same forces have destroyed the people of Darfur's villages and crops, and poisoned their water supplies, and they continue to murder, rape and terrorize. This site's sole purpose is to try to save lives by helping stop the genocide in Darfur. It empowers you to take smart, strategic actions to compel those in power to act through international petitions or local events. It provides access to the best, most relevant and most upto date information available. You can also give online to Aid Agencies, or our Advocacy Fund. The situation in Darfur is dire. The choice we face simple. Act now to help save lives and stop the genocide, or watch as another chapter of injustice, cruelty and tragedy gets added to human history. Let's learn the bloody lessons of Rwanda, the Holocaust, and Armenia. Lets make sure that 2005 is not a year that we remember and regret.

Darfur's War Criminals: Help Us Name Names

Sign the Petition
The more signatures we have, the more support we can report to the media. The ongoing Darfur Genocide is no accident, no local tribal conflict. The genocide is the brutal plan of three men in the Sudanese national Government -- President Bashir, Vice-President Taha, Security Chief Gosh. Now they are spreading their system of terror to other African countries, including Chad and the Central African Republic . Yet our governments continue to cut deals with them - deals they repeatedly break. It is time for the US and European governments to stop appeasing genocide. We call on our governments to fully support the International Criminal Court to indict the perpetrators of genocide, and to help ensure their arrest. It is time for justice, because only justice can bring peace.

AFESD offers USD 2 million to develop human resources in S.Sudan -- official
ECO-KUWAIT-SUDAN-FUND AFESD offers USD 2 million to develop human resources in S.Sudan -- official

KUWAIT, Dec 5 (KUNA) -- The Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) pledged a USD two million aid to develop human resources in southern Sudan and the Darfur region, an official said Tuesday.AFESD will help coach 120 Sudanese on economy management as part of USD 10 million training program, where a number of trainees will be sent to the Kuwait-based Arab Planning Institute (API), while the rest will be trained in other Arab countries and Malaysia, Sudanese Minister of State for Finance and Economy Lwal Dinq told reporters.The 2005 peace agreement between the Sudanese government and South of Sudan, in addition to the 'Abuja agreement' of Darfur led to political stability, which will eventually pave the way for a sound investment in Sudan, the official said.The official praised the "distinctive relationship" between Kuwait and Sudan, especially in aid and other charitable actions. Sudanese Finance and National Economy Minister Zubeir Al-Hassan is currently visiting Kuwait and meeting Kuwaiti businessmen to encourage them to invest in his ciuntry. (end) mga

Tension high in Darfur town after deadly attack

Tension high in Darfur town after deadly attack

Khartoum, ex-rebels clinch deal on implementation of peace treaty, UN rights council to examine Darfur.
KHARTOUM - Tension ran high on Tuesday in the Darfur town of El-Fasher, a day after at least two people were killed in an attack by pro-government militia, the former rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) said.
"The situation is very tense due to the presence in and around the town of the Janjaweed but there has been no fresh fighting," SLM official Ahmed Abdallah said.
The African Union mission (AMIS) currently operating in Darfur also described the situation as "very tense".
"AMIS intervened very quickly Monday to put an end to the clashes and its vehicles transported five members of the SLM who were seriously wounded to our hospital," said AMIS spokesman Nourredine Mezni.
"On Tuesday we received information of a possible attack on our headquarters by armed elements who did not sign the peace deal," he said of the pro-government militia.
"We strongly warn against any attacks," he said.
AMIS finds "very regrettable this violation of the ceasefire at a time when the African Union is trying to consolidate the peace deal and to bring in other parties", he said.
The UN has withdrawn staff from Al-Fasher, sources in Darfur said.
SLM leader Minni Minnawi told reporters on Monday that what he described as well-armed men from the pro-government Janjaweed militia attacked the cattle market in El-Fasher.
The largest city in Sudan's troubled western region of Darfur, El-Fasher is also the main base for African Union (AU) observers and has a large population of people displaced by the almost four-year-old conflict.
Minnawi said Monday's attack was a serious breach of the peace deal he signed with Khartoum in May and said it threatened his former rebel movement's participation in the government.
Sudanese authorities played down the latest violence and said it was the result of tensions between local merchants and a group of military intelligence officers who had come to purchase goods from the market.
UN rights council to examine Darfur on December 12
Meanwhile, the UN's top human rights forum will hold a special session on violations in Sudan's strife-torn region of Darfur on December 12, the world body announced on Tuesday.
European and African states in the UN Human Rights Council last week joined forces to call the urgent session next month, but a date for the session had yet to be set.
Their bid was supported by 33 of the 47 nations in the Council, according to a statement from the United Nations. The list of backers also included traditional allies of Khartoum, China and Cuba.
European countries have lodged a draft resolution calling on the Council to set up a mission to probe violations in Darfur.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour last week warned the assembly that "atrocities" in Darfur "continue to be a daily occurrence" and said that Khartoum was responsible for the most serious violations.
The move follows pressure from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who warned that the reputation of the UN's top human rights forum was at stake if it did not act on serious violations.
It will be the fourth special session called by the Council to act on an urgent situation since the body was formed earlier this year.
At least 200,000 people have died from the combined effects of war and famine since the conflict in Darfur erupted in 2003. More than two million have fled their homes and violence is continuing, according to the United Nations.
Khartoum, ex-rebels clinch deal on implementation of peace treaty
Commanders from the Khartoum army and former rebels from eastern Sudan have agreed on a timetable for implementing security and military arrangements envisioned in an October peace deal, officials said Tuesday.
The two sides have been meeting since Friday in the Eritrean town of Tessenei, near the border with Sudan, to discuss the implementation of the accord signed in October to end 12 years of insurgency.
"The high-level joint committee reached (an) agreement on the time schedule and implementation of the final agreement regarding security and military structures," the Eritrean government said in a statement on its website.
The statement did not elaborate on the details of the agreement, but said delegates would meet again in the eastern town of Kassala on December 17 for another round of talks.
Under the October peace deal, both sides are to release prisoners of war and the estimated 1,800 former rebel fighters are to decide whether to return to civilian life or join the Sudanese army or police.
The Eastern Front rebel movement was created last year by the Rashidiya and the region's largest ethnic group, the Beja. It had similar aims to its better-known counterparts in Darfur -- greater autonomy and control of natural resources.
The accord with the eastern rebels is part of efforts to pacify the whole of Sudan, African's largest country, by building on peace pacts the regime in Khartoum has already reached with other rebel groups.
These include a deal last year with insurgents in the mainly Christian south and an accord in May this year with one of the rebel factions in the western region of Darfur.
But there are concerns that militias operating in the south are undermining the peace agreement there and Darfur continues to be plagued by a vicious civil war.

Sudanese refugees to get highest humanitarian aid

Sudanese refugees to get highest humanitarian aid

New York, US 02/12 - Victims of Sudan`s war-torn Darfur region will receive 1.2 billion dollars worth of humanitarian assistance in 2007, UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland disclosed Friday in New York.Egeland told a news conference that the amount was the single largest sum out of the nearly 4 billion dollars needed in 2007 to address humanitarian emergencies in various parts of the world.The 2007 Humanitarian Appeal was launched Thursday at the UN headquarters by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, with a call to the world`s prosperous nations to donate to that cause.Egeland said as in previous years, most of the 2007 aid targets Africa, in areas such as Sudan, DR Congo, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad and the Republic of Congo, as well as Cote d`Ivoire, Somalia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, the Great Lakes and West Africa regions.He also disclosed that the highest amount of the humanitarian purse has "to go again to Sudan, due to the multiple civil wars that have left millions homeless and hungry".Egeland had recently said about four million people in Darfur region are in need of urgent relief assistance.

African Union (AU) peacekeepers are in Darfur until June 2007, after Sudan rejected plans for it to hand over to a larger, stronger UN mission.

African Union (AU) peacekeepers are in Darfur until June 2007, after Sudan rejected plans for it
to hand over to a larger, stronger UN mission.
Sudan's government and the pro-government Arab militias are accused of war crimes against the region's black African population, although the UN has stopped short of calling it genocide.
But the current force has failed to halt attacks on civilians which has led to some 2m people living in camps. Without the peacekeepers they would be even more vulnerable.
What is the problem with the current force?
This the African Union's first serious foray into peacekeeping and it has shown.
The 7,000 peacekeepers are over-stretched and have found themselves shot at and kidnapped by rebel groups. Both sides in the conflict have stopped them accessing a number of key areas - making it extremely difficult for them to investigate ceasefire violations.
When they do take place, investigations are painfully slow with both government and rebel groups required to approve them before they are sent to headquarters.
Their mandate is to protect civilians in immediate danger where possible. This is open to numerous different interpretations.
In practice there have only been a few occasions where the AU has proactively gone out to defend civilians in threat of attack.
It is not so much what the mandate is - but how well equipped they are to enforce it.
The fact that the force functions at all is largely down to the Western contractors that are used.
The US firm PAE provides all accommodation, food and maintenance while a Canadian firm sent the helicopter which operates the supply routes.
In the areas of administration which the AU takes responsibility for, such as paying staff, it struggles.
Many of the mission's staff have not been paid for three months. Not surprisingly morale is desperately low.
What is the West's position?
Western donors have not been keen to hand cash to the force as money donated through AU headquarters in Addis Ababa has not always translated into improvements in Darfur.
The longstanding position has been that it is time for a transition from an African Union to a United Nations force.
Throughout 2006 envoys and diplomats have gone to Khartoum and tried to persuade President Omar al-Bashir to accept a UN mission. He has point blank refused.
Thanks to their strong business ties with China, the Khartoum government has insulated itself from Western pressure.
Now having realised their impotence, Western thoughts have turned to a compromise.
The approach has changed from the so-called "megaphone diplomacy" to a more conciliatory approach.
US envoy Andrew Natsios made an extremely low key visit to Sudan in October.
The message he took back to Washington was that a third way had to be found - a robust force which could be deployed without President Bashir losing face.
What is Khartoum's position on strengthening the force?
Khartoum says it is happy for the AU to strengthen its mandate, increase its number of troops and receive logistical support from the United Nations, as long as it is done in consultation with the government.
About 100 UN experts are in the process of being deployed to the AU mission to help with equipment and logistics.
At present Khartoum says it is unwilling to consider troops from outside the continent which could pose a problem as the African Union is struggling to find more troops.
The UN is now offering to send a further $21m to the force, with more going in logistical support.
What is the way ahead?
Beefing up the African Union force with extra resources and equipment is the first step in a three-phased proposal by the UN to ease the crisis.
The second stage would see the UN deploy several hundred soldiers and police officers to help the AU troops.
The third step is to push for a hybrid of AU and UN peacekeepers.
African troops would get UN logistical support and there would be substantial UN involvement in the command and control of the peacekeepers.
What is being suggested is a special representative to lead the joint force appointed by the UN and the AU.
UN officials hope this will satisfy Sudan's reservations.
But the AU has now backed Sudan's position that the force should remain under African control.
Even if a deal is reached - many in the West are unconvinced that the attacks on civilians will end unless the UN takes over - and that still needs a change of heart from President Bashir.